South Asia
The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan raised alarm about the rising violence in the country, which has resulted in a 47% rise in civilian deaths. Further, the report published by the agency said that around 2,400 civilians had died as a result of the Taliban-led attacks. [Al Jazeera]
Unofficial reports suggest that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaanf, won the legislative assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Spurts of violence resulted in polling being temporarily suspended in several constituencies. [The Express Tribune]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The tenth ‘Agile Spirit’ joint military exercises involving over 4000 troops from 15 NATO member countries and partner states began in Georgia on Monday. The annual exercises were first conducted in Georgia in 2011, with US and Georgian forces taking part regularly. Other participating countries in the 2021 drills include Germany, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, and Canada. [RFE/RL]
A Tajik border guard was injured in a shootout with Kyrgyz security forces along the two countries’ disputed border. Clashes that began between Tajik villagers and Kyrgyz forces quickly escalated into a shootout between the border guards of the two Central Asian countries. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
In the first sitting of the Malaysian Parliament since December, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Monday that he expects to reopen the economy and lift restrictions on movements for most states as early as October as the country ramps up its COVID-19 immunisation programme. [The Straits Times]
In line with an agreement between their leaders, South and North Korea have restored their once-severed hotline and agreed to rebuild trust and improve ties, Seoul’s presidential Blue House said on Tuesday. North Korean state media outlet KCNA also reported that all inter-Korean communication channels were reopened at 10 AM on Tuesday. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
British President Boris Johnson warned that despite a drop in the number of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom, it is still not in the clear. He said that while the data was “encouraging,” cases are likely to rise due to the relaxations that were introduced about a week ago. [Independent]
The European Commission and the European Union’s consumer authorities on Monday asked Google to improve the way it presents search results for flights and hotels and the mechanism it uses to rank them. EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said, “EU consumers cannot be misled when using search engines to plan their holidays. We need to empower consumers to make their choices based on transparent and unbiased information.” Google has two months to comply, after which it faces the possible threat of sanctions. [Euro News]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Newly-elected Peruvian President Pedro Castillo has said that he will forgo his “golden wages” as president and instead maintain his salary as a professor. He also proposed reducing the lifetime salaries of lawmakers and ministers by 50%. [Telesur]
International consulting firm Ipsos revealed that Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou is thought to have handled the pandemic best among Latin American leaders. The survey questioned 380 opinion leaders and journalists from 14 countries and found that Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro had the highest disapproval ratings. [MercoPress]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA
United States (US) President Joe Biden agreed to conclude the US combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House on Monday. However, Biden stressed that the US military will continue to assist Iraq in its fight against ISIS through training, advising, and intelligence-sharing. [Associated Press]
In a telephonic conversation on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Tunisian President Kais Saied “to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights [and] maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people.” The talk comes following Saied’s dismissal of the Tunisian Prime Minister and suspension of the Parliament on Sunday, which the opposition has called a coup. [US Department of State]
North America
Data from the Gun Violence Archive revealed that there were at least 915 shooting incidents across the United States from July 17 to 23, during which time 430 people were killed and 1,0007 were injured. There were 43,000 gun deaths in the country last year, making it the deadliest year for gun violence in over two decades. Current projections suggest that 2021 could be even deadlier. [Slate]
On Monday, Mary Simon was sworn in as Canada’s 30th Governor-General; she is also the first Indigenous person to take up the role. In her address to the nation, she said, “I have heard from Canadians who describe a renewed sense of possibility for our country and hope that I can bring people together.” She also promised to work towards reconciliation between the Canadian government and Indigenous communities amid the recent discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential schools. [CBC News]
Oceania
The Australian state of New South Wales recorded 145 new COVID-19 cases despite being in a lockdown for a month. Authorities want to see a steady decline in the number of infections before they lift restrictions. The state’s premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said, “We might need to go harder in some areas and release some settings in others.” [Reuters]
Former Australian major general Jim Molan has warned of the threat China poses to Australia. Molan, also a current Liberal senator, said on Tuesday: “War is more likely than most people are prepared to admit. China and national security are the most dangerous issue for us.” The Senator also warned against the assumption that the United States (US) would protect Australia and said that “the US army is weaker than most people realise.” [News.Com.Au]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The man who attempted to assassinate Malian transitional president and junta leader Colonel Assimi Goïta on July 20 has now died, according to the Malian government. The assailant attempted to stab the Malian leader during the Eid al-Adha prayer in a mosque in Bamako, but was thwarted by security forces. [AfricaNews]
Tanzanian opposition leader Freeman Mbowe, who was arrested last week alongside other Chadema party members, has been charged with economic sabotage, conspiracy, and financing terrorist activities. [The Citizen]