South Asia
General Austin Scott Miller, the highest-ranked American general in Afghanistan, handed over command to General Kenneth McKenzie after three years in the war-torn country. This has been seen as a “symbolic gesture” for the United States to mark its exit from Afghanistan even as the Taliban continues to take control over several regions of the country. [Al Jazeera]
Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla called Bangladesh one of the most significant “engines of growth” in South Asia. He also said that India’s Act East and Neighbourhood First policies further strengthen the two countries’ common goals. [NDTV]
Nepalese migrant rights activists and groups have criticised the countries mandating vaccinations for the return of labourers, like Malaysia and those in the Persian Gulf, calling it discriminatory. According to Deepika Thapaliya, a human rights and labour rights lawyer, this comes as a double blow for Nepalese labourers, who are facing economic stresses due to the pandemic. She also highlighted the difficulties faced by Nepalese authorities in containing the outbreak and conducting vaccination drives. [Kathmandu Post]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
An extraordinary session of the Georgian parliament was disrupted for around three hours after opposition politicians, several media executives, and civil society members broke into the parliament hall and occupied the Speaker’s seat. The incident took place as the deadline set by civil society for the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili ended at noon on Monday. [Agenda.ge]
Turkmen officials told RFE/RL that Turkmenistan is facing an alarming population decline, with only 2.8 million people currently living in the country, less than half of what the government says is the country’s total population. This unprecedented decline is attributed to a massive exodus of people, falling birth rates, rising death rates, and deteriorating living conditions. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
South Korea’s energy ministry said on Monday that it had signed a 20-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply agreement with Qatar starting in 2025. [Reuters]
Fighter bombers of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Aviation Forces conducted training exercises to practice setting up maritime blockades by airdropping sea mines on Monday. The tactic that can effectively deter and slow down hostile warships, analysts said. [Global Times]
Europe
Netherland’s Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, apologised on Monday for lifting COVID-19 restrictions early, as it has led to a drastic rise in infection rates. The caretaker PM of the Dutch government said, “We had poor judgement, which we regret and for which we apologize.” With this, the government reimposed a number of restrictions, including shutting down nightclubs and popular events. On Sunday, the Netherlands reported 9,300 new infections as opposed to 500 two weeks ago. [DW]
United States (US) climate envoy John Kerry met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday. The pair vowed to closely cooperate on mitigating the effects of climate change, with Lavrov calling Kerry’s visit a “very important and positive step to alleviate tensions” between the two powers. [The Moscow Times]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The Peruvian State Attorney is set to launch an investigation into right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori for interfering with the electoral process in last month’s run-off election by filing 760 requests for the annulment of votes at various polling stations across the country. Left-wing candidate Pedro Castillo appears to have won the election, though electoral authorities have yet to formally announce him as the winner. [MercoPress]
Haitian police have arrested the orchestrator behind the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Christian Emmanuel Sannon, a Florida-based physician, was charged on Sunday. At this stage, 18 Colombians and three Haitians have been arrested, while five other Colombians are on the run and three were killed in police shootouts on Wednesday and Thursday last week. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Saudi Arabia has said that it will send one million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Tunisia, as the North African country is facing a fresh wave of coronavirus cases. The country is facing severe shortages of oxygen and intensive care unit (ICU) facilities. So far, only 730,000 people out of the country’s 11.6 million people have been fully vaccinated. [Reuters]
On Monday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog held a phone talk with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a sign that the leaders are interested in improving ties despite ongoing tensions. Erdoğan and Herzog discussed the Palestinian conflict as well as cooperation in the fields of technology and tourism. [Haaretz]
North America
The United States (US) State Department announced that it has imposed visa restrictions on 100 members of the Nicaraguan National Assembly and the Nicaraguan judicial system. This includes prosecutors, judges, and some of their family members. It forms part of the Biden administration’s move to punish the Ortega regime for silencing political opposition and dissent amid a flurry of detentions of opposition figures ahead of the November election. [US Department of State]
Canadian International Development Minister Karina Gould and Procurement Minister Anita Anand announced that Canada will be donating 17.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to low- and middle-income countries through the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX initiative. [CBC News]
Oceania
Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan, in an interview with Channel News Asia, expressed the government’s eagerness to secure a travel bubble with Singapore. He also aimed to secure investment in Australia’s financial sector. Furthermore, the minister referred to the fintech bridge that was announced by the prime ministers of both countries last month. [Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Australia]
New Zealand has detected eighteen new cases of COVID-19 at the nation’s border. This includes thirteen infected mariners from the Viking Bay fishing vessel. However, no new community cases have been detected on the island nation. The infected mariners are quarantined in a facility in Wellington. [NZ Herald]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The South African government has deployed the military to quell civil unrest following the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma. Protests by Zuma’s supporters have thus far resulted in six deaths and over 200 arrests. Last week, the former president turned himself in to the police to begin a 15-month sentence for failing to appear in court for his corruption trial. [Africa Feeds]
The Nigerien government announced that five civilians, four soldiers, and 40 militants were killed during a clash in the southwestern Tillabéri region near the border with Mali. The clash followed an attack by around 100 “heavily armed terrorists” on the Tchoma Bangou village. [Africa News]
World News Monitor: 13 July, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
July 13, 2021
SOURCE: ROGAN WARD / REUTERS