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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | Trump moved to military hospital after COVID-19 diagnosis
U.S. President Donald Trump moved to a military hospital for treatment on Friday after being diagnosed with COVID-19 as his administration and re-election campaign scrambled to adjust to an extraordinary twist in his turbulent presidency.
Roughly 17 hours after he announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus, Trump walked slowly from the White House to a waiting helicopter to be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He wore a mask and business suit and did not speak to reporters.
Trump will work in a special suite at the hospital for the next few days as a precautionary measure, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. Trump, 74, has a mild fever, according to a source familiar with the matter. White House doctor Sean P. Conley said he is being treated with an experimental drug cocktail and is “fatigued but in good spirits.”
Top 2 | Trump calls for two face-to-face debates with Biden before election
U.S. President Donald Trump called for the second presidential debate between himself and Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden to be held on October 22 while the third debate should be held a week later.
The second presidential debate is scheduled to take place on October 15 but Trump had said earlier on Thursday that he will not participate in it following an announcement bythe Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) that it will take place virtually. The CPD said the decision was made "in order protect the health and safety of all involved."
A statement released by Trump's 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien accused the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) of wanting to "protect" Biden and employing diversionary tactics. Stepien said Americans should not be denied the chance to see two candidates debate face-to-face two more times.
Top 3 | China slams Pompeo's accusations, urges U.S. to abandon Cold War mentality
A spokesperson for China's Embassy in Japan on Wednesday slammed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's accusations against China over issues related to the East and South China Seas, cybersecurity and China-India regional conflicts, urging the U.S. side to abandon its Cold War mentality.
Pompeo made the remarks during an interview on Tuesday on the sidelines of a "Quad" meeting in Tokyo with the foreign ministers of Japan, India and Australia.
Calling the accusations "lies," the spokesperson accused Pompeo of "maliciously creating political confrontation." The U.S. official's moves run counter to the current trend of peaceful development and win-win cooperation, as well as the general trend of the world, the spokesperson said, adding that his attempts have failed.
Top 4 | Armenia's PM says ready for 'mutual concessions' with Azerbaijan on Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenia is ready to make concessions in its conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh if Azerbaijan is willing to do the same, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday.
"Conflicts need to be resolved on the basis of mutual concessions," the prime minister said. "Nagorno-Karabakh is ready, and Armenia is ready to mirror the concessions that Azerbaijan is ready to make." Pashinyan was sure that Russia would come to its defense if necessary in its conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia is a member of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and has enjoyed the support of Russia, which has a military base in the country. Meanwhile, Pashinyan said Turkey's encouragement had motivated its ally Azerbaijan to engage in fresh fighting over the region, and he would not accept peace talks if Turkey were a part of them.
Top 5 | Cambodian deputy PM urges outsiders to avoid "provocation" over South China Sea issue
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong has called on outsiders to avoid "provocation" over the South China Sea issue, saying that any disputes should be peacefully settled by parties directly concerned.
Noting that through many years of serious negotiations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are now working on the draft of the Code of Conduct (COC) to boost cooperation between parties directly concerned to deal with the relevant disputes, Namhong told Xinhua that countries outside the region should encourage ASEAN and China to reach the COC.
While ASEAN and China are in the process of settling their difference directly and peacefully through the COC, outside powers should contribute to peace in the region and avoid inflaming the disputes, he said. Namhong recalled that Cambodia successfully promoted the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) by ASEAN and China in 2002 when Cambodia was the ASEAN's chair.
Top 6 | DPRK launches 80-day campaign to achieve development goals
Kim Jong Un, the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has called on his country to embark on an 80-day campaign to attain its goals in every sector before a congress in January to decide a new five-year plan, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday.
Kim made the announcement at a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Monday. The meeting comes during a challenging year for the DPRK as the coronavirus pandemic puts more pressure on an economy hurt by recent storms and flooding.
In August, Kim announced that the ruling party will hold a congress in January to decide a new five-year plan, with a party meeting noting serious delays in improving the national economy. Last year, Kim vowed to make a "frontal breakthrough" in the country's campaign to build a self-reliant economy in the face of tightening sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs.
Top 7 | New Caledonia voters choose to stay part of France
A majority of voters in New Caledonia, an archipelago in the South Pacific, chose to remain part of France instead of backing independence Sunday, leading French President Emmanuel Macron to call for dialogue, as the referendum marked a crucial step in a three-decade-long decolonization effort.
In a televised address from Paris, Macron welcomed "an expression of confidence in the Republic with a deep feeling of gratitude and modesty."
Macron promised pro-independence supporters "this is with you, all together, that we will build New Caledonia tomorrow." He called on New Caledonia residents to "look to the future." The territory's overseas ministry said results show 53.3 percent of the participating voters in the Sunday referendum have chosen to maintain ties with France, while 46.7 percent supported independence.
Top 8 | Pope: Market capitalism has failed in pandemic, needs reform
Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the “magic theories” of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity and rejects war at all costs.
Francis on Sunday laid out his vision for a post-COVID world by uniting the core elements of his social teachings into a new encyclical aimed at inspiring a revived sense of the human family. “Fratelli Tutti” (Brothers All) was released on the feast day of his namesake, the peace-loving St. Francis of Assisi.
The document draws its inspiration from the teachings of St. Francis and the pope’s previous preaching on the injustices of the global economy and its destruction of the planet and pairs them with his call for greater human solidarity to confront the “dark clouds over a closed world.” In the encyclical, Francis rejected even the Catholic Church’s own doctrine justifying war as a means of legitimate defense, saying it had been too broadly applied over the centuries and was no longer viable.
Top 9 | American poet Louise Gluck crowned Nobel Literature Prize
American poet Louise Gluck was crowned the 2020 Nobel Literature Prize laureate, according to the Swedish Academy on Thursday.
Gluck was honored "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal," said the Academy. Born in 1943 in New York City, Gluck made her debut in 1968 with "Firstborn" and "was soon acclaimed as one of the most prominent poets in American contemporary literature," according to the announcement.
The Academy also noted her 2006 collection "Averno," calling it "masterly" and "a visionary interpretation of the myth of Persephone's descent into hell in the captivity of Hades, the god of death." The 77-year-old poet and essayist, now an adjunct professor of English at Yale University, is receiving a 10 million kronor (more than $1.1 million) prize, which is funded by the Nobel Foundation.
Top 10 | Kuwait parliament endorses Sheikh Mishaal as crown prince
Kuwait's parliament on Thursday endorsed Sheikh Mishaal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah as crown prince after the new emir named him on Wednesday, the parliament said on its Twitter page.
Sheikh Mishaal, 80, has been deputy chief of the Kuwait National Guard since 2004, largely staying out of the political scene and away from disputes within the royal family.
The Sabah ruling family "blessed" 83-year-old Sheikh Nawaf's decision, the official Kuwait News Agency said Wednesday, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to approve the choice. Unlike other Gulf states, Kuwait has a lively political life with an elected parliament that enjoys broad legislative powers and can vote ministers out of office.
Related news:
APD | President Trump might pay the price of ‘non-seriousness’
APD | Azerbaijan is out to liberate its occupied territories
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
