South Asia
On Thursday, a joint session of both the houses of the Bhutanese Parliament passed a law to decriminalise “unnatural sex,” which has often been used to crack down on homosexuality. This move has been widely celebrated by LBGTQ activists across the country as a major victory for their campaign. [CNN]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
On Thursday, the Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) issued a statement saying that they had approved a draft relating a variety of matters, from military cooperation to plans on overcoming ‘negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic.’ The text also mentioned that the next meeting of CIS leaders will be held online on December 18. [RFE/RL]
The Parliamentary election campaign in Kazakhstan began this week with the participation of five parties – none of whom are running as the opposition. The ruling party Nur-Otan party, along with four other political parties loyal to the government – Aq Zhol (Bright Path), Adal (Honest), Auyl (Village), and the Communist People’s Party – will campaign until January 9, the day before the elections to parliament’s lower chamber. [Uazmi]
East and Southeast Asia
Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders pledged to bolster bilateral cooperation in the areas of biomedicine, biological breeding, space exploration missions, and satellite research and development. [Xinhua]
The deputy US assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, Marc Knapper, met with the South Korean foreign ministry’s director-general for North American affairs, Koh Yun-ju. The two discussed how relations between the two countries can shape the Indo-Pacific region at large, given that South Korea forms a crucial part of the US’ New Southern Policy and its Indo-Pacific strategy. The US is also pushing to include South Korea in the Quad Plus to join current members India, Australia, and Japan. [The Korea Herald]
Europe
Bosnia has arrested seven former police and army officers on suspicion of committing war crimes during the 1992 war. Authorities said that the suspects were Bosnian Serb officials “suspected of crimes against humanity in the Banja Luka area”. [Euronews]
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will begin consultations on forming a new government starting Monday. A centrist-led coalition is being seen as the most likely outcome, following inconclusive parliamentary elections. [Reuters]
After witnessing two incidents of anaphylaxis and one of an allergic reaction, the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has issued a warning against administering the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to individuals with a history of anaphylaxis to vaccinations. Last week, the United Kingdom became the first country to grant Pfizer’s vaccine candidate with emergency approval. [Reuters]
The European Union (EU) has finally passed its first-of-its-kind recovery budget, which aims to help countries revive their economies from the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak. The budget had been previously blocked by Hungary and Poland, who were against the benefits of the proposal being made contingent on the country’s adherence to the “rule of law” ideologies of the bloc. However, on Thursday, they withdrew objections after being reassured that the “rule of law” condition will only apply to future expenditure by the country. [The Guardian]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged an official protest against Argentina, after Buenos Aires' Vice President, Cristina Fernández, questioned whether Ecuador was truly democratic and claimed that illegitimate hurdles were being placed to undermine the candidacy of opposition candidate Andrés Aráuz. In response, Ecuador denounced Fernández’s comments, describing it as an “unacceptable intervention in Ecuador’s internal affairs”. [Merco Press]
A new caravan of migrants from Central America, mainly from Honduras, is headed towards the United States following the disastrous impact of recent tropical storms Eta and Iota, which damaged infrastructure, homes, and crops, and killed at least 100 people in the country. In fact, several countries across Central America, including Nicaragua and Guatemala, are still reeling from the impact of the hurricanes. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Thursday, Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) released a Turkish-owned vessel which they had previously seized, citing violations of the country’s “maritime rules and laws.” Ankara’s Jamaican-flagged commercial ship Mebruka was transporting medicine and medical supplies to the Western Libyan port of Misrata when it was sequestered. The seizure threatened to escalate tensions in the conflict-stricken Libya, since Turkey is the leading foreign backer of Haftar’s rivals, the UN-backed administration in Tripoli, in the west. [Al Jazeera]
During Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s visit to France, French President Emmanuel Macron honoured him with France’s highest award, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. Previously, France received a significant amount of criticism from activists around the world for hosting Sisi as he has been accused of repeatedly violating human rights laws in Egypt, and this award can bring more condemnation for Macron. [France24]
North America
US President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Susan Rice to head the White House Domestic Policy Council. Rice, who was former President Barack Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations and later his national security adviser, will help Biden implement his “build back better” agenda that is expected to focus on racial injustice, immigration, health care, and combating the coronavirus pandemic. [CNN]
US Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday named 18 astronauts (nine men and nine women) who could go to the moon under NASA’s Artemis program, intended to put people back on the lunar surface for the first time since the 1970s. The mission’s target date is 2024. [Reuters]
The US hit its highest COVID-19 related daily death toll on Wednesday, reporting 3,054 deaths. [NPR]
Oceania
After Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham denounced China’s decision to launch an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wine exports, Chinese state-owned newspaper Global Times has warned of a “destructive blow” to the Australian wine industry. [news.com.au]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The opposition, led by former president John Mahama, who secured 47.36% of the votes in Ghana’s recently concluded election, has rejected President Nana Akufo-Addo’s victory, alleging vote-rigging. However, these claims have been denounced by the ruling party, the electoral commission, and multiple election observers. [Africa Feeds]
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to inaugurate a new border post between the two countries as part of his two-day visit to Kenya. The pair also attended the ceremonial opening of a 500km highway connecting the two countries, which they say will facilitate greater bilateral trade. [Africa News]
Without taking names, the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, has accused certain countries of ordering “four or five” more times the number of coronavirus vaccines they need and urged them to distribute excess doses to African countries. [Newshub]
World News Monitor: 11 December, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
December 12, 2020
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST