South Asia
In a meeting with the Taliban, the deputy chief of the European Union’s Delegation in Afghanistan, Arnout Pauwel, stressed that women’s access to education is the “number one issue” for the bloc. Moreover, he said that recognition of the Islamic Emirate is “a long process” that is conditional on several issues, including women’s rights, human rights, media freedoms, and the establishment of a “cohesive political system.” [TOLO News]
Pakistan’s Foreign Office issued a statement rejecting Indian media reports warning of the threat of an imminent 26/11-like terror attack, when Pakistani terrorists killed over 175 people in Mumbai. The release said that the “terrorism bogey” is another “sinister Indian design” to malign Pakistan. [Associated Press of Pakistan]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Armenian National Security Council secretary Armen Grigorian met with Azerbaijani presidential advisor Hikmet Haciyev in Brussels on Friday to discuss efforts to resolve the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. It was the first meeting between senior Armenian and Azerbaijani officials since the region’s latest round of violence earlier this month. [RFE/RL]
On Friday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Georgian counterpart Irakli Garibashvili inaugurated a new “friendship bridge” connecting their borders. Pashinyan said the bridge would boost trade relations. “Georgia has great role for Armenia in terms of reliable supply of energy resources, connection and communication,” he noted. [Armen Press]
East and Southeast Asia
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Sunday that the country will repeal a law criminalising sex between men in order to “provide some relief to gay Singaporeans.” However, he added that at the same time, the constitution would be amended to “protect the definition of marriage from being challenged constitutionally in the courts.” The newly amended law “will also keep what I believe most Singaporeans still want, and that is to retain the basic family structure of marriage between a man and a woman, within which we have and raise our children,” Lee said. [South China Morning Post]
South Korea and the United States began their largest joint military drills for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday. The exercises, which have been renamed Ulchi Freedom Shield this year, feature the resumption of field training. South Korean President Yon Suk-yeol told a cabinet meeting that “maintaining peace on the Korean peninsula” is “built on [its] airtight security posture.” [Reuters]
Europe
The Montenegro government was defeated in a no-confidence vote, after 50 legislators voted in favour of the motion. Outgoing Prime Minister Dritan Abazović said that while the government will be remembered as one that “lasted the shortest,” it also made the “most difficult decisions.” [Politico]
In a joint phone call, United States President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson highlighted the need to protect “nuclear installations” in Ukraine. They also stressed on the importance of ongoing discussions to deploy an International Atomic Energy Agency mission to the Zaporizhzhia facility. [Reuters]
Darya Dugina, the daughter of Russian sociologist and political analyst Alexander Dugin, one of President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, was assassinated in a car bombing near Moscow on Sunday. Family members believe that Alexander Dugin was the target. Daria was a supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and had been sanctioned by the United Kingdom in July for spreading disinformation regarding the Ukraine war. Her father, meanwhile, has for years espoused fascist views and is viewed as a Putin propagandist. [The Moscow Times]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Friday, Nicaraguan authorities placed Roman Catholic bishop Rolando Álvarez under house arrest in the Matagalpa church for two weeks, accusing him of “organising violent groups [...] to carry out acts of hate against the population.” This follows a continued crackdown on bishops critical of President Daniel Ortega, after they denounced his 2018 re-election as a sham. Alvarez’s detention was condemned by Organization of American States Secretary-General Luis Almagro and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who called for his “immediate freedom.” [Al Jazeera]
On Sunday, Indian Space Research Organization Chairman Sreedhara Panicker Somanath expressed his country’s interest in enhancing space cooperation with the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency, particularly in the areas of remote sensing, government data utilisation, and resource mapping. Somanath said the growing interest in space exploration in the region offers immense opportunities and India has thus far finalised memoranda of understanding with Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. [Prensa Latina]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Egypt is hosting the ‘Hercules 2’ joint military exercises involving the special forces of Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Bahrain, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. An Egyptian army official said the drills aim to “upgrade the combat capabilities of the participating forces and unify visions to confront common challenges.” [Egypt State Information Service]
Moroccan King Mohammed VI on Sunday called on allies to offer “unequivocal” support to Rabat’s position on Western Sahara. Saying that the Sahara issue is the “prism through which Morocco views its international environment,” the King noted that supporting Rabat would be a “clear and simple measure for the sincerity of friendships.” Morocco, which controls most of Western Sahara, views the region as its territory. However, the region’s Sahrawi population have rejected Rabat’s claims and has been fighting against Moroccan forces since 1975 for Western Sahara’s independence. [AFP]
North America
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Montreal on Sunday to begin his three-day tour to Canada, along with Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck. He is expected to sign a deal with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about Ottawa supplying clean hydrogen to Berlin, and also discuss the Ukraine war. [Global News]
In a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Yunus Elitas on Friday, United States Deputy Secretary of Treasury Wally Adeyemo raised concerns that Russian individuals and entities are using Turkey to circumvent Western sanctions. However, according to a readout from the Turkish Finance Ministry, Elitas assured Adeyemo that Ankara “would not allow the breaching of sanctions.” [Reuters]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that he will release a report on Tuesday on the secret portfolios that his predecessor Scott Morrison held during the COVID-19 pandemic. “There is a basic fundamental weakness in checks and balances. If no-one knows who the minister is, then how can they be held to account for decisions which are made?” Albanese told reporters on Monday. Morrison reportedly took on five ministerial roles during his time in office, including as the minister of health, finance, home affairs, and treasury and industry. [Reuters]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the team on the ground in the flood-hit Nelson is still in the process of assessing the extensive damage, and is “working very very quickly to try and get people safely back into their homes.” She added that “ this is just on the cusp of response and recovery stage” and that the region had “more weather to come.” “This is going to be a long recovery,” Ardern underscored. [RNZ]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria Gangadharan Balasubramanian on Sunday assured Abuja of New Delhi’s support to improve the country’s infrastructure and solar energy sectors. Balasubramanian noted that more than 135 Indian firms are presently providing aid for infrastructural development in Nigeria. He also highlighted the two countries’ continued cooperation in defence, trade, and human development. [Leadership]
On Saturday, Chad’s National Dialogue Conference commenced in N’Djamena to discuss the country’s transition to democracy, a new constitution, and institutional reform. Over 1,400 delegates from the government, civil society, and opposition parties are participating in the three-week-long dialogue, with junta leader Gen. Mahamat Idriss Déby hailing it as a “decisive moment for the nation.” This follows the signing of the Doha Peace Agreement with 40 rebel groups on August 8. [Africanews]