South Asia
A petition questioning WhatsApp’s ability to threaten the privacy of its users was brought before the Supreme Court. This comes amidst a barrage of concern regarding the Facebook-owned messaging application’s new privacy policy. [Reuters]
On Thursday, a major fire ravaged a refugee camp in a camp at Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, the fire destroyed over 550 shelters, which housed over 3,500 people. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The head of an election-monitoring team to Kazakhstan from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Jaroslaw Domanski, issued a warning over Kazakhstan’s mishandling of the recent national elections. He raised his concerns over the “lack of transparency, bad intention, basically, bad practice, and a lack of goodwill” in Nur-Sultan’s method of conducting the vote. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Seeking the release of the chemical tanker seized by Iran, the South Korean government requested Qatar for “maximum support”. South Korea’s first vice foreign minister, Choi Jong-kun, made the request while meeting top Qatari government officials on Wednesday. Iran, meanwhile, has called on South Korea to “stop politicising the issue”. [Anadolu Agency]
Despite being locked in a trade war with Washington, Beijing’s exports rose in 2020 to give China a trade surplus of $535 billion, one of the highest reported figures ever. The Chinese economy has benefited from the slow re-opening of its economy, and increased demand for masks and medical supplies. [Economic Times]
Europe
On Thursday, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said that Greece is seeking to expedite the return of around 1,450 migrants to Turkey and has filed an application with the European Commission and the European Union Border Agency Frontex. This comes as Greece and Turkey plan on resuming talks on their ongoing territorial dispute in the Eastern Mediterranean. [Al Jazeera]
Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) warned on Thursday that Kremlin critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is currently in Germany recovering from an alleged assassination attempt, will face immediate arrest once he returns to Russia. The agency said that it is ‘obliged’ to detain Kremlin critic because he broke terms of a previous suspended sentence. [ABC News]
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Wednesday urged the United States (US) to review its decision to sanction the country over its purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile system. While the official did not mention whether Ankara would give in to US pressure, he said he was hopeful that the impasse could be resolved through dialogue. “We are saying let’s not break things up in this way. Let’s sit down and talk and find a solution,” Akar said. [Associated Press]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Norwegian oil and gas exploration seismic data company PGS signed a contract with Uruguay’s state-owned oil company, ANCAP, to conduct seismic surveying to look for oil and gas resources. [Merco Press]
Venezuela is considering permitting private contractors to operate oil fields owned by state-owned oil company PDVSA, illustrating that the government is looking at investment to reinvigorate the country's oil industry. [Al Jazeera]
The United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights Office (OHCHR) released a report saying that the Peruvian Police used "unnecessary and excessive" force against civilians in November 2020, when protestors took to the streets to demonstrate against erstwhile President Martín Vizcarra's controversial impeachment. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Thursday, five civilians were killed and three were wounded in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Algeria. The bomb went off as a car drove by in the region of Tebessa, and the Algerian Defence Ministry called it the “deadliest attack targeting civilians in recent years.” In the same press release, the ministry also announced the elimination of a “dangerous terrorist” as part of its fight against terrorism. [Al Jazeera]
Jerusalem municipal authorities said on Wednesday that they have given preliminary approval to a location for a new US embassy in the city. The location of the new building will be on Hebron Road, a central thoroughfare, and not far from the current temporary embassy site. The site is near an invisible line that divides West and East Jerusalem, the part of the city captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War and claimed by the Palestinians for a future capital. It was not immediately clear if it crossed the boundary. [Haaretz]
North America
The US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) said in a new report on Thursday that new evidence had emerged in the past year that “crimes against humanity - and possibly genocide - are occurring” in Xinjiang. It also accused China of harassing Uighurs in the United States. China responded harshly to the accusations, saying that Washington was “obsessed with making up all sorts of lies to vilify China.” [Reuters]
The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has postponed the first confirmation hearing for President-elect Biden’s pick for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Avril Haines, due to some logistical challenges. However, she will face the committee’s questions next week, though the exact date of the hearing has not been revealed yet. Haines, a former top CIA official, and deputy national security adviser would be the first woman to lead the US intelligence community if confirmed by the Senate. [CNN]
Oceania
One of the scientists who helped develop the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, Professor Andrew Pollard, said herd immunity is unlikely at this point in time and therefore Australia must “accept some level of community transmission” and not delay the implementation of a vaccination program any longer. [The Age]
Despite severe trade restrictions on Australian coal, Australian coal exports are reportedly still reaching China indirectly via other countries. [news.com.au]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Central African Republic (CAR) government troops have regained control of the capital city, Bangui, after sustaining another attack by armed rebels, who killed one United Nations peacekeeper. The rebel group is called the Coalition of Patriots for Change and its objective is to oust Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who recently secured a second term in office, from power. [DW]
Djibouti’s President, Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has been in power since he was first elected in 1999, will seek a fifth term in office in the April election. Guelleh succeeded his uncle to become Djibouti’s second president since 1977. [Africa Times]