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September 2020International News2020Middle East
Juliet Nangini

Fire Breaks Out Once Again as Lebanon Deals with the Aftermath of the Beirut Explosions

After the one-month anniversary of the August 4 Beirut explosions that took place in the port of Lebanon’s capital, dark skies blanketed the city once again with two new fires that erupted within the past week. The former erupted on Tuesday, September 8 and the latter blazed through the port just two days after. The fire has since been contained and no new injuries have been reported. According to NPR, the Lebanese army declared that the latter blaze occurred in a warehouse that housed oils and tires in the port’s duty-free area.

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September 2020Eastern EuropeInternational NewsAmericas2020Middle East
Jasmine Ortega

Syria Turns to Russia for Aid Under Crippling U.S. Sanctions

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has stated intentions to expand business ties with Russia in response to new, crippling U.S. sanctions under the Caesar Act, according to Reuters. The Syrian economy has suffered enormously under these sanctions, as its economy was already struggling prior to implementation of the Caesar Act. According to Reuters, this has resulted in the Syrian lira losing 80 percent of its value. Most citizens are experiencing extreme poverty.

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September 2020Eastern EuropeInternational News2020
Timothy Georgetti

Belarusian Opposition Member Faced Death Threats by Authorities

 A member of Belarus’ female opposition coalition, Maria Kolesnikova, ripped up her passport to prevent forced deportation to her native Ukraine before being abducted by masked men on September 8, according to Forbes. Kolesnikova is the only member of her opposition coalition to remain in Belarus after the release of the election results favoring incumbent President Lukashenko. CNN reports that Kolesnikova’s colleagues Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, leader of the opposition, and Veronika Tsepkalo, the third member of the coalition, fled to Ukraine and Lithuania out of fear of imprisonment by the Lukashenko administration. 

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September 2020International News2020Europe
Zachary Schullian

Russia Ready to Mediate Turkey-Greece Conflict in East Mediterranean 

Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on September 8 that Moscow is ready to help ease rising tensions over Turkey’s search for energy reserves in the eastern Mediterranean, and rejected any actions that could lead to further escalation, The Associate Press reports. The Associated Press cites Larov, stating “we would be ready to contribute to building good neighborly relations in the event this is requested of us by those involved,”  and later adding that Moscow has repeatedly called on leaders in the region to “resolve these differences through dialogue and within a legal framework.” 

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September 2020International NewsAmericasAsia2020
Jasmine Deleon

Australian and American Journalists Expelled out of China in Diplomatic Standoff

In early September, Bill Birtles, an Australian foreign correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and China correspondent for ABC, was advised by Australian officials to leave China after the arrest and detention of another foreign journalist, reports The Guardian. Two days later, Beijing state security broke down his door at midnight to tell him that he was part of a national security investigation, was banned from leaving the country, and that he would be contacted the next afternoon to answer questions, reports BBC. 

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September 2020International News2020Middle East
Ava Holtzer

Afghan Vice President Faces Failed Assassination Attempt Amidst Taliban Talks 

At least ten people have been killed after a bomb attack in Kabul on September 9. The attack targeted Afghanistan’s first vice president Amrullah Saleh. An additional 31 people have been wounded, including several of the vice president’s bodyguards, says Associated Press. Saleh sustained minor injuries and burns in the attack.

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September 2020International News2020Europe
Andrea Hebel

Brexit Talks Face New Crisis as British Legislature Threatens International Law

Brexit talks have hit a new crisis in the European Union (EU), with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowing to continue with a controversial bill that threatens to undermine Britain’s current exit agreement, and which many say breaks international law. According to CNBC, the proposed Internal Market Bill would give the British government the power to not consult the EU in aid cases regarding trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the EU. This move counteracts their initial withdraw agreement with the EU, signed in January.

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September 2020International NewsAsia2020
Envoy Staff Writer

Myanmar Soldiers Desert the Army and Admit to Rohingya Killings 

Two soldiers who deserted the Myanmar army appeared on video testifying to the deliberate killings of Rohingya Muslims. The video was filmed in July, but first reported by AP in early September. According to Wall Street Journal, the soldiers, Myo Win Tun and Zaw Naing Tun, defected from Myanmar’s army and were taken into custody by Arakan Army, a Rakhine rebel group who is fighting the Myanmar government’s troops. The international community has been aware of the crimes being committed in Myanmar and assumed it was being ordered by high ranking officials but did not have official confirmation until this video surfaced. 

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September 2020International NewsAsia2020
Christiana Mones

Series of Border Clashes Between China and India Escalate Geopolitical Tension 

The Galwan River Valley of Ladakh, a region claimed by both India and China, has been facing increased tensions over the past year. After more than four decades without any  bloodshed, the region was the scene for a bloody skirmish that began on June 15, 2020, according to World Politics Review. At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed by “fists, stones and nail studded bamboo,” CNN reports. The Chinese have not confirmed nor denied any casualties they undertook because of the June battle. Although talks took place over the following months to de-escalate the region, conflict broke out again. Lacking mutual trust and transparency, the talks accomplished little. 

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