On Wednesday, India adopted a National Education Policy, bringing in significant changes to the education system in schools and colleges. The central government also approved the decision to change the name of the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry to the Education Ministry. [Times of India]
Nepal’s political turmoil, caused by disturbances in the ruling party, worsened as Prime Minister Oli was not invited to the party’s Standing Committee meeting conducted by anti-Oli faction leader Prachanda. PM Oli had previously decided to cancel the meeting, which was organised to negotiate and settle the differences between the party leaders. [Wion]
East and Southeast Asia
Filipino foreign secretary Teodoro Locsin this week sparked a row on Twitter by asserting the Philippines’ ownership over the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, reviving a longstanding territorial dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours.Malaysian foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein lashed out at the remark, calling it an “irresponsible statement that affects bilateral ties”. [South China Morning Post]
Four students have been arrested in Hong Kong in the first police operation to enforce China’s new national security law for the territory. The police said that the individuals were detained for “inciting secession” on social media after the new law entered into force on 1 July. [Hong Kong Free Press]
Europe
On Wednesday, the US military announced its plan to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany, following through with President Donald Trump’s threat last month. However, the statement said that about half of the withdrawn troops will be deployed in other European countries to counter the growing Russian threat. [Reuters]
In response to increasing pressure from government authorities to curb “irregular migration” into Paris, the French police closed down an illegal migrant settlement that housed over 1,000 men and 250 family members. Paris has witnessed a significant surge in its migrant population since the shutting down of the camp in Calais in 2016. [Al Jazeera]
The Belarus government on Wednesday said that it has detained over 33 Russian mercenaries—or private military contractors—days before the country’s presidential election, signalling a souring of relations between Moscow and Minsk. [Financial Times]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Brazil recorded 69,074 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, and 1,595 deaths. The country is hurtling towards a total death count of 100,000, making it the 2nd worst-hit country in the world in terms of both deaths and case count, registering more than 2.5 million cases since the outbreak began. [MercoPress]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
The Turkish government has passed a new law to make foreign-run social media websites accountable, requiring them to appoint local representatives to “address authorities' concerns”. The law, which critics believe is a tool to silence dissent, would allow Turkish authorities to block access and remove content from platforms and slash up to 90% bandwidth or slam penalties on non-compliant companies. [Reuters]
North America
Oregon’s governor Kate Brown announced on Wednesday that after repeated requests to the central government, there will be a 'phased withdrawal' of federal troops from Portland, who have “acted as an occupying force, refused accountability, and brought violence and strife” to the city. [ABC News]
The US military has said that it will help Japan monitor “unprecedented” Chinese incursion around disputed East China Sea islands. The statement comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Washington and Beijing. [Reuters]
Oceania
Australia recorded its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases and deaths, with 723 new patients and 13 deaths over the past 24 hours. The overwhelming majority of these cases are in Victoria. [ABC News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Just over three weeks after the death of Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who was in line to replace Alassane Ouattara as President, the ruling party, RHDP, officially nominated Ouattara to run for a third five-year term. The incumbent president has previously said that he would step aside to respect term limits before Coulibaly’s death. [Africa Feeds]
