South Asia
Indian Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad called for streaming websites to be held “responsible and accountable” for the content hosted on their website. Earlier this month, the Indian government passed the “Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code”, which increased regulation of over-the-top platforms, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. [Reuters]
American House of Representatives Armed Services Committee Chairperson Adam Smith said that the Joe Biden-led administration will seek to sign a deal with the Taliban to extend the deployment of American counterterrorism forces to Afghanistan. Until now, the Taliban has urged the American side to adhere to the May 1 deadline for withdrawal of foreign troops that was set in the United States-Taliban peace deal. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
On Thursday, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Artak Apitonyan and UNESCO Director-General Nikola Kasianides met virtually to discuss the protection of Armenia’s historical and religious heritage in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the deployment of a fact-finding mission to Artsakh. The meeting was as a result of a BBC report which revealed the destruction of an Armenian church by Azerbaijani forces. [Public Radio of Armenia]
The United Nations Human Rights Council has called for immediate access to be given to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international mechanisms to Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, which are under Russian occupation. UNHRC also expressed concern over the non-implementation of the terms of previous resolutions in the occupied regions. Russia has been occupying the two regions since the 2008 war with Georgia. [Agenda.ge]
East and Southeast Asia
On Thursday, North Korea launched a “newly developed new-type tactical guided projectile” into waters near Japan. According to state media, the pair of test-fired weapons “accurately hit a target 600km away”. Ri Pyong Chol, the senior leader who oversaw the test, said, “The development of this weapon system is of great significance in bolstering up the military power of the country and deterring all sorts of military threats.” [The Straits Times]
On Friday, China sanctioned organisations and individuals in the United Kingdom (UK) for spreading “lies and disinformation” about Xinjiang, days after the UK imposed sanctions for human rights abuses in the western Chinese region. The sanctioned individuals and their immediate family members have been prohibited from entering Chinese territory and Chinese citizens and institutions will be prohibited from doing business with them. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
More than 200 people were detained in Belarus by authorities on Thursday following a new wave of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko on the country’s unofficial “Freedom Day.” [RFE/RL]
During a virtual summit of the European Union’s leaders that was convened to discuss vaccine supplies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called upon Anglo-Swedish vaccine producer AstraZeneca to “catch up” on its deliveries to the bloc’s member states. The decision to pressurise AstraZeneca to fulfil its contract with the EU was supported by French President Emmanuel Macron, who called this “the end of naivety” from the bloc. [BBC]
Latin America and the Caribbean
After surpassing 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus and recording an average of over 3,000 deaths every day, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced that he had created an expert committee to develop a national strategy to contain the virus. However, many contend that Bolsonaro’s refusal to acknowledge the seriousness of the pandemic and the virus, and his prioritisation of the economy over public health are what have led to this crisis in the first place. In fact, as recently as this week, he has described governors and mayors who implemented lockdowns as “tyrants”. [Merco Press]
Panamanian citizens have reacted with outrage to clips of Vice President Laurentino Cortizo partying with fellow senior officials. As per the Health Ministry’s regulations, public parties are banned, and discotheques and bars have been closed for a year. Therefore, the decision of senior government officials to hold a party, and that too with nobody wearing masks or social distancing, is being seen as “unjustifiable, unsupportive, and unempathetic”. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Lebanon is at risk of facing “acute food insecurity,” according to a report released by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), which has listed 20 countries facing an immediate hunger crisis. Food prices in Lebanon have soared as a result of the country’s financial and political situation, leaving millions of lives at risk of starvation. [The New Arab]
Israel’s High Court of Justice barred Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from appointing senior law enforcement and justice officials. The court also said that it is essential not to put a public official in a situation of “conflict of interest.” Netanyahu has been indicted with corruption charges and the evidence stage of his trial is expected to start in April. [Times of Israel]
North America
The Canadian Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favour of the government’s national carbon tax, saying that its imposition on provinces was constitutional. “Climate change is real. It is caused by greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities, and it poses a grave threat to humanity’s future,” Chief Justice Richard Wagner wrote, on behalf of the majority, adding that the country’s parliament had jurisdiction to enact the law as a “matter of national concern.” [The New York Times]
The US and UK on Thursday slapped new sanctions on conglomerates controlled by the Burmese military in response to the Tatmadaw’s coup and brutal crackdown on dissent. The US Treasury said that it would target two military holding companies, Myanma Economic Holdings Public Company Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation Limited (MEC), while the UK imposed sanctions against only MEHL. [US Department of the Treasury]
US President Joe Biden virtually participated in a European Council summit on Thursday, alongside EU leaders. He reaffirmed the US’ strong commitment to its transatlantic allies, and called for close cooperation on common challenges, such as COVID-19 and climate change. [The White House]
The US on Thursday announced $15 million in humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The funds, provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), are meant to “address the most urgent, life-saving humanitarian needs” in the region, including healthcare and emergency food assistance. [US Department of State]
Oceania
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne released a statement on the recent fire at the Kutupalong Balukali refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, which houses over 12,000 people. At least 15 people were injured, 560 injured, and 400 are still missing. Moreover, at least 10,00 shelters were destroyed. Payne announced $10 million in emergency assistance, which adds to the $260 million Australia has already put towards humanitarian aid for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh since 2017. [Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs]
Australia has expedited a shipment of tens of thousands of vaccines to Papua New Guinea (PNG), which is in the midst of a rapidly escalating public health crisis that its healthcare system is struggling to come to terms with. This was prompted by expected delivery delays from the COVAX initiative and India and Europe’s decisions to slow down their vaccine diplomacy efforts to focus on their own populations. PNG recorded 560 new cases on Thursday, and given that the testing rate remains fairly low, it is thought that the true number could be much higher. [The Age]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Tanzanian police arrested four people for allegedly “mocking” the now-former President John Magufli’s death in his hometown of Chato, which lies in the southwestern region of Mbeya. Magufuli succumbed to a heart disease last week, and the country is currently in the midst of a period of 21 days of mourning. The former president has since been replaced by his vice president, Samia Suluhu Hassan. [Africa Feeds]
The British High Commission in Nairobi has expressed concern about Kenya’s decision to leave its border with Tanzania open. A source from the High Commission told British news outlet Telegraph that this could result in the United Kingdom (UK) placing Kenya on its ‘red list’, as a result of which all travellers from Kenya would be mandated to quarantine at designated hotels upon their arrival to the UK. Currently, the UK’s red list is comprised of South Africa, Ethiopia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). [The Citizen]
World News Monitor: 26 March, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
March 26, 2021
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un SOURCE: KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY / KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP