STRUCTURES LIKE UNSC HAVE TEETH BUT LITTLE OR NO APPETITE TO BITE: UN CHIEFMultilateral instruments such as the UN Security Council have teeth but"show little or no appetite to bite, UN chief Antonio Guterres has said ashe underlined the need for "effective and inclusive" multilateralism.As the world body on Friday commemorates the 75th anniversary of theadoption of the UN Charter, the founding document of the Organisation, theSecretary General said there is a need to re-imagine the way nationscooperate.We need a networked multilateralism, bringing together the UN system,regional organisations, international financial institutions and others. Andwe need an inclusive multilateralism, drawing on the indispensablecontributions of civil society, business, cities, regions and, inparticular, with greater weight given to the voices of youth, Guterres saidat a virtual press conference Thursday.Underling that in the 21st Century, governments are no longer the onlypolitical and power reality, he said we need an effective multilateralismthat can function as an instrument of global governance where it is needed.He pointed out that the problem is not that multilateralism is not up to thechallenges the world faces.Guterres acknowledged that it is difficult to have a meaningfultransformation of the mechanisms of global governance without the activeparticipation of the world powers.He said he looks forward to discussing these matters with world leadersduring the high-level UN General Assembly session in September in whateverformat necessary. We absolutely must come together to reimagine and reinventthe world we share.US IMPOSES VISA RESTRICTIONS ON CHINESE OFFICIALS OVER HONG KONG AUTONOMYUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday the United States wasimposing visa restrictions on Chinese Communist Party officials believedresponsible for restricting freedoms in Hong Kong."Today, I am announcing visa restrictions on current and former CCPofficials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in,undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy,' Pompeo said in astatement, which did not name those targeted.The announcement comes in response to moves by China to impose new securitylegislation on Hong Kong, which prompted US President Donald Trump lastmonth to initiate a process to eliminate special economic treatment that hasallowed the territory to remain a global financial center.He said China's Communist Party had stepped up efforts to undermine HongKong's autonomy through the national security legislation and by puttingpressure on local authorities to arrest pro-democracy activists anddisqualify pro-democracy electoral candidates. Pompeo called on China tohonor its commitment to allow Hong Kong "a high degree of autonomy" andadded: "The United States will continue to review its authorities to respondto these concerns."AMID PANDEMIC, S.E. ASIAN NATIONS WARN OF 'ALARMING' SOUTH CHINA SEAINCIDENTSVietnam and the Philippines raised concerns over repeated violations ofmaritime rules at a summit of Southeast Asian leaders amid growinggrievances with China over its territorial claims in the South China Sea.The meeting, held virtually and hosted by Vietnam, comes as the regionreopens after lockdowns to check the spread of COVID-19 and negotiatestravel lanes with other nations. While the 10-nation bloc known as theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has pledged cooperation tofight the virus, it is also grappling with Beijing's assertions in the highseas."While the entire world is stretched thin in the fight against the pandemic,irresponsible acts and acts in violation of international law are stilltaking place, affecting the environment of security and stability in certainregions, including our region," Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucsaid in his opening remarks in Hanoi without mentioning China directly.Phuc said that while the region promotes the "full and strict compliance" ofthe rules governing the South China Sea, and is "making every effort toestablish an effective" code of conduct with China, problems still remain."International institutions and international law are being seriouslychallenged," he said.He was not the only regional leader to air concerns about Beijing's moves inthe South China Sea. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte called on allinvolved "parties" to follow the laws that govern the sea, particularly theUnited Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea, known as UNCLOS."Even as our region struggled to contain COVID-19, alarming incidents in theSouth China Sea occurred," he said. "We call on the parties to refrain fromescalating tension, and abide by responsibilities under international law."FACEBOOK TO LABEL ALL RULE-BREAKING POSTS - EVEN US PRESIDENT TRUMP'SFacebook says it will flag all "newsworthy" posts from politicians thatbreak its rules, including those from President Donald Trump.CEO Mark Zuckerberg had previously refused to take action against Trumpposts suggesting that mail-in ballots will lead to voter fraud. Twitter, bycontrast, slapped a "get the facts" label on them.Facebook is also banning false claims intended to discourage voting, such asstories about federal agents checking legal status at polling places.The company also said it is increasing its enforcement capacity to removefalse claims about local polling conditions in the 72 hours before the USelection.TRUMP SIGNS 'STRONG' EXECUTIVE ORDER TO PROTECT MONUMENTSPresident Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to protectmonuments, memorials and statues facing new scrutiny amid fresh debate overthe nation's racist beginnings.Mr. Trump had promised to take action earlier this week after policethwarted an attempt by protesters to pull down a statue of Andrew Jackson ina park across from the White House.The order calls on the attorney general to prosecute to the fullest extentof the law any person or group that destroys or vandalises a monument,memorial or statue. Federal law authorizes a penalty of up to 10 years inprison for the "willful injury" of federal property.The order also calls for maximum prosecution for anyone who incites violenceand illegal activity, and it threatens state and local law enforcementagencies that fail to protect monuments with the loss of federal funding.Mr. Trump announced earlier Friday on Twitter that he had signed the orderand called it "strong."DEMOCRATIC POLICE REFORM BILL PASSEDThe US House of Representatives approved a sweeping Democratic police reformBill on Thursday, sending the measure to the Senate despite opposition fromPresident Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress.The Democratic-controlled House voted 236-181 roughly along party lines toadopt the legislation, one month to the day after George Floyd's death inMinneapolis police custody sparked weeks of worldwide protests over policebrutality, especially against African-Americans.An initial tally showed three Republicans breaking ranks to join Democratsin voting for the Bill.MICHEAL MARTIN TO TAKE OVER AS IRISH PRIME MINISTER IN GRAND COALITIONMicheal Martin is set to take over as Ireland's new prime minister Saturdayat the helm of the nation's first grand coalition, replacing Leo Varadkar inwhat will be a rotating premiership.The Irish parliament will elect Martin, 59, as prime minister in Dublin,four months after a general election failed to produce a clear winner, afterthe Green Party voted on Friday to enter government with the nation'straditional powerhouses, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.Lawmakers will meet in a convention center in the city's docklands insteadof its usual home in the city center to allow social distancing.Martin will lead the country until December 2022 when Varadkar is due toreplace him in an accord agreed by Martin's Fianna Fail party and Varadkar'sFine Gael. The move to enter government together effectively ends apolitical divide that originates from Ireland's civil war almost a centuryago.His predecessor, Varadkar, leaves office with his personal approval ratingat a record high of 75% due to his handling of the crisis, according to anIrish Times poll.FORMER PAKISTAN PM RAJA PERVEZ ASHRAF ACQUITTED IN CORRUPTION CASEAn anti-corruption court here on Thursday acquitted former Pakistan primeminister Raja Pervez Ashraf and nine others in a corruption case.Ashraf, along with former finance minister Shaukat Tareen and eight others,was accused of causing losses of billions of rupees when their efforts toaddress the power shortage in the country through rental power projectsfailed.Judge Muhhamad Bashir of Islamabad-based accountability court issued theverdict in the Sahiwal Rental Power case in response to the acquittal pleasubmitted by the former premier as well as the other accused.Ashraf was accused of receiving kickbacks and commissions for awardingcontracts to nine rental power project firms in 2008 when he was ministerfor water and power.TURKEY COURT SENTENCES 121 TO LIFE FOR COUP BIDA Turkish court on Friday handed down life sentences to 121 people fortaking part in the 2016 attempted overthrow of President Recep TayyipErdogan, state media reported.The court in Ankara sentenced 86 suspects to "aggravated" life imprisonmentfor "attempting to violate the Constitution" while 35 individuals were givenlife sentences for the same crime, the official Anadolu news agency said. Anaggravated life sentence has tougher terms of detention. It was brought into replace the death penalty which Turkey abolished in 2004 as part of itsdrive to join the EU.A total of 245 suspects were on trial in the case related to events at theGendarmerie General Command on the night of July 15, 2016 in the Turkishcapital.Another suspect, former Colonel Erkan Oktem, was given nine aggravated lifesentences for "wilful murder", Anadolu reported.The failed coup left 248 people dead, excluding 24 putschists killed thatnight.NEW WORLD RECORD SET FOR SINGLE LIGHTNING FLASH STRETCHING OVER 700 KMSA single lightning flash that stretched more than 700 kilometres acrossBrazil last year - equivalent to the distance between Boston and WashingtonDC - has created a new world record for the longest reported distance oflightning, the UN's weather agency has announced.A World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) committee of experts said two newworld records for the longest reported distance and the longest reportedduration for a single lightning flash were set in Brazil and Argentina. Thenew records for extreme lightning bursts, or 'megaflashes', during 2019, aremore than double the size and duration of the previous record flashes.A lightning flash that developed continuously over northern Argentina onMarch 4, 2019 lasted a whopping 16.73 seconds. A second flash stretched morethan 700 kilometres (400 miles) across southern Brazil on October 31 lastyear. This was equivalent to the distance between Boston and Washington inthe US, or between London and Basel in Switzerland.