Trump to impose more tariffs on Chinese goods; Netherlands to stop airstrikes on IS

President Trump to impose additional tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods

Photo: CNBC

US President Donald Trump has directed officials to proceed with tariffs on an additional $200 billion of Chinese goods, despite efforts by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to restart talks with Beijing to resolve the trade war.

However, the announcement of the new tax has been delayed as the government reviews the policy based on concerns raised by the public.

Public comment on the $200 billion list of Chinese goods subject to tariffs ended last weekend, and Mr Trump said the tariffs would be implemented “soon”.

Philippines confirms first two deaths from super typhoon Mangkhut

After making landfall in the northern part of Luzon Island, Philippines, in the early morning of September 15, super typhoon Mangkhut left the mainland and headed towards southern China, according toSouth China Morning Post.

The area where the storm swept through the Philippines is home to more than 10 million people. The terrifying winds blew off roofs of many houses, uprooted trees, and broke electric poles. According to the Philippine meteorological agency, the average wind speed of Mangkhut was up to 170 km/h, with gusts reaching 260 km/h.

Philippine police said they had found the bodies of two women after a landslide in a rural area on the northern island of Luzon. "The death toll could rise once search teams get involved," Ricardo Jalad, head of the Office of Civil Defense, told a news conference.

Russia warns of disaster if armed attack on Donbass

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that an armed attack on the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine would be a disaster.“I want to strongly warn those who are plotting an armed attack on Donbass. They want to fight against their own citizens. If an armed attack happens, it will be a disaster,” Foreign Minister Lavrov said.

On September 14, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into the shelling by the Ukrainian army in the village of Sahanka, Novoazovsky district of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), which caused injuries to a civilian born in 1958.

The Ukrainian military shelling of this area violated the “Ceasefire Agreement” signed by the two sides on August 29, 2018, in connection with the start of the new school year. The agreement arose out of concerns that spontaneous shelling of residential areas and schools would have dire consequences.

Netherlands to stop airstrikes against IS

Australia wants to move immigrants out of big cities

The Straits Times reported that Mr Morrison, who replaced former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull last month, is said to have plans to require migrants to live outside major cities such as Sydney or Melbourne for up to five years.

The new Australian prime minister implied that each city and region will apply different regulations to encourage immigrants to live in areas that need skills or more residents the most.

Australia has a skilled immigration policy to address labour shortages and stimulate economic growth. However, immigration numbers have fallen amid public debate about urban overcrowding.

Organization of American States leaves open possibility of overthrowing Venezuelan President

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States does not rule out military intervention and support for a coup to end the crisis in Venezuela.

"On the issue of military intervention to overthrow the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, I think we should not rule out any option. The suffering of the Venezuelan people and the migrations force countries to take diplomatic action, but other solutions should not be ignored," AFP quoted Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro.

The statement came after the New York Times, citing multiple US officials and a former Venezuelan military commander, said at least three factions within the Venezuelan military planned to overthrow President Maduro last year. However, the US government refused to support the coup, saying the Venezuelan rebels had no detailed plan.

Egyptian court arrests two sons of former President Hosni Mubarak

An Egyptian criminal court on September 15 ordered the arrest of two sons of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and two others on charges of "manipulating the stock market".

These people are expected to be tried on October 20. Previously, two sons of former President Mubarak were also tried on corruption charges.

The former Egyptian president, who led Egypt for three decades, has faced a series of criminal trials since his ouster in 2011. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for the killing of protesters during the January 2011 uprising.

Indonesia bState of emergency declared due to malaria outbreak on Lombok island

Patients and their families at a makeshift tent at Mataram Hospital, Lombok Island, Indonesia after the earthquake.

Nearly a month after a series of earthquakes left hundreds of thousands of people on Lombok Island homeless, the Indonesian tourist island has declared a state of health emergency to deal with a malaria outbreak.

West Lombok Health Agency head Rahman Sahnan Putra said on September 15 that so far 128 people, including women and children, have been found to have malaria.

Confirming the declaration of a state of emergency, Mr Putra said: "This is an unusual malaria outbreak." The local government said it was asking the federal and regional governments for about 3.4 billion rupiah ($230,000) in aid to help buy bed nets, testing equipment and support anti-epidemic efforts.