South Asia
Bangladesh is asking for a $2 billion loan from the World Bank to finance the country’s Delta Plan 2100, which involves land reclamation, construction of embankments, and creating safe navigation channels to mitigate the impact of heavy rainfall and flooding. [South China Morning Post]
Although India’s coronavirus count went past three million on Sunday after registering roughly 70,000 new cases, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is hopeful of recovery given that the country’s fatality rate has now dropped to 1.85%. Until now, Indi has recorded close to 57,000 deaths from the virus. [The Hindu]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The foreign ministers of Tajikistan and Afghanistan held a phone call on Thursday to discuss the Afghan peace process and ‘mutually beneficial’ bilateral cooperation for numerous international and regional issues. [ASIA-Plus]
The Head of the EU Monitoring Mission and Georgia’s Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality met on Friday to discuss the situation of the conflict-affected people in Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali. [Agenda.ge]
East and Southeast Asia
China successfully sent a new high-resolution remote sensing satellite into space, yesterday morning. The Gaofen-9 05—a high-resolution Earth observation satellite—was sent into planned orbit via a Long March-2D carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province in Northwest China. The satellite will support the construction of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. [Global Times]
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe revisited a Tokyo hospital where, a week ago, he underwent what an aide called “a regular health checkup”. The visit comes on a day Abe became the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister in terms of consecutive days in office. As speculations regarding his health grow, Abe maintains that he is “fully devoted” to his official duties. [The Manichi]
Myanmar’s government has locked down the state capital of conflict-torn Rakhine after an outbreak of coronavirus cases. According to officials, the region is witnessing a more virulent strain of the virus than previously seen. Currently, tens of thousands of people live in displacement camps across Rakhine due to fighting between government troops and ethnic insurgents. [Reuters]
Europe
Leaked government documents obtained by Al Jazeera reveal that Cyprus sold its citizenship to over a dozen foreigners linked to financial crime and corruption between 2017-2019. [Al Jazeera]
More than 150,000 protesters took to the streets of Minsk on Sunday in the latest mass demonstration against the Belarusian government, despite President Alexander Lukashenko’s threats to curb dissent. [DW]
Greek officials said on Friday that the warplanes from the UAE are expected to arrive on the Greek island of Crete this week for joint drills with the Greek Air Force. The announcement comes amid rising tensions between Greece and Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean over offshore energy rights. [Associated Press]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made clear the country’s growing friendship with Iran this weekend, when he said that it would be a “good idea” to purchase missiles from the embattled Asian country. Both countries have seemingly grown closer in the face of crippling US sanctions, and Iran has recently delivered oil Venezuela. [The Independent]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by renegade General Khalifa Haftar, has dismissed a push for a ceasefire by its rival government, the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), claiming that the GNA is mobilizing troops around strategic frontlines in the country. The LNA also said that it was ready to retaliate to any attacks around Sirte. [Reuters]
Saudi Arabia’s national oil company Aramco has suspended a $10 billion investment deal in China’s Liaoning province after negotiations to build a petrochemicals and refining complex fell through due to an uncertain market outlook. [Al Jazeera]
Kuwait has said that it will be rebuilding Lebanon’s 120,000-ton capacity large grain silo, which was destroyed in the recent explosion at the Beirut port. [Arab News]
North America
The US Food and Drug administration on Sunday approved the use of convalescent plasma as a treatment for Covid-19, saying that the “known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks of the product”. [CNN]
US President Donald Trump declared that the wildfires burning through California are a major disaster, and has promised to release federal aid to help contain them. The fires have burned nearly 1 million acres of land, leading to the evacuation of thousands of residents from the area and at least 6 deaths. [BBC]
Oceania
Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in an attack on a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand last year, pleaded guilty to all charges of murder, attempted murder, and of committing a terrorist act. He faces a life sentence without parole, which would be the first such verdict to be passed in New Zealand. [Sydney Morning Herald]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Violent clashes have erupted following President Alassane Ouattara’s decision to run for a third five-year term, resulting in two deaths in the southern town of Divo. [Africa Feeds]
DRC opposition leaders Martin Fayulu and Adolphe Muzito returned to Kinshasa on Saturday after the lifting of some flight restrictions to the country. Fayulu is widely seen as the legitimate winner of the 2018 election, in which President Felix Tshisekedi emerged victorious instead. Upon his return, Fayulu called for electoral and governance reform. [Africa Times]
World News Monitor: 24 August, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
August 24, 2020
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said it would be a “good idea” to purchase missiles from Iran. SOURCE: CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS/REUTERS