South Asia
India held its sixth round of Foreign Office Consultations with Thailand in New Delhi yesterday following a three-year hiatus. The two delegations discussed all aspects of bilateral ties, with a particular focus on the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway project as well as introducing even more port linkages. The Indian delegation also congratulated Thailand for assuming the chairmanship of the BIMSTEC grouping for 2022-23. [Indian Ministry of External Affairs]
Punjab, Delhi, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana have all introduced mask mandates amid a rise in COVID-19 cases across the country. On Thursday, India reported more than 2,000 new cases, a 15% increase from the previous day. [Hindustan Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Russia Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that France and the United States have not expressed readiness to resume their role in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to resolve the tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. She said that Washington and Paris “actually paralysed the work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs by refusing” to cooperate with Moscow. [Armen Press]
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Thursday condemned Kyrgyzstan’s government for trying to silence journalist Bolot Temirov as authorities charged him with forging documents and illegally crossing the border. “Kyrgyz law enforcement agencies appear intent on silencing Temirov for nothing other than his tenacity in covering allegations of corruption,” the CPJ said in a statement. It urged authorities to drop all charges against Temirov and allow him to work freely. [Committee to Protect Journalists]
East and Southeast Asia
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hosted his counterpart from New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, in Tokyo yesterday, wherein they pledged to uphold their Strategic Cooperative Partnership as well as their shared values of “democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and a shared commitment to peace and security, free and open trade, countering climate change, and sustainable growth.” In particular, they: focused on the need to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, expressed concern about territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, voiced alarm about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the erosion of democracy in Hong Kong, criticised North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, emphasised on ASEAN centrality, celebrated the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and reiterated their support for the Ukrainian people, and agreed to collaborate with Pacific Island nations on climate action strategies. [Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet]
In a press conference on Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin once again defended the country’s recently-signed security deal with the Solomon Islands, saying criticism by the United States and its allies is “in disregard of facts and driven by ulterior motives.” He stressed that the agreement is “open, transparent, and inclusive, and does not target any third party,” adding that it merely builds on the Islands’ existing bilateral and multilateral security cooperation mechanisms. His comments come at a time when US State Department officials are visiting Honiara to push back against the deal. [Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China]
Europe
The European Union is planning to establish a solidarity trust fund for Ukraine to provide the country with emergency liquidity support to help it during the war with Russia. Earlier this month, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said his country needs $5 million per month to stay afloat. [Politico]
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met his counterparts from Denmark and Spain, Mette Frederiksen and Pedro Sánchez, in Kyiv to discuss Ukraine’s integration into the European Union (EU). Both Frederiksen and Sánchez announced military and economic assistance. Additionally, the leaders discussed strengthening the EU’s response against Russia and Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. [President’s Office Ukraine]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was in office from 2014 to 2022, has been extradited to the United States on drug trafficking and weapons-related charges. The US alleges that Hernández has been instrumental in facilitating the smuggling of around 500 tonnes of drugs into the US since 2004 and has received millions of dollars in bribes in return. In fact, his brother Tony is currently serving a life sentence in the US for drug trafficking. [Reuters]
On Thursday, the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of Nicaragua in a case where the Central American country argued that Colombia had violated its maritime rights in the Caribbean sea by obstructing Nicaraguan fishing vessels and granting Colombian fishermen permits to operate in the area. The 15-judge panel voted 9-6 to order Colombia to “immediately cease the conduct.” [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Libya’s rival cabinet, led by Tobruk-based Prime Minister Fathi Bashaga, held its first meeting in the southern province of Sabha far from the capital Tripoli. “The era of corruption, chaos and despotism is gone. Today marks the beginning of a new national era where all Libyans will unite to achieve reform, reconstruction and justice,” Bashaga said. The move has further intensified Libya’s political stalemate as the government led by Bashaga and the rival administration led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah continue to spar over their legitimacy. [Associated Press]
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Thursday that his Arab counterparts have agreed that Israel needs to end Jewish prayers at the Temple Mount. “Our demands are clear that Al Aqsa and Haram as-Sharif in all its area is a sole place of worship for Muslims,” Safadi said. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that Israel will “continue to preserve the status quo.” Currently, Jews are not allowed to worship at the Temple Mount but there have been instances where Jewish pilgrims have been escorted by Israeli security forces to pray at the compound. [Times of Israel]
North America
United States (US) President Joe Biden on Thursday announced $800 million in additional military aid for Ukraine, “almost” completely depleting congressional provision of military aid to Ukraine. Biden justified his decision by saying that Ukrainian forces are in dire need of heavy weapons and ammunition as the war in Donbas reaches a critical juncture. Washington committed $800 million in military aid to Kyiv just last week. [The Voice of America]
On Thursday, the United States (US) District Judge Rebecca Jennings in Louisville, Kentucky temporarily blocked the state’s new Republican-led abortion law. Judge Jennings’s decision came after Planned Parenthood, one of Kentucky’s two abortion providers, requested emergency relief. The new law is dubbed the most restrictive in the US, as it makes abortion illegal after 15-weeks of pregnancy along with other sweeping changes. [The Washington Post]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison refuted criticism by Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles that he has been ‘soft’ on China, amid rising criticism by the opposition ahead of the May election and in light of the recent security deal the Solomon Islands signed with the Asian giant. He also alleged that China had invested in the country in order to secure support for the deal, saying, “they don’t play by the same rules as transparent liberal democracies.” [ABC News]
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health reported 9,390 new cases of COVID-19, including 13 deaths and 522 hospitalisations. The country’s total death toll from the virus has now risen to 646, while the caseload has reached 867,907. While 95% of people have received two doses of the vaccine, only around 71% have taken a booster shot, with 979,000 eligible citizens failing to get one so far. [RNZ]
Sub-Saharan Africa
As of yesterday, the African continent has recorded 11,468,994 cases of COVID-19, while its 55 nations have administered 282,593,552 vaccinations. The total number of deaths from the virus is 252,661. South Africa has reported the most cases (3,746,424) and deaths (100,211), while other heavily affected countries are Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, and Kenya. [AllAfrica]
Republic of Congo President Dénis Sassou N’Guesso visited Italy on Thursday to discuss a new energy partnership with Italian oil giant Eni. It forms part of a wider push by the Italian government to diversify its energy sources and reduce reliance on Russian imports. Russia currently accounts for 40% of Italy’s gas supplies. Italy has made similar overtures in Angola, Algeria, and Mozambique. [Africa Times]