South Asia
According to a statement by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, five Afghan Protection Service personnel were killed on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway. The deceased were escorting UN personnel and were attacked by unidentified gunmen. [Anadolu Agency]
The Pakistani Supreme Court passed a landmark judgement banning the imposition of the death penalty on individuals diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. While dictating the judgement, the court held that imposing such sentences would not “meet the ends of justice.” [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The seventh round of negotiations for the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Uzbekistan and the European Union (EU) will conclude today. The ongoing negotiations are part of the EU strategy for Central Asia that was adopted in 2019 and aims to renew bilateral trade agreements between the two regions. [Foreign Brief]
The Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan opened in Hyderabad, India on Wednesday. The Kazakh Ambassador to India, Yerlan Alimbayev, expressed hope that the Consulate will “deepen bilateral trade” and further economic and cultural ties. The 2020 trade turnover between the two countries was $2.4 billion. [The Hans India]
East and Southeast Asia
Russian news agency TASS claimed on Wednesday that 45 Chinese soldiers were killed in clashes with the Indian Army in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020. China had previously dismissed the number as “fake news” last year. [The Print]
Thousands of Myanmar nationals gathered in front of the United Nations University in Tokyo to protest the military coup in their home country. According to government data, around 33,000 Myanmar nationals currently work in Japan. While some nations have imposed sanctions, Japan’s response to the coup has not been made clear yet. [Japan Today]
Europe
Ukraine is getting ready to build two naval bases in the Black Sea region, with financial help from the United Kingdom. One base will be built along the Black Sea, and the other in the Sea of Azov. [Stars and Stripes]
France has called on Iran to not engage in any more nuclear breaches in order to “preserve the political space to find a negotiated solution.” Moscow joined Paris in urging Tehran to exercise restraint, saying that it was necessary to take a “responsible” approach to the situation. The warnings came after the IAEA said that it had verified the production of 3.6g of uranium metal at a plant in Iran. [Al Jazeera]
Following steady pressures from France and Germany, three diplomats of the European Union said that the bloc is likely to introduce sanctions against the allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin this month. These sanctions, which will include travel bans and asset freezes, are being imposed in response to Russia’s decision to jail Alexei Navalny, a staunch critic of the Putin-led administration. [Reuters]
Latin America and the Caribbean
El Salvador’s opposition—led by ARENA, FMLN, and the Christian Democrat Party—have now withdrawn their proposal to initiate an impeachment process against President Nayib Bukele that sought to present him as mentally unfit to hold office. This comes as a relief for Bukele, who is forecasted to win a majority of seats in parliament in the country’s legislative election on February 28. [Associated Press]
The International Monetary Fund’s Western Hemisphere Director, Alejandro Werner, cast doubt on Argentinian Minister Martín Guzmán’s hope to secure a debt restructuring plan with the IMF on $44 billion it owes to the organisation by May. Werner said, “I don’t see it as unviable, but clearly it’s an ambitious date.” [Merco Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Oman distanced itself from normalising ties with Israel like Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, with Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi saying, “We are content so far with the level of our current relations and dialogue, which involves the appropriate channels of communication.” Busaidi said that Oman is committed to assisting with the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. [Middle East Online]
Sudanese authorities arrested former Vice President Hassabo Mohamed Abdalrahman. Abdalrahman served as deputy to former President Omar Al-Bashir, who was ousted from power in a coup in 2019. [Middle East Monitor]
Following a meeting with his counterparts from Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that the United States is a crucial element in achieving “regional stability and security” in the Middle East. [Arab News]
North America
Democratic House impeachment managers wrapped up their arguments to the US Senate in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump on Thursday evening, urging the chamber to convict the “overwhelmingly guilty” former president. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo. stressed, “Because if you don’t, if we pretend this didn’t happen, or worse, if we let it go unanswered, who’s to say it won’t happen again?” [NPR]
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that the United States will sanction “Myanmar’s military leaders, their business interests as well as closer family members” following last week’s coup in the country. [The White House]
The United States has reportedly sold more than a million barrels of Iranian-oil seized under the sanctions imposed on the country last year. Department of Justice spokesperson Marc Raimondi told Reuters that the sale of the cargo had been completed while the government was “still working out the final expenses”. The funds will be transferred to the US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. [Al Jazeera]
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a briefing on Wednesday that the United States will turn away most migrants apprehended at the US-Mexico border for now, “because of the pandemic, and the fact that we have not had the time as an administration to put in place a humane, comprehensive process for processing individuals who are coming to the border.” [The White House]
Oceania
New Zealand’s visa application centre in Beijing is run by a third-party contractor that supposedly has links to the Chinese government, drawing fears that private information about Chinese citizens and New Zealand’s “bureaucratic processes” could fall into the hands of Chinese authorities. [Stuff]
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne called on Myanmar to release Australian citizen Professor Sean Turnell, who has been held in detention since 6 February. She mentioned that Australia’s Ambassador to the country has been in contact with Turnell. [Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs]
Victorian Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio introduced new legislation that will fine residents who “kill or injure native animals” in an effort to bolster the state's wildlife protection policies, which came under fire after the death of several koalas and wedge-tailed eagles. [The Age]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Congo-Brazzaville President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who came into power in 1979 but was briefly ousted from power for one term from 1992 to 1997, is seeking a fourth term in office in the March election. In 2015, Nguesso amended the constitution to remove term and age limits on the presidency. The country’s biggest opposition party, the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS), has announced that it will boycott the election. However, Nguesso will still compete against seven other candidates. [Africa Feeds]
Amid a spike in ethnic violence in South Sudan, the United Nations Peacekeeping mission UNMISS has increased its presence and patrolling in Warrap, Maban, and Jonglei. David Shearer, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to South Sudan, said, “Our very strong feeling is that, if we can deploy early in the dry season, we have a better chance of success in preventing violence before it happens.” [Africa News]
World News Monitor: 12 February, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
February 12, 2021
SOURCE: NBC