South Asia
The Pakistani Ambassador to the Philippines, Imtiaz Kazi, expressed Pakistan’s willingness to share its “vast and valuable experience” in the country’s fight against terror. Further, he spoke of Pakistan’s desire to work with the Philippine National Police’s Salam Peace Centre “to bring moderation, as desired in Islam”. [Arab News]
The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium had reportedly warned top Indian officials about the new variant as early as February and highlighted its potential impact on public health at large. However, the Health Ministry allegedly ignored these warnings, saying that there was no “evidence” that the variant was one of “high concern”. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
A Kazakh court has sentenced blogger and journalist Aigul Otepova to one year of “restricted freedom” and 100 hours of forced labour for participating in banned political movements. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that her conviction was based on “trumped-up charges” and was an attempt by the Kyrgyz government to stifle dissent in the country. Otepova has also been banned from conducting “public and political activities,” including working in the media. [RFE/RL]
The Armenian health ministry revealed on Sunday that 100,000 doses of the Chinese CoronaVac vaccine have been delivered to the country. The ministry also said that the vaccines are “100% effective” in combating COVID-19 and will help break the chain of the epidemic. [Public Radio of Armenia]
East and Southeast Asia
A cross-border travel scheme allowing trips between Malaysia and Singapore for “compassionate reasons”, such as death and visits to critically ill loved ones, is set to begin from May 17. The introduction of the scheme was confirmed in a joint statement on Sunday by Singaporean Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein, and followed Hussein’s two-day visit to Singapore. [Channel News Asia]
Earlier today, the Philippines’ Foreign Affairs Department protested China’s “shadowing, blocking, dangerous manoeuvre and radio challenges” on its Coast Guard that trained in the Scarborough Shoal last month. The department added that China’s claims over the shoal, which the Philippines claims is within its territory, “is without basis” and that Beijing has “no law enforcement rights in these areas.” [The Straits Times]
Europe
Russia has barred eight EU officials from entering the country in response to the bloc’s “unlawful unilateral restrictions on Russian citizens and companies.” The Russian foreign ministry said on Friday that the targeted individuals included Vera Jourova, the vice-president of the European Commission for values and transparency, David Sassoli, the president of the European Parliament, and Jacques Maire, a member of the French delegation at the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly. [MFA Russia]
Italian police arrested two individuals and charged them with orchestrating an arson attack on a COVID-19 vaccine centre. According to the ANSA agency, they identified as anti-vaxxers. [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Saturday, El Salvador’s congress voted to remove the magistrates of the Supreme Court’s constitutional chamber and the attorney general, which has generated concern about President Nayib Bukele’s measures to bulldoze through democratic institutions in the country. His New Ideas recently secured a majority in parliament, winning 56 out of 84 seats in February’s Legislative Assembly election. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Bukele on Sunday and reiterated Washington’s position that an “independent judiciary is essential to democratic governance.” [Associated Press]
Following massive popular protests that drew thousands to the streets of cities across Colombia, President Iván Duque has decided against implementing a tax reform that would have raised taxes on some citizens and business owners and increased sales taxes on some utilities and food products. In fact, citizens’ response to the proposed reforms was so intense that six people died in the ensuing protests. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
A Palestinian woman who tried to carry out a stabbing attack against Israeli soldiers in the West Bank was shot dead by Israeli security forces on Sunday. Fahima al-Hroub, 60, was taken to a hospital in Jerusalem, where she was pronounced dead. [Times of Israel]
On Friday, United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita that the Biden administration will not reverse former US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara. Trump’s move was part of a deal that included Morocco’s establishment of bilateral ties with Israel last year. [Axios]
North America
The Pentagon on Friday announced the cancellation of “all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally intended for military missions and projects.” The department said that the unused funds will now be used for deferred military construction projects. [Department of Defence]
The US on Sunday said that it would hold talks with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) “on how we can get this vaccine more widely distributed, more widely licensed, more widely shared.” Biden’s Chief of Staff Ron Klain told CBS News that Trade Representative Katherine Tai would begin negotiations on the matter next week. [CBS News]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his decision to ban flights to and from India, including repatriation flights, saying that the “hard call” was a necessary measure that has saved thousands of lives. Former Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane has accused the Morrison administration of “inconsistency”, seeing as flights from the US weren't banned when its daily caseload was equally high as India’s is right now. The Labor party has gone one step further and accused Morrison of racism, with party leader Anthony Albanese saying, “The Government’s got to justify how it is that the figures from India are similar to what they’ve been in the past from the UK and the US, but we haven’t seen these sort of measures.” Morrison, however, has reiterated that it was a decision taken based on medical advice and that there should be “no politics or ideology” in a pandemic. [news.com.au]
On Monday, in a speech delivered at the China Business Summit in Auckland, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern once again stated that there are topics on which China and New Zealand “do not, cannot, and will not agree,” but said that this wasn’t a reason to abandon bilateral ties altogether. Nevertheless, she conceded that, “as China’s role in the world grows and changes, the differences between our systems – and the interests and values that shape those systems – are becoming harder to reconcile.” [Sydney Morning Herald]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The World Food Programme has delivered a warning of a “looming famine” in Southern Madagascar, with WFP Senior Director of Operations Amer Daoudi saying that roughly 1.35 million people require emergency food and nutrition aid. In fact, acute malnutrition in the southern districts has increased from 9% to 16% over the past four months, and to 27% in some districts. Aside from “economic deterioration”, this hunger crisis has also been attributed to repeated droughts, sandstorms, and other “climate shocks”. To this end, the body is requesting $75 million in donations to meet the nutritional needs of the people in these regions. [Radio France Internationale]
In a continued indication of instability and violence across Nigeria, 97 people were killed and 58 were kidnapped across the country last week. [Premium Times]
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is scheduled to visit Nairobi on Tuesday for a two-day visit, where she will meet with her Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta. The visit comes as part of the Tanzanian government’s push to form stronger economic ties with regional partners. In fact, her administration has sought to increase engagement in the East African Community, the Southern Africa Development Community, and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to achieve this goal. Her visit to Kenya is her second foreign trip since visiting Uganda earlier this month. [The Citizen]
World News Monitor: 03 May, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
May 3, 2021
SOURCE: LUCY NICHOLSON / REUTERS