South Asia
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack in Pakistan that led to the death of 11 members of the Shi’ite Hazaras minority community in Balochistan. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his condemnation of the attack and extended his condolences to the families of the victims.[Reuters, Xinhuanet]
Afghanistan has pardoned the ten Chinese nationals who were arrested by the country’s National Directorate of Security for their alleged role in espionage. Official sources confirmed that President Ashraf Ghani had approved their departure and that they were not formally charged. [Hindustan Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
During a meeting of OPEC+ members on Monday, Russia and Kazakhstan urged another increase in oil output for February. However, the move was countered by Iraq, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who recommended holding production at steady levels as they cited concerns regarding global energy demands amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
The Taiwanese Defence Ministry released a report that highlighted that the number of Chinese ‘incursions’ into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) last year reached the highest level since 1996, recording 380 such ventures by the Chinese military. [Taipei Times]
Iran seized a South Korean oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, detaining its crew, which was comprised of people from South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. The seizure comes at a time when tensions between Iran and South Korea have escalated following the freezing of Iranian funds in South Korean banks due to US sanctions. In response, South Korea has deployed an anti-piracy unit to the Strait of Hormuz. [The Korea Times]
Europe
Several online retailers from the European Union announced their decision to discontinue deliveries to the United Kingdom over changes in the tax regime, which were brought in following Brexit on January 1. [BBC]
Hungary’s COVID-19 death toll surpassed 10,000 on Monday, according to government data. The surge in infections came after a summer lull as PM Viktor Orban delayed imposing tough restrictions despite warnings from public health officials about a “health catastrophe”. [Bloomberg]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Brazil’s health regulator, Anvisa, approved the import of two million doses of the AstraZeneca and Oxford University coronavirus vaccine. However, the vaccine has yet to be approved by the country. [Merco Press]
Mexico has closed a number of migrant shelters this week in an apparent bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus. This comes amid a huge influx of migrants to these shelters over the past few weeks and leaves dozens of people at risk. [NBC News]
The Trump administration has added a Cuban bank, Banco Financiero International SA (BFI), to its ‘restricted entities’ list, arguing that it has ties to the Cuban military and is used to ‘interfere’ in Venezuela. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
US Special Envoy to Syria Joel Rayburn began his four-day tour to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan on Monday. The US State Department said that the visit would focus on discussions with government and civil society leaders on ways to achieve a sustainable, peaceful and political solution to the Syrian conflict in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2254. [Middle East Monitor]
North America
While campaigning for GOP senators in Georgia on Monday night, US President Donald Trump told supporters that he hoped Vice President Mike Pence would “come through” to help him overturn the 2020 election results on Wednesday, when he presides over a joint session of Congress to formally announce the winner. However, Pence’s role is largely ceremonial, and he has no real power to change the results. [CNN]
Oceania
After Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said that Australia may only begin mass vaccinations by the end of March, pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to expedite the process, particularly in light of the fact that so many countries around the world have already begun their COVID-19 vaccination drives. [news.com.au]
Sub-Saharan Africa
In a growing indication of China’s expansion into Kenya, Moja Expressway, a subsidiary of China Road and Bridge Construction (CRBC), is now in charge of the toll charges on the Nairobi Expressway. [African Eye Report]
Over 100 people were killed in jihadist attacks on two separate villages in Niger- Tchombangou, and Zaroumdareye. At this stage, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. [Africa Feeds]
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has begun the final stage of his electoral campaign ahead of the presidential election on January 14. His closest challenger is expected to be Bobi Wine, who has been arrested multiple times and has called for international sanctions on the Museveni administration. [Daily Monitor]
World News Monitor: 5 January, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
January 6, 2021
SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES via MARKET WATCH