International News:2020/10/09

 ASIA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 11 million

Total Deaths: At least 208K

-Philippines  [Source: TheKhaleejTimes]

Philippine President Rodrigo Duerte said on Monday that Facebook could not stop him from promoting the objectives of his government, telling the social media giant that they should talk about its purpose in his country. "Facebook, listen to me", Duerte said in a late-night televised address. "We allow you to operate here hoping that you could help us. Now, if government cannot advocate something which is for the good of the people, then what is your purpose here in my country?"

(Note: On September 22, Facebook dismantled a network of fake accounts that originated in China and Philippines. Facebook said the fake accounts were dismantled because they had engaged in "coordinated inauthentic behaviour".

Platforms like Facebook have helped strengthen Duerte's support base and have been helpful in his election victory in 2016.)

-Iran  [Source: TheNational]

     Iran's Health Ministry said nearly the whole country is on a coronavirus red alert as cases and deaths rose to record levels. Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state television that 26 of Iran's 31 province were 'red zones', the highest alert level, where four were at the next 'orange level'.

     On Saturday, schools, libraries, mosques and other public institutions in the capital, Tehran, closed for a week as part of measures to stem the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases. Similar closures have been imposed in the Zanjan province, north-west of Tehran, and cities in several other provinces, shutting museums, theatres, gyms, cafes and hair salons, state media said. Iran has also banned flights to Iraq to stop citizens from travelling to the neighbouring country for the annual pilgrimage Arbaeen, which draw large crowds. Land borders to Iraq were also closed.

(Note: So far, Iran's authorities registered 488,236 number of identified coronavirus cases, including 27,888 number of deaths from this disease. Unofficially, authorities say infections and deaths may be many times higher due to issues with testing and reporting.)

NORTH AMERICA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 9.3 million

Total Deaths: At least 323K

-USA  [Source: BBC]

The former US police officer Derek Chauvin charged with the murder of unarmed black man George Floyd has been released from prison on bail. In June, a judge set a bail of $1.25 million with no pre-conditions or $1 million with conditions which include  Mr. Chauvin not contacting Mr. Floyd's family, surrendering his firearms and not working in law enforcement or security as he awaits trial. Mr. Chauvin was released on conditional bail, CBS Minnesota reported. He now awaits trial which will be in March next year on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter.

(Note: On 25 May, the white officer was filmed pressing his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for almost eight minutes before he died. Mr. Floyd's death led to global protests and calls for police reform, spurred by the Black Lives Matter movement. Derek was then fired from his job and had been at the maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, since last May.)

SOUTH AMERICA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 8.5 million

Total Deaths: At least 267K

-Argentina  [Source: MercoPress]

Argentina plans to temporarily cut soybean and soymeal export taxes by 3 percentages points to help stimulate export revenue as the country struggles with recession and dwindling foreign reserves. The tax cut will last until the end of the year. "They will reduce export taxes by 3% for the rest of the year and restore export taxes to their current levels in January", farmer sources said. "The government is expecting that this will induce farmers to increase selling but we are not sure about that."

(Note: Soybeans are the main cash crop of Argentina and the country is world's top supplier of soymeal.)

EUROPE

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 5.7 million

Total Deaths: At least 228K

-Russia  [Source: TheMoscowTimes]

     Fears are mounting over an environmental disaster in Russia's Far East after locals reported finding dozens of dead sea animals washed onto a beach from the Pacific Ocean. Images shared across social media over the weekend showed dead octopuses, large fish, sea urchin, crabs and other marine animals had washed up on the shore. Locals say they first noticed a potential problem three weeks ago when surfers and swimmers started feeling ill after going into the water. Surfer Anton Morozov reported experiencing "blurred vision, dry and painful eyes and a sore throat." After returning to the ocean this weekend, he said the situation had now grown worse, writing on Instagram: "The water doesn't smell like the ocean, it's sticky, bitter and dirty. Fish are dead on the shore."

     Greenpeace said tests conducted on water samples taken from Khalaktyrsky beach in Russia's Kamchatka region showed petroleum levels four times higher than usual, and phenol levels were also 2.5 times higher. "The scale of contamination has not yet determined, but the fact that dead animals are found all along coast confirms the seriousness of the situation", the organization said in a statement which described the incident as an "ecological catastrophe". No industrial accidents or oil spills have been officially reported in the area, and environmental activists are demanding an investigation to determine what happened and the extent of the contamination.

     Local authorities initially tried to downplay the incident, publishing videos of a spotless beach, stating: "The color of the water is normal, the smell of the air is normal, the beach is completely clean." However, as satellite images continued to resurface, that approach changed over the weekend. Kamchatka governor Vladimir Solodov said the region was launching investigations into the contamination and would take more samples of the beach, animals and sea water for further testing. He threatened to fire anybody from the local administration who tried to either cover-up or embellish the situation.

(Note: Environmental issues have become a thorny issue for the Russian authorities in recent years, with a number of locals protesting over issues such as landfills and garbage disposal.)

AFRICA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 1.5 million

Total Deaths: At least 37K

-Nigeria  [Source: AllAfrica]

     Nigeria's debt of $85.9 billion, the highest in history, has become the talking point event as the country celebrates its 60th anniversary. The pressure on the economy has caused an 8.31 percent increase in debt owed from the total of $79.3 billion recorded in March. Now the talk is on whether the money borrowed had helped or burdened the country.

     By December 2005, Nigeria was rated as one of the most heavily indebted countries, owing $33.9 billion. Abuja's debt obligation had gone down in 2006 after the country got debt relief. The Paris Club of creditors wrote off $18 billion of that debt, while the country paid off the balance and became largely debt free. However, in the years that followed, the public debt spiraled as officials argued for funding budget deficits and critical infrastructure.

OCEANIA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 32K

Total Deaths: At least 940

-Australia  [Source: CNN]

     Five million residents in Melbourne, Australia emerged from a long lockdown on Monday, with strict restrictions loosening after nearly two months as the state continues to see a drop in coronavirus case. "Seven weeks ago, our average case numbers were peaking at more than 400 every single day", Victoria State's Premier Daniel Andrews said on late Sunday night. "Today, Melbourne's rolling case average is 22.1. It's a remarkable thing -- and an achievement that belongs to every single Victorian."

     On Monday, Victoria only recorded five new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours  -the lowest daily increase in 108 days, according to the State's Department of Health and Human Services. The loosened restrictions include re-opening outdoor pools and childcare centers, and allowing outdoor public gatherings between two households as long as the group is capped at five people. Food distribution centers, supermarkets, meat processing plants and other workplaces will be allowed to return to full working capacity. In total 127,000 people will now be able to return to work under the reopening plan, according to Andrews.

(Note: Melbourne city saw its coronavirus figures spike in late July and early August, peaking at more than 670 cases in a day. Andrews declared a state of disaster across Victoria State on August 2, and imposed stage 4 lockdown measures in Melbourne.)