MORNING NEWS BRIEF [May 25, 2021]

HOT NEWS

1. The EU decided to ban Belarusian carriers from flying over the bloc’s airspace after  Minsk ordered a forced landing in order to arrest a Belarusian dissident on board. Source: Deutsche Welle
2. The U.S. top diplomats headed to the Middle East to discuss with Palestine, Israel and regional partners over recent escalation and urgent humanitarian assistance to civilians. Source: AP
3. The U.S. intelligence examined the reports that researchers at Wuhan Virology lab fell ill a month before the first case of COVID-19, despite no evidence of the disease’s origins. Source: The Straits Times

WORLD

1. Negotiators representing Iran and the UN’s IAEA agreed on the use of surveillance monitoring on Iranian nuclear sites for one additional month amid the Vienna talk. Source: Sputnik
2. Colombia’s Ambassador has been summoned to Russia’s MOFA over the allegation made by Colombia’s Defense Minister that Russia is involved in the cyberattack. Source: TASS
3. The UK government placed travel restrictions on Belarus and advised all flights to avoid Belarusian airspace after a dissident journalist and critic were arrested upon landing. Source: Anadolu Agency

REGIONS

1. Taiwan’s bid to take part in annual ministerial assembly of the WTO failed, as Chinese ambassador to the UN called on supporting countries to unhold the One China principle. Source: Reuters
2. China offered to send COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan to help it curb a sharp rise in new infection cases which drawn an angry response from Taipei and Washington. Source: CNA
3. The NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi made first court appearance since her government was toppled by the military as she was allowed to meet her lawyers shortly before the hearing. Source: BBC News

CAMBODIA

1. Cambodian and Chinese lawmakers held talks to discuss mutual cooperation, maintaining and strengthening of bilateral relationships at upper and lower house levels. Source: The Phnom Penh Post
2. The two-way trade between Cambodia and Japan valued USD633.12 million in the first quarter of 2021, a year-on-year growth of 7.8 percent according to Jetro. Source: The Phnom Penh Post
3. The Prime Minister ordered the establishment of an inter-ministerial working group tasked to examine the granting of the title for tycoons, after a series of scandals broke out. Source: The Diplomat