MORNING NEWS BRIEF [December 16, 2021]

HOT NEWS

1. Germany expelled two Russian diplomats after German court jailed Russian man for a lifetime prisonmment as the murder was odered by the Russian Federation’s agencies. Source: BBC
2. The U.S. military commanders for the Asia Pacific have built a software tool to calculate strategic friction of Chinese responses to the U.S. military activity in the region. Source: Straits Times
3. Lithuania has pulled its last diplomat and closed its embassy in China, a move that came after Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in its capital. Source: The Washington Post

WORLD

1. Iran agreed to allow IAEA to reinstall the surveillance cameras at the centrifuge parts plant in Karaj as the facility had been sabotaged in June this year. Source: The Canberra Times
2. Pakistan’s FM urged international community to pay attention to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on December 9. Source: Xinhua
3. The U.S. Senate led by the Republican approved an overwhelming annual defense policy bill of USD 740 billion with over two-thirds majority votes. Source: CNBC

REGIONS

1. Russia and China reaffirmed their strategic partnership and vowed to deepen defense cooperation against the external threats and the resistance of the West. Source: Deutsche Welle
2. The U.S. Secretary of State and Malaysian counterpart held talks to discuss measures to pressure Myanmar’s military government to return to a democratic trajectory. Source: CNA
3. ROK and the U.S. held discussion to set out a plan for cooperation on 5G networks, global supply chain and to deepen their economic ties amid an intensifying U.S.-China rivalry. Source: Yonhap News Agency

CAMBODIA

1. Cambodian PM convened talks with Russian diplomat to discuss international issues in the Asia-Pacific region and others as Moscow vowed to expand the bilateral relations. Source: The Phnom Penh Post
2. PM Hun Sen will nominate the Minister of Foreign Affair and International Cooperation of Cambodia as the ASEAN special envoy for Myanmar’s crisis in 2022. Source: AKP
3. Japan provided USD 12.2 million to Cambodia to build a Port EDI System which could speed up administrative and business work at all ports across the Kingdom. Source: Khmer Times