Headlines

Washington DC, Oct. 28 (DPnet).–  The Washington Post withdraws endorsement from Kamala Harris. It will not endorse a candidate in the presidential race this cycle, breaking with a longtime tradition. 

Publisher Will Lewis, in a memo to staffers, wrote that they “are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.” The Washington Post follows the previous decision from the Los Angeles Times reversing their previous preferences.

Strasbourg, Oct.15-17.– The agenda of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities includes the protection of Ukraine’s cultural heritage, ageing communities, fostering circular economy at the grassroots level, common challenges to local democracy in Europe, the situation of regions with special status, the role of regions in Ukraine’s reconstruction, as well as efforts to expand the outreach of the Local Self-Government Charter to cities in non-member states (Kazakhstan, Mauritania, and Morocco) and 10 years of direct youth engagement in the work of the Congress are on the agenda of the session.

The Congress will also debate monitoring reports on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Finland, Iceland, Latvia, and Malta, as well as on the observation of local elections in Türkiye on 31 March 2024.

This Is What Zelensky Requested the Pontiff: The Ukrainian leader stressed the national anguish over the people seized and deported.

Vatican, Oct. 11 (Zenit).– In a meeting charged with symbolism and hope, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky had a private audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican. 

The central issue resounded profoundly: the return of Ukrainians detained in Russia. “The return of our people from prison was the focus of my conversation with the Holy Father. We rely on the assistance of the Holy See to bring back Ukrainians who have been captured by Russia,” said Zelensky on his social networks, highlighting the importance of his conversation with the Pontiff

• Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries are meeting intending to enhance the region's economic and security cooperation and reach out to other dialogue partners in East Asia and Oceania.
• The topics of regional tension in the South China Sea and the civil war in Myanmar are expected to take center stage at the leaders' meeting hosted by Laos in Vientiane.

Vientiane, Oct.8 (DPnet).– The 44th ASEAN Summit is taking place at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos, from October 6 to October 11. Southeast Asian leaders are meeting in Laos for a summit expected to find ways of tackling a worsening civil war in Myanmar, with Thailand set to propose a new path for a political solution after a regional peace effort made scant progress.

Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, attended the Plenary Session and reported on the progress of ASEAN Community-building in 2024 to the ASEAN Leaders and highlighted the key deliverables of Lao PDR’s ASEAN Chairmanship under the theme “Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”.