South Asia
Speaking to a press briefing following his meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir said that it was Pakistan’s “duty” to raise the Kashmir issue in the United Nations “more strongly”. He highlighted the importance of maintaining the status quo in Jammu and Kashmir and called for a peaceful resolution to the issue. [Dawn]
The Joint Secretary of the Indian Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal, addressed a press brief rubbishing the New York Times report titled “Just How Big Could India’s True COVID Toll Be”, which estimated a death count of over 600,000 in a “more likely scenario” and 4.2 million in “a worse scenario.” He said that the claims were “baseless” and were entirely “distorted estimates.” [Hindustan Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Turkmenistan to “end the practice of harassing exiled journalists’ family members and allow all Turkmen journalists based abroad to return to the country and work in safety.” Ashgabat’s policy of exerting pressure on exiled journalists was also criticised by other rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has been accused of imposing an authoritarian rule and suppressing dissent ever since he came to power in 2006. [CPJ, RFE/RL]
The Tajik Foreign Ministry has asked its citizens to refrain from travelling to Kyrgyzstan. The announcement was made following Kyrgyzstan’s decision to bar Tajik citizens from entering the country. [24.kg]
East and Southeast Asia
The head of a Japanese doctors’ union warned on Thursday that holding the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, which is expected to see participation from tens of thousands of people even in the absence of spectators, could lead to the emergence of an “Olympic” strain of the coronavirus. [CNA]
Hong Kong police banned an annual vigil to commemorate the protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, citing COVID-19 restrictions for the second year in a row. Despite the ban, organisers expect a large turnout of people to mark the June 4 anniversary. [SCMP]
Europe
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) announced on Thursday that it will investigate the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk to determine if any international aviation laws were breached. Former and current members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), including Russia, have spoken in favour of a “fair and transparent” probe into the issue. [TASS]
According to data released by the British Home Office, 167 citizens of member states of the European Union were detained along the British border over the past three months. Citizens from Romania and Lithuania topped the list and were closely followed by Poland, Italy, and Spain. [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Argentinian President Alberto Fernández spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday. In the call, Merkel said that Germany would work with its European partners to help Argentina “find a sustainable agreement” with the International Monetary Fund. [Merco Press]
US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday announced a number of investments in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador by several American companies, including Mastercard and Microsoft. Harris opined that empowering the economies of these countries could help the Biden administration achieve its objective of addressing the “root causes of migration.” [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
United Nations (UN) Humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock has warned the UN Security Council that “there is a serious risk of famine if assistance is not scaled up in the next two months” in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Lowcock also said that at least 20% of the population in central and eastern Tigray are facing “emergency food insecurity” and urged Security Council members to take immediate action to prevent a famine. The Tigray region has been facing a worsening humanitarian crisis since conflict broke out between Ethiopian government forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in November. [Associated Press]
The chief negotiator for the Houthi rebels, Mohammed Abdulsalam, met with United Nations (UN) special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on Thursday, after declining to meet the diplomat on a previous visit to the country. Abdulsalam and Griffiths discussed the lifting of the air and sea blockade imposed on Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition and the possibility of reaching a political settlement to end the ongoing war in the country. [Reuters]
North America
The US has reportedly told Russia that it will not re-join the Open Skies Treaty due to Moscow’s multiple violations of the arms control agreement. Though US President Joe Biden had criticised his predecessor’s decision to abandon the pact last year, State Department officials told NBC News that upon further review, the administration had decided against re-entering the accord. The announcement comes just weeks before a scheduled summit between Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva on June 16, when the leaders are expected to discuss ways to resolve their differences. [NBC News]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday issued a formal apology to Italian Canadians who were subjected to internment during World War II. He acknowledged the “historical injustice” faced by the Italian Canadian community during this time and said that the government’s actions “violated the values that our country was fighting to secure during the Second World War, including freedom, equality, and justice.” [Prime Minister of Canada]
Oceania
After the cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Australian state of Victoria rose to 30, Acting Premier James Merlino announced a seven-day “circuit breaker” lockdown. Residents will only be allowed to leave their home for the following five reasons: “getting food and supplies, authorised work, care and caregiving, exercise for up to two hours each day with one other person, and getting vaccinated.” [news.com.au]
New Zealand’s Minister for the Environment and Minister for Trade, David Parker, reaffirmed that the country’s ties with Australia remain its “most important partnership.” This comes against the backdrop of a current affairs television show in Australia claiming that New Zealand is becoming “New Xi-Land” and has “ditched” Australia for a “fast Chinese buck.” New Zealand recently signed a trade agreement with China and has also voiced its opposition against the use of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network to pressure China. [Newshub]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The Malian military, led by Colonel Assimi Goïta, has released the now-former President Bah N'Daw and Prime Minister (PM) Moctar Ouane, after they were detained and relieved of their duties on Monday. Their dismissal represented the second coup in nine months, after the military junta took power in August by unseating Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and PM Boubou Cissé. The release of N’Daw and Ouane follows intense political pressure by several international actors, including the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom. [Africa Feeds]
Days after a volcanic eruption at Mount Nyiragongo, tens of thousands of people are fleeing from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern city of Goma. The military governor of North Kivu, General Constant Ndima, said, “Right now we can’t rule out an eruption on land or under the lake, which could happen very soon and without warning.” [Africa News]
World News Monitor: 28 May, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
May 28, 2021
United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir SOURCE: THE PAPPAS POST