South Asia
India will resume its COVID-19 vaccine exports from the next quarter, prioritising COVAX— the global vaccine-sharing platform— and neighbouring countries first as domestic supplies rise. [Al Jazeera]
Pakistan on Monday called on world powers to unfreeze Afghan assets worth billions of dollars. “On one hand, you’re raising fresh funds to avert a crisis and on the other hand money that is theirs—belongs to them—they cannot use,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters. [Times of India]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Kyrgyzstan has banned hundreds of Tajik students from crossing the border for their studies in Kyrgyz higher educational institutions. The move comes amid increasing tensions between both countries over disputed border areas. [24.kg]
Russia is willing to support Armenia to overcome an economic crisis and the pandemic, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Overchuk said on the sidelines of the Armenia Business Forum in Yerevan on Monday. Overchuk also called for greater cooperation in the fields of trade, transport, energy, and social infrastructure. [Armen Press ]
East and Southeast Asia
A North Korean military think tank on Monday ridiculed South Korea’s recent submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test, calling it “clumsy” and “rudimentary.” [Channel News Asia]
Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi said she had “no comment” to make on the National Unity Government’s declaration of war against the junta, her lawyer said. [The Straits Times]
Europe
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has launched an investigation into a data breach involving the details of 250 Afghan interpreters seeking relocation to the United Kingdom. The breach was carried out by the Afghan Relocations Assistance Policy team, which “mistakenly” copied the names and pictures of the interpreters into an email from the Defence Ministry. Their email addresses and details could be seen by all recipients. [BBC]
On Monday, non-profit organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) slammed the European Union for its “empty promises” regarding the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. Apart from MSF, the World Health Organization has also criticised the Union for failing to ensure vaccine equity. [The Brussels Times]
Serbia, which does not recognize the legitimacy of Kosovo after losing control of the region in 1991, has been blocking roads near their shared border after police barred cars with Serbian licence plates from coming into Kosovo. In retaliation, Kosovan police have been urging all drivers to conceal their licence plates or to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days and cost €5. [Reuters]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Mexican newspaper La Jornada has warned that the country is set to be struck by an onslaught of migrants from neighbouring countries in Central America, with most of them coming from Haiti. [Prensa Latina]
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso is scheduled to meet with the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador on October 4, with Indigenous communities vowing to fight for the “exploited class of the countryside and the city” and confront the government’s ‘neoliberal’ policies. They are set to demand fixed fuel prices, a reduction in the unemployment rate, the provision of social security, and greater spending on health and education. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Two ships rescued around 190 Europe-bound migrants, including women and children, off the coast of Libya on Monday. Libya is a hub for migrants from Africa and the Middle East who are fleeing war and poverty. According to the United Nations, more than 24,000 migrants have been intercepted and returned to Libya by the country’s coast guard this year alone. [Associated Press]
Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Monday that he had instituted transitional governing rules and would soon introduce a new electoral law. Saied did not give any details on the changes, which could signal plans to replace the frozen parliament. In July, Saied dismissed the Prime Minister, suspended the parliament, and assumed all governing powers in a move labelled by the opposition as a coup. [Reuters]
North America
The White House condemned the use of whips on Haitian migrants by border guards at Del Rio, Texas, where migrants have been camping underneath a bridge ever since the United States administration began expelling them on Sunday. “I don't think anyone seeing that footage would think it was acceptable or appropriate,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. [Reuters]
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is apprehensive of a potential “new cold war” between China and the United States and thus urged them to mend their “completely dysfunctional” ties. “We need to avoid at all cost a cold war that would be different from the past one, and probably more dangerous and more difficult to manage,” said Guterres ahead of the 76th annual UN General Assembly meeting to be held on Tuesday. [Al Jazeera]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison landed in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting. When questioned about his potential meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron amid a diplomatic row over submarines, Morrison said that he has no plans to meet Macron even though the United States President Joe Biden asked for a phone call with his French counterpart to resolve issues. [ABC News]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday said, “It is within New Zealanders’ power to make sure we aren’t under tight COVID-19 restrictions at Christmas by going out and getting vaccinated.” On Monday, Ardern announced a relaxation in restrictions, citing containment of the outbreak. [Newshub]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Intelligence officials from the member states of the East African Community began a two-day meeting on Monday in Kigali to discuss regional security and how to coordinate counterterrorism efforts. [The New Times]
On Monday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said that country had made considerable strides in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, saying that his government has focused on “sectors with the greatest multiplier effect on the economy, namely affordable housing; manufacturing; universal health coverage; and food security and nutrition.” [Office of the Kenyan President]
World News Monitor: 21 September, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
September 21, 2021
Tunisian President Kais Saied SOURCE: KARIM JAAFAR / AFP