Rabia Ali
20 September 2023•Update: 20 September 2023
ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday with, including Azerbaijan’s counter-terrorism measures in Karabakh, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s address at UN General Assembly, and a deepening rift between Canada and India over a Sikh man's murder.
TOP STORIES
- Azerbaijan launches 'counter-terrorism' measures in Karabakh
Azerbaijan said it launched "counter-terrorism" measures in the Karabakh region to uphold provisions outlined in the November 2020 trilateral peace agreement it signed with Russia and Armenia.
Steps taken were to suppress large-scale provocations in the economic region and also to disarm and secure the withdrawal of formations of Armenia’s armed forces, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Armenians protested in capital Yerevan against the operation and clashed with security forces.
- UN Security Council 'battleground' for 5 permanent members' political strategies: Turkish President Erdogan
The UN Security Council no longer works to ensure global security but instead is a battleground for its five permanent member states to engage in strategic confrontations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his address at the annual UN General Assembly in New York.
He also touched upon other subjects and said levels of racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia have all climbed to a dangerous breaking point.
President Erdogan reiterated his previous calls, emphasizing his unwavering commitment to a new vision based on two sovereign and equal states in Cyprus.
He said Türkiye expects the EU to fulfill “its long-neglected obligations towards our country."
- Canada asks India to take murder allegations of Sikh leader ‘seriously'
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said India must “take seriously” allegations that it was complicit in the killing of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a charge the Indian government called “absurd.”
The two countries are in a diplomatic standoff as India expelled top Canadian diplomat Olivier Sylvestre after Canada kicked out Indian diplomat Pavan Kumar Rai earlier.
"It is extremely serious and it has far-reaching consequences in international law,” Trudeau told reporters on Parliament Hill.
New Delhi said such unfounded allegations shift the focus from terrorists and extremists who have been provided shelter in Canada.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of weaponizing food, energy and children in his address at the UN General Assembly. He added that the world should not rely solely on nuclear disarmament to prevent "the final war.”
- Kenya’s President William Ruto said Ukraine will set up a grain hub in his country in a significant move to address a pressing food shortage in East Africa. The disclosure came after discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York.
- Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, in his speech at the UN General Assembly, said the “world is changing” amid the emergence of a new international order and the “path is irreversible.”
- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he was ready to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “at any time” as he sought to achieve a world without nuclear weapons.
- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune invited the UN to convene a special session for the purpose of conducting a vote on granting full state membership to Palestine.
- South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa called on wealthy countries to meet climate financial commitments they made for developing countries to take action on global warming.
- Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, asserting that the imposition of any other status for the region would never be accepted.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate phone calls with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to discuss escalating tensions in Karabakh.
- Republicans in the US House of Representatives announced that impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden will begin next week -- two days before another potential government shutdown.
- A young Palestinian was killed and 11 others injured in Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry.
SPORTS
- Paris Saint-Germain win 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 with second-half goals in the Group F opener of the UEFA Champions League.
PSG scored the opener when Kylian Mbappe converted a penalty kick in the 49th minute, and Achraf Hakimi doubled the lead with a close-range finish in the 58th minute.
- Al Nassr taste victory over Persepolis in AFC
Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr kicked off their AFC Champions League season with a 2-0 victory against Iran's Persepolis FC.
Danial Esmaeilifar scored a 62-minute own goal and Mohammed Qassem netted in the 72nd minute.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Argentina's president criticizes global financial system's inequity in UN address
In his final address to the UN General Assembly, Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez made impassioned calls for international financial reform and decried the burden of debt on middle-income countries.
Fernandez specifically pointed a finger at the International Monetary Fund for "applying excessive charges" to many countries that "make it unbearable to carry the weight of foreign debt."
- OECD increases global GDP growth forecast for 2023
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) raised its world economic growth forecast for 2023, but lowered it for 2024.
The world economy is expected to grow by 3.0% this year, said the Paris-based organization in its September global economic outlook report. This was 0.3 percentage point upward from the previous projection in June.
