On Friday, the Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova. The ICC claimed there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that both Putin and Lvova-Belova bear “individual criminal responsibility” for the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied Ukrainian regions to the Russian Federation beginning 24 February 2022.
The Lahore High Court granted former Pakistani PM Imran Khan protective bail for nine cases, including eight for terrorism charges, on Friday. Additionally, after Khan presented himself in an Islamabad court on Sunday, the court cancelled his arrest warrant and adjourned till 30 March.
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman visited Kigali on Saturday to sign an updated MoU regarding the UK government’s plan to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda. In a release, the British government said that the Rwandan government had agreed to house “all categories of people who pass through safe countries and make illegal and dangerous journeys to the UK.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged his military forces to be prepared to conduct nuclear attacks to deter war, state media KCNA reported on Monday. Kim criticised the US and South Korea’s joint military drills involving American nuclear assets. He added that “the present situation, in which the enemies are getting ever more pronounced in their moves for aggression,” against North Korea, urgently requires Pyongyang to strengthen its nuclear war deterrence “exponentially.”
During the meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi today, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida is expected to convince India to take a stronger stance to penalise Russia for its war against Ukraine. “As leaders of the G7 and G20, I want us to communicate closely in an effort to strengthen cooperation,” Kishida had said earlier this month.
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Ecuador and Peru on Saturday, leaving 15 people dead and close to 500 injured in total. Ecuadorian authorities assessed the damage on Sunday, and the government issued housing lease vouchers for the hundreds of families displaced by the calamity. Further, the Risk Management Secretariat sent a team near the earthquake’s epicentre to assess the need for humanitarian aid.
Delegations from the US, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine met in Sharm El Sheikh on Sunday to discuss efforts to end ongoing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. A Joint Communiqué noted that the meeting furthers the understanding reached in Aqaba, Jordan, in February. The quintet agreed to a nine-point plan to ensure peace and stability in the region, including ending unilateral measures, establishing a mechanism to counter violence, and upholding the status quo in Jerusalem.
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad met his Emirati counterpart Mohammed Bin Zayed (MBZ) in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties and regional developments. According to the Syrian state-owned SANA news agency, Asaad told MBZ it was essential to “build bridges” between all Arab countries and allow Syria to return to the Arab League. Damascus was suspended from the League in 2011 following the outbreak of war.