South Asia
Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs G.L. Peiris met with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar during his two-day visit to India. During the discussions, the pair spoke of Sri Lanka’s importance for India’s “Neighbourhood First Policy” and Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision. [Indian Ministry of External Affairs]
According to the Swiss foreign ministry, several Taliban leaders arrived in Geneva to meet with Swiss officials and non-governmental organisations, including the Red Cross. The statement said that the Swiss leaders intend on highlighting the importance of the “protection of humanitarian actors and respect for human rights.” [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Artsakh’s [Nagorno-Karabakh] foreign ministry on Tuesday accused Azerbaijan of “appropriating” Armenian cultural heritage after Baku recently announced plans to erase Armenian inscriptions on religious sites in the disputed region. The ministry said that Azerbaijan’s decision is “not only an attempt to deprive the people of Artsakh of their rights, including the right to culture, but also a challenge to the international community and a threat to peace and security.” [Public Radio of Armenia, Eurasianet]
Three Armenian factory workers in Artsakh came under fire from Azerbaijani troops on Tuesday. Authorities reported that the workers escaped unharmed. [Armen Press]
East and Southeast Asia
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was among only a handful of countries in the world standing up to the United States (US) with its continued missile tests. “In today’s world where many countries waste time dealing with the US with submission and blind obedience, there’s only our country on this planet that can shake the world by firing a missile with the US mainland in its range,” North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. [The Straits Times]
Hong Kong on Tuesday imposed its strictest social distancing measures to date as it struggles to maintain a “zero-COVID” policy following a spike in Omicron cases after the Lunar New Year. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
Spain’s Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, visited Ukraine on Tuesday to show solidarity and help de-escalate tensions with Russia. “Nobody is preparing for war... the reason for my trip to Kyiv today to see my Ukrainian counterpart is to ensure that dialogue and diplomacy are the way to resolve any dispute,” Albares said. He is set to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday before travelling to France. The Spanish minister is also expected to meet NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday. [Reuters]
British opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer called upon Prime Minister Boris Johnson to release an apology after Starmer was hounded by a group of protestors. This comes just weeks after Johnson accused Starmer of protecting Jimmy Savile, an entertainer accused of several incidents of sexual assault during his time as public prosecutor. [BBC]
The European Commission on Tuesday confirmed that it will deduct the environmental violation fines imposed on Poland over the Turow mine issue from Warsaw’s European Union (EU) funding. The open-cast Turow lignite mine, which is near Poland’s border with the Czech Republic, was the subject of a legal battle between the EU, Poland and the Czech Republic. A spokesperson from Poland’s government vowed to retaliate the Commission’s decision citing that Warsaw and Prague reached an agreement on the issue recently. [The First News]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Nicaragua and El Salvador have accused each other of violating their territory in the Gulf of Fonseca. Nicaragua has claimed that El Salvador sent military boats to its territorial waters. El Salvador, on the other hand, has rejected all accusations and blamed Nicaragua for provoking tensions. [Associated Press]
Colombian Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez said on Tuesday that Russia has promised that its arms supplies to Venezuela will not be used to attack Colombia. Bogota fears that Caracas might use weapons supplied by Russia to support left-wing armed groups like FARC and ELN. [Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
International aid organisation Oxfam said on Tuesday that the fighting in Marib between Yemen’s Houthis and the fighters backed by the Gulf coalition has displaced about 100,000 people. It noted that the fighting has worsened the humanitarian situation in the region. [Associated Press]
Israeli security forces killed three Palestinian militants in Nablus in the West Bank. Israel said that the militants were responsible for the recent shooting attacks against Israelis in the West Bank. [Associated Press]
North America
On Tuesday, Republican members of the United States (US) Senate called on President Joe Biden to send any new nuclear agreement with Iran to Congress for a vote or else face political backlash from Republicans. A coalition of 33 Republicans led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz warned the President in a letter that any new deal with Iran would be “severely, if not terminally hampered” if the Biden administration did not meet obligations requiring Congressional oversight. [Reuters]
Authorities in the United States (US) state of New York arrested a couple on Tuesday for laundering $4.5 billion worth of Bitcoin that was reported to be stolen in 2016. The Justice Department confirmed that it seized $3.6 billion from the hack, its largest ever financial seizure. The Justice Department stressed in a statement that “cryptocurrency is not a safe haven for criminals.” [The Voice of America]
Oceania
Members of the Media Freedom Coalition, including New Zealand, condemned attacks on the freedom of the press by authorities in Hong Kong and mainland China, resulting in the closure of several independent media outlets following the introduction of the national security law in 2020. “Recent developments include the raid of Stand News offices, the arrests of its staff and the subsequent self-closure of Citizen News stemming from concern over the safety of its staff,” The statement said. The statement was also signed by Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. [Newshub]
Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan, would travel to India on Wednesday to advance negotiations on a free trade agreement and promote Australia as a top-notch destination for students and tourists. Tehan is expected to hold several negotiations with his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal. Additionally, Tehan could also sign an MoU on behalf of the Australian government with the Indian government to promote travel and tourism. [Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment, Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced that it would restart giving financial aid to Burundi following a similar step last year by Washington that drew ire from government critics. In 2016, the EU, which was Burundi's biggest aid donor at the time, suspended all direct funding to the government for ignoring human rights and failing to stop the violence. [Africa News]
According to the United Nations World Food Program, an estimated 13 million people face severe hunger in the Horn of Africa due to consistent drought conditions. The body estimates that $327 million will be needed to meet the region’s immediate needs over the next six months. [Africa News]