South Asia
The Indian Army released a video of a captured 19-year-old Pakistani terrorist, Ali Babar Patra, who admitted that he had been trained by terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Pakistani Army. The terrorist also confessed that he was provided Rs 20,000 by his handlers to cross over and deliver arms supplies to Pattan in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. [NDTV]
The Taliban has warned of “consequences” if the United States does not stop flying drones over Afghanistan’s airspace. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The United States’ (US) candidate for its next Ambassador to Turkey, Jeff Flake, has officially recognised the Armenian genocide that Turkey fiercely denies. “If my candidacy is approved, I will urge Turkey to support the efforts of finding a comprehensive and lasting settlement to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Flake said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday. [Armen Press]
On Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Baku to discuss bilateral and regional ties. Both leaders affirmed the need for greater cooperation in the fields of energy, transportation, climate, and trade. [Azer News]
East and Southeast Asia
Myanmar’s currency has lost more than 60% of its value since the beginning of September. The collapse has driven up food and fuel prices in the country. [Channel News Asia]
In a Facebook video posted on Wednesday, boxing star Manny Pacquiao announced his retirement. The boxer, preparing to run for president in the Philippines’ 2022 election, said he was retiring from his boxing career to focus on “the biggest fight in his political career.” [The Straits Times]
Europe
The United Kingdom (UK) has ordered soldiers to start driving tankers to replenish empty pumps, as panic buying across the country has led to fuel shortages. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said supplies were returning to normal and urged people not to panic. [Reuters]
Russian authorities on Thursday arrested Ilya Sachkov, the chief executive of a leading Russian cybersecurity firm called Group IB, for allegedly committing treason. Russian state news agency TASS cited an unnamed security source who accused Sachkov of working with “unspecified foreign intelligence services and of treason that hurt Russia’s national interests.” Sachkov denied all allegations. [Reuters]
The European Union on Wednesday temporarily suspended a special visa arrangement with Belarus amid the ongoing migration crisis on the border of Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. The suspension will likely affect holders of diplomatic passports and officials affiliated with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. The Union believes that Lukashenko encourages migrants to enter the bloc via Belarus to retaliate against the sanctions imposed on the country. [Euronews]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced that the country would reach the goal of 70% vaccination against COVID-19 by the end of October. [Telesur]
According to data from the United States’ Department of Homeland Security, between September 19 and September 27, 37 American expulsion flights landed in Haiti, with 3,936 migrants on board. [CBS]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Algeria summoned the French Ambassador on Wednesday to formally protest France’s decision to reduce the number of visas issued to Algerian citizens. [Al Jazeera]
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called for “enhancing and developing the ongoing strategic coordination and cooperation” between Cairo and Washington during a meeting with United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Cairo on Wednesday. The duo held extensive talks on the Israel-Palestine and Nile dam issues and discussed the ongoing situations in Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. [Egypt Presidency]
North America
The United States (US) and the European Union (EU) came together for the first inaugural session of the US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. They put out a joint statement delineating their commitment to joining forces for “sensitive trade and technology affairs.” “We stand together in continuing to protect our businesses, consumers, and workers from unfair trade practices, in particular those posed by non-market economies, that are undermining the world trading system,” the statement read, subtly hinting at Chinese practices. [White House]
The United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan held a hybrid virtual and in-person C5+1 Ministerial Meeting along the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. A joint statement reaffirmed their involvement within the regional diplomatic platform and mentioned that the representatives held discussions on the Afghanistan situation, the pandemic, economic connectivity, and climate change. [US Dept of State]
Oceania
The Director-General of United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said nuclear inspection of Australia under the AUKUS deal will be “very tricky.” “It is a technically very tricky question, and it will be the first time that a country that does not have nuclear weapons has a nuclear sub,” he said. Under the AUKUS, Australia will receive nuclear-powered submarine technology from the United States and the United Kingdom. [Sky News]
New Zealand on Thursday passed a law that makes organising a terrorist attack a crime. The Parliament passed the law after an extremist inspired by the Islamic State (IS) began stabbing people in a supermarket on September 3. After the attack, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, pledged to pass a new law for counter-terrorism. [The Age]
Sub-Saharan Africa
France warned Mali on Thursday that it would lose the international community’s support if it agreed to a deal with the Russian Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner Group to recruit mercenaries. France has called such an agreement “incompatible” with continued French presence in the West African country. [Reuters]
Summary killings and gross human rights abuses have soared in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since August, the United Nations Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) in DRC said on Wednesday. MONUSCO recorded 739 cases of human rights abuses in August compared to 492 in July. Furthermore, the UN’s Joint Human Rights Office estimates that these abuses have resulted in 293 civilian deaths, including 63 women and 24 children. [Al Jazeera]
World News Monitor: 30 September, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
September 30, 2021
A Haitian man shields his face as he crosses the Rio Grande with a youngster on his shoulders. SOURCE: JOHN MOORE/GETTY