South Asia
Indian envoy to Palestine Mukul Arya was found dead at the Indian mission in Ramallah on Sunday. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said that the Ministry of Health and Forensic Medicine was coordinating with security forces and public authorities to “closely monitor the case of death.” However, no information about the cause of the death of the envoy has been made public by Indian or Palestinian authorities. [NDTV]
Indian Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal said that India is looking to bolster its Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Bangladesh, India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia. Goyal declared that India and Bangladesh can emerge as the “pharmacy of the world” and jointly manufacture vaccines and other medicines. [Indian Ministry of Commerce & Industry]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Uzbek authorities have been pressuring local media outlets to be “very neutral” and exercise “restraint” while covering the Russia-Ukraine war. Authorities have demanded that journalists refer to the conflict as a Russian “military operation” and avoid using terms like “invasion” or “aggression.” [RFE/RL]
A soldier was killed and another wounded after the Azerbaijani military opened fire at Armenian troops stationed near the western section of the border, the Armenian Defence Ministry said on Monday. [Armen Press]
East and Southeast Asia
As the war in Ukraine rages on, Japan expanded its sanctions on Russia on Tuesday. The expansion includes freezing the assets of an additional 20 Russian officials and 12 Belarusian officials. [Channel News Asia]
Early voting in South Korea’s presidential election, which was conducted on Friday and Saturday, witnessed a record high turnout of 36.9%, or 16.3 million people. The early voting was marred by suspicion of rigging, as several people complained that their votes were collected in garbage bags and temporary containers instead of an official ballot box. [The Straits Times]
Europe
British Foreign Minister Liz Truss described India’s decision to abstain from voting to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations as a consequence of its “level of dependence” on Moscow. To this end, she advised that the United Kingdom should work towards establishing a “closer economic and defence relationship with India.” [Reuters]
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Monday published a decree that prohibits the transportation of weapons to Ukraine from Hungarian territory. Orbán also said that Budapest is prepared to handle an influx of Ukrainian refugees prompted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Orbán vowed to work in the “interest of restoring peace” at the upcoming Visegrad Group or V4 meeting, which is an alliance of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. [HUNGARY Today]
On Monday, the French Presidency of the European Union (EU) said the bloc would officially assess the membership applications of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. EU Ambassadors initiated the move after asking the European Commission to review the trio’s applications amid changing security landscape. [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Argentine daily newspaper Página 12 revealed what it described as a “top secret” document that shows how the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has expanded its footprint in South America. It points to the fact that Argentina has been an ‘extra-continental partner’ since 2017 and how NATO forces have trained the Bolivian Air Force in Non-Conventional Combined Operational Exercises and Combined Aerospace Operations. [MercoPress]
On Monday, Colombian President Iván Duque said that the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro must be ousted via free, fair, and transparent elections in order to resolve the humanitarian crisis in the country. This comes amid a trip by United States officials to Caracas to discuss a possible relaxation of sanctions in exchange for Maduro distancing himself from Russia. In return, the US hopes to gain an alternative supplier of oil to Russia. [Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is set to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Turkey on Thursday for ceasefire talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced on Monday. “Hope this step will lead to peace and stability,” Çavuşoğlu said. Turkey has recently expressed interest in mediating the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. [Al Jazeera]
United Nations Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday that Ethiopian airstrikes in the Tigray and Afar regions since November have indiscriminately targeted hundreds of civilians. The Human Rights Council has recorded over 300 civilian deaths and 373 injuries as a result of airstrikes. The Ethiopian government has denied targeting civilians. [Reuters]
North America
The United States (US) Department of Defence on Monday, announced the permanent closure of a controversial Navy fuel tank facility in Hawaii that came under fire for repeatedly contaminating the island’s clean water source. The contamination affected almost 6,000 people and forced more than 4,000 families to move out. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin affirmed to remove all the fuel from the facility and promised to build safer fuel dispersion systems. [ABC News]
On Monday, the United States (US) approved the transfer of a Saudi Guantánamo Bay inmate to Saudi Arabia. The Pentagon deemed that Mohammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani is no longer a threat to US national security after arresting him in 2002 over allegedly taking part in the 9/11 hijacking. Al-Qahtani will now receive treatment at a psychiatric facility in Saudi Arabia after being detained without a trial for two decades. [NBC News]
Oceania
To stand in solidarity with Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, two of Australia’s biggest fuel suppliers, Ampol and Viva Energy, ceased the purchase of crude oil from Russia. Viva Energy said it was “appalled by the events unfolding in Ukraine” and expressed sympathy for the victims of the war. Likewise, Ampol condemned Russia’s military actions and said it had not purchased crude oil or other fuel products from Russia since the invasion began on February 24. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
The New Zealand government has adopted measures to fast-track support for Ukrainians amid the Russian invasion. Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said the government would extend visas for Ukrainian nationals in New Zealand whose visas expire before the end of the year by 12 months. Approximately 300 Ukrainian citizens are living in New Zealand on temporary status. Additionally, around 250 Ukrainian citizens with New Zealand visas will be able to enter the country immediately as long as they fulfil COVID-19 travel requirements. [Government of New Zealand]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Vincent Biruta and his counterpart from Guinea-Bissau, Suzi Carla Barbosa, signed three agreements during a meeting in Kigali yesterday. The agreements are in the fields of economic and trade cooperation, education, tourism, business, and conservation. Rwandan officials highlighted that they hope to expand cooperation even further through the African Continental Free Trade Area. [The New Times]
On Monday, violent clashes between protesters from the #OperationDudula movement and migrants took place in the Alexandra region of Cape Town, South Africa. Locals have conducted various protests over the past few weeks to demand that the government deport illegal immigrants and reserve jobs for citizens, believing that migrants are stealing jobs meant for South Africans and also indulging in crime and violence. [AllAfrica]