South Asia
Nepal and India signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate energy trading, which is the first such power trade deal between the two countries. The deal also effectively brings an end to the state monopoly that the Nepalese government currently has over power. [Kathmandu Times]
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa requested China to restructure its debt payments to help it bring an end to its ongoing financial crisis and foreign reserve shortage. The request was made during Rajapaksa’s meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was on a visit to Sri Lanka. [Reuters]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during a phone conversation on Monday that Beijing supports the deployment of Russian troops to Kazakhstan. Wang said that the unrest was a result of terrorist activity and called on Moscow to jointly “oppose external forces interfering with the internal affairs of Central Asian countries.” [Reuters]
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the historic week-long unrest an “attempted coup.” In a speech to a virtual Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) meeting on Wednesday, Tokayev said that the protesters were “well organised” and involved “foreign fighters” that attempted to seize power in the oil-rich country. He also dismissed reports that authorities had attacked peaceful protesters as “disinformation.” [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
United States chipmaker Intel has deleted references to China’s Xinjiang province from an annual letter to suppliers after facing backlash in the Asian country for asking suppliers to avoid the region. In a letter sent out last month, Intel said it had been “required to ensure that its supply chain does not use any labour or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region” following restrictions imposed by “multiple governments.” [The Straits Times]
A United Nations human rights investigator on Monday demanded that Myanmar halt attacks on the border town of Loikaw and lift a blockade on the residents attempting to flee. Loikaw, which is the capital of eastern Myanmar’s Kayah State, borders Thailand and has often reported constant shelling, intense airstrikes, and fighting between the army and rebel groups. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
President of the European Parliament David Sassoli passed away early on Tuesday morning after battling severe complications related to his immune system. On Monday, the European Parliament confirmed that Sassoli had been admitted to the hospital in Italy on December 26. Sassoli has been the President of the European Parliament since 2019. [DW]
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday affirmed Moscow’s support to Kazakhstan during the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) alliance meeting on Monday. Putin said, “We will not allow the realisation of so-called colour revolution scenarios,” as Kazakhstan’s government attempts to quell the worst anti-government unrest in its history. Putin’s comments also come after CSTO deployed 2,500 Russian, Belarusian, Armenian, Tajik and Kyrgyz troops in Kazakhstan to defend important cities. [The Moscow Times]
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced widespread criticism after an email of a 2020 invite for his staff to attend a party in the first lockdown was made public on Monday. This is the latest contravention of public health protocols by British politicians that have been highlighted, causing widespread anger amongst British citizens. [Al Jazeera]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was sworn into office on Monday for a fourth consecutive term following elections that were widely considered rigged. On the same day, Ortega and his government were sanctioned by the United States and the European Union, who have called the elections a sham. [Associated Press]
The Brazilian health regulatory agency Anvisa has asked President Jair Bolsonaro to retract his criticism of the agency’s authorisation of COVID-19 vaccines for children. Bolsonaro criticised Anvisa last week for approving vaccines for children aged 5-11, saying that he had not heard of children dying of COVID-19. [Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Nayef bin Falah al-Hajrah, arrived in Beijing on Monday for a five-day visit. The visit will mainly focus on energy relations and according to reports, could “make breakthroughs” in discussions for the establishment of a China-GCC free trade agreement. [Al Jazeera]
American President Joe Biden expressed concern about the recent airstrikes by Ethiopia that led to several deaths in Tigray, during a phone call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday. Biden urged Abiy to “accelerate dialogue” towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict, address human rights concerns, and improve humanitarian access. [White House]
North America
On Monday, 141,385 people in the United States (US) were admitted to hospitals due to Covid-19 related reasons. Authorities expect the hospitalisations will soon surpass the previous record of 142,273 set on Jan. 14, 2021. Disease modellers predict the highly transmissible Omicron variant will lead to 275,000 to 300,000 hospitalisations during its peak later this month. The states of Colorado, Oregon, Louisiana, Maryland, and Virginia have declared public health emergencies as of Monday. [The Washington Post]
Top cybersecurity officials in the United States (US) are still raising alarms over the Log4j or Log4shell software vulnerability that can be exploited by criminals and nation-states for malicious purposes. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Monday warned that despite not seeing any intrusions as of right now, “we do expect Log4Shell to be used in intrusions well into the future.” This vulnerability that impacts hundreds of millions of devices around the world was first discovered by Chinese tech giant Alibaba. [The Voice of America]
Oceania
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke with his Serbian counterpart, Ana Brnabić, after the latter requested a phone call to discuss the likely deportation of Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic. The statement by Morrison’s office noted constructive conversation between both leaders and reaffirmed Australia’s non-discriminatory travel restrictions. Last week, Djokovic was detained by the Australian Border Force due to insufficient evidence over COVID-19 medical exemption. [ABC News]
Australia’s Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong expressed concern over Russian aggression against Ukraine and requested the country’s federal government to consult the opposition on any changes to Australia’s official position. In addition, Wong called on China to use its relationship with Russia to urge the latter to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty. Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops at the Ukrainian border, indicating the possibility of another invasion of Ukraine. Talks are underway between Russia and the United States in Geneva to discuss the issue. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced tougher sanctions on Mali after its military junta failed to meet its deadline for a transition to civilian rule. Effective immediately, Mali has been entirely cut off from all ECOWAS institutions. All 16 members of the West African bloc have been instructed to shut their land and air borders with the landlocked nation, and have been barred from engaging in all commercial transactions with the country. [The East African]
Cape Verde President José Maria Neves arrived in Angola on Sunday for a four-day visit. This is his first official trip since he took office in November. “Both leaders will agree on the resumption of flight links between Luanda and Praia by the Angolan airlines during this state visit”, political analyst Matias Pires said. [The East African]