The police in Armenia have arrested dozens of people, including opposition politicians, who are gathering in central Yerevan to protest against the deal signed with Azerbaijan to end the fighting in Nagorno Karabakh. Steve Rosenberg is in the Armenian capital. The one word you hear when you speak to people is betrayal. Many people feel betrayed by Russia and by their own political leaders who signed up to this deal. Because for the last few weeks, there's been this wave of patriotic fervor, a flowing across Armenia. There's been a call to arms. People have been encouraged to volunteer to go and fight to defend Nagorno Karabakh, to defend Armenia. The prime minister said a few weeks ago that Armenia cannot be defeated. But the deal that has been done is seen here very much as a huge defeat. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today defended the deal, saying Azeri forces were close to capturing Karabakh's main city.
A judge in the Philippines has been shot inside her court chamber in Manila city hall, dying shortly afterwards. Police say judge Maria Theresa Abadilla was killed by her legal clerk. Howard Johnson reports from Manila. Police say the suspect, named as 42-year-old Amador Rebato, died in the judge's office shortly after shooting himself on Wednesday afternoon. Judge Abadilla had previously been involved in granting the Rappler News president Maria Ressa bail in 2019, following her arrest on cyber libel charges. A conviction earlier this year, which is being appealed, has been described by Ms. Ressa as politically motivated in revenge for the websites critical coverage of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The Philippines says it has put off for six months the scrapping of a defense agreement which allows US troops to participate in military drills in the country. President Duterte said the decision would enable Manila to find a more mutually beneficial deal with Washington to move forward in their mutual defence.
Russia has registered its worst daily figure yet for coronavirus-related deaths, 432. The authorities in Moscow are bringing in new restrictions from Friday, including shutting bars and restaurants and nightclubs overnight.
In Hungary, lessons and lectures for secondary school, pupils and university students have gone on line.
在匈牙利,为中学、中小学生和大学生开设的课程和讲座已经上线。
Democratic congressman have expressed concern over the appointment of Trump loyalists at the upper echelons at the Department of Defense, following the sacking Defense Decretary Mark Esper on Monday. Senator Chris Murphy tweeted that the administration was compromising national security by installing Trump stooges. Congressman Adam Smith said it was hard to overstate how dangerous the high level turnover the Pentagon was during a presidential transition period.
Pope Francis has reiterated his commitment to putting an end to sexual abuse in the catholic church. The Pope was speaking after Tuesday's publication of a damning report, which found that two of his predecessors ignored allegations of serial sex abuse by the former cardinal Theodore McCarrick.