MORNING NEWS BRIEF [MARCH 18, 2021]

HOT NEWS

1. The EU ambassadors agreed to impose sanctions, under the EU Magnitsky Act, on four Chinese individuals and one entity for human rights abuse on the Uyghur minority. Source: Politico
2. ROK and U.S. Defense Ministers have declared their common goal to completely  denuclearize and maintain peace settlement in the Korean peninsula. Source: Xinhua Net
3. North Korea said they will continue to reject the possibility of talks or dialogue offered by the U.S. unless there is the roll back of the American’s hostile policy toward Pyongyang. Source: CNA

WORLD

1. Iran and Russia jointly condemned the UK’s decision to boost its nuclear arsenal from 180 warheads to 260 by 2025, which presents threats to international stability. Source: CNA
2. Russian ambassador to the U.S. will visit Moscow to consult and analyze the directions to enhance the bilateral relations between Russia and the U.S. Source: Sputnik
3. The U.S. will prolong the export restrictions against Russia on the account that Russia has used chemical and biological weapons against international law. Source: TASS

REGIONS

1. The U.S. imposed sanctions on 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials for altering Hong Kong electoral system, citing that China failed to uphold the territory’s autonomy. Source: The Straits Times
2. Taiwan Defense Minister got the U.S.’s approval to export the technology to equip Taiwan’s new submarine fleet as China increased their military activities near Taiwan. Source: Al Jazeera
3. A team of UN investigators on Myanmar reached out to people to collect and preserve documentary evidence of criminal orders by military junta for future cases against them. Source: CNA

CAMBODIA

1. MPTC and Microsoft in Asia Pacific have signed an MoU to promote digital usage and to cooperate in the area of human resource development in Cambodia. Source: AKP
2. A military personnel was found infected with COVID-19 even though he got the second dose of vaccine, which calls for high caution for frontliners who are doing vaccination work. Source: Khmer Times
3. The Labour Minister, in compliance with cabinet resolution and MoU, said foreign workers are allowed to work in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar during the pandemic. Source: Khmer Times