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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Famed Afghan Female Warlord Joins The Taliban RFE/RL Gandhara 16 Oct 2020 -- BAGHLAN, Afghanistan -- A female warlord who built a distinguished reputation by fighting against the Soviet occupation, the Taliban regime, and its insurgency in recent years has formally joined the Taliban.
• Concerns Mount as US Seen Downplaying Al-Qaida Threat in Afghanistan VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- There are growing concerns the United States is vastly underestimating al-Qaida's strength and influence in Afghanistan, even as the White House continues to talk about ever more ambitious deadlines for bringing home U.S. troops still stationed in the country.
• US Out of Afghanistan by Christmas? Adviser Says That's President's Desire VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- President Donald Trump's national security adviser says a presidential tweet last week that all U.S. troops should be home from Afghanistan by December 25 was a "desire" rather than a military order, and he reaffirmed a plan to decrease U.S. numbers to 2,500 — not zero — by early 2021.
• Afghanistan-Bound Convoy Attacked In Northwest Pakistan, NATO Armored Vehicles Torched RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- Pakistani officials say several armed men have attacked a convoy transporting four armored vehicles for the NATO forces in Afghanistan and set them alight.
• U.S. Afghan Peace Envoy Says Taliban Agrees To Reduce Violence RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan says he has struck an agreement with the Taliban to reduce the number of casualties in the country as a wave of violence hampered ongoing intra-Afghan peace talks in Qatar.

Defense Policy / Programs

• This Week in Operation Warp Speed – Oct. 16, 2020 DoD 16 Oct 2020 -- Below is a compilation of initiatives, actions and accomplishments across Operation Warp Speed (OWS)'s primary efforts in the past week.
• DOD Awards $6.98 Million Firm-Fixed Price Contract Action to Teel Plastics, LLC to Increase Domestic Production Capacity of Swabsticks for COVID-19 Testing Swabs DoD 16 Oct 2020 -- On October 16, 2020, the Department of Defense (DOD), in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded a $6.98 million Firm-Fixed Price contract action to Teel Plastics, LLC, to expand US-based industrial production capacity of injection-molded and extruded swabsticks used in the production of COVID-19 testing kits. Teel Plastics, LLC has been a US-based producer of medical plastic products for over forty years.
• Trump Administration Partners With CVS and Walgreens to Provide COVID-19 Vaccine to Protect Vulnerable Americans in Long-Term Care Facilities Nationwide DoD 16 Oct 2020 -- To meet the Trump Administration's Operation Warp Speed (OWS) goals, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DOD) today announced agreements with CVS and Walgreens to provide and administer COVID-19 vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF) nationwide with no out-of-pocket costs.
• US military to lay off 9,000 South Korean workers amid cost-sharing row Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- Thousands of South Korean workers will be put on unpaid leave by the US military, as Seoul and Washington remain divided over costs of maintaining US forces on the Korean soil.
• USS Winston Churchill renders aid to Iranian mariners in distress while operating under Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) CENTCOM 16 Oct 2020 -- While operating under Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) provided assistance to a motor vessel in distress in the Arabian Sea, Oct. 15.
• Readout of Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper's Phone Call With French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly DoD 16 Oct 2020
• SATURN radio connects U.S. forces to allies US Air Force 16 Oct 2020 -- The Air-to-Ground Tactical Data Links team, headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base, has been working to provide the Department of Defense with an anti-jam, hack-proof and high-frequency radio system to improve communication with allies.
• Destroyer Squadrons 7, 15 Train Together to Sharpen Sea Combat Commander Skills US Navy 16 Oct 2020 -- Through dynamic changes in 2020, the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet continues to operate at sea, enabling their two forward-deployed destroyer squadrons (DESRON) to practice advanced tactics and procedures in surface and anti-submarine warfare.
• USS Donald Cook Fires SM-2 During Joint Warrior 20-2 US Navy 16 Oct 2020 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) successfully completed a Live Fire with a Purpose (LFWAP) missile demonstration during Joint Warrior 20-2 by destroying a high speed maneuvering target using a Standard Missile 2 (SM-2), Oct. 14, 2020.
• U.K.-Led Exercise Joint Warrior 20-2 Concludes US Navy 16 Oct 2020 -- More than 6,000 personnel, 81 aircraft, 28 ships, and two submarines from 13 nations concluded the United Kingdom-led multinational exercise Joint Warrior (JW) 20-2 in the Atlantic Ocean, Oct. 15, 2020.
• Secretary General visits Dutch airbase hosting NATO deterrence exercise NATO 16 Oct 2020 -- Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attended NATO's annual nuclear exercise at Volkel airbase in the Netherlands on 16 October 2020 alongside Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld as well as NATO's top military commander, General Tod Wolters.
• US Negotiator Accuses Russia of 'Backtracking' on Nuclear Agreement Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- US Special Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea on Friday called it a disappointment that Russia "backtracked" on the American proposal to conclude an agreement that would cover all nuclear warheads.
• Putin proposes Russia, US extend arms control treaty for year Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed that Russia and the United States extend the New START nuclear arms control treaty without any preconditions for at least one year.
• Putin Proposes Extension Of New START Treaty For One Year Without Conditions RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed extending a bilateral nuclear disarmament treaty with the United States for one year without preconditions to keep it from expiring early next year and allow talks to revive it to continue.
• China's Shipyards Expanding to Keep Up With PLA's Nuclear Submarine Plans Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- As China's navy continues to expand, it's pushing existing shipyards to the limit. Recent satellite images show the country's only facility for building nuclear submarines is undergoing considerable expansion.
• Fu Cong reiterates China's stance on nuclear issues PLA Daily 16 Oct 2020 -- Fu Cong, director-general of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expounded China's stance on issues such as China's policy related to and development of nuclear power and the trilateral China-US-Russia arms control negotiation in an interview with Russian newspaper Kommersant on October 15, 2020.
• China to pass new law on tech export control Global Times 16 Oct 2020 -- China's top legislature is expected to pass a new export control law on Saturday, aiming to restrict the export of relevant national security-sensitive technologies that offers a "timely solution" to plug loopholes in China's regulation, as the tech war between China and the US intensifies.
• North Korea's New Missle Appears Designed to Overwhelm US Defenses VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- North Korea's new intercontinental ballistic missile, unveiled at a military parade last week, appears designed to overwhelm U.S. missile defenses, security analysts say, a development that may spur the U.S. to add costly new interceptors.
• End Of Arms Embargo Unlikely To Bring Flow Of Weapons To Iran RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- October 18 marks the end of a decade-old United Nations arms embargo against Iran after the United States failed overcome opposition within the UN Security Council to get it extended -- including opposition from Washington's European allies.
• Russia weighs military cooperation with Iran after arms embargo expiration: Foreign Ministry Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says Moscow will consider military technical cooperation with Iran in line with mutual interests after the expiration of a United Nations arms embargo on Tehran.
• Russia, Kazakhstan Replace Decades-Old Military Cooperation Agreement RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- The Russian and Kazakh defense ministers signed an agreement in the Kazakh capital on October 16 on bilateral military cooperation to replace a deal that has been in place since 1994.
• Turkey Restricts Area for Possible Testing of Its S-400 Systems Near Black Sea Coast Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- Earlier this month, Washington said that Turkey's S-400 deal with Russia remains "a major obstacle" in US-Turkish relations. The US has repeatedly claimed that the S-400 air defence systems are incompatible with NATO security standards, allegations that Turkey rejects.
• Romania - Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Coastal Defense Systems DSCA 16 Oct 2020 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Romania of Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Coastal Defense Systems (CDS) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $300 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Oct. 16, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 16 October 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Oct 2020
• US-backed SDF forces set free 100s of Daesh terrorists in Syria's Hasakah Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- US-sponsored and Kurdish-led militants affiliated with the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have released hundreds of people detained on suspicion of having collaborated with the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
• Syria: Humanitarians 'very concerned' for thousands still living in Al Hol camp UN News 16 Oct 2020 -- Humanitarians are "very concerned" about the plight of more than 64,000 people living in the restive Al Hol camp in northeast Syria, the UN Spokesperson told journalists on Friday.
• Fresh Attacks, Finger-Pointing Further Dampen Hopes Of End To Azerbaijani-Armenian Fighting RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- New clashes were reported on October 16 between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in and around the breakaway region at the center of decades of Caucasus conflict in a further sign of the challenges to ending heavy fighting that has killed hundreds in the past three weeks.
• Iran Issues Warning Over Stray Fire From Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry has issued a fresh warning to Armenia and Azerbaijan after stray fire from their conflict over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region reportedly wounded one person on the Iranian side of the border.
• Iran warns about rockets hitting country's border areas IRNA 16 Oct 2020 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh condemned hitting of several rockets on the border areas, reiterating that if repeated, Iran will not remain indifferent to this situation.
• Armenia claims it shot down Azerbaijani Su-25 warplane People's Daily 16 Oct 2020 -- Armenia said Thursday that another Azerbaijani SU-25 warplane has been shot down, a claim denied by the Azerbaijani side.
• Iran warns Karabakh warring sides it won't remain indifferent to more shelling Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- Iran has denied media reports that its border guards have launched retaliatory attacks after rockets fired by Karabakh warring sides hit its border areas, but pledged to take action if such attacks are repeated.
• Artsakh Military Warn Iran of Possible Strikes on Azerbaijan's Forces Near Iranian Border Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- The armed forces of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has warned Iran of possible strikes targeting the armed forces of Azerbaijan that have gathered near the Iranian border, the head of defense policy department of the Armenian Defense Ministry Levon Ayvazyan said on Friday.
• Arab League, Europeans condemn Israel's approvals for new settler homes in occupied West Bank Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- Arab League and top European diplomats have denounced Israel's approval of thousands of new settler units across the occupied West Bank, less than a month after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain signed agreements to normalize relations with the Tel Aviv regime, which in return pledged to freeze its plans to annex swathes of the occupied territory.
• Western European States Urge Israel to Halt Building Settlements in West Bank Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain have expressed concern about Israel's plans to built nearly 5,000 housing units in the occupied West Bank and called on Tel Aviv to stop all settlement-related activities in the region, according to the joint communique by the foreign ministries of these states.
• EU denounces Turkey's 'provocations' in Mediterranean Sea Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- Leaders of the European Union (EU) member states have reaffirmed their support for Greece and Cyprus against the "unilateral and provocative actions" of Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
• EU Council President Says Bloc Bemoans Turkey's 'Provocations' in East Mediterranean Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- On Thursday, France and Germany warned Turkey against continuing to provoke the EU with its actions in the eastern Mediterranean, giving Ankara a week to clarify its position on exploring natural gas in the area.
• Paris, Berlin Warn Ankara Against 'Provocative Acts' After Turkish Survey Ship Returns to East Med Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- Late last week, the Greek foreign minister condemned Turkey's decision to restart operations of its gas exploration ship in the Eastern Mediterranean as a "direct threat to regional peace and security".
• Pompeo Condemns Northern Cyprus' Move to Reopen Varosha as 'Provocative' Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a phone call with his Cypriot counterpart that the latest reopening of Varosha by Northern Cyprus is "provocative" and not consistent with efforts to conduct settlement talks, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement on Friday.
• Dialogue Between the Dalai Lama and China a 'Major Challenge': Interview Radio Free Asia 16 Oct 2020 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Oct. 14 named Robert A. Destro, a veteran human rights advocate and civil rights attorney, to serve as the department's Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, a position that had gone unfilled since 2017. Destro, now Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, will serve in both positions simultaneously. On Oct. 16, RFA Tibetan Service reporter Tashi Wangchuk spoke by phone with Destro to discuss his goals and plans for his new role:
• Russia to abandon trilateral MH17 talks, calls investigation biased People's Daily 16 Oct 2020 -- Russia will no longer participate in the trilateral consultations on the downing of the MH17 flight in 2014, describing them as biased and meaningless, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
• Russia leaves MH17 talks with Netherlands, Australia for anti-Moscow bias Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- The Dutch and Australian governments have urged Russia to return to negotiations over its alleged involvement in the 2014 downing of a Malaysian Airline flight over Ukraine after Moscow withdrew from the talks while accusing it of being "biased" and "politicized" against Russia.
• Switzerland Imposes Sanctions Against Russian Entities Over Crimean Bridge Construction Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- Switzerland has adopted sanctions against Russian individuals and companies involved in the construction of the bridge over the Kerch Strait that connected the Crimean Peninsula with continental Russia, the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs said on Friday.
• Violence, COVID-19, contribute to rising humanitarian needs in the Sahel UN News 16 Oct 2020 -- A surge in armed violence, coupled with the economic and social fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, are contributing to worsening conditions for children in the Central Sahel, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday.
• Sahel Humanitarian Crisis Reaches Breaking Point as Funding Dries Up VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- U.N. agencies are operating on a shoestring budget in the Sahel region. The United Nations reports they will need $2.4 billion through the coming year to provide life-saving assistance to more than 13 million people, over half of them children, in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
• UN chief calls for swift action following attacks on peacekeepers in Mali UN News 16 Oct 2020 -- Authorities in Mali are being urged to act swiftly to apprehend those responsible for two separate attacks on Thursday against peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in the country, MINUSMA.
• Myanmar Reports First COVID-19 Case in Rakhine War Refugee Camps Radio Free Asia 16 Oct 2020 -- An elderly woman at one of dozens of war refugee camps in Myanmar's Rakhine state has tested positive for COVID-19, the first confirmed case among more than 200,000 people displaced by nearly 23 months of fighting, government authorities said Friday as a WHO official predicted more cases.

News Reports

• The Week In Russia: Syria, Sanctions, And A 'Conscious Act Of Civic Courage' RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- As Moscow struggled to contain the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Human Rights Watch described "patterns of cruelty" in attacks by Russian and Syrian forces on civilian infrastructure in Idlib Province.
• Turkey arrests suspected spy for UAE Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- Turkey has arrested a man suspected of spying on foreign Arab nationals for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on October 16, 2020 PRC MofA 16 Oct 2020
• China warns Canada against granting asylum to Hong Kong 'criminals' Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- China has warned the Canadian government against granting asylum to Hong Kong "criminals," who fled a national security law after taking part in last year's violent protests in the Chinese territory.
• China Warns Canada Over 'Health And Safety' of Its Nationals in Hong Kong Radio Free Asia 16 Oct 2020 -- China's ambassador to Canada has warned that Ottawa's granting of political asylum to democracy activists fleeing a national security crackdown on Hong Kong could put some 300,000 Canadians in the city at risk.
• Canada Rejects Chinese Warning Against Granting Asylum to Hong Kong Protesters VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- China has warned Canada not to grant political asylum to Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters, labeling them violent criminals and saying the action would constitute interference in China's internal affairs.
• Four Uyghurs Facing Persecution After Deportation by Saudi Arabia to China Identified Radio Free Asia 16 Oct 2020 -- Saudi Arabian authorities have deported at least four Uyghurs to China over the past four years who were either visiting the country as part of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca or living in the country legally, putting them at risk of extralegal detention back home, according to relatives and other sources.
• Chinese Police Target Muslim Minorities Using Digital Forensics: Researcher Radio Free Asia 16 Oct 2020 -- An app developed by Chinese digital forensics giant Meiya Pico is used in the mass surveillance of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, Ningxia and Yunnan, according to an anthropologist who has spoken with a former Kazakh security officer, one among some 90,000 who now patrol the streets of Xinjiang, searching people's devices. Darren Byler, a postdoctoral researcher in anthropology at the Asian Studies Center at the University of Colorado, explained to RFA's Mandarin Service how the app is used on the ground:
• China's High-Carbon Plans Clash With Climate Pledge Radio Free Asia 16 Oct 2020 -- China has yet to explain how it can reconcile plans for thousands of high-polluting projects with President Xi Jinping's pledge to achieve "net-zero" carbon emissions before 2060, energy and environmental experts say.
• FM denounces Pompeo's pompous populism featuring never-ending vilification of China Global Times 16 Oct 2020 -- China's Foreign Ministry on Thursday denounced US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's groundless accusations of human rights volitions during his visit to the International Republican Institute (IRI) where he called on US' European allies and the US-funded IRI to unify against China.
• HKSAR gov't strongly opposes US Secretary of State's report Global Times 16 Oct 2020 -- The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Thursday voiced strong opposition to a report released by the US Secretary of State on Oct 14 (US time) under the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act".
• Chinese FM dismisses German scholar as US' hatchet man over Xinjiang claims Global Times 16 Oct 2020 -- So-called claims of China "oppressing Muslims in Xinjiang" is a farce made by anti-China forces, who are using the fake and sensational topics to attack and slander China, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry told a press briefing on Friday.
• Chinese anti-submarine plane enters Taiwan's ADIZ CNA 16 Oct 2020 -- A Chinese military anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft entered Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday morning, the 19th such maneuver since mid-September, according to Taiwan's defense ministry.
• Chinese military aircraft nears Taiwan again, 18th time in a month CNA 16 Oct 2020 -- A Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) Thursday night, the 18th such incursion since mid-September, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
• Taiwan releases records to rebut HK's claim it abandoned its flight plan CNA 16 Oct 2020 -- Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) on Friday disclosed a full transcript of the communications between Taiwanese and Hong Kong air traffic controllers, rebutting the latter's claim that one of its planes had voluntarily abandoned its flight plan, and insisted that it was the Hong Kong side that had denied permission for the plane to proceed to the disputed Dongsha Island claimed by both sides.
• China urged to respect rules after denying entry of Taiwan plane CNA 16 Oct 2020 -- Taiwan's defense minister called on Beijing on Friday to respect international aviation rules and refrain from undermining the international aviation order after an incident close to the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (FIR) a day earlier.
• Mainland blasts DPP for distorting facts of espionage cases Global Times 16 Oct 2020 -- The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Friday blasted the mainland affairs council on the island of Taiwan for distorting facts of recently revealed espionage cases in an ill attempt to deflect responsibility and blame the mainland.
• Taiwan's First Female President Starts Talking Gender Equality Radio Free Asia 16 Oct 2020 -- While Taiwan's Oct. 10 National Day celebrations were being punctuated by incursions from Chinese military jets, the democratic island's president Tsai Ing-wen was busy giving shout-outs to the nation's women.
• No disruption in operation of Iranian ports despite cyber-attack: Official Press TV 16 Oct 2020 -- A senior Iranian official says the country's ports are operating with no disruption despite the Wednesday cyber-attack against their electronic infrastructure.
• Iranian Ports Organization Says It Was Targeted By Cyberattacks Radio Farda 16 Oct 2020 -- Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization says it has been targeted by cyberattacks, after officials reported the hacking of two institutions in the country earlier this week.
• Iranian Ports Organization Says It Was Targeted By Cyberattacks RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization says it has been targeted by cyberattacks, after officials reported the hacking of two institutions in the country earlier this week.
• Iranian CEO Sentenced In U.S. For Firm's Sanctions-Evading Activity RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- The founder and CEO of an Iranian financial-services firm has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for running a business that helped people in Iran evade U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department said.
• Russia Says It Put Tsikhanouskaya On Wanted List Following Move By Belarus RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- Russia says it put Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya on its wanted list in line with regional agreements after Belarus first made the move claiming she had called for overthrowing the constitutional order in the country.
• Minsk Declares Tikhanovskaya Wanted for Calls to Overthrow Constitutional Order Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- Belarus has put opposition politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on the interstate wanted list for her calls to overthrow the constitutional order, the Russian Interior Ministry told Sputnik on Friday.
• Japan to Dump Fukushima's Low Radioactive Water Into Ocean, Reports Suggest Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- The Japanese government is planning to release low radioactive water from the Fukushima I nuclear power plant into the ocean, the newspaper Mainichi reported on Friday, citing its sources in the government.
• Pakistani Opposition Launches Protest Movement To Topple Khan Government RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- Opposition supporters are gathering in the Pakistani city of Gujranwala to kick start an effort by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance to topple the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
• Air Leak Rate at Russia's ISS Zvezda Module Halves After Crack Sealed With Tape Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- The air leak rate in the Russian Zvezda module of the International Space Station has halved after the crack in the intermediate compartment was sealed with tape, according to the crew's communication with Earth, broadcast by NASA.
• Jeenbekov Failed To Tackle Kyrgyzstan's Problems. Now He's Gone RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- Sooronbai Jeenbekov officially resigned as Kyrgyzstan's president on October 15.
• Kyrgyz Parliament Gives Newly Elected PM Japarov Presidential Powers RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- Kyrgyzstan's parliament on October 16 approved the transfer of presidential powers to recently elected Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov after days of uncertainty and political crisis amid mass postelection protests that led to the president's resignation.
• Kyrgyzstan to hold presidential elections before Jan. 10 People's Daily 16 Oct 2020 -- The presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan should be held no later than Jan. 10, Prime Minister Sadyr Zhaparov said Friday.
• Kyrgyz PM declares himself acting president People's Daily 16 Oct 2020 -- Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov on Thursday declared himself acting president of the country after President Sooronbai Jeenbekov resigned hours earlier.
• Police Crack Down on Protesters as Thai PM Refuses to Resign VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- Thailand's prime minister dismissed calls for his resignation Friday as protesters defied a ban to rally in the capital, Bangkok, for the second day amid a violent police crackdown.
• Thailand declares state of emergency in Bangkok over protest People's Daily 16 Oct 2020 -- Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has declared a state of emergency in the capital Bangkok effective from 4:00 a.m. Thursday, banning gatherings of five or more people.
• Bolivia: UN urges calm, ahead of Sunday's general elections UN News 16 Oct 2020 -- Top UN officials have called on all stakeholders in Bolivia to maintain calm and commit to peaceful conduct of the general elections, taking place on Sunday.
• Bolivia elections, an opportunity to defuse extreme polarization: UN rights chief UN News 16 Oct 2020 -- The UN's top human rights official has called on everyone active in Bolivian politics, to ensure calm on the streets, and refrain from any action that could undermine the peaceful conduct of the general elections, taking place on Sunday.
• Cameroon Accuses UN of Bias, Opposition Support VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- Cameroon says a United Nations report this week calling for the release of the country's main opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, is one-sided, subjective and distorted. The U.N. report accuses Cameroon of stifling the opposition. Cameroon's government says its recent arrest of nearly 300 people at a protest was justified because they were calling for the overthrow of President Paul Biya.
• Violence Feared in Contentious Ivory Coast Election VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- As Ivory Coast's president prepares to campaign for another term in office, his main challengers have called for a boycott of the Oct. 31 election, adding to widespread doubts about a fair and transparent vote.
• Leading Challengers in Ivory Coast Presidential Election Say They Will Boycott Vote VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- Two leading challengers to Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara say they are boycotting this month's election and are urging their supporters to block the election.
• Boris Johnson Threatens UK Will Leave EU With No Deal if Brussels Fails to Change Stance in Talks Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- London's talks with Brussels to establish a trade deal have been deadlocked over the past few months. The situation grew increasingly complicated after the UK introduced the Internal Market Bill in September, which the EU claims violates the Brexit conditions the sides earlier negotiated.
• US Charges Ex-Mexican Defence Chief With Drug Trafficking-Related Crimes Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- Former Mexican Defence Minister Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda has been charged by a US federal grand jury with drug trafficking and conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds, an indictment unsealed on Friday revealed.
• Former Mexican Defence Minister Detained in US, Foreign Minister Says Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- Former Mexican Defence Minister Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda has been detained at the airport of the US city of Los Angeles, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said.
• Former Mexican Defense Chief Arrested at US Airport VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- Former Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos was arrested Thursday night on drug and money laundering charges at Los Angeles International Airport.
• Pompeo Calls on Haiti to Hold 'Overdue' Legislative Elections VOA 16 Oct 2020 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is calling on Haiti's government to hold legislative elections "as soon as technically feasible."
• Misuse of terrorism laws during conflict creates 'unmitigated calamity' UN News 16 Oct 2020 -- The misuse of terrorism laws during conflict situations often leads to an "unmitigated calamity" on the ground, an independent UN expert has warned.