South Asia
According to the Nepalese National Census 2021, Nepal’s population grew at a rate of merely 0.93 percent last year. The number, which is the lowest in 80 years, has been a result of many Nepalese citizens migrating to foreign countries for jobs and studies. [NDTV]
Hundreds of newspaper editors, journalists and employees of the Electricity, Water, and Power Development Authority took to the streets across Pakistan to protest the killing of a journalist outside the Lahore Press Club. The protestors said that the incident was reflective of the “law and order situation” in Pakistan and urged the government to take immediate action against the assailants. [Times of India]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
At least one civilian was killed and 24 were injured during a firefight between Kyrgyz and Tajik forces along their disputed border on Thursday. Both sides accused each other of provoking tensions. [RFE/RL]
The Uzbek police on Thursday detained several alleged members of the banned Islamic movement Katiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (Brigade of Monotheism and the Holy War), a terrorist group banned by Uzbekistan in 2016. Officials accused the members of propagating the teachings of the group to youth in Tashkent and other regions. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
After an undersea pipeline leaked almost 50 tonnes of crude, Thailand’s navy and pollution experts combined efforts on Thursday to clear up an oil spill in the Gulf of Thailand, about 20 kilometres off the coast of Rayong province. The country’s Pollution Control Department warned that the spill could threaten a national park in the nearby Ko Samet island. [Channel News Asia]
China has officially established its largest-ever Winter Olympics team in history. The team consists of 387 members, of which, 176 are athletes. 87 athletes are female, while there are 20 athletes from nine ethnic minority groups, including the Tibetan, Uygur and Hui ethnic groups. [Global Times]
Europe
On Thursday, Brussels said it would launch a World Trade Organization (WTO) case to challenge China’s discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania as Beijing’s trade policies were hurting Lithuanian exports and threatens the integrity of the European Union’s single markets. European trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said due to failed bilateral negotiations, the Union has no other option but to approach the WTO dispute settlement consultations with China. [Euronews]
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met with his Dutch and German counterparts, along with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, to discuss a coordinated NATO response to the rising tensions caused by the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following the discussions, he said that NATO remained “united” in protecting “European security.” [UK Government]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Xiomara Castro was sworn in as Honduras’ new President on Thursday amid a political impasse over congressional leadership. Rival parties had voted for two different leaders to lead Congress and each side claimed that they have a majority of the vote. [Associated Press]
A Supreme Court justice on Thursday subpoenaed Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and ordered the police to question him over leaking several documents of a secret police investigation into a hacking attack on Brazil’s electoral authority. Bolsonaro had used the documents to question the effectiveness of the country’s electoral system. [Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Former United Nations (UN) judges and investigators have called on UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet to start an investigation into the 1988 mass killings of political prisoners in Iran, including the role of current President Ebrahim Raisi. Activists accuse Raisi of orchestrating the executions of hundreds of political prisoners in 1988, for which he is under sanctions by the United States. [Reuters]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog will visit the country next month as both sides seek to reduce tensions and improve ties. “With this visit, a new era can begin in the Israeli and Turkish relationship,” Erdoğan said. [Associated Press]
North America
On Thursday, the Vice-Presidents’ of the United States and Taiwan had a brief conversation during the inauguration of the new Honduran president. The US Vice President Kamala Harris said she spoke with her Taiwanese counterpart William Lai and discussed their shared interest in Central America and the US government’s strategy to curb migration. [Reuters]
On Thursday, a US judge announced a 44-month prison sentence for Nicholas Languerand. The latter pleaded guilty to a felony charge after throwing objects at police during the US Capitol Riots last year. Languerand has been in jail since April last year and would receive credit for time already served. More than 700 people have been charged, with around 200 pleading guilty to various federal felonies. [Reuters]
Oceania
On Friday, Australia’s Federal Department of Health said a new “stealth” sub-variant of Omicron had been detected in most states and territories in Australia. The BA.2 sub-variant has been detected in more than 40 countries and raised concerns over its contagiousness. It accounts for almost half of new COVID-19 cases in Denmark. A clinical epidemiologist from Melbourne University said the sub-variant could be more contagious than the Omicron variant. [News.com.au]
Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, said international tourists could be allowed in the country before Easter. While speaking with Cairns radio station 4CA on Friday, Morrison said, “I don’t think it’s too far away, to be honest, but we’ve got to get some medical advice further on that. A bit more work to do with the states to make sure we’re comfortable about it.” The comments come as the country recorded a high number of COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant. [7 News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera sacked his entire cabinet on Thursday and appointed new ministers on Monday after facing weeks of protests from civil society groups demanding action against corruption. Chakwera said that some of the sacked ministers and government officials had to answer to the graft allegations. [The East African]
Lazare Eloundou Assomo becomes the first African to be appointed as the Director of World Heritage at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. [Africa News]