MORNING NEWS BRIEF [SEPTEMBER 30, 2020]

HOT NEWS

1. Trump and Biden kicked off the presidential debate with a contentious start on topics of the U.S. Supreme Court nominee, health care, and COVID-19. Source: Al Jazeera
2. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will pay a visit to Mongolia, Japan and South Korea next week to strengthen ties with the regional allies amid fraught relations with China. Source: Reuters
3. China warned U.S. politicians not to create talks during the presidential election about “China’s threat” to put up a show for the need to protect U.S. benefits. Source: Sputnik 

WORLD

1. Armenia has claimed that Turkey shot down one of its fighter jets in the Armenia air space amid the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, although Turkey refuted the claim. Source: BBC
2. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden released his 2019 tax returns which highlights the contrast with Trump right before their first presidential debate. Source: Washington Post
3. Israeli PM Netanyahu claimed at the UN General Assembly that Hezbollah has a secret arms depot in Lebanon’s capital Beirut where there could be another explosion. Source: RT

REGIONS

1. DPRK Amb. to the UN spoke of their reliable war deterrent for self defense and will focus on developing their economy, while admitting international sanctions were an obstruction. Source: CNA
2. India presented Dornier surveillance aircraft to Maldvian National defense Force, claiming it is for the purposes of searching and rescuing in the maritime EEZ in the Northern Maldive. Source: Sputnik 
3. Japan planned to ease the outbound travel advisory which is currently in place for 159 countries and regions in October, prioritizing the countries with low infection rate. Source: The Japan Times

CAMBODIA

1. Cambodia may not be on the top list and is likely to miss out an opportunity of getting Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine due to late requests if there is no political goodwill. Source: Khmer Times
2. As predicted by the WB and ADB, Cambodia will bounce back to a strong economic performance next year if the government  focuses on expanding trade and investment. Source: Cambodianess
3. WFP will continue to support Cambodia’s agricultural sector and endorse smallholder farmers to increase their capacity and local agricultural production for more job creation. Source: AKP