Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghan Probe Uncovers Scandal In D.C. Embassy Reconstruction RFE/RL Gandhara 28 Oct 2020 -- A fact-finding team for the Afghan parliament has alleged that a construction project at the country's embassy in Washington was rife with corruption.
• Twenty-Eight Taliban Fighters Killed in Southern Afghanistan's Kandahar Province, Police Say Sputnik 28 Oct 2020 -- A heavy clash between the Taliban* movement and the Afghan security forces took place in Kandahar's Arghandab district, and the joint Afghan forces launched air and ground operations against the insurgents, the provincial police spokesman, Nasir Barakzai, said on Wednesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Trump Administration Announces Agreement to Purchase Eli Lilly COVID-19 Investigational Therapeutic DoD 28 Oct 2020 -- As part of the Trump Administration's goal of delivering life-saving vaccines and therapeutics in record time through Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DOD) today announced an agreement with Eli Lilly and Company to purchase the first doses of the company's COVID-19 investigational antibody therapeutic bamlanivimab, also known as LY-CoV555.
• In Warp Speed Effort, Knowing Where Vaccines Are Is Key to Distribution Strategy DoD News 28 Oct 2020 -- Right now, six vaccines for COVID-19 are in development as part of Operation Warp Speed, said the program's chief operating officer. Once one or more of those vaccines proves both effective and safe, their fast and efficient distribution will require knowing where every dose is at all times.
• Army at work on high-tech gear, new rifle, to give Soldiers winning edge in close combat Army News 28 Oct 2020 -- The Army is on track to equip its Soldiers with state-of-the-art gear that will give them a decisive edge in close-quarters combat, items that include a high-tech goggle, a more lethal rifle, and binoculars that see in the dark, a senior Army leader says in an official video.
• New Marine Rotational Force Deploys to Norway for Winter Training alongside Norwegian Allies USMC News 28 Oct 2020 -- The Marines and Sailors of the "Teufelhunden Battalion" are the next rotational deployment of Marine Rotational Force-Europe. After a quarantine period at their training location in Norway, to mitigate the risk of COVID exposure and transmission, the Marines will conduct bilateral arctic warfare training, improve interoperability, and strengthen defense capabilities alongside Norwegian allies.
• DOD Looks for More Robust, Enduring Telework Capacity DoD News 28 Oct 2020 -- When the COVID-19 pandemic started, many Defense Department employees began teleworking. The department brought on board the "commercial virtual remote" environment in March to enable that telework. The department's principal deputy chief information officer said the CVR effort has paid off well.
• U.S. Needs Global Posture for Future Advantage DoD News 28 Oct 2020 -- The United States faces a future of multiple adversaries and near-peer competitors with all domains contested. The nation must ensure a solid global posture now, the commander of the U.S. Transportation Command said.
• Air Force awards contract for new cyberspace test facility, munitions complex at Eglin AFB US Air Force 28 Oct 2020 -- The Air Force Civil Engineer Center is leading the construction of $107 million in state-of-the-art facilities at Eglin Air Force Base.
• AMC commander announces her command priorities US Air Force 28 Oct 2020 -- Amid a changing global strategic environment, Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of Air Mobility Command, announced Oct. 27 her four command priorities to accelerate change and maximize readiness within AMC.
• US Says Ready to Deploy Ballistic Missiles in Europe to Deter Russia Sputnik 28 Oct 2020 -- The United States will deploy its ballistic missiles in Europe if necessary to deter Russia, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Wednesday.
• Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence will boost security and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, NATO Deputy Secretary General says NATO 28 Oct 2020 -- "There are considerable benefits of setting up a trans-Atlantic digital community cooperating on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging and disruptive technologies, where NATO can play a key role as a facilitator for innovation and exchange", said NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana. On Wednesday (28 October 2020) he took part in a high-level virtual discussion on transatlantic cooperation in the era of AI, organised by the Atlantic Council's Future Europe Initiative and GeoTech Center.
• Moscow Says Those Ignoring Putin's INF Offer Show Irresponsible Approach to European Security Sputnik 28 Oct 2020 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Monday that US exit from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was a "grave mistake" which creates the risk of a renewal of the nuclear arms race.
• China's second aircraft carrier ready to go to South China Sea to deter trouble-makers: expert Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- The latest training video for China's first domestically made aircraft carrier, Shandong, shows that the ship has obtained basic capacity and is ready to go to wider areas to improve its fighting capacity through practice, Chinese military experts told the Global Times on Wednesday.
• Research and development process of new frontline patrol outfits explained PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- The PLA's frontline troops have been equipped with a number of new-type border patrol outfits recently. The upgrading of outfits reflects the improvement of the PLA's comprehensive and precise logistics support capabilities.
• Postgraduate recruitment and self-study exam help foster military talents PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- The military academies and research institutes have recently rolled out their postgraduate recruitment plans for 2021, kicking off the comprehensive recruitment work for the next year. Candidates may apply to military academies and research institutes by the end of October 2020, and preliminary exams are scheduled for late December this year.
• PLA Army debuts occupational qualification training and certification on UAV operation PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- Recently, the PLA Army (PLAA) launched its first occupational qualification assessment on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operation at the Ordnance Sergeant School of PLA Army Engineering University.
• Chinese military urges U.S. to revoke Taiwan arms sales plan People's Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Tuesday voiced firm opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, urging the United States to immediately stop military contact with and arms sales to the island.
• China strongly opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan: defense spokesperson PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- China firmly opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and has lodged solemn representations to the US side, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday.
• Boosting defence exports: India – UAE agree to further defence co-operation through joint production and mutual trade India PIB 28 Oct 2020 -- In order to boost defence exports a webinar between India and UAE was held on the theme of "Indian Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership: Webinar and Expo India – UAE Defence Cooperation". It was organized on Tuesday, 27 October 2020 under the aegis of Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, MoD, through the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers, SIDM.
• Bharat Electronics Limited presents Rs. 174.44 crore final dividend Cheque to Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh India PIB 28 Oct 2020 -- Bharat Electronics Limited, BEL, presented the 140% final dividend cheque of Rs. 174,43,63,569.20/- (Rupees One Hundred Seventy-four Crores Forty-Three Lacs Sixty-three Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-nine and Twenty Paise only), payable on the shares held by the President of India
• Major Boost: India to Receive 16 More Rafale Jets by April, Report Says Sputnik 28 Oct 2020 -- The induction of 4.5-generation Rafale fighters into the Indian Air Force comes at a time when the militaries of India and China remain locked in a military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
• Doors on Australian army's helicopters "not wide enough": military People's Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- The Australian Defence Force (ADF) said the doors on its fleet of multi-role Taipan helicopters are not wide enough for guns.
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo and Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid at a Press Availability US Dept. of State 28 Oct 2020
• On U.S. Intent to Open an Embassy in Maldives US Dept. of State 28 Oct 2020
• US to Open Embassy in Maldives Amid Geopolitics Competition with China VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- The United States is opening an embassy in the Maldives to strengthen economic and security cooperation five decades after the two nations established diplomatic ties.
• Has Trump Remade America's Priorities in Central Asia? VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- Successive American administrations have issued "strategies" for Central Asia. And when the Trump administration rolled out its own in February, its priorities resembled those of administrations past — buttressing sovereignty, fighting terrorism, cooperating on Afghanistan, promoting regional connectivity, supporting reforms and human rights, and enabling U.S. investment and development assistance.
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at a Press Availability US Dept. of State 28 Oct 2020

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Oct. 28, 2020
• Boeing, Partners Pledge $46Bln for Fighter Jet Program in Canada Sputnik 28 Oct 2020 -- US aerospace giant Boeing and partners are committing $46.3 billion in funding for their fighter jet program proposal in Canada, the company said in a statement.

Other Conflicts

• 28 October 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 28 Oct 2020
• US provocation may encourage Japanese right-wing forces to take action on Diaoyu Islands: analysts Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- US promise of military support to Japan on the Diaoyu Islands is war deterrence to China in accordance with the Trump administration's strategy to provoke regional disputes to contain China, Chinese analysts said, warning the Chinese military to prepare as some Japanese right-wing forces may be encouraged to take action over the issue.
• The Joint Forced Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Interception, Destruction of (6) Bomb-Laden UAVs Launched by Terrorist, Iran-Backed Houthi Militia Toward the Kingdom SPA 28 Oct 2020 -- A statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen COL Turki Al-Malki stated that the "Joint Coalition Forces have intercepted and destroyed today (Wednesday) (6) bomb-laden UAVs launched deliberately and systematically by the terrorist Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom.
• UN special envoy hopes to resume Syrian constitutional talks in November People's Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said Tuesday that he is hoping a fourth round of Syrian constitutional talks will take place in November in Geneva, after the Syrian government and opposition negotiators failed to agree on the agenda.
• UN envoy hopeful of agreement on Libya election date as UNSC ratifies truce Press TV 28 Oct 2020 -- The United Nations (UN)'s acting Libya envoy has expressed hope that the upcoming political talks between warring parties in the North African country will result in the setting of a date for national elections, as diplomats say the UN Security Council has ratified the recently announced truce.
• Myanmar Military, Arakan Army Trade Blame After Shelling of Red Cross Aid Boat Kills Man Radio Free Asia 28 Oct 2020 -- One man was killed and two others were injured in a Myanmar Navy artillery attack Wednesday on a boat hired by the Red Cross to deliver aid to civilians displaced by armed conflict in western Rakhine state, witnesses to the clash said.
• Communication channels on China-India border issues unimpeded, Indo-Pacific strategy outdated Cold War mentality: Chinese FM Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- China and India are properly handling the border issue through negotiations, and communication channels between them are unimpeded, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
• Chinese Embassy in India rejects US meddling in China-India border tensions Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- The Chinese Embassy in India has urged the US to stop meddling in China-India border issues and rejected anti-China comments made by US Secretary State Michael Pompeo during the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
• Iran's envoy discusses Karabakh situation with Azeri president IRNA 28 Oct 2020 -- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the latest develpments in Karabakh in a meeting with Azerbaijan Republic's President Ilham Aliyev late on Wednesday.
• Araghchi kicks off consultation on initiative to settle Nagorno-Karabakh conflict IRNA 28 Oct 2020 -- Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday kicked off consultations on Iran's initiative to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• Araghchi explains Iran's initiative for establishing peace in Karabakh IRNA 28 Oct 2020 -- Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi explained parts of Iran's initiative for ending Karabakh conflict upon arrival in Baku late on Tuesday.
• Araghchi announces parts of Iran's initiative for settling Karabakh crisis ISNA 28 Oct 2020 -- Iranian deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi announced parts of Iran's initiative for settling the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis and the clashes between the Azerbaijan Republic and Armenia.
• Civilians Reported Killed As Conflict Between Armenia, Azerbaijan Spills Into Urban Areas RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- Deadly fighting between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region has intensified as both sides blame each other for the collapse of a third attempt at a cease-fire.
• Iran Reportedly Continues Moving Armed Forces to Nagorno-Karabakh Border Sputnik 28 Oct 2020 -- The Iranian armed forces have continued stepping up their presence in the country's northern areas adjacent to the conflict zone in Nagorno-Karabakh, the IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday, citing military sources.
• Congo army killed 33 militiamen in Ituri fighting Press TV 28 Oct 2020 -- Democratic Republic of Congo's army says its troops have killed 33 militiamen since intense fighting erupted in the northeastern province of Ituri on Saturday.
• Second Round of Talks on Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Starts in Naqoura, State Media Reports Sputnik 28 Oct 2020 -- The second round of US-mediated indirect negotiations between Israel and Lebanon on the demarcation of a maritime border has been launched at the base of the UN Interim Force in the southern town of Naqoura, the state-owned NNA news agency reported on Wednesday.
• UN Rights Office Condemns 'Merciless' Attack on Cameroon School VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- The U.N. human rights office has joined a chorus of voices in strongly condemning what it calls the vile, merciless attack on a private school Saturday in southwestern Cameroon. The attack killed at least six children and injured another 13.

News Reports

• Putin, Erdogan discuss Nagorno-Karabakh, Syria, Libya Press TV 28 Oct 2020 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed deep concern about the persisting conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh as well as the rising presence of foreign terrorists in the clashes in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart.
• Workhorse Russian Tu-154 Passenger Jet Flies Into Retirement RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- The last Tu-154 passenger jet still in service in Russia has completed its final scheduled commercial flight.
• U.S. Congressional Ukraine Caucus Worried Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Bill Could Be Dropped RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- Members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus are concerned a U.S. bill to expand sanctions on a Russian natural-gas pipeline to Europe could be dropped from the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
• Taiwan Company Pleads Guilty to Trade Secret Theft in Criminal Case Involving PRC State-Owned Company US Dept. of Justice 28 Oct 2020 -- The Department of Justice today announced that United Microelectronics Corporation, Inc. (UMC), a Taiwan semiconductor foundry, pleaded guilty to criminal trade secret theft and was sentenced to pay a $60 million fine, in exchange for its agreement to cooperate with the government in the investigation and prosecution of its co-defendant, a Chinese state-owned-enterprise.
• FBI Arrests Five People in China's 'Operation Fox Hunt' VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- The FBI arrested five people Wednesday in connection with a scheme to force a former Chinese municipal official and his family residing in the United States to return to China, as part of China's "Operation Fox Hunt" anti-corruption campaign.
• Eight Individuals Charged With Conspiring to Act as Illegal Agents of the People's Republic of China US Dept. of Justice 28 Oct 2020 -- PRC Officials Directed Multi-Year Campaign of Harassment and Stalking; Directed at U.S. Residents to Force Their Return to PRC
• Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers Delivers Remarks Announcing People's Republic of China Related Arrests US Dept. of Justice 28 Oct 2020
• FBI Director Christopher Wray's Remarks at Press Conference Regarding China's Operation Fox Hunt FBI 28 Oct 2020 -- FBI Director Christopher Wray delivered the following remarks during a press conference at the Department of Justice announcing charges against eight defendants in connection with their roles in a campaign to harass, stalk, and coerce certain residents of the U.S. to return to the People's Republic of China as part of a global, concerted, and extralegal repatriation effort known as Operation Fox Hunt. (Remarks as delivered)
• Designation of the National Association for China's Peaceful Unification (NACPU) as a Foreign Mission of the PRC US Dept. of State 28 Oct 2020 -- The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organ tasked with co-opting and neutralizing threats to the party's rule and spreading its influence and propaganda overseas. The CCP regards this party apparatus as a "magic weapon" to advance Beijing's policies.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on October 28, 2020 PRC MofA 28 Oct 2020
• Trump Wants Putin To 'Join Forces' On China, Former Adviser Says RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- President Donald Trump would focus in a second term on getting Russian President Vladimir Putin to side with him in his confrontation with China, a former adviser said.
• Trump Adviser Warns Of China, Says World Splitting Between Democratic, Authoritarian States RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- President Donald Trump's national-security adviser says the world is realigning geopolitically between democratic and authoritarian states as more countries realize the threat posed by China.
• China to fix drawbacks COVID-19 exposed in new five-year plan Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, health institutes in China are committed to refining their health systems, such as enhancing surveillance and warning systems of contagious disease, and improving the quality of medical staff, which will prepare China's health system for future pandemics.
• HK should join nation's 14th Five-Year Plan: advisor Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- Hong Kong should actively participate in the country's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), formulate a corresponding timetable and road map, and clarify the relationship between its own development and the country's overall strategy, political observers from the special administrative region (SAR) urged Wednesday.
• China on track for ambitious climate pledge, carbon neutrality in 14th Five-Year Plan Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- While global attention centers on China's economic targets as top officials meet in Beijing to map out blueprints for the country's development over the next five years and beyond, policies on environmental protection, specifically reducing carbon emissions, are expected to be highlighted in the new 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Chinese experts said.
• China releases guidelines on national security education PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- China's Ministry of Education has unveiled guidelines on national security education to foster students' awareness of safeguarding national security.
• Hong Kong University Appointments Spark Fears of Chinese Communist Party Control Radio Free Asia 28 Oct 2020 -- The appointment of two mainland Chinese scholars as vice presidents of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has raised concerns that the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is taking control of the city's flagship institution.
• China's Justice Ministry Orders Defense Attorneys to Drop Hong Kong 12 Cases Radio Free Asia 28 Oct 2020 -- Authorities in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen have issued a ban on lawyers appointed by the families of 12 Hong Kong activists detained by the China Coast Guard on Aug. 23 and currently being held in the city's Yantian Detention Center on suspicion of "illegally crossing a border."
• Indonesia Mum on Fate of Uyghur Prisoners Reportedly Deported to China Radio Free Asia 28 Oct 2020 -- The fate of three Uyghurs allegedly deported by Indonesia to China after serving terrorism sentences is uncertain, with government officials in Jakarta tight-lipped about their whereabouts after they were released from prison.
• U.S. Senators Introduce Resolution Declaring China Is Committing Genocide Against Uyghurs RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation to declare that China is committing genocide against Uyghurs and other mainly Muslim ethnic groups in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
• China aircraft intrusions deemed to constrict Taiwan's drill space CNA 28 Oct 2020 -- A military expert on Wednesday urged the government to stay on high alert against the repeated intrusions by Chinese aircraft into Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ), even if such intrusions have become a common occurrence for Taiwanese people.
• Chinese sand dredging vessels dispersed near Matsu CNA 28 Oct 2020 -- Chinese sand dredgers are prohibited from entering Taiwan's waters and those illegally operating near Taiwan-held islands have been forcibly dispersed, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Lee Chung-wei (???) said on Wednesday.
• Is PLA planning to take Dongsh Island? Spokesperson shrugs off the question as 'hypothetical' Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson with the Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council, declined to comment on a "hypothetical question" raised during Wednesday's press conference on whether the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was planning to take Dongsha Island. She stressed that the mainland is capable of and determined to frustrate any provocation by separatist forces.
• Taiwan authorities slammed for 'inhumane act' of driving away mainland boats seeking shelter Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- The State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office has slammed the relevant authorities on the island of Taiwan as inhumane after they "savagely drove away" mainland fishing boats that were seeking shelter from gales, calling the act "infuriating."
• DPP's collusion with external forces 'root cause' of severe cross-Straits situation Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- The root cause of the increasingly complicated and serious cross-Straits situation is the Democratic Progressive Party authority's collusion with separatist and external forces, and their provocations, said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
• IAEA hails 'good level of cooperation' with Iran regarding inspection of two sites Press TV 28 Oct 2020 -- Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation with Iran regarding the inspection of two sites sought by the UN nuclear watchdog.
• Billions Of Iran's Frozen Assets Await US Presidential Election Radio Farda 28 Oct 2020 -- The head of the Iran-South Korea Chamber of Commerce, Hossein Tanhaei, has said that Iran's blocked money in South Korea amounts to "$8.5 billion" and the release of the money "depends on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election."
• Official Denies Government Meddling Tehran Stock Market Radio Farda 28 Oct 2020 -- Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Tuesday that a recent fall in the Tehran Stock Exchange index had clear economic reasons, and that that the government had no role in the decline.
• 'Disguised as Homeless, Iranian Exporters Pocketed Billions' Radio Farda 28 Oct 2020 -- In a letter to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), the head of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Gholam-Hossein Shafeie, requested the names of the people the governor had referred to as "cardboard-sleeping exporters."
• UN Watchdog Confirms New Construction At Iran's Natanz Nuclear Facility RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- The United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency said that Iran has begun construction of an underground centrifuge assembly plant near its nuclear facility at Natanz.
• US Vows to Destroy Potential Iranian Missile Shipments to Venezuela, Slams the Two 'Pariah Regimes' Sputnik 28 Oct 2020 -- As Tehran celebrated the expiration of the United Nations embargo on Iran buying and selling conventional weapons on 18 October, under the terms of the UN resolution that confirmed the JCPOA signed between Tehran and world powers in 2015, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned of sanctions for any arms sales to the country.
• Belarus's Interior Minister Hints At Use Of Lethal Force As Lukashenka Likens Protests To A 'Terrorist' Threat RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- Belarus's interior minister says security forces can use live fire against those participating in "sabotage or a terror attack," as weeks of protests against strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka swell into a national strike.
• Belarusian Prosecutors Mull Terrorism Charges for Some Crimes Committed During Protests Sputnik 28 Oct 2020 -- Prosecutors in Belarus are currently considering whether terrorism charges can be brought against several people for crimes committed during the wave of unsanctioned opposition protests that have swept through the country since August, Prosecutor General Andrey Shved said on Wednesday.
• Myanmar Decision to Cancel Voting in Many Precincts Hurts Ethnic Regions — HRW Radio Free Asia 28 Oct 2020 -- Decisions by Myanmar's Union Election Commission to cancel Nov. 8 elections in dozens of townships, including in war-torn Rakhine state, without consulting local political groups will disenfranchise more than a million ethnic minority voters, Human Rights Watch said in a statement issued Wednesday.
• Blasphemy Cases Against Shiite Community Surge in Pakistan VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- Human rights activists are voicing concern over a recent increase of blasphemy accusations against the Shiite minority community in Pakistan.
• Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Virtual Session SPA 28 Oct 2020 -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, chaired today the Cabinet's virtual session.
• West Is in Danger of Losing Turkey, US Warns VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- The United States is warning Turkey against taking any additional steps to operationalize its Russian-made S-400 air defense system, warning there will be consequences even if that risks pushing Ankara closer to an alliance with Moscow.
• Ukraine's Top Court Deals Critical Blow To Anti-Corruption Agency RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- Ukraine's Constitutional Court has stripped the country's anti-corruption agency of some of its critical powers.
• Tanzanians vote in general elections; opposition alleges 'irregularities' Press TV 28 Oct 2020 -- Tanzanians are heading to the polls in parliamentary and presidential elections, in which President John Magufuli seeks another five-year term, and the opposition candidate has already alleged widespread irregularities.
• UN Calls On Tanzania to Avoid Violence as Citizens Vote VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- The United Nations is calling on all governmental and civil society actors in Tanzania to refrain from violence, and ensure people can safely cast their votes in Wednesday's general election.
• Tanzanians Vote Amid Allegations of Violence, Fraud VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- Millions of Tanzanians are voting in elections that will decide if President John Magufuli, known as the "Bulldozer" for targeting corruption and critics, will get another five-year term. Ahead of the polls, though, opposition politicians say authorities have targeted them with violence and intimidation, while some internet and phone services were cut off.
• Thai PM vows to carry on despite calls to quit Press TV 28 Oct 2020 -- Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has rejected calls for his resignation despite months-long anti-government protests in the country, with demonstrators demanding his departure and reform of the monarchy.
• Cambodia Should End Threats, Arrests of Activists Who Marked Anniversary of Paris Accords: HRW Radio Free Asia 28 Oct 2020 -- The Cambodian authorities should put an end to the arbitrary arresting, harassing, and threatening of activists who took part in and organized protests on the anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements last week, a global rights organization said Wednesday.
• Public Designation of Current and Former Members of the Guatemalan Congress Due to Involvement in Significant Corruption US Dept. of State 28 Oct 2020 -- "Today, I am announcing the designation of First Secretary in the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, Felipe Alejos Lorenzana, and former Deputy Delia Bac, due to their involvement in significant corruption. Mr. Alejos' and Ms. Bac's corruption has undermined the rule of law and the Guatemalan public's faith in their government and their country's democratic institutions and public processes."
• Zimbabwe to Make Foreign Contacts, Allegations of Torture, Abduction Illegal VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- Rights groups in Zimbabwe say the government is targeting critics with a planned amendment to the Criminal Law Act. The new law would, among other things, make it illegal for Zimbabweans to have unauthorized communications with foreign governments or to make unsubstantiated claims of torture or abduction. Analysts say authorities appear to be going after charities and the political opposition.