MORNING NEWS BRIEF [August 05, 2021]

HOT NEWS

1. Israeli Defense Minister claimed that the commander of the IRGC air force was directly involved in the recent attack on Israeli vessel off the coast of Oman. Source: Sputnik
2. Turkey slammed a U.S. plan to use third countries to resettle thousands of Afghans who may be targeted by the Taliban, citing the move would cause a great migration crisis. Source: Al Jazeera
3. Russia and North Korea will push for efforts for the possible resumption of bilateral trade after the pandemic to focus on economic and scientific-research cooperation. Source: TASS

WORLD

1. WHO Chief called for halting on COVID-19 vaccine boosters in wealthy nations until the end of September, in a bid to provide the shots to low-income countries. Source: CNBC
2. Israeli aircrafts launched an airstrike against Iran-backed militia in South Lebanon, in response to the rockets fired toward Israel, coming from Lebanon as witness claimed. Source: Reuters
3. Fully vaccinated Travelers from France arriving in the UK will not be subjected to quarantine after seeing the decrease of Beta variant cases in France. Source: Politico

REGIONS

1. ASEAN has appointed Brunei’s second top diplomat as a special envoy to Myanmar in an effort to end violence and push dialogue between the junta ruler and their opponents. Source: Reuters
2. Indonesia and the U.S. conducted joint military drills, focusing on island defense, aiming to improve relations between the two states, amid surging COVID-19 cases. Source: The Straits Times
3. Myanmar’s UN envoy reported a township massacre by the military junta in the north-western province, and called for urgent international humanitarian intervention. Source: France24

CAMBODIA

1. Cambodian FM urged all APT to focus on four priority areas such as public health security, MSME capacity building, sustainable energy, and resilient agricultural production. Source: AKP
2. Cambodia and the other Mekong countries re-emphasized their commitment to work with the U.S. to contain the pandemic and begin the region’s economic recovery. Source: The Phnom Penh Post
3. At ASEAN PMC with South Korea, Cambodia called for more robust cooperation in human resource development, smart cities, and rural and urban infrastructure development. Source: AKP