South Asia
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi accused India of propagating an “aggressive rhetoric” and “acting irresponsibly.” He added that the “onus” of reconciliation between the two countries lies with the Indian side. [Al Jazeera]
On Sunday, Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was expelled from the ruling Nepal Communist Party, after his recent decision to dissolve the country’s Parliament instigated widespread opposition from members of his party and the citizenry. [NDTV]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
A high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia began an official visit to Uzbekistan on Saturday with the aim of “strengthening bilateral relations”. The delegation is being led by Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih and includes officials from the government and private sector. The agenda of the visit includes the signing of “a number of joint projects, a memorandum of understanding, and the launch of renewable-energy projects”. [The Rahnuma Daily]
On Friday, Kazakh activist Maks Boqaev received a three-year parole restriction by a Kazakh court. Boqaev criticised the move, calling it “politically motivated”. The activist was arrested on extremism charges in 2016 after he “organized unsanctioned protests against land reform” and was sentenced to five years. The United States, United Nations, and European Union have called on the nation to release the activist. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Myanmar and Cambodia are raising money to fund the mass coronavirus vaccination program through donations. Since last month, $56 million has been raised by Cambodian donors, while Myanmar has raised $10 million, with the military being among its first donors. [Strait Times]
On Sunday, Indonesian authorities claimed to have seized the Iranian tanker, MT Horse, and as well as a Panamanian tanker, MT Frea, under the suspicion of “carrying out the illegal transfer of oil” from Indonesia’s national waters. The many violations include “not displaying national flags, shutting off their identification systems, anchoring illegally, as well as the illegal transfer (of) fuel between ships and spilling oil”. [Yahoo News]
Europe
Polish President Andrzej Duda has urged the European Union (EU) to step up its sanctions on Russia following the arrest and mistreatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and said that the move was “absolutely justified” for Moscow’s actions not only towards the Kremlin critic but also in Ukraine and Georgia. [Financial Times]
The European Union’s ambassador to Ivory Coast urged officials to be prepared for a new law on cocoa import that aims to curb “child labour, deforestation and [farmer] poverty”. This comes in pursuance of a campaign launched by the bloc in collaboration with officials from Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s largest producers of cocoa, along with cocoa planters and members of civil society. [Al Jazeera]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Honduran lawmakers have voted to reaffirm the country’s commitment to maintaining bans on abortion and same-sex marriage, with 88 legislators voting in favour and just 28 voting against, with seven abstentions. As a result of the vote, any changes to the law on abortion will now require a three-quarters super-majority. The proposal will now be sent to the unicameral legislature for a second vote. [NBC News]
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, but reassured citizens that he is suffering only “mild symptoms” and is undergoing medical treatment. He will now enter a period of self-isolation. [Associated Press]
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said a gas pipeline was attacked in the Anaco-Jose Industrial Complex, in what is yet another alleged terrorist attack on the country's oil industry. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
An Ethiopian diplomat has accused Egypt of “providing full support to anti-peace elements” within Ethiopia and also of fuelling Adis Ababa’s rivalries with neighbouring countries across the Horn of Africa. He said that Egypt has been providing financial, military, and diplomatic support to several armed forces for years now, resulting in several ethnic and religious conflicts. [Africa News]
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed confidence that ties between Riyadh and Washington under the Biden administration would be “excellent”. Biden, however, has launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s decision to designate the Houthi rebels as a terrorist organisation and is also looking into Saudi war crimes in Yemen. [Middle East Online, CNN]
An Israeli official has said that the United States will deploy the Israeli-made Iron Dome missile interceptor batteries in countries across the Arab Gulf as part of the spate of new normalisation deals across the region. [Middle East Monitor]
North America
Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star Army general, was confirmed by the US Senate on Friday, making him the first Black Secretary of Defence in US history. In his first directive after taking office, Austin ordered the review and assessment of sexual assault prevention programs in the military, making good on his promise to do so during his confirmation hearing. [NPR, Associated Press]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with US President Joe Biden in person next month. Trudeau’s office made the announcement on Friday and said that the leaders would discuss ways to “advance the important work of renewing the deep and enduring friendship” between the two nations, along with their response to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. [Al Jazeera]
The White House on Sunday said that there was no COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan set up by the Trump government, despite the virus raging across the country during its last months in power. Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain said that the new administration was focusing on ramping up the country’s response to the pandemic. [Reuters]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he will not meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping until Beijing relaxes several of the arbitrary restrictions placed on Australian exports. He said, “Those discussions, as I’ve made clear, won’t take place on the base of any sort of pre-emptive concessions on Australia’s part on those matters.” [news.com.au]
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which the government says it will start administering towards the end of February. Between now and then, health authorities will test the procurement, find cold storage facilities for them, train health providers in the administration of the vaccine, and determine the ‘distribution sites’. [ABC News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Tropical Cyclone Eloise made landfall in Mozambique, killing at least nine people over the weekend. The storm is also expected to hit Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa, after originating near Madagascar. [DW]
Against the backdrop of mounting international criticism of the legitimacy of its recent presidential election, during which Yoweri Museveni maintained his incumbency under high controversial circumstances, Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa said that the election was conducted with “domestic tranquillity, [and] the security and welfare of its citizens”. Museveni won 58.64% of the votes to Bobi Wine’s 34.83%. [The East African]
World News Monitor: 25 January, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
January 26, 2021
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador SOURCE: COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS