South Asia
The Reserve Bank of India announced on Twitter that its Governor, Shaktikanta Das, will make an unscheduled speech today, as a vicious new coronavirus wave ravages the country. The address will be broadcast live on YouTube. [Live Mint]
The Pakistan government has decided that there will be no compromise on the country’s controversial blasphemy law, days after the European Parliament called for a review of the country’s General Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP ) status, following an “alarming” increase in the use of blasphemy accusations in the country. [Hindustan Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
An Armenian court sentenced two Syrian mercenaries who fought for Azerbaijan during last year’s war over Nagorno-Karabakh. They were charged with international terrorism and crimes committed against civilians during the war. One of the men testified that they were recruited by the Suleyman Shah Brigade in Syria and were taken to Azerbaijan via Turkey. [Armen Press]
Azerbaijan released three Armenian POWs who were transported by plane from Baku to Yerevan. Azerbaijan has been facing international pressure, especially from the European Union (EU) and the OSCE Minsk Group, to release captured Armenian soldiers. [Public Radio of Armenia]
East and Southeast Asia
China asked the Philippines to follow “basic etiquette” after Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin posted a tweet replete with expletives protesting the illegal presence of hundreds of Chinese boats inside the Philippines’ 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). “It is hoped that relevant people in the Philippines will comply with basic etiquette and their position when making remarks,” China’s Foreign Ministry said. [The Star]
In a move that could cast doubt on the planned Summer Olympics, the Japanese government is considering extending the coronavirus-induced state of emergency in Tokyo and other major urban areas. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will meet with senior government ministers on Wednesday to discuss an extension. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
Madrid’s conservative regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso of the Popular Party (PP) won re-election on Tuesday, with her party winning 65 seats in the 136-seat regional assembly. Though this number was more than double from that in 2019, it was still 4 seats short of securing the majority needed to form a government. [Euronews]
Owing to the rise in tensions between Brussels and Beijing, the EU has suspended efforts to ratify a major investment deal between the two sides, which was agreed to in principle in December last year. “It’s clear in the current situation with the EU sanctions in place against China and Chinese counter-sanctions in place, including against members of European Parliament (that) the environment is not conducive for ratification of the agreement,” EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told AFP news agency. [DW]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Late on Monday, at least 23 people were killed and 79 were injured following the collapse of an elevated structure from the Mexico City metro that sent a subway car hurtling down towards the road beneath. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard described it as the “most terrible accident we have ever had in mass transportation,” while President Andrés Manuel López Obrador vowed to open an investigation into the matter. [Al Jazeera]
Colombian President Iván Duque has named José Manuel Restrepo as the new finance minister. He will replace Alberto Carrasquilla, who resigned on Monday following continued protests against the proposed tax reforms that were scrapped by Duque on Sunday. Nevertheless, protests are still ongoing, with demonstrators continuing to demand a universal basic income, the protection of agricultural production, and assistance for small businesses. There is also rising discontent against police brutality, with 27 deaths, over 800 injuries, and more than 700 arrests during the protests. [Merco Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Tuesday, Iranian forces stopped an Indian ship suspected of carrying crew with coronavirus cases. Iranian authorities later confirmed that two Indian nationals tested positive for the virus. Last week, Iran closed its borders with Pakistan to prevent a possible spread of the Indian strain of COVID-19. [Fars News]
In a suspected Islamic State (IS) attack in the Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria, two gunmen shot and killed a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leader. Although no group has claimed responsibility so far, it is highly likely that the IS was involved, as the group is very active in the Province. [Rudaw]
North America
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that his administration was now working towards a goal of having 70% of American adults vaccinated with at least one shot, and 160 million Americans fully inoculated by July 4. Biden also reiterated the US’ commitment to send 60 million doses of its AstraZeneca vaccine to other countries starting this month and into June. [The White House]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said that Canada may require international travellers to show proof of their vaccination against COVID-19 before entering the country. However, the leader said that the federal government will align its policy on such ‘vaccine passports’ with its international allies. Trudeau also noted that Canadians could begin travelling abroad again by summer. [CTV News]
Oceania
New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has dismissed the possibility of bringing home Kiwis stranded in India amid a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases in the country. Mahuta said, “We’re not in a position to repatriate anyone at this particular time.” [Newshub]
Despite mounting criticism of his administration's decision to ban Australians from re-entering the country from India, and threatening them with jail time and inordinate fines, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stood behind his decision, saying, “We’ve seen an escalation in the number of cases coming off recent planes that has been far in advance of what we've seen from other countries over the course of the pandemic.” [The Canberra Times]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Despite rising popular discontent against the Chadian military’s decision to take control of the government following the now-former President Idriss Déby's death last month, the chief of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, Mohamed Idriss Farah, has said, “It is up to the Chadian people to get their country out of its crisis.” [Africa News]
25 senior South Sudanese military and police officers are in Rwanda to take part in the four-day Senior Leadership for Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and Reconstruction Course, which is conducted by the Rwanda Peace Academy, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC). The course is intended to study peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts in South Sudan and examine the role of the military in promoting “national unity and state-building and in bringing lasting peace while preventing relapse into conflict.” [Rwandan Ministry of Defence]
World News Monitor: 05 May, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
May 5, 2021
SOURCE: FERNANDO LLANO / AP