South Asia
Nepal has requested Bhutan to send 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as it continues to struggle with its vaccine drive. This comes as Bhutan’s government has been lauded for successfully vaccinating 90% of its eligible adult population. [Kathmandu Post]
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi reassured that the Taliban would ensure that Daesh militants do not cross the Afghanistan border into Pakistan. Speaking at a press conference, he said that the Afghan forces had the ability to contain Daesh. [Geo.tv]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The Armenian Defence Ministry accused Azerbaijani forces of targeting Armenian positions and a food transporting vehicle in the Yeraskh region near the disputed border area. No casualties were reported. [Public Radio of Armenia]
Uzbekistan has approved a law on compulsory COVID-19 vaccination and introduced amendments to the Labour Code stating that employers can suspend employees if they refuse to get vaccinated. Lawmakers say the law “contributes to strengthening the legislative framework for organizing mass vaccination of the population.” [Kun.uz]
East and Southeast Asia
Cambodia will begin offering a third booster shot against COVID-19, allowing citizens who have already gotten jabs of the Chinese-made Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines to get a third shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine. [The Bangkok Post]
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, along with a group of lawmakers, were stopped by the police on Monday from marching towards the Parliament. The parliament’s second session, which was scheduled to be conducted today, has been postponed to next week due to COVID-19 concerns. [The Straits Times]
Europe
British watchdog Equality and Human Rights Commission warned employers against adopting a “no jab, no job” policy. The spokesperson for the commission said that any such policy must be “proportionate, non-discriminatory and make provision for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.” [Politico]
The Luxembourg-based Data Protection Authority (CNPD) imposed a fine of €746 million on Amazon for violating the European Union’s privacy laws. However, Amazon has decided to challenge the regulator’s July 16 decision, and said, “We believe the CNPD’s decision to be without merit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.” [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has once again warned that he will not concede defeat in next year’s presidential election unless there is a printed vote, claiming that the electronic voting system leaves room for fraud. Bolsonaro is increasingly losing ground to former President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, with polls suggesting that Lula would win the election if it were held today. [MercoPress]
Hundreds of citizens took to the streets of Peruvian capital Lima on Saturday to protest against newly-appointed President Pedro Castillo, calling him a terrorist for supporting Shining Path, a Maoist rebel group that killed tens of thousands of people in the 1980s and the 1990s. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
The Egyptian military reportedly killed 89 “very dangerous” terrorists in the North Sinai on Sunday. The military stated that such operations are meant to protect strategic objectives, secure Egyptian economic interests, and carry out search and rescue operations in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Eight soldiers were killed during the latest operation. [Ahram Online]
The death toll from wildfires that have ravaged the Turkish southern coast rose to eight on Sunday as firefighters desperately try to contain the blaze from spreading. According to authorities more than 100 blazes have been contained by firefighting and rescue services. [Reuters]
North America
On Saturday, United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with Tunisian President Kais Saied. According to a statement released by National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne, Sullivan called on Saied to “return” Tunisia to a “democratic path” by “rapidly forming a new government” and “ensuring the timely return of the elected parliament.” [The White House]
On Sunday, Canada celebrated its first-ever Emancipation Day, which marks the day that the Slavery Abolition Act was put in place in 1834, leading to the freeing of enslaved people across Canada, then known as British North America. Going forward, the day will also be used to reflect on continued racism and discrimination in the country. [Government of Canada]
Oceania
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday formally apologised for the Dawn Raids against the Pasifika people during the mid-1970s. The homes of Pasifika people were raided by authorities to find, convict, and deport people with expired visas. Ardern said, “The government expresses its sorrow, remorse, and regret that the Dawn Raids and random police checks occurred and that these actions were ever considered appropriate.” [9News]
The Australian government and the bank has decided to extend a loan of $68 million to Fiji to upgrade its airports as part of its “Pacific step-up”. The aid will help Pacific nations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to counter China’s rising influence in the region. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigeria has received a shipment of four million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the United States amid a third wave of infections. The country has thus far recorded 2,149 deaths and around 174,000 cases from the virus. [AfricaNews]
American companies have suspended plans to invest in Kenya as discussions over a free trade deal that were initiated under former President Donald Trump have stalled under his successor Joe Biden. The President of the US-Africa Business Center at the US Chamber of Commerce, Scott Eisner, said, “Many companies had begun investing in Kenya in the wake of the Trump administration’s talks with Kenya on a bilateral free trade agreement, but that those plans were on ice until the Biden review of that policy was completed.” [The East African]
World News Monitor: 2 August, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
August 2, 2021
SOURCE: AFP