South Asia
The Nepal government on Wednesday said it has evacuated 895 of its citizens from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over on August 15. [Outlook India]
Index provider MSCI Inc. downgraded Pakistan to a frontier market, four years after its ranking was raised to an emerging market. The decision has been expected, since Pakistan started falling below the MSCI’s criteria in terms of size and liquidity after its promotion to an emerging market in 2017. [Mint]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with his Georgian counterpart, David Zalkaliani, in Tbilisi on Wednesday to discuss economic and trade ties. Both envoys talked about issues surrounding the establishment of the proposed Persian Gulf-Black Sea international transport corridor, which also involves Iran, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, and aims to connect Iranian and Georgian ports. [Armen Press]
The 11th round of the Kyrgyzstan-European Union (EU) Human Rights Dialogue took place in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday. Both sides discussed the human rights situation in Kyrgyzstan and the EU, including freedom of expression, women’s rights and the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU hailed Kyrgyzstan’s achievements in promoting human rights over 30 years of independence. [24.kg]
East and Southeast Asia
North Korea appears to have staged a military parade in Pyongyang in the early hours of Thursday. This is the nation’s third such display in less than a year. [Channel News Asia]
Protesters in Myanmar destroyed around a dozen military-owned communication towers on Wednesday after the country’s shadow government launched a “defensive war” against the junta. [WION]
Europe
British Home Secretary Priti Patel has authorised border guards to turn away boats carrying migrants to prevent them from reaching the United Kingdom (UK). Over 1,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel by boat this week alone. [BBC]
On Wednesday, Russia’s Ambassador to Guinea, Vadim Razumovsky, met with junta leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who led a coup to remove President Alpha Condé from power on Sunday. Thus far, Razumovsky is the first foreign diplomat to meet with the head of the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development. [TASS]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Following the completion of the first round of talks between the Venezuelan government and opposition in Mexico, President Nicolás Maduro warned that Colombia and the United States are conspiring to “put an end to this process built with patience and wisdom.” [Telesur]
On the first day of El Salvador accepting Bitcoin as legal tender, “technical glitches” and a drop in the value of the cryptocurrency led to hundreds of citizens taking to the streets of San Salvador to protest against the decision of President Nayib Bukele. [BBC]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Delegations from Turkey and Egypt met in Ankara from September 7-8 to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues, including the situations in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine. Both sides called for “further steps to facilitate normalisation of their relations” and agreed to continue talks. [Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
At least 18,000 Yemeni civilians have been killed or wounded by Saudi-led airstrikes since 2015, according to a United Nations panel. It added that Yemenis have been subjected to around ten airstrikes per day, a total of almost 23,000 since March 2015. [Associated Press]
North America
On Wednesday, United States (US) Secretary of State visited the country’s Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he met with German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas. Blinken conveyed the US’ appreciation of Germany for being an “unwavering partner in Afghanistan” for 20 years. [US Department of State]
On Tuesday, Canada opened its borders to fully vaccinated non-essential travellers from all countries, effectively allowing them to avoid the 14-day quarantine that was previously in place. [CBC News]
Oceania
Australia’s biggest news publishers are responsible for comments that readers post on their corporate Facebook pages, the High Court ruled on Wednesday. [The Straits Times]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that her government had secured another 250,000 Pfizer vaccines from Spain. [The Guardian]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The World Health Organization’s Africa office announced a meningitis outbreak in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, revealing that 129 people have died. Given that 261 cases have been recorded, the high fatality rate is causing severe concern. [Africa News]
On Tuesday, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi announced that the country's military troops, alongside the forces of Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community, have reclaimed almost all areas that had been captured by Islamist insurgents in the crisis-torn northern province of Cabo Delgado. [Nation]
World News Monitor: 9 September, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
September 9, 2021
World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti SOURCE: TORONTO STAR