South Asia
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon global leaders to declare COVID-19 vaccines as a “global public good.” The statement came at the Qatar Economic Forum as Bangladesh continues to struggle to contain the spread of the virus. [Hindustan Times]
India’s first secretary at the Permanent Mission in Geneva, Pawankumar Badhe, speaking at the 47th Session of the United Nations Human Right Council, criticised Pakistan for “aiding and abetting terrorism.” He also called for a strong international response to hold Pakistan accountable, calling terrorism the “gravest violation of human rights.” [NDTV]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
According to a Mercer survey, Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat topped the list of the world’s most expensive cities for international employees, followed by Hong Kong, Beirut, and Tokyo. Despite the achievement, the Central Asian country has been facing a severe economic crisis that has led many of its citizens towards poverty. [RFE/RL]
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister (FM) Jeyhun Bayramov held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss the ongoing tensions in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Both FMs stressed the need to cease all hostilities between Baku and Yerevan, and called for better coordination of the trilateral working group consisting of the deputy prime ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. [Azer News]
East and Southeast Asia
On Wednesday, Thai authorities warned demonstrators against gathering to mark the 89th anniversary of the Siamese Revolution, an uprising that transformed Thailand from absolutism to a constitutional monarchy. Authorities cited the country’s rising COVID-19 infections as the reason for their warning. “Anyone who violates the laws during protests will have legal actions taken against them,” said Bangkok metropolitan police commissioner Pakapong Pongpetra, adding that authorities “will not use force if it’s not necessary.” [The Straits Times]
Japan restarted its first nuclear reactor in more than three years. Kansai Electric Power resumed operations of its Mihama No. 3 reactor on Wednesday morning, which has not been in use for more than a decade. [Nasdaq]
Europe
A Russian fighter jet and border guard ship fired “warning” shots at a British warship that the military said violated Russia’s borders in the Black Sea near annexed Crimea, the Defense Ministry told state media Wednesday. Britain, however, has denied these claims and said that it was not fired at. [Moscow Times]
As foreign troops continue to withdraw from Afghanistan ahead of the September 11 deadline set by the United States, the last contingent of Danish soldiers left Afghanistan yesterday after 20 years. [CPH Post]
The United Kingdom government said that citizens from the European Union would be given a 28-day window to apply for a settled status post-Brexit. Failure to do this would result in the bloc’s citizens losing access to several rights including healthcare, employment, and residency. [Al Jazeera]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Tuesday, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on the Ortega administration in Nicaragua to release opposition figures and politicians who have been arrested ahead of the country's election in November. She said that over 12 political dissidents and opponents have now been arrested under “ambiguous criminal concepts, without sufficient probative evidence and marked by serious violations of procedural guarantees.” [MercoPress]
Colombia has now passed the worrying milestone of having recorded 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, making it the tenth country in the world to do so. President Iván Duque has held anti-government protests that began at the end of April responsible for the latest surge. In fact, over 25,000 Colombians have died from the virus since the beginning of May. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Four Saudi operatives who were involved in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018, received paramilitary training in the United States (US) the previous year under a US State Department contract. The training took place as a secret Saudi unit had started its campaign of “kidnapping, detention and torture” of Saudi citizens on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman. [The New York Times]
According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has “forcibly disappeared” and deported at least 10 Shia Muslims, including four Pakistani men since October 2020. HRW states that the UAE has “arbitrarily” targeted Shias from countries like Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan in the past. The Gulf country has accused the deportees of having links with Hezbollah and Iran. [Human Rights Watch]
North America
President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he will nominate Cindy McCain as the United States’ ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, elevating a longtime friend and Republican ally to an administration post. [CNN]
The White House announced that on Friday, US Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the country’s border with Mexico as the Biden administration faces intense scrutiny over its handling of an immigration surge. [Reuters]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched a lobbying campaign against UNESCO’s decision to list the Great Barrier Reef under the ‘danger’ category. The PM confirmed reaching out to the international community to reject the recommendation, which he thinks is politically motivated. [News.Com.Au]
Australia has warned nations to not use the ongoing pandemic as an excuse to violate human rights. Sally Mansfield, Australia’s ambassador to the United Nations, urged nations to manage the pandemic within the international human rights framework. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Former Ivorian Prime Minister Guillaume Soro has been sentenced to life in prison for “undermining state security” in 2019 by facilitating a “civil and military insurrection” with the aim of enhancing his candidacy before the October 2020 election. Soro, however, continues to live in exile and was already sentenced to 20 years in prison last April for misappropriation of public funds when he was in power. [Africa News]
During his visit to Belgium, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said that countries must be informed and consulted before the imposition of unilateral sanctions, such as those the European Union has imposed on Eritrea and Burundi. Along the same lines, he warned against the blacklisting of countries that are still working to pass laws to “control financial transactions” and address the issue of money laundering. [The East African]
World News Monitor: 24 June, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
June 24, 2021
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina SOURCE: AFP