South Asia
A mysterious outbreak in Andhra Pradesh, India has led to the death of one and hospitalisation of over 400. While the cause of the outbreak continues to remain unidentified, health officials of the state have confirmed that the incidents are not related to the COVID-19 outbreak. [Reuters]
In what is being considered as another blow to the already sour Indo-China relations, India has accused China of supporting rebel groups along its border with Myanmar. India officials have blamed China for supplying weapons and shelter to members of the United Wa State Army and the Arakan Army, both of which have been declared as terrorist organisations earlier this year. [SCMP]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
On December 7, the Kyrgyz Supreme Court cancelled former Prime Minister Sapar Isakov’s 18-year prison sentence after he was convicted on corruption charges. The court said that it has sent the case for a retrial to a district court in Bishkek, but did not provide any additional details regarding the decision. [RFE/RL]
The United States (US) has added Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Pakistan to a list of 10 countries designated for “particular concern” over religious freedom. The listing was based on the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 “for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.” [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat of Singapore will meet with Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng at the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) today to discuss public health and economic rejuvenation. [Strait Times]
The World Economic Forum will hold its 2021 annual meeting in Singapore instead of Switzerland, which is battling a surge in coronavirus infections. The annual meeting will return to Davos-Klosters, Switzerland in 2022. Singapore was chosen because it has a relatively low rate of Covid-19 cases. [Livemint]
Six suspected supporters of Indonesian Muslim leader Muhammad Rizieq Shihab were killed in a clash with police in the early hours of Monday morning. Rizieq, who heads a hardline group known as the Islamic Defenders Front, went into self-imposed exile after he was charged under the country’s pornography laws. [Al Jazeera]
Europe
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz found himself at the centre of a controversy after blaming minorities from the Western Balkan, “who spent the summer in their countries of origin,” for spreading the COVID-19 virus in the country. He based his comment on a study by the Agency for Health and Food Security that traced over 72 percent of the active cases to “returnees especially from the Western Balkans.” [Al Jazeera]
Three former Polish presidents – Lech Walesa, Aleksander Kwasniewski, and Bronislaw Komorowskion – on Tuesday called on the leaders of Poland and Hungary to drop their veto of the EU budget and COVID-19 recovery plan, arguing that such a move was only justified if the budget was unfair to Poland. However, given that the Polish government had helped negotiate it in the first place, they said that was not the case. [DW]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The Pacific Alliance—a grouping comprised of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru—is set to hold its 15th Presidential Summit via videoconference next week. The main item on the agenda of the meeting is for Chilean President Sebastian Piñera to hand over the presidency of the alliance to Colombian President Iván Duque. The bloc seeks to free up the movement of goods, services, capital, and people between the participating nations. [Merco Press]
Washington has extended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for citizens from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal until at least October 2021. TPS allows foreigners from countries that have experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict, or something of a similar scale to stay in the US and apply for work permits. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
The Vatican on Monday confirmed that the Pope will make his first-ever trip to Iraq in March next year. Pope Francis will become the first pope to visit Iraq, and during the trip, he will visit five places, including Baghdad, Erbil, and Mosul between March 5 and March 8. [Reuters]
Amid the ongoing investigation of the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist last month, Iran confirmed that a ‘smart satellite-controlled machine gun’ was used for the assassination. Ali Fadavi, the deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that the gun was placed on a pick-up truck and was operated remotely via video camera. [Al Jazeera]
North America
US President-elect Joe Biden has reportedly picked Retd. Army General Lloyd Austin, the former commander of the US Central Command, to be his Secretary of Defense. If confirmed, Gen. Austin will become the first Black man to hold the post. [CNN]
Reports suggest that US Attorney General William Barr is considering stepping down before the end of President Donald Trump’s term next month, due to his grievances with Trump. [The New York Times]
The Trump administration is set to approve a controversial land swap this month that would give Rio Tinto Ltd and partners more than 9.7 square kms to build an Arizona copper mine, even though the project would destroy religious and cultural sites sacred to Native Americans. Tribal leaders have alleged that the government is fast-tracking the environmental review process, to get this done before the new administration comes in next month. [Al Jazeera]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that the country would begin receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from next week and that the first round of inoculations would begin following approval from Health Canada. Trudeau added that Canada would get up to 249,000 doses by the end of the month. [Axios]
Oceania
China has suspended imports from a sixth Australian beef supplier, without providing a reason. The east Asian giant has justified previous suspensions by saying that there were issues with labelling and health certificates. However, it is suspected that the true reason is linked to Australia's decision to criticise China's policies in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea, as well as its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. [ABC News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Data from the Tax Justice Network (TJN), Public Services International (PSI), and the Global Alliance for Tax Justice has revealed that African governments lose up to $25 billion a year in tax evasion and abuse by foreigners and multinational companies. To put things into context, this amounts to the entire continent’s expenditure on healthcare and close to 30% of its spending on education. [The East African]
In an indication of growing diplomatic tensions between Kenya and Somalia, Mogadishu has removed its provision for Kenyan citizens to obtain a visa on arrival. This follows Somalia’s decision to recall its ambassador to Kenya and order Kenya's envoy to leave the country. Somalia has accused Kenya of interfering in its internal politics. [Africa News]
World News Monitor: 08 December, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
December 9, 2020
SOURCE: DNA India