Monday Briefing | October 19

Photo: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at the Labour Party election night event. Photo courtesy of NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/jacinda-ardern-wins-second-term-new-zealand-s-prime-minster-n1243816.

Stories to Follow:

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won her second-term re-election campaign in a landslide, solidifying her role as New Zealand’s “most popular prime minister in generations.” Ardern campaigned on a platform of liberal policies, and she’s hoping that this second term will allow her Labour Party to continue to implement in the coming years. Ardern is crediting her resounding win to her early prevention coronavirus response. New Zealand is entering its third week without new infections.

Globally, the coronavirus is still picking up momentum with the worldwide total topping over 200,000 new cases daily. In the European Union, Austria’s foreign minister, Alexander Schallenberg, and Belgian foreign minister, Sophie Wilmès, are both infected after suspected exposure from an EU meeting. Elsewhere throughout the EU, the economy is facing its “sharpest recession in modern history.” Hospitality industries and businesses were seeing a slight bump after coronavirus cases were decreasing, but as daily tolls have been rising, the economy is being forced to shut down once again.

In France, the gruesome beheading of teacher, Samuel Paty by an 18-year-old Moscow-born Chechen refugee in France, brought the country came together to mourn over the weekend. The attack is being investigated by France’s antiterrorism prosecutors, to investigate ties to potential terrorist groups. The event has attracted global attention.

Pro-democracy protests throughout Thailand continued for the fifth straight day. Despite the state’s emergency ban and police warning, the protestors still demand the “prime minister’s resignation, a more democratic constitution and a reformed monarchy.” They are also asking for broad police reform. The activists were able to shut down public transit because of the shear number of people who joined their movement.

Finally, despite U.S. objections, the United Nations is permitting a decade-long arms embargo on Iran to expire this week. The Iranian economy has been crippled by US sanctions, which might deter other countries from making deals with them despite the embargoes being lifted. In theory, Iran can now purchase weapons to upgrade its military and sell its locally manufactured products.

This Week in JPI:

Do you want to be published in the fall 2020 issue of JPI? Submit papers, book reviews, policy analysis, original manuscripts and review articles by October 20 to jpinquiry@gmail.com.

In Your Free Time:

Join the New York Times as its journalists discuss the power of the Latino vote in its series, “Vote Here: The Decisive Power of the Latino Vote,” on Tuesday, October 20. And if you’re looking to get outside, visit all 60 outdoor exhibits that Photoville is offering all throughout the city, which are free, although donations are encouraged.

And if you’re looking for a fun way to spend the fall holidays, check out this banger line up of classic and new Halloween movies on Netflix. You can also check out these events happening throughout the next few weeks, including the Thompson Square Park Halloween Dog Parade.

This week’s Monday Briefing was brought to you by Taylor Jennings.