South Asia
Bangladesh is set to receive a $1 billion loan from China for “the management of the Teesta River” after the failure of the water-sharing negotiations with India. The project, which is set to start in December, will maintain water levels to prevent droughts from occurring in the non-rainy seasons. [India Today]
Four Indian armed force members and two terrorists were killed in what is being considered as one of the most deadly days since the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir’s Police Chief said that this clash was a result of an attack by the terrorists on a military checkpoint. [Reuters]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
On 14 August, USAID held an online roundtable with Uzbekistan to support the development of venture capital investment and private equity to foster competitive entrepreneurship in the Central Asian country. The outcome of the meet marked the “successful implementation of public-private dialogue”. [US Embassy in Uzbekistan]
On Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry slammed statements made over the weekend by its Armenian counterpart that expressed solidarity with Cyprus and Greece and called on Turkey to dial back its movements in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ankara insinuated that a country with no coastline should refrain from making such statements. [Public Radio of Armenia]
East and Southeast Asia
Tensions are simmering between South Korea and Japan over war-time labour issues, with a South Korean court rejecting Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp.’s appeal to halt the seizure of the company’s assets. However, the decision is not final because a higher court will further consider Nippon’s appeal under South Korea’s three-tiered judicial system. [The Manichi]
In Japan, more than 60 ruling party lawmakers set up a study group with the aim of strengthening the nation’s control of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The islands are claimed by China and recently, Beijing intensified maritime activities around the islands by sending patrol boats near Japanese territorial waters. [The Manichi]
The UK’s Defence Ministry announced that it would be temporarily halting its military training arrangement with the Hong Kong Police Force due to the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes as a reaction to Hong Kong’s enactment of the national security law, with the Defence Ministry voicing its concerns that the new law breaches the Sino-British Joint Declaration. [Hong Kong Free Press]
Officials claim that a Vietnamese fisherman was shot dead by Malaysian coast guards when a fishing boat rammed into a patrol vessel in Malaysian waters in the South China Sea. Local Malaysian fishermen have complained in the past of Vietnamese fishing boats damaging their nets. [The Jakarta Post]
Europe
In a rare move, the European Council will convene a meeting via video conference on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Belarus. The decision comes after increasing pressure and calls from Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic for an emergency summit regarding Belarus. [DW]
Following the latest EU-UK talks on Brexit, the spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK was still optimistic about the conclusion of the negotiations with the EU by September. Speaking to Reuters, he said, “Our assessment is that a deal can still be reached in September.” [EU Observer]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Thousands have taken to the streets of capital Buenos Aires to protest President Alberto Fernandez’s decision to extend coronavirus containment measures until August 30. At the same time, demonstrators are opposed to a reform of the judiciary that will increase the number of federal courts and Supreme Court magistrates, in a move that the government claims is to reduce the impact of politically-motivated decisions. [MercoPress]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
In a bid to ease ties with Saudi Arabia over the Kashmir policy row, Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Riyadh on Monday to meet with senior officials. [Global Times]
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said that the United States will not be consenting to the unilateral annexation of the occupied West Bank by Israel for “some time” as it is now focusing normalizing ties between Israel and the UAE, as well as regional peacemaking at large. Following backlash, Abu Dhabi has also stressed that the Israel deal is a “sovereign decision” that is not directed towards destabilizing Iran. [Reuters, Dawn]
A year after deposing Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese residents in Khartoum have come back to the streets to protest the slow pace at which the power-sharing government comprising the country’s generals and its pro-democracy movement is delivering change. Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok refused to negotiate and sent an envoy instead to disperse the crowd. [Al Jazeera]
North America
The Trump administration has finalized oil drilling plans in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, a move that overturns six decades of protections for the largest remaining stretch of wilderness in the United States. [The New York Times]
The Democratic National Convention kicked off four days of virtual events on Monday, with live and prerecorded speeches from across the country. The night featured messages from former First Lady Michelle Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, among others. [CNN]
Canadian finance minister Bill Morneau has announced his resignation, amid an ethics probe in relation to close ties with the WE charity. [CBC News]
Oceania
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern refuted President Donald Trump’s claims that the US is trying to avoid the resurgence in COVID-19 cases that New Zealand is currently experiencing. Ardern described Trump’s comments as “patently wrong”, saying that the scale of damage wrought by the coronavirus in the two countries is incomparable. [Newshub]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Yesterday marked Gabon’s 60th year of independence from French colonial rule. The country has been ruled by the Bongo family dynasty since 1967. [Radio France Internationale]
World News Monitor: 18 August, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
August 18, 2020
Sudanese demonstrators have taken to the streets of Khartoum to protest against a lack of progress made by the government following the deposal of Omar al-Bashir last year. SOURCE: MARWAN ALI