South Asia
Israel and India agreed to commence discussions on finalising a free trade agreement from November. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said this would advance their “policy of connections” and strengthen their partnership. [Reuters]
At least 26 people have been reported dead because of the floods in Kerala. Local authorities carried out mass evacuations and set up 184 relief camps to house over 8,000 people. [BBC]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
On Monday, United States (US) Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin signed an agreement to continue US support “to Georgian defence forces through the next six years.” The pact, known as Georgia Defence Readiness Program, was started in 2018 and is meant to counter Russia’s “military coercion and malign activities” in the Black Sea region. [US Department of Defense]
An envoy of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with a Taliban delegation in Kabul on Monday to discuss trade, economic ties, and humanitarian assistance. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
South Korea and Japan reported that North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile off its east coast on Tuesday. [Channel News Asia]
For the first time, a fleet of ten military vessels belonging to China and Russia sailed through a narrow strait between Japan’s main island and the northern island of Hokkaido on Monday; they also held joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan. [The Straits Times]
Europe
The foreign ministers of the European Union are considering sanctions against Belarus’ national airline Belavia over allegations that it is transporting migrants from Iraq to Belarus’ border to facilitate illegal migration. The sanctions would prohibit European companies from leasing aircraft to Belavia and doing any further business with the airline. With these measures, the EU aims to restrict Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s efforts to create a migration crisis in Europe. [Euronews]
The United Kingdom has witnessed a 16% rise in COVID-19 cases over the past week. As the caseload reached its highest number since mid-July, the government has warned that the upcoming months will be “challenging.” [The Guardian]
Péter Márki-Zay emerged as an unlikely winner of the second round of the Hungarian opposition’s primary election. Despite Márki-Zay’s short political career and not being affiliated with any of the establishment parties, he acquired 57% of the votes. Márki-Zay will now take on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the 2022 election. [Hungary Today]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Monday declared a state of emergency in order to tackle drug trafficking, describing it as the “only one enemy.” The state of emergency gives authorities the means to restrict freedom of movement, assembly, and association. In the province of Guayas alone, there has been a 70% increase in homicides this year, with over 640 already. [Associated Press]
Nicaragua’s foreign ministry criticised the decision of the Organization of American States to hold a meeting next week on the situation in the country, saying that it is an “open violation” of Nicaragua’s right to self-determination and constitutes “foreign interference in [its] internal affairs.” [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
At least three people were killed in Ethiopian military airstrikes in Mekele, Tigray on Monday. The airstrikes came days after the government launched a new military offensive against the Tigray rebels earlier this month. [Associated Press]
Iran has resumed exports to Saudi Arabia for the first time since the regional rivals stopped bilateral trade last year, according to a report released by Iran’s Customs Administration. [IRNA]
North America
Zalmay Khalilzad, the United States’ (US) chief envoy on Afghanistan, resigned on Monday. In his resignation letter, Khalizad wrote that it was the “right time” for him to leave his role. Khalilzad served as the US ambassador to the United Nations, and ambassador to Afghanistan as well as Iraq during the Bush administration. He was asked to re-join the government in 2018 to “substantially reduce or end” US involvement in Afghanistan. [CBS News]
Due to unexplained logistical reasons, the United States will not take part in the Russia-led Troika Plus forum on Afghanistan this week. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “The Troika Plus has been an effective, constructive forum. We look forward to engaging in that forum going forward, but we’re not in a position to take part this week.” [The Hill]
Oceania
Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Irish President Mary Robinson criticised Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his refusal to commit to an ambitious 2030 emissions reduction target. Robinson said the problem lies at the federal level and urged Morrison to step up efforts to reduce the country’s dependence on coal. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
On Tuesday, New Zealand recorded its highest number of COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. 94 new infections were recorded of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. Acknowledging the surge in cases, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged people to get vaccinated and follow the rules. [The New Daily]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Following a meeting with the transitional government of Mali over the weekend, an unnamed official from the Economic Community of West African States said that the organisation’s delegation, led by Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, had stressed that democratic elections must be held as scheduled next February or sanctions could be imposed. [Africa News]
Former Prime Minister José Maria Neves won Cape Verde’s presidential election with 51.% of the votes. Neves served as PM from 2001 to 2016 and defeated Carlos Veiga, who is also a former prime minister and was in office from 1991 to 2000. [RFI]