South Asia
On the occasion of the Maldives’ Independence Day, former President Mohamed Nasheed celebrated the British Carrier Strike Group’s passage by the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. In response, the Chinese embassy in the Maldives condemned the statement, strongly opposing “the practice of flexing muscles targeting China.” [The Maldives Journal]
Bhutan has managed to successfully vaccinate 90% of its total population with both doses of COVID-19 vaccines within merely seven days. The Bhutanese Health Ministry said that the drive was possible as a result of foreign donations. Celebrating Bhutan as a “great success story,” UNICEF’s Bhutan representative, Will Parks, said that this clearly indicated the need for the international community to expedite donations to countries in need of the jabs. [Hindustan Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Armenia and Azerbaijan have blamed each other for the latest border shootout in the northeastern section of the disputed border region. Armenia says that three of its servicemen were killed in the shootout. [RFE/RL]
Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party has annulled an EU-brokered deal with the opposition to resolve Georgia’s political crisis. The leader of the Georgian Dream party, Irakli Kobakhidze, blamed the opposition for the deal’s failure, saying half of the opposition lawmakers had not joined the deal. In April, the EU brokered a compromise between the opposition and Georgian Dream that allowed several opposition parties to enter the parliament. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
North and South Korea are in talks to reopen a joint liaison office that Pyongyang demolished last year and to hold a summit as part of efforts to restore bilateral relations. [The Straits Times]
Myanmar’s junta government is seeking help from the international community as it struggles to fight a new wave of COVID-19 infections. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing told a “coordination meeting to beef up cooperation with the international community” and that Myanmar should seek monetary aid from ASEAN’s COVID-19 response fund. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
The United Kingdom (UK) and Kenya signed a five-year Defence Cooperation Agreement, through which the UK will provide counter-terrorism and military support to the African nation. The agreement, which was signed between British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and his Kenyan counterpart Monica Juma, primarily aims to combat the rising influence of Al-Shabaab in the country. [UK Government]
Through the COVAX initiative, the UK has donated around five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced on Wednesday. Furthermore, he added that the government had also decided to further donate four million doses directly to countries in need. [UK Government]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has stood behind his decision to deliver fuel shipments to Cuba, describing the United States’ (US) embargo on the Caribbean island nation as “inhumane.” He said Mexico is an “independent nation” and thus is not concerned about acting in opposition to the US blockade. [NBC News]
The US State Department is set to put a hold on some of its engagements with Guatemala’s Public Ministry over the firing of the anti-corruption leader Juan Francisco Sandoval last week. Sandoval immediately fled from Guatemala following his dismissal as the leader of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei blamed the “cowardly” United States for the current pause in the nuclear talks. “They once violated the nuclear deal at no cost by exiting it. Now they explicitly say that they cannot give guarantees that it would not happen again,” Khamenei said. Iran has said that the Vienna talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, which began in April, would resume once President-elect Ebrahim Raisi takes office in August. [Reuters]
The local government of Ethiopia’s Somali region claimed that hundreds of civilians were massacred on Saturday by militants from the neighbouring Afar region. An internal United Nations security bulletin said there was “ongoing fighting” in the area, with an “unknown number of injuries” on both sides. [Al Jazeera]
North America
On Wednesday, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will fly to Kuwait, where he will meet with the country’s emir, crown prince, prime minister, speaker of the national assembly, and foreign minister to discuss military cooperation, trade ties, regional security, and human rights, among other issues. [US Department of State]
On Wednesday, the United Kingdom announced that fully vaccinated travellers from the European Union (apart from France) and the United States will not have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Curiously, however, Canada was omitted from the new list. [The Globe and Mail]
Oceania
New Zealand has expressed concerns over development in Hong Kong and has refused to engage in discussions about resuming its extradition treaty with the special administrative region. New Zealand had suspended the extradition treaty a year ago in light of Beijing’s announcement to pass the national security law, which significantly impacted Hong Kong’s judicial system. [Newshub]
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to allow private companies to make vaccination compulsory for their workers after several American organisations introduced the directive. Following Google, Facebook, and Netflix’s lead, Australia’s national carrier Qantas also issued a directive mandating vaccination for all aviation staff. In this regard, PM Morrison said, “I think it is the wrong decision for Australia. It’s not how we do things, and I believe we will actually achieve the vaccination rates that are essential that do not require that.” [News.Com.Au]
Sub-Saharan Africa
On Wednesday, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation released a statement saying that it is “appalled at the unjust and unwarranted decision of the AU Commission to grant Israel observer status in the African Union.” It said that the decision was taken “unilaterally” and is “shocking” because of the oppression the Israeli government has inflicted upon the Palestinian people. [South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation]
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan initiated the country’s COVID-19 vaccination programme by getting the first shot. This is a far cry from her predecessor John Magufuli, who routinely downplayed the severity of the pandemic and urged health authorities and citizens to turn to prayer and steam therapy. Tanzania has thus far received one million doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine via the COVAX initiative and hopes to receive the Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac, and Sinopharm vaccines in the near future. [AfricaNews]
World News Monitor: 29 July, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
July 29, 2021
SOURCE: UPASANA DAHAL / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES