In the biggest news of the week, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus on October 2. Trump, whose administration has been accused by his opponents of an inadequate response to the pandemic, resulting in the death of over 200,000 Americans, contracted the virus from one of his closest aides ahead of the November 3 elections.
In the Middle East, Armenia and Azerbaijan are engaged in violent clashes over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in their worst flare-up of the last two decades.
On the Brexit front, the European Union took legal action against Britain over its plans to pass legislation that would breach parts of the legally binding divorce agreement the two sides reached late last year.
This, and more news from across the world this week.
With just one month left for elections, US President Donald Trump and wife Melania tested positive for the coronavirus on October 2. One of his closest advisers, Hope Hicks, had been infected, bringing the virus into his inner circle. He was hospitalised the same day and had to cancell all his campaigns .
On September 29, Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden locked horns in the first of three presidential debates ahead of polling day on November 7. The 90-minute debate saw tense clashes between both candidates on key subjects like the coronavirus pandemic, race tensions, climate change and the economy.
A Kentucky grand juror involved in the decision not to bring murder charges against police officers who killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, in her apartment, asked that the transcripts and recordings of the secret proceeding be made public so that “the truth may prevail”.
On October 1, Canada reintroduced a Bill seeking to criminalise LGBT conversion therapy, a federal minister said after an earlier effort to ban the practice failed as the parliament was discontinued due to the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reported.
On September 27, fighting broke out between Armernia and Azerbaijan around the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian Defense Ministry said two Azerbaijani helicopters were shot down.
A spokesman for Nagorno-Karabakh’s president claimed on Facebook that intelligence data showed some 3,000 Azerbaijanis have died in the fighting. Armenian Defence Ministry spokesman Artsrun Ovannisian said later that 2,300 Azerbaijan troops were killed. On October 4, Azerbaijani officials said Armenian forces attacked Ganja ,the country’s second largest city.
While the US, France and Russia jointly condemned the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh and called for ceasefire, Turkey — an ally of Azerbaijan .
Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in hundreds of locations across the country against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pressing ahead with their campaign as the government banned large, centralised demonstrations as part of a new coronavirus lockdown. ( Indian Express )
