South Asia
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has scheduled the launch of a Bhutanese satellite in 2021. The satellite was made by four Bhutanese engineers who were trained by ISRO. The Bhutanese Ambassador to India said that this move strengthened cooperation between the two “best friends” in this “final frontier.” [WION]
Pakistani National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf called for a “compromise” for the Afghan conflict, adding that his government “will not accept a forceful takeover.” Furthermore, saying that Pakistan does not have much influence over the Taliban, he claimed that its “limited leverage” has been used to bring the group to the negotiating table in Doha. [India Today]
The Afghan government welcomed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) call for an immediate ceasefire in Afghanistan. It urged the OIC to “play a more active role” in bringing an end to the conflict in the country. [MFA Afghanistan]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of General Staff of the Russian armed forces, arrived in Uzbekistan on Thursday to observe the Russian-Uzbek military exercises being held near the Afghan border and discuss defence ties. About 1,500 troops of both countries, 200 units of weapons and equipment, and four Russian Tu-22M3 aircraft are involved in the exercise. [Kun.uz]
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a phone talk with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Thursday to discuss the deadly wildfires that have ravaged Turkey’s southern coast. Çavuşoğlu thanked Azerbaijan for sending fire fighting units to help Turkish rescue services and said that a new group of Azerbaijani firefighters would be sent to Turkey. [Azer News]
East and Southeast Asia
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that China will strive to export two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021. Xi also said that China would donate $100 million to the World Health Organisation-backed (WHO) Covax global vaccine distribution initiative. [Global Times]
A Burmese militia member said that a militia force is fighting the army in a central part of Myanmar. Residents have found at least 40 bodies in jungle areas in recent weeks, with some showing signs of torture. [The Straits Times]
Europe
The European External Affairs Service summoned Belarus’s representative to Brussels to express concern over the “instrumentalisation” of migrants and refugees as a way to retaliate against sanctions imposed by the bloc. Nabila Massrali, a spokesperson for the External Affairs Service, said, “An EEAS senior official conveyed the EU’s strong concerns and clear position that instrumentalisation of migrants and refugees is utterly unacceptable. These practices must stop and Belarus must respect its international commitment in combating irregular migration and human trafficking and migrant smuggling.” [Euractiv]
British Envoy to Russia Neil Bush expressed his concern over the Russian government’s decision to impose restrictions that could “prevent the OSCE from providing the Russian voters with a transparent and authoritative assessment” of the upcoming elections in the Duma. Further, the statement said that this could endanger the wishes of Russian citizens who wish to protect democratic principles in the country. [UK Government]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced that the López Obrador government is suing a number of American gun manufacturers in a United States (US) federal court for their involvement in providing illegal weapons to Mexican drug cartels, which has led to the deaths of thousands. Ebrard said the companies must “compensate Mexico’s government for the damage caused by their negligent practices.” [NBC News]
Venezuela is reportedly removing six zeroes from prices in the local currency, in what has been described as a “million-to-one” change. This comes amid a prolonged period of hyperinflation. Former President Hugo Chávez previously removed three zeroes in 2008, while his successor, Nicolás Maduro, got rid of five zeroes in 2018. For context, a five-litre bottle of water currently costs seven million bolivars, and the highest denomination of the currency, the one million dollar bill, is extremely hard to come by. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Tunisian ex-Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi made his first public appearance on Thursday, 11 days after being dismissed from the post by President Kais Saied. Photos released by Tunisia’s anti-corruption agency showed Mechichi declaring his properties at the agency’s headquarters. [Reuters]
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz has said on Wednesday that Iran is ten weeks away from acquiring enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb. “It is time for diplomatic, economic and even military deeds, otherwise the attacks will continue,” he added. Gantz’s remarks come after an Israeli-linked ship was attacked by drones in the Gulf of Oman earlier this week, which Israel has blamed on Iran. [Times of Israel]
North America
On Thursday, United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington ahead of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit later this month. Blinken said that the US is “very much committed to Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, its territorial integrity” and said that the Biden administration would seek to empower Ukraine so that it can “defend itself against external aggression.” [US Department of State]
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, revealed that in-person voting will likely be approved despite the emergence of a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases in the country, saying that it can be done “safely.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to request Governor General Mary Simon to call for an election in a few weeks. [CBC News]
Oceania
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said that Canberra will not bow to Beijing’s demands “as it seeks to mend its complex relationship” with the Asian giant. The comments were made during the Australia China Business Council meeting on Thursday, where Payne rejected allegations that Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government is “anti-China.” [News.Com.Au]
After the success of Talisman Sabre and Pacific Vanguard exercises, Australian ships Canberra and Ballarat have again joined forces with the United States for the opening phase of Large Scale Global Exercise 21 in the Western Pacific Ocean. Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Greg Bilton said, “Activities like this build strong operational relationships, which are the foundation for responding to shared security challenges.” [Department of Defence, Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
On Wednesday, Amnesty International released a report accusing the Nigerian security of killing a minimum of 115 people from the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra Independence Movement (IPOB), a secessionist movement in southeast Nigeria, between March and June. Those implicated in the report are the military, police, and the national intelligence agency. However, the IPOB’s paramilitary wing, the Eastern Security Network, has also been accused of killing at least 127 security personnel. [AfricaNews]
Thousands of young Ghanaians took to the streets on Wednesday to call for the country to be “fixed” through better governance, more jobs, greater investment in social services such as education and healthcare, and an end to corruption. The hashtag #FixTheCountry trended across Ghana amid the demonstrations. [AfricaFeeds]
World News Monitor: 6 August, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
August 6, 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping SOURCE: RSF