South Asia
Bangladeshi cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and rights activist and journalist Tasneem Khalil were among seven men charged with defamation and intentionally publishing digital content that creates unrest or disorder on Sunday under Bangladesh’s Internet. Critics say the law is being used to silence opposition. [The Hindu]
The United Nations is convening an aid conference in Geneva today in an effort to raise more than $600 million for Afghanistan. It has also warned of a humanitarian crisis in the country following the Taliban’s takeover of the country. [Channel News Asia]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Afghan pilots and other personnel held in Uzbekistan for almost a month started leaving the Central Asian country for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday under a deal between the United States and Uzbekistan. Washington plans to resettle the pilots in the US and other countries. The Taliban has been opposed to such a move, pressuring Tashkent to turn the pilots over to Kabul. [Reuters, RFE/RL]
Joint military exercises between Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Turkey started in Baku on Sunday. The drills, also known as ‘Three Brothers 2021’, will be held until September 20 and will “greatly contribute” to better cooperation between all three sides. This is the first such drill between the three countries. [Anadolu Agency]
East and Southeast Asia
China gifted Cambodia a $150 million stadium in Phnom Penh that was built under the Belt and Road Initiative. This is the biggest infrastructure grant provided by China to the country. [The Straits Times]
North Korea carried out successful long-range cruise missile tests over the weekend. The missiles flew 1,500 kilometres before hitting their targets and falling into the country’s territorial waters. [Korean Central News Agency]
Europe
The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan has “emboldened” extremists and could lead to a return of “Al Qaeda-style” attack plots against the West, Ken McCallum, Britain’s domestic intelligence chief, said on Friday. McCallum warned that the United Kingdom could face “more risk” because of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan. [Associated Press]
On Saturday, thousands of environmentalists protested at the German Motor Show in Munich against their failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More than 25,000 people took part in the protests, said #Aussteigen, the collective behind the protests, along with eight environmental groups, including Greenpeace. [Euronews]
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and ten others were wounded as Russian-backed separatists attacked the Donetsk region using large-calibre artillery, grenade launchers, and drones on Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to demand further global dialogue to bring an end to Russian aggression in Crimea and the Donbas. [Al Jazeera, Kyiv Post]
Latin America and the Caribbean
After recently announcing that it would be proceeding with trade negotiations with China in spite of opposition from regional trading bloc Mercosur, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo added that the country is planning to sign trade deals with a number of other countries. [MercoPress]
Haiti’s chief prosecutor, Bedford Claude, has invited Prime Minister Ariel Henry to testify in an investigation into the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse on 7 July. Henry is one of the main suspects in the incident. [BBC]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
The United States (US) has removed its most advanced missile defence system from Saudi Arabia amid an increase in attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Satellite photos analysed by The Associated Press showed that the US had pulled its Patriot defence system from the Prince Sultan Air Base. [Associated Press]
On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz revealed a satellite photo of an Iranian drone base, which he says is used to train Iran’s proxies to operate advanced drones. Gantz accused Iran of assisting proxy groups with drones and said that “thousands of them are spread throughout” Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. He added, “Iran is trying to transfer know-how to the Gaza Strip” that will allow Hamas and the Islamic Jihad to produce Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. [Times of Israel]
Moroccan King Mohammed VI has appointed billionaire Aziz Akhannouch as the country’s new Prime Minister after his RNI party beat the long-ruling Islamist PJD in Wednesday’s polls. RNI won 102 of the 395 parliament seats, whereas the PJD, which ruled for almost a decade, won just 13 seats. [The Guardian]
North America
Tropical Storm Nicholas moved across the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and is expected to make landfall in Texas by late Monday or early Tuesday, unleashing heavy rainfall up to up to 51 cm. Nicholas hits the United States only two weeks after Hurricane Ida. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency in his state on Sunday in preparation for Nicholas. [Reuters]
Experts believe that California Governor Gavin Newsom could lose office in the upcoming recall election on Tuesday, held for the second time since 2003. This move is being perceived as an attempt to oust a Liberal governor to pave the way for a Republican-led state and subsequently “undermine California’s reputation as a progressive trendsetter.” [USA Today]
Oceania
Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews warned of the rising threat of terrorism amid the fall of Afghanistan, the rise of the Taliban, and COVID-19 shutdowns. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
On Monday morning, fire and Emergency services were called after a suspicious envelope with white power was recovered from New Zealand’s Parliament. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from New Zealand’s Defence Force was also present at the scene. As part of the protocol, one area was isolated. However, the police later confirmed that the substance found was an innocuous mineral and didn’t risk anyone. [Newshub]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Former Ivorian Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny, who was in power from 2005 to 2007, died from COVID-19 in a hospital in Paris. Banny was previously the governor of the Central Bank of West African States and also served as the chief of the Ivory Coast’s Commission for Dialogue, Truth, and Reconciliation following the 2011 election crisis, during which around 3,000 people died. [Africa News]
Following the military coup in the country last Sunday, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States have both suspended the membership of Guinea. [Nation]
World News Monitor: 13 September, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
September 13, 2021
Moroccan King Mohammed VI SOURCE: MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE