South Asia
Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech is set to open a manufacturing unit in Sri Lanka for the production of its COVID-19 vaccine. [Hindustan Times]
The Nepalese Government has formally informed its embassy in Kabul of the need to expedite the evacuation of 1,500 citizens in Afghanistan. The government has also vowed to make the necessary arrangements to ensure the safe return of its citizens. [Reuters]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Uzbekistan has detained 84 Afghan soldiers who crossed the border, the Uzbek government said on Sunday, adding that another group of soldiers had gathered near the border on the Afghan side. According to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, the country provided the soldiers with humanitarian aid, including food, shelter, and medicine. [RFE/RL]
Azerbaijan has blamed Armenian forces for firing at Azerbaijani troop positions in the Sadarak region of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic near the disputed border. Armenian forces used snipers, assault rifles, and machine guns to target Azerbaijani soldiers, Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry said. No casualties were reported. [Azer News]
East and Southeast Asia
South Korea and the United States will begin their annual joint military drills today. The exercises will continue for nine days and consist of defensive, computer-simulated command post training with minimum personnel but no live field training. [The Straits Times]
In the latest blow to the opposition movement in Hong Kong, Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), the pro-democracy group that organises the financial hub’s annual July 1 rally and gathered millions to take part in street protests in 2019, announced on Sunday that it has disbanded. [CNN]
Europe
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office on Friday announced his decision to skip the United Nations conference on racism scheduled for next month in New York. The office said, “Concerned by a history of anti-Semitic remarks made at the U.N. conference on racism, known as the Durban conference, the President of the Republic has decided that France will not participate in the follow-up conference to be held this year.” [France24]
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in a telephonic conversation with NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, raised concern about the security situation in Afghanistan. He called for a joint international effort to ensure the safe evacuation of foreign nationals, Afghan contractors, and humanitarian workers. [UK Government]
Russian Foreign Minister Zamir Kabulov said that Moscow does not intend to evacuate its diplomats from the embassy in Kabul, despite Taliban insurgents seizing control of the Afghan capital and inching closer to a complete take-over. This decision is backed by the Taliban’s assurance to keep Russia’s embassy safe. [Moscow Times]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Saturday, Haiti was struck by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that also impacted The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Cuba. At this stage, at least 1,297 are dead in Haiti and a further 5,700 are injured. [CNN]
On Friday, Argentine President Alberto Fernández hosted his Uruguayan counterpart, Luis Lacalle Pou, at his residence in Buenos Aires. The meeting was an attempt to improve bilateral relations that have been strained in recent times over Uruguay’s push to remove the common external tariff in Mercosur and also allow member states to enter into unilateral trade deals with third parties. [MercoPress]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Saudi Arabian and Indian naval forces concluded a joint drill in the Indian Ocean on Saturday. The exercise focussed on “developing the skill of the participants” by conducting several manoeuvres, including protecting oil fields and islands, search and rescue training, electronic warfare measures, and refuelling. [Saudi Press Agency]
A fuel tanker explosion in Lebanon on Sunday killed at least 20 people and injured dozens. The explosion occurred at a warehouse where fuel was being illegally stored. It was the deadliest explosion since last year’s blast at the Beirut Port. [Associated Press]
North America
Kathy Hochul is set to replace Andrew Cuomo as the first female New York state
governor, who resigned amid a scandal of allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. Hochul intends to restructure the house from its “legacy of sleaze” but plans to retain some of Cuomo’s agency heads who are in the clear. [New York Post]
The Canadian government plans on permanently resettling 20,000 Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan who are currently vulnerable to the Taliban’s increasing attacks and are fleeing the war-stricken region. [PTI-New Indian Express]
Oceania
Chinese state-owned media outlet Global Times slammed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for shifting the blame for the climate crisis and global emissions onto Beijing and accused him of wreaking “unprecedented havoc” on bilateral ties to an “almost irreparable point.” [News.Com.Au]
Police in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) launched “Operation Stay at Home” this morning after the state recorded 478 new cases of COVID-19, with seven deaths. Stricter lockdown measures could come into place in a fresh attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Hundreds of additional officers, including troops from the Australian Defence Forces, are being deployed to ensure compliance with public health orders. [9News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Hakainde Hichilema leads President Edgar Lungu by around 490,000 votes in Zambia’s presidential election, which was held last Thursday. In response, the opposition has called on the president to concede defeat. However, there are reports that the ruling Patriotic Front is considering appealing the results in at least three provinces. [AfricaNews]
Over the past three weeks, health authorities in Tanzania have administered 207,391 doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The government plans to vaccinate 60% of citizens through the donation of one million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the United States through the COVAX initiative. [The Citizen]