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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 signs stopgap spending bill to avert government shutdown
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded through December 11, 2020, White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said in a tweet early on Thursday.
The United States Senate passed the budget bill on Wednesday that avoids an imminent government shutdown and extends funding weeks beyond the November 3 presidential election, after Democrats reached a deal with the White House and Republicans.
The bipartisan text easily cleared the Senate 84 votes to 10 a week after it passed the House of Representatives. Trump needed to sign the bill by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday to avoid a partial government shutdown, as fiscal year 2021 technically begins on October 1.
Top 2 | Putin says Russia and U.S. should agree not to meddle in each other's elections
President Vladimir Putin called on Friday for an agreement between Russia and the United States to guarantee not to engage in cyber-meddling in each other’s elections.
In a statement ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3, Putin called for a reset between Russia and the United States and said he wanted an agreement between the two countries to prevent incidents in cyberspace.
Moscow’s relations with Washington are at post-Cold War lows as the election looms. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election with the aim of tilting it in Donald Trump’s favour, including by hacking into the campaign of his rival Hillary Clinton. Moscow denies that charge.
Top 3 | Armenian PM warns against any Turkish involvement in conflict with Azerbaijan
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on the international community on Sunday to ensure that Turkey does not involve itself in Armenia’s conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, trading barbs with Ankara.
Turkey, an Azeri ally, had earlier sharply criticised Armenia after clashes between Armenian and Azeri forces broke out in the morning, saying Yerevan was an obstacle to peace and vowing to continue its support for Baku.
Pashinyan said Turkey’s behaviour could have destructive consequences for the South Caucasus and neighbouring regions. Both sides, which fought a war in the 1990s, reported fatalities. Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that is inside Azerbaijan but is run by ethnic Armenians, declared martial law and mobilised its male population.
Top 4 | Misinformation about Biden’s health spreads after debate
False stories about Joe Biden’s health continued to spread on social platforms the day after the first presidential debate, including misleading Facebook ads by the Trump campaign and a viral video on TikTok.
A false story about Biden wearing an earpiece that emerged on Tuesday continued to get traction on Facebook after the debate. The Trump campaign ad, which encourages people to “Check Joe’s Ears,” and asked “Why won’t Sleepy Joe commit to an earpiece inspection,” was viewed between 200 to 250,000 times and marketed primarily to people over 55 in Texas and Florida. The implication of the ad, the content of which originated from a tweet by a New York Post reporter who cited a single anonymous source, is that Biden needed the assistance of an earpiece so someone could pass him information during the debates.
And on the video platform TikTok, four grainy videos alleging that Biden was wearing a wire to “cheat” during the debate racked up more than half a million combined views on Wednesday, according to research by the left-leaning media watchdog group Media Matters. One of the videos shows a still of Biden with his hand inside his suit, while another overlays an arrow over Biden’s tie, but neither video shows any visual evidence of Biden wearing an electronic device of any kind.
Top 5 | EU launches legal action over UK Brexit bill
The European Union launched legal proceedings on Thursday in response to the British government's attempt to overturn parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
The infringement procedure, which could come before European courts, has not derailed post-Brexit trade talks, but reflects mounting tension in Brussels as time runs short for a deal.
On Tuesday, British MPs backed a bill to regulate the UK's internal market from January 1, when Britain completes its post-Brexit transition period and leaves the EU single market and customs union. The proposed text, by London's own admission, overwrites parts of the withdrawal treaty that Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed with EU leaders last year, a breach of international law.
Top 6 | China's Foreign Ministry underlines one-China principle on Taiwan region's affairs
The Taiwan region's participation in the activities of international organizations must follow the one-China principle, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday.
He made the remarks at a regular press conference when commenting on the designation issue of the Taiwan region in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, an international network of mayors dedicated to mitigating climate change.
There is only one China in the world and the Taiwan region is an inalienable part of China's territory, Wang said, stressing that the Taiwan region should be listed under the country category of "China."
Top 7 | Modi pledges to use India vaccine-production capacity to help 'all humanity'
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged at the United Nations on Saturday that his country’s vaccine production capacity would be made available globally to fight the COVID-19 crisis.
“As the largest vaccine-producing country of the world, I want to give one more assurance to the global community today,” Modi said in a pre-recorded speech to the U.N. General Assembly. “India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis.”
Modi said India was moving ahead with Phase 3 clinical trials - the large-scale trials considered the gold standard for determining safety and efficacy - and would help all countries enhance their cold chain and storage capacities for the delivery of vaccines. Modi said in August that India was ready to mass-produce COVID-19 vaccines when scientists gave the go-ahead.
Top 8 | Armenian-Azeri fighting continues, ignoring cease-fire pleas
Armenia and Azerbaijan reported a fourth day of fierce fighting, defying a United Nations call to halt the worst violence in decades over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijani forces attacked overnight with drones near Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital, Stepanakert, and artillery fire is taking place along the contact line between the two militaries, Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said Wednesday on Facebook.
“Intense battles” continue with combat operations taking place along the entire front line, with Armenian forces encircled in one area, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Top 9 | Macron promises Belarus mediation but Putin slams 'pressure'
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday promised to help with mediation in the political crisis in Belarus, but Russia's Vladimir Putin lashed out against "unprecedented external pressure."
Macron spoke during a visit to Lithuania after meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya that was being seen as a major show of support for the activist.
Belarus has been in upheaval since an August 9 presidential election in which Tikhanovskaya claimed victory against the incumbent Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994. Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania in the aftermath of the election as mass protests in the streets of the former Soviet republic were met with a crackdown in which thousands were arrested.
Top 10 | Ukraine's president orders prompt investigation of plane crash
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday the causes of a military plane crash which killed 26 people would be investigated promptly and impartially.
A military transport plane carrying air force cadets crashed and burst into flames near a highway in northeastern Ukraine on Friday evening. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said 27 people had been on board the plane - seven crew members and 20 students. Only one cadet managed to survive.
The Antonov An-26 aircraft crashed while trying to land during a training exercise, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said, adding that the black boxes with flight data had been found. Ukrainian authorities said they were investigating four possible causes of the crash -- a technical malfunction involving the aircraft; improper performance by the crew; improper performance by flight control; and inadequate maintenance.
Related news:
APD | Azerbaijan is out to liberate its occupied territories
APD | EU's dilemma in relationship with US
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
