New Zealand delays election over coronavirus; Protests continue in Belarus; Controversial pastor tests positive for coronavirus in Seoul

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New Zealand has delayed its upcoming election by one month after an outbreak of the coronavirus in the country’s most populous city, Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the election scheduled for Sept. 19 will be pushed to Oct. 17. 

“Ultimately, I want to ensure we have a well-run election that gives all voters the best chance to receive all the information about parties and candidates and delivers certainty for the future,” she said.

Opposition parties had sought a delay after the virus outbreak prompted a two-week lockdown and halted election campaigning. Before the latest outbreak, which has grown to 58 infections, New Zealand had gone more than 100 days without any known local transmission, drawing widespread praise for Ardern’s handling of the pandemic.

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Monday marked the ninth straight day of protests in Belarus following the controversial reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko. Factory workers in Belarus took to the streets and crowds of demonstrators besieged the state television headquarters, calling on Lukashenko to step down after 26 years in office. Lukashenko had flown by helicopter to a factory on Monday to demonstrate he was still in control but was heckled by workers chanting “Resign!”

Meanwhile, Rev. Jun Kwang-hun, the outspoken and conservative South Korean pastor of a megachurch in Seoul, has tested positive for the coronavirus after participating in an anti-government protest. More than 300 virus cases have been linked to Jun’s megachurch, which has emerged as a cluster of infections.

From The World

How Indian Americans are reacting to Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s VP pick

Kamala Harris, born to an Indian mother and Jamaican father, is the first candidate on a major party ticket in the US to have an Indian background.

For many Indian Americans, Harris symbolizes the inherent multiculturalism that resonates with their lives in the US. But India is also a source of friction among the campaign’s Indian American supporters. Some say presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Harris haven’t addressed crucial India-related issues. Others are still weighing things.

Migrant workers stuck in Beirut in wake of blast

Dozens of domestic workers have been stranded in Lebanon since last week’s blast. Many have lost their jobs and homes. They say they have no money for plane tickets back to their countries. The coronavirus pandemic has made the situation even more complicated.

Bright spot

A “lucky” phone number up for auction in China sold for more than $300,000 on Sunday. The number, seized by authorities after an unidentified individual failed to comply with court orders, ends in five 8s — a highly sought after combination because the word “eight” in Mandarin sounds similar to the word for “prosperity.”

In case you missed it

Listen: Hope and fear in Belarus following controversial election

The recent federal election in Belarus reinstated the country’s incumbent leader Alexander Lukashenko in a landslide, but it’s widely believed the election was rigged, and mass protests and violent government crackdowns have followed. And, as many Indian Americans express excitement at the first major party ticket with an Indian background, some are saying the Biden-Harris ticket could do better on its position toward India. Also, the US Census Bureau confronted a logistical nightmare before the pandemic. And now that it’s ending its count one month early, the likelihood of undercounting of groups including Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous populations has grown exponentially.

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