South Asia
The Nepalese government refuted a report by the ANI which says that China has illegally occupied places in seven districts in the country with PM KP Sharma Oli’s help. It said that the “report” by the “Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock” that the ANI relied on does not exist. [NDTV]
The German Federal Security Council, which is headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, denied Pakistan’s request for provision of the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) systems that would enable Pakistani submarines to remain underwater for several weeks. [Hindustan Times]
According to a statement by a top Taliban negotiator, the group has finalised the members who will represent it in the upcoming intra-Afghan negotiations. The 20-member team comprises 13 members from the Taliban’s leadership council. [Business Standard]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
On Sunday, the Armenian defence ministry inked a new agreement with the United Aircraft Corporation of Russia to modernize the Armenian Armed Forces’ air force fleet. [News.am]
Azerbaijani forces have taken an Armenian soldier Gurgen Alaverdian into custody on grounds that the junior officer was captured during an Armenian commando attack near the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region on 23 August. Yerevan claims that Alaverdian had gotten lost due to “extremely unfavourable weather conditions” while preparing for an inspection. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Anti-China sentiment in the African continent is resulting in rising violence against Chinese nationals. Seven Chinese nationals were killed in the past 50 days in South Africa. The Chinese Embassy in South Africa strongly condemned the attacks and demanded justice for its citizens. In June, three Chinese nationals were murdered in Zambia, and three others were killed in the Central African Republic. [Global Times, CNN, Xinhua]
Rumours are resurfacing over the health of North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Earlier this week, South Korean diplomat Chang Song-min claimed the Supreme leader is in a coma in a Facebook post. Speculations intensified as Seoul’s National Intelligence Service indicated Kim Jong Un entrusted his sister Kim Yo-jong and other close aides with new powers. [NK News, New York Post, The Korea Herald]
Earlier this week, Facebook blocked access within Thailand to a group called “The Royalist Marketplace” with 1 million members. The group is critical of the Thai monarchy, and its members accused the social media platform of supporting an authoritarian regime. The Thai government is witnessing daily protests demanding democracy and a curb on the powers of the King. [Reuters]
Europe
Berlin Charite Hospital in Germany, where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is admitted, confirmed that their tests point to the fact that he was poisoned, after discovering the presence of “cholinesterase inhibitors”. [Al Jazeera]
Belarusian authorities have summoned Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich for questioning on Wednesday over her ties to the Opposition-led Coordination Council, which aims to facilitate the transition of power in the country. [DW]
Latin America and the Caribbean
After a reporter from local newspaper O Globo asked him about financial transfers from former military policeman Fabrício Queiroz to the account of First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro, President Jair Bolsonaro threatened, “I feel like punching you in your mouth, okay?” [Folha]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he has accepted a compromise that would extend the deadline for budget negotiations by one hundred days. Stating that this is a “time for unity”, Netanyahu’s decision has staved the country from what could have been its fourth election in the span of two years. [Haaretz]
Amid an ongoing conflict at its frontiers, Gaza has reported its first four cases of COVID-19 in a refugee camp. There are several concerns regarding the territory’s crippling combination of densely packed refugee camps, poverty, and limited healthcare facilities and capacity. A full lockdown has been declared for 48 hours. [Reuters]
In a government overhaul, Tunisia’s new Prime Minister-designate Hichem Michechi announced a cabinet of non-party independent technocrats in an apparent bid to distance the administration from political conflicts and to work towards reviving the country’s ailing economy. [Reuters]
North America
More than a dozen environmental and tribal groups are moving to sue the Trump administration over its plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, citing the risk of irreparable damage to an ecosystem that is home to polar bears, porcupine caribou, and more than 150 species of birds. [Reuters]
Hundreds of people took to the streets in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and other cities across the United States after an unarmed Black man was shot multiple times at point-blank range on Sunday by Wisconsin police. The Wisconsin National Guard has also been deployed to Kenosha, to contain the unrest. The victim of the shooting, Jacob Blake, was taken to the hospital and is stable in the ICU. [The New York Times]
Senior White House Advisor Kellyanne Conway has said that she will leave her post at the end of the month, citing a need to focus on her family. [CNN]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The military junta that forced President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta to resign last week has proposed a three-year transitional government that will be led by the military. They also agreed to release the former President. [The Africa Report]
Martin Fayulu, an opposition leader in DR Congo who is widely believed to be the legitimate winner of the 2018 election that saw Felix Tshisekedi assume the Presidency, called on the African Union to either administer a recount of the 2018 vote or a organize new election altogether. [The East African]
World News Monitor: 25 August, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
August 25, 2020
Rumours of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s ill-health are once again gaining steam. SOURCE: NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW