South Asia
At the 11th India-United Kingdom (UK) Economic and Financial Dialogue on Thursday, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her British counterpart Rishi Sunak agreed on a $1.2 billion investment in green projects and renewable energy to boost India’s green ambitions. [News18]
Sri Lanka declared an economic emergency to help tackle soaring inflation after currency devaluation led by a spike in food prices. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered emergency regulations to counter the hoarding of essential items such as sugar and rice. [ABP Live]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Russia has taken note of the recent positive signals between Armenia and Turkey, and is willing to contribute to the rapprochement between them. “Russia has always advocated for normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations,” she noted. In August, both Armenia and Turkey expressed willingness to restore diplomatic ties. [Armen Press]
On Thursday, Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda said that Tajikistan cannot host many Afghan refugees, citing a lack of infrastructure as the reason. In this respect, he urged the United Nations to assist Tajikistan in building such infrastructure to host refugees. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
As part of the Eastern Economic Forum that started on Thursday in Vladivostok, Russia, Japan, and Russia agreed to work together on hydrogen and ammonia production, as the long-time energy partners shift the focus to cleaner alternatives from fossil fuels. [The Straits Times]
In a newly-unveiled military blueprint, South Korea announced a plan to set aside more than $220 billion over the next five years for defence spending, marking a 5.8% year-on-year increase on average for 2022 to 2026. This will be dedicated to developing new missiles “with significantly enhanced destructive power” to deter the North. [The Straits Times]
Europe
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday that while the United Kingdom (UK) will not recognise the new Afghan government any time soon, it was time the country engages with the Taliban on a range of urgent issues. The UK needs to “adjust to the new reality” and begin a dialogue with the militants, Raab noted. [Independent]
The European Commission on Thursday confirmed the preparation of fresh sanctions against Belarus over the migration crisis. Luc Devigne, Deputy Managing Director with the European Union informed the European Parliament of the fifth round of measures against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his regime. [Euronews]
Bulgaria will conduct fresh elections for the third time this year after the Socialist Party on Thursday refused to form a government following the “inconclusive” national elections. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev must now dissolve the parliament, appoint a new interim administration, and call a snap poll within the next two months. [Reuters]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The Pan American Health Organization has once again expressed concern over the pace of COVID-19 vaccination programmes across Latin America and the Caribbean, with Director Carissa F. Etienne saying that only about 25% of the population is fully vaccinated, adding that over one-third of countries in the region are yet to have even vaccinated 20% of their citizens. [MercoPress]
On Wednesday, the President of BioCubaFarma, Eduardo Martínez, said that Cuba would begin the process to seek the approval of the World Health Organization for its three COVID-19 vaccines: Soberana, Soberana 02, and Abdala. The use of the vaccines has already been authorized by Cuba’s Centre for State Control of Medicines, Equipment, and Medical Devices, which is formally recognised by the WHO. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Thursday that Qatar was talking with the Taliban and working with Turkey for technical support to restart operations at the Kabul airport. [Reuters]
The United Nations (UN) has warned that the aid crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray region is worsening, with stocks of relief aid, cash, and fuel “running very low or depleted.” It noted that only 10% of the trucks carrying aid for Tigray’s vulnerable population have reached their targets since mid-July. The UN urged all conflicting parties to facilitate “the rapid and unimpeded passage of impartial humanitarian relief to avert this looming catastrophe.” [UN News]
North America
The United States held a 2+2 Intercessional Dialogue with India on Tuesday that encompassed a range of issues, such as counterterrorism, humanitarian aid, and maritime security. The dialogue confirmed the “comprehensive global strategic partnership, including climate, public health, defence, trade, technology and governance” between the two nations. [US Department of Defense]
On Friday, the death toll from Hurricane Ida rose up to 46, as the storm ravaged several states across the United States, especially affecting Louisiana and New Orleans, which suffered complete blackouts for much of this week. The hurricane also reached as far as New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, which all reported heavy rainfall and inundation. [Indian Express]
Oceania
Australia has secured four million doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United Kingdom through a vaccine swap deal. While speaking at a press conference, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, “The government has been able to secure, with the government of the United Kingdom, a Pfizer swap deal which will see four million doses of Pfizer come to Australia this month.” He further added that the first batch of vaccines is due on Saturday. [News.com.au]
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark urged citizens to support the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Clark said the crisis-torn country is suffering from acute food shortages and droughts, and is simultaneously reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. While speaking at a seminar on Thursday, Clark said, “This is a humanitarian crisis, it’s a human crisis, a political crisis, it’s a constitutional crisis, it's a crisis on every front.” [RNZ]
Sub-Saharan Africa
On Wednesday, representatives from the United Nations, the International Organization of Migration, and a number of African countries and the African Union participated in a meeting on migration and the associated impacts on human rights in the African continent. A UN special rapporteur said that some countries have ‘criminalised’ migration, which has led to a rise in smuggling and human trafficking. [AfricaNews]
On Thursday, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation released a statement confirming that only one 'registered' South African national remains in Kabul, Afghanistan, adding that 35 citizens have already been evacuated. [South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation]
World News Monitor: 3 September, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
September 3, 2021
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES