South Asia
In a move that is likely to push Nepal’s government further into political crisis, the Nepalese Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of the country’s Parliament. This decision effectively reverses Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s decision to dissolve the legislature and declares that his decision was unconstitutional. [The Hindu]
Amidst a surge in violence in Afghanistan, the intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha between the Taliban and the incumbent government have resumed. The negotiations were delayed after Joe Biden was inaugurated as the American President. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Two days before his official visit to Moscow, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has appointed lawmaker Gulnara-Klara Samat as ambassador to the Russian Federation. Japarov is scheduled to visit Moscow on February 24-25. [RFE/RL]
Over 50 Armenian citizens were detained by authorities yesterday for participating in protests against the government’s decision to sign a Russia-brokered ceasefire deal in Nagorno-Karabakh, including members of the Homeland Salvation Movement, the umbrella organisation that organised the protests. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
A North Korea defector reached the South after swimming several kilometres and was able to go unnoticed by border guards for more than six hours. This is the second breach of security of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) in recent months. [NPR]
The Philippines has offered healthcare workers, mostly nurses, to the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany in exchange for vaccines. While Germany is yet to respond, the UK has denied the offer. “We have no plans for the UK to agree a vaccine deal with the Philippines linked to further recruitment of nurses,” a UK health ministry spokesperson said. [Reuters]
Europe
EU foreign ministers on Monday agreed to impose sanctions on Russia for its treatment of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, as well as on Myanmar, in response to the Burmese military’s forceful seizure of power earlier this month. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said development aid will also be withheld from Myanmar. [The Moscow Times]
Responding to Pakistani President Arif Alvi’s statement condemning the French Parliament’s passage of the bill cracking down on Islamist extremism, the French Foreign Ministry summoned the Pakistani envoy to France and officially protested against Alvi’s statement. The Ministry reiterated the French government’s belief that the bill does not feature any discriminatory element and thereby dismissed Alvi’s comment. [Al Jazeera]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Argentina has published the names of the individuals who received the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a secret ‘VIP’ vaccination programme led by the now-former Health Minister Ginés González García. The list includes 70 highly ‘influential’ figures, many of whom are politicians, and their friends and families. One of the biggest names on the list is former President Eduardo Duhalde and his wife and children. [Merco Press]
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called out rich, Western countries for “hoarding” vaccines, denouncing it as “totally unfair” and urging the United Nations to “intervene”. He also called on the United States to vaccinate the millions of Mexicans living in the US, regardless of whether or not they are legal residents. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi that the Biden administration is committed to a “two-state solution”, and sees it as the “best way to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace alongside a viable and democratic Palestinian state”. [Middle East Online]
United Nations special rapporteur Agnes Callamard said that international experts will pressure Iran to properly investigate the downing of Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752. She remarked, “So far, the investigation Iran has conducted has been an incomplete, if not frankly intentionally problematic, investigation and report and that’s unacceptable.” [Arab News]
North America
The G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union released a statement on Tuesday “firmly” condemning the Myanmar military’s crackdown on peaceful protesters and demanded the release of those detained arbitrarily, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. [Global Affairs Canada]
The US on Tuesday attended the spring session of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting (AHLC) on the Palestinian economy. According to the State Department, Washington “reaffirmed the US commitment to advancing prosperity, security, and freedom for both Israelis and Palestinians and to preserve the prospects of a negotiated two-state solution in which Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state”. [US Department of State]
Oceania
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the government has made significant strides towards tackling the issue of child poverty. She reported that over the last two years, the number of children “experiencing material hardship” had fallen by 22,400. Similarly, there are “45,400 fewer children in low-income households”. [New Zealand Government]
Australia’s House Employment, Education and Training Committee is set to receive findings from a finding conducted by the Department of Home Affairs and the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) on the literacy rates among migrant and indigenous communities. The Committee will then discuss how to support adult literacy, employment, education, training, and settlement initiatives. [Parliament of Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit Rwanda at some point between April and May to commemorate the Tutsi genocide which took place in 1994 and killed at least 800,000 people. Macron will meet with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and will look to repair bilateral relations that have been frayed in part due to France’s previous suggestions that Kagame was behind the 1994 assassination of former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana. In fact, France hasn’t had an ambassador in the country since 2015. [The Africa Report]
Lesotho Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro sacked Defence and National Security Minister Lekhetho Mosito just two weeks after appointing him due to pressure from the ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC). No reason was given for his firing. In an unrelated event, PM Majoro has also announced a six-month state of emergency after heavy rains severely damaged farms, roads, and bridges. [Lesotho Times]
World News Monitor: 24 February, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
February 24, 2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken AP PHOTO / CAROLYN KASTER