South Asia
Nepalese Ambassador to India Nilamber Acharga submitted a “formal objection” to a statement by Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb, who said that India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s intends to extend its political presence to Nepal and Sri Lanka. [Hindustan Times]
Foreign delegates from 24 countries, including representatives from European, Asian, and South American nations, have arrived in Srinagar for their two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. The decision of the Indian side to invite the foreign envoys to the state has attracted significant opposition from Pakistan. [Times of India]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Uzbekistan, which is among the world’s top 10 suppliers of raw cotton, announced that it will invest in Pakistan’s cotton production. The investment will also include advanced technical assistance and a visit from Uzbek agronomists, who will advise the country on crop production and soil management. [Business of Fashion]
Karaganda Pharmaceutical Complex (KPC), a Kazakh company, was “granted certification” by the Kazakh government to locally produce Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. KPC expects to produce 90,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine by the end of this month. [Eureporter]
East and Southeast Asia
Cambodia’s government has escalated its crackdown on online dissent by setting up an internet firewall that gives it near-total control of its citizens’ online activities. A sub-decree signed by Premier Hun Sen instructs the internet gateway’s operator “to take actions in blocking and disconnecting any network connections” that are deemed to contravene these goals or violate “morality, culture, traditions and customs”. [France 24]
India has decided to continue to move forward with the Kaladan transit project in Myanmar’s Rakhine state because it will improve connectivity and help facilitate the repatriation of the Rohingya refugees. The total investment by the Indian government is $484 million. [Hindustan Times]
Europe
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Wednesday ordered Russia to immediately release jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, warning that failure to do so would breach the European human rights convention. Moscow, however, swiftly dismissed the ruling as “unfounded and unlawful” and said that it was yet another instance of the West meddling in the country’s internal affairs. [Associated Press]
During a state visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the UAE earlier this week, the countries signed a number of memorandums and contracts relating to direct investments, and cooperation in the defense, agriculture, and technology sectors. The deals are worth more than $3bn. [President of Ukraine]
The British government published a joint statement with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and the United States that condemns the rocket attack in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region that targeted the American forces. In the statement, they vowed to support the Iraqi government in the investigation into the incident. [Reuters]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The Presidents of Uruguay and Paraguay, Luis Lacalle Pou and Mario Abdo Benítez, met in Uruguay today to discuss a path forward on tensions within Mercosur. While Uruguay and Brazil are in favor of member states being able to form unilateral deals with non-member states, Argentina contends that any trade deals made with non-members must include all the members of Mercosur. However, this means that any state can veto trade agreements for the whole bloc. [Merco Press]
Ecuador has controversially suspended a recount of the first round of voting in its presidential election, paving the way for Andrés Arauz to face off against Guillermo Lasso in April. However, Yaku Pérez, who was deemed to be the third-placed candidate and thus taken out of the running, has alleged fraud. Pérez secured 33,000 votes less than Lasso in the February 7 election but said that votes in areas where Indigenous communities are more concentrated were not counted properly. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Amid escalating border tensions, Sudan has recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia, foreign ministry spokesperson Mansour Boulad announced. [Africa News]
Kuwait’s Emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, has suspended parliamentary sessions for one month due to ongoing tensions between the assembly and the government. At the moment, Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah is still working to appoint a new cabinet, after the previous cabinet resigned en masse last month. [Ashraq al-Awsat]
Keeping in line with the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, the State Department under the Biden administration has also depicted a map of an ‘undivided’ Morocco on its website. [The North Africa Post]
North America
US President Joe Biden held his first phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. Biden affirmed the US’ “steadfast commitment” to Israeli security and interests, and the leaders agreed to work together to advance peace in the region and tackle security issues, including Iran. [The White House]
At a UN Security Council meeting on equitable global vaccine distribution on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington intended to pay over $200m in assessed and current obligations to the WHO by the end of the month, saying that it reflected the country’s renewed commitment to support the international body’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [CNN]
The Biden administration on Tuesday approved a $197m arms sale to Egypt, despite concerns about Cairo’s human rights record. The State Department said that Congress had been notified of the decision, which would “support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a Major Non-NATO Ally country that continues to be an important strategic partner in the Middle East.” [Defense Security Cooperation Agency]
Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday released a scathing statement against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, following the senator’s criticism of him at his second impeachment trial. “Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack, and if Republican Senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again,” Trump said while stressing that he will back primary rivals who “espouse Making America Great Again and our policy of America First.” [POLITICO]
Oceania
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydernberg has reacted strongly to Facebook’s decision to ban access to Australian government sites. This comes in response to Australia’s bid to make Google and Facebook pay for advertising Australian news content on their platforms. Frydenberg remarked that “Facebook was wrong” and that their actions were “unnecessary” and “heavy-handed”, and said that the government was not given “any notice” before the ban was put in place. [news.com.au]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that period products would be offered for free at all schools in the country starting in June. She said, “Young people should not miss out on their education because of something that is a normal part of life for half the population.” [Newshub]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has named Sama Lukonde Kyenge as the country’s new prime minister, after his predecessor, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, was ousted from power via a motion of no confidence against him and his Cabinet by 301 lawmakers earlier this month. [The Africa Report]
A number of students and staff from a school in the central Nigerian town of Kagara in Niger state have gone missing after the premises were stormed by armed assailants. This follows a similar incident in December when over 300 children were kidnapped in Kankara in Katsina state. In response, President Muhammadu Buhari has tasked the armed forces and the police with securing their immediate and safe return. [This Day]
World News Monitor: 18 February, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
February 18, 2021
Foreign envoys in Jammu and Kashmir for their two-day visit. SOURCE: ANI