South Asia
20 people were reportedly killed after an earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck the Harnai district of Pakistan. According to provincial minister Zia Langove, a further 100 people were injured. [Al Jazeera]
The Indian government had changed its export policy on “syringes with or without needles,” shifting them from the “free” category to the “restricted” list. The decision was prompted by the fact that the progress made in India’s vaccine drive has caused a domestic shortage of syringes. [The Straits Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Azerbaijan said that it will use Armenian airspace for its flights to the Nakhchivan exclave, which is sandwiched between Iran and Armenia, after Iran closed its airspace to Azerbaijani military flights on Tuesday. Tensions between the two neighbours have increased after Iran held military drills near the Azerbaijani border. [Iran International]
During his meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister (FM) Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Moscow on Wednesday, Russia FM Sergey Lavrov proposed the establishment of a new ‘3+3’ regional grouping in the Caucasus. Lavrov said it would comprise Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, and Russia. [Daily Sabah]
East and Southeast Asia
Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with United States (US) National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Wednesday. Yang expressed China’s position on topics including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, human rights, and maritime disputes. He also urged the US to truly respect China’s sovereignty. [Global Times]
Recent satellite imagery shows that North Korea may have taken steps to conceal upgrades to a uranium enrichment plant from spy satellites. [The Straits Times]
Europe
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Wednesday barred eight Russian officials as “undeclared Russian intelligence officers.” “NATO’s policy towards Russia remains consistent. We have strengthened our deterrence and defence in response to Russia’s aggressive actions, while at the same time we remain open for a meaningful dialogue,” an unnamed NATO official told AFP. [Moscow Times]
On Wednesday, the British High Court ruled that the king of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, had hacked into his ex-wife Princess Haya and her attorneys’ phones. This reportedly occurred during their legal case for the custody of their children. [Euronews]
On Thursday, Germany and Denmark said they had repatriated women and children who had joined the Islamic State from a camp in northern Syria. While Germany repatriated eight women and 23 children, Denmark repatriated three women and 14 children. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that women are in custody and facing a criminal investigation. The foreign ministry confirmed the arrival of women and children on Wednesday at the Frankfurt airport. [BBC]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The foreign ministers of Argentina and Uruguay, Santiago Cafiero and Francisco Bustillo, met in Buenos Aires on Tuesday to discuss how to resolve tensions within the Mercosur trading bloc. Uruguay and Brazil have pushed for the grouping to be more flexible by removing the common external tariff and allowing members to enter into independent trade deals with third parties. [MercoPress]
Venezuela’s ambassador to Cuba, Adán Chávez, warned during a visit to Russia that the United States will attempt to interfere in Venezuela’s regional elections next month. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
The Ethiopian government used the country’s flagship commercial airline to transport weapons to and from Eritrea during the civil war in the Tigray region in November, a CNN investigation has revealed. International aviation law forbids the smuggling of arms for military use on commercial aircraft. [CNN]
Yemeni human rights advocates have accused the United Nations (UN) of ignoring human rights abuses committed by government-backed militias in areas they control in Yemen. They have criticised the UN for putting “politics before humanity.” [Al Jazeera]
North America
United States President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he has expressed his concern to Chinese President Xi Jinping about 90 Chinese military aircraft having infiltrated Taiwanese airspace between Friday and Sunday. “We agree, we’ll abide by the Taiwan agreement, and we made it clear that I don’t think he should be doing anything other than abiding by the agreement,” said Biden. [Al Jazeera]
United States (US) Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman held “substantive in-depth meetings” in Delhi with Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla and Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar on Wednesday, to further “expand the U.S.-India comprehensive global strategic partnership.” Apart from discussing regional and global security issues, the officials spoke about the growing Indo-Pacific convergence within US-India, combating the pandemic, the climate crisis, deepening trade and investment ties, and expanding cooperation on cybersecurity and emerging technologies. [US Dept. of State, US Dept. of State]
Oceania
On Thursday, New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced the deployment of a ‘Special Representative for Afghanistan’ to the Middle East to facilitate the travel of 1250 Afghans who have been granted a visa. While the Minister refused to reveal the details, citing privacy and security, she said human rights workers, judiciary, and prominent women would be prioritised. [Newshub]
On Thursday, Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) announced significant changes to its COVID-19 lockdown roadmap. The changes include reopening schools for different age groups, outdoor eating, and access to gyms for fully vaccinated citizens, the reopening of indoor pools, and increasing the number of adults allowed to gather in public and private spaces. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the changes after the state recorded 587 new cases and they will likely be implemented from Monday. [ABC News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Thierry Moungalla, a spokesperson for the government of the Republic of Congo, denied claims made against President Denis Sassou Nguesso in the Pandora Papers, in which he was accused of maintaining an offshore company to store his assets. Sassou Nguesso has been in power for 37 years and is seen by the opposition in the country as a corrupt dictator. Moungali, however, warned that the president “reserves the right to prosecute anyone who reiterates these accusations without providing any supporting evidence.” [Africa News]
Tanzanian Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima announced that the government will release weekly statistics of COVID-19 cases. Now-deceased former President John Magufuli controversially ordered the government to stop releasing any COVID-19 data in April 2020. His successor, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has taken a more scientific and pragmatic approach to the virus, treatment, and vaccines. [The East African]
World News Monitor: 7 October, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
October 7, 2021
SOURCE: KYODO / REUTERS