South Asia
The Bangladeshi government commenced its vaccine drive for Rohingya refugees amid the spread of the Delta variant. So far, Cox’s Bazar, which houses 34 refugee camps, has reported 20,000 infections and 200 deaths. [Al Jazeera]
As violence continues to ravage Afghanistan, India closed down its consulate in Maza-i-Shariz. The Indian government also called on its citizens and diplomats to take a special flight back. Meanwhile, India’s key opposition party, the Indian National Congress, has urged the Indian government to help evacuate Hindu and Sikh minority communities from the country. [Reuters]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Azerbaijan forces violated the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire on Monday by shelling Armenian positions. Artsakh officials confirmed that there were no casualties and said that “relevant information regarding the incident was provided to the command of the Russian peacekeepers.” [Armen Press]
Russia completed joint military exercises with Tajik and Uzbek troops near Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan on Tuesday. The military drills that began last week were held as the Taliban has taken control of much of the area bordering Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that she supports the implementation of a mainland Chinese law to protect against foreign sanctions in Hong Kong. This is the strongest signal yet that the city is in the process of adopting the Beijing-imposed anti-sanctions legislation. [The Asahi Shimbun]
Thousands of anti-government protesters drove a convoy of cars and motorcycles through Bangkok on Tuesday amid rising anger over the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s administration. The protesters stopped outside buildings linked to Cabinet members to make speeches and call for resignations, accusing the government of mismanaging the pandemic and abusing its power to silence critics. [CNA]
Europe
With over 146 deaths on Tuesday, the United Kingdom reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases since March. As the British government continues to ease COVID-19 restrictions, 23,510 fresh daily cases have been reported. [Reuters]
The trial of former Iranian official Hamid Noury began on Tuesday in Sweden over his involvement in mass executions and war crimes in the 1980s. Noury was arrested in November 2019 at Stockholm-Arlanda International Airport and is accused of aiding the execution of a large number of prisoners on the order of Ayatollah Khamenei in 1988. The trial is expected to take several months as top Iranian officials have been accused of taking part in war crimes, including Iran’s current president Ebrahim Raisi. [Euronews]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Bolivian Foreign Affairs Minister Rogelio Mayta criticised Luis Almagro, the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States, for once again claiming that the country’s elections in 2019 were fraudulent. Mayta urged Almagro to refrain from interfering in Bolivia’s internal affairs. The 2019 elections drew suspicion because then-President Evo Morales won a fourth term with allegations of vote-rigging. What followed was a US and OAS-backed coup that placed right-wing Senator Jeanine Áñez in charge. [Telesur]
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro deployed a military convoy through the streets of Brasilia on Tuesday ahead of a Congressional vote on the president’s proposal to require printed ballots in next year’s election to prevent fraud. Critics have called the military parade an act of political intimidation. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption body has arrested over 200 government employees across a dozen ministries in a major anti-corruption drive led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman. Saudi nationals have long complained about rampant corruption and misuse of public funds by officials. [Associated Press]
Iranian state media reported on Tuesday that Iraq is planning to host a meeting between Iran and Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the Baghdad Summit, which is to be held later this month. “Baghdad seeks to end the severance of ties between Tehran and Riyadh following closed-door bilateral meetings,” the report states. [Rudaw]
North America
The National Post has learned that Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was advised as early as March to build contingency plans to evacuate the Kabul embassy in conjunction with the withdrawal of foreign troops. This is because there was already at the time an “uptick in violence” and a “lack of progress in talks between the insurgents and the Afghan government.” [National Post]
On Monday, United States President Joe Biden held a telephonic meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to congratulate Japan on successfully hosting the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Biden also spoke about the upcoming Paralympic Games and welcomed the public health measures Japan has taken to ensure that the games can be held safely. [The White House]
Oceania
New Zealand designated Fiji and Indonesia as very high-risk countries due to escalating COVID-19 cases and limited travel from these countries to New Zealand. COVID-19 Minister Chris Hipkins said, “In April this year the very high-risk category was introduced with the aim of reducing the risk of a large number of infected people flying to New Zealand from high-risk locations. Initially, India, Brazil, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea were designated very high risk, with Fiji and Indonesia now added to this list.” [Government of New Zealand]
Australia’s Lowy Institute warned of the grave possibility of Chinese military coercion, as the Asian giant is now within the striking range of Australian shores. Tom Shugart, a senior fellow with the Centre for a New American Security, wrote, “China’s recent military development constitutes the greatest expansion of maritime and aerospace power in generations. (This) is most obviously seen in its expanding long-range missile force, bomber force, and modernising blue-water navy.” However, the report also added that the possibility of an immediate Chinese military attack against Australia remains low. [news.com.au]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The World Health Organization has deployed a team of experts to Guinea following the death of the man from the Marburg virus, which is in the same family of diseases as Ebola. Symptoms include high fever and muscle pains, and some patients bleed through openings like their eyes and ears. There is currently no approved drug or vaccine for the disease, though rehydration can increase chances of survival. [AfricaNews]
Somali Prime Minister Hussein Roble arrived in Mombasa on Tuesday to meet with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. This follows a visit by Kenyan Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo to Mogadishu this past week. Bilateral ties remain strained over a maritime dispute that is currently being heard in the International Court of Justice. Somalia has also accused Kenya of propelling separatist movements in Jubaland and Somaliland. [The East African]
World News Monitor: 11 August, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
August 11, 2021
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam SOURCE: XINHUA