South Asia
United States-based firm HawkEye 360 published images showing over 200 structures being expeditiously constructed by China along its disputed border with Bhutan. The images show the constructions being done over six locations, further igniting the ongoing border dispute between the two countries. [Reuters]
Pakistani National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf said that Pakistan compromises its “economic sovereignty” to allow foreign policy to be influenced by Western powers like the United States in order to secure loans to meet its local demands. He added that every country seeking financial assistance from institutions like the International Monetary Fund was compelled to do so. [NDTV]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Turkmenistan has increased measures to control the lives of its citizens after the recent historic unrest in Kazakhstan. Authorities are deploying police in residential areas, randomly checking people’s phones, and imposing unannounced night-time curfews. [RFE/RL]
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday to discuss regional security issues. Both leaders vowed to support Kazakhstan and hailed the role played by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) troops in quelling the protests in the Central Asian country. The duo also talked about the security situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. [Kremlin]
East and Southeast Asia
Cambodia said on Wednesday that it had postponed a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which was originally scheduled for next week, due to some ministers having expressed “difficulties” in attending. [The Straits Times]
Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment Affairs said on Thursday that it has eased the temporary ban on coal export and allowed 37 loaded coal vessels to depart after they secured approvals from authorities. Indonesia is the world’s biggest thermal coal exporter and imposed the ban on December 31. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
New York Judge Lewis Kaplan denied Prince Andrew’s petition to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment. She accused him of forcing her to have sex when she was 17 and was being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein. [Al Jazeera]
The Lithuanian government announced on Wednesday that it will cut ties between its state-run railway company Lithuanian Railways (LTG) and Belarus potash producer Belaruskali as it goes against Lithuania’s national interests. Last December, LTG came under fire for transporting Belaruskali’s goods through Baltic ports despite American sanctions and a ban on sales. The incident prompted the resignation of LTG head with some calling Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte to also step down. [bneIntellinews]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday accused the Supreme Court of taking sides in the upcoming presidential election and favouring leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro said that Supreme Court judges “might not want to vote for me, but do they want to return to office the man who robbed the nation for eight years?” [Reuters]
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Wednesday said that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus “is on track to become the dominant strain” in the Americas. PAHO said that COVID-19 cases in the region doubled to almost 6.1 million on January 8 from 3.4 million cases on January 9. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Eight people were killed in a car bomb explosion near the Mogadishu airport in Somalia on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear who was responsible but experts point to the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab terrorist group, who have in the past conducted suicide and car bombings. [Reuters]
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss bilateral, security, and economic cooperation. Çavuşoğlu also brought up the issue of the rights of China’s treatment of ethnic Uyghurs and Turks in the Xinjiang province. [Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
North America
Former President of the United States (US) Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NPR after being drilled over his repeated lies regarding the 2020 presidential election. During the interview, Trump said “they’re going to do it again in ‘22 and ‘24” referring to the false and debunked claims that he won the election, however after the host pressed Trump on these claims the former President cut the interview short. [NPR]
House Minority leader and Republican from California, Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday refused to comply with a request from the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot. The committee is calling on McCarthy to provide an insight into the mental state of former President Donald Trump during and after the January 6 riots. In a statement on Wednesday, McCarthy called the investigation “illegitimate” and an “abuse of power.” [CNN]
Oceania
The state of New South Wales reported a record 92,264 COVID-19 cases on Thursday after including rapid antigen test results from the last 12 days. From next week onwards, residents in the state are compulsorily required to report their rapid antigen result or face a $1,000 fine. The state also reported a record 21 deaths, making Thursday the deadliest day of the pandemic in the state so far. The same number of deaths were recorded yesterday. [News.au.com]
On Wednesday, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic admitted to providing false information to Australian authorities on his entry declaration. The admission jeopardises Djokovic’s chances of playing in the Australian Open as it goes against his affidavit to Australia’s federal court that claimed he was COVID-19 positive two days before December 16. Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke is deciding whether to cancel Djokovic’s visa for the second time on public safety grounds, in light of new evidence. [Sky News Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Gunmen in the North West of Cameroon shot and killed a prominent opposition Member of Parliament, Senator Barrister Henry Kemende, on Tuesday. Armed separatists in the region have been battling government forces in their push to create a new state called Ambazonia. [The East African]
Congolese gynaecologist and human rights activist Dr. Denis Mukwege was awarded the honoris causa membership of the French Academy of Medicine. During his acceptance speech, he requested France’s support to help end the impunity of sexual violence perpetrators. “France’s involvement can make a big difference. France knows the DRC better than any other country apart from Belgium, which is not on the Security Council,” he reasoned. [Africa News]