MORNING NEWS BRIEF [JUNE 19, 2020]

HOT NEWS

1. The U.S. congressional advisory board warned that China has developed three special nuclear weapons that are capable of destroying the U.S. electrical system. Source: Sputnik
2. The U.S. unveiled a new defense space strategy to maintain their superiority in military, commercials  and other activities that have been threatened by China and Russia. Source: SCMP
3. China has found highly contaminated areas of the coronavirus in the meat and seafood sections in Beijing’s wholesale food market as they have low temperature and high humidity. Source: Reuters

WORLD

1. Turkish Defence Ministry said their warplanes have hit and destroyed more than 500 Kurdistan Workers’ Party targets in various regions in northern Iraq within 36 hours. Source: Al Jazeera
2. Iran has blamed the U.S. for imposing cruel sanctions on Syria and has pledged to strengthen economic ties with the Bashar al-Assad government. Source: RT
3. European leaders will try to narrow the differences over their coronavirus economic recovery plan, worried that the disagreement would lose public confidence. Source: Reuters

REGIONS

1. Amid flaring tensions with DPRK, RoK’s chief nuclear negotiator held talks with U.S. officials in Washington to assess the situation on the Korea peninsula and discuss responses. Source: The Straits Times
2. Tokyo lifted all restrictions on businesses to boost the country’s economies amid the daily double-digit new cases and concerns over a potential second wave of infections. Source: SCMP
3. Indonesia reported 1,331 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily increase of infected cases in the country, making total cases more than 42,000. Source: CNA

CAMBODIA

1. Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and Russia joined the ASEAN-Russia Special Meeting, praising the establishment of the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund. Source: Khmer Times 
2. MFAIC joined a high-level video conference on Belt and Road International Cooperation: Combating COVID-19 with Solidarity which was hosted by China’s FM Wang Yi. Source: Khmer Times 
3. Cambodia and the U.S. discussed a draft law on Cybercrime via online, which stressed the government’s efforts in fighting against Cybercrime that has been drafted in 2016. Source: AKP