South Asia
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced that President Ram Nath Kovind will go on a six-day visit to Jamaica and St. Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG) from 15-21 May, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to the countries. In Jamaica, he will meet with Governor-General Patrick Allen and Prime Minister Andrew Holness and also address the parliament. Next, in SVG, he will meet with Governor-General Susan Dougan and Prime Minister Ralph E. Gonsalves and also address the House of Assembly. The release noted that Jamaica has 70,000 Indian diaspora and that the visit “emphasises our continued commitment to work[ing] with small island develping countries.” [Indian Ministry of External Affairs]
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has warned Imran Khan of legal action, claiming that his predecessor had “first conspired to destroy” the economy and is now “planning to trigger a civil war.” His statement comes amid continued and widespread protests against Khan’s ouster last month via a vote of confidence. Sharif also reiterated that an inquiry by the National Security Council has debunked Khan’s claims of a foreign conspiracy. [The News International]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Tajik border troops have been put on full alert following a clash between Taliban and Islamic State militants in the border area of Khoja Ghor in Afghanistan on Saturday. Authorities said that seven shells landed in Tajikistan during the fighting. [Fergana News]
Three Kyrgyz citizens were shot dead by Uzbek security forces along the countries’ border. Uzbek authorities claimed the individuals were smuggling large quantities of goods and used force against security forces when they were stopped. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
South Korea’s new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, will begin his term at midnight Monday after receiving a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the commander-in-chief. Yoon will be briefed by phone in the underground bunker of his new presidential office in Yongsan, which will also serve as the situation room of the national crisis management centre. He succeeds Monon Jae-in and has hinted at a harsher approach towards North Korea. [The Korea Herald]
The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold an unofficial meeting on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) on Myanmar, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah announced. He noted that the meeting was called due to unsatisfactory progress of the 5PC in 2021 as the Myanmar government failed to effectively cooperate. [The Straits Times]
Europe
On Sunday, the United Kingdom (UK) announced $2 billion in new trade sanctions against Russia, including import tariffs on $1.7 billion worth of goods, including platinum and palladium, and also $300 billion in export bans that are expected to handicap Russia's manufacturing and heavy machinery sectors. This means that the UK has now introduced up to $4.9 billion in sanctions against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine began on February 24. [GOV.UK]
The Ukrainian government said on Saturday that all elderly people, women, and children have been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol after a week-long operation carried out by the United Nations and the Red Cross. Thousands of Ukrainians, civilians and soldiers included, have been holed up at the plant following a major assault on Mariupol by Russia. [BBC]
On Sunday, during a television address to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Russia should not be allowed to dictate the terms of a peace deal that ends Ukraine’s invasion. “The Ukrainians will not accept that, and neither will we,” said Scholz. He also defended his decision to send lethal military aid to Ukraine and reassured Germans that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would not become a direct party to the ongoing war. [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The death toll from an explosion at the five-star Hotel Saratoga in Havana, Cuba on Friday has now risen to 31, with 54 people injured. The cause of the explosion is still being investigated but is believed to be a gas leak. [Associated Press]
Chile’s constitutional assembly rejected a contentious proposal that sought to give the state exclusive mining rights over lithium, hydrocarbons, and rare earth metals, as well as majority ownership of copper mines. The proposed changes met extreme opposition from the mining industry and required a two-thirds majority in the 155-seat parliament, but only received 66 votes in favour. The article will now be renegotiated in the Environmental Commission before facing a second vote. The assembly did, however, pass articles that increased water and land rights for Indigenous communities.[Reuters]
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva formally announced his candidacy for the presidential election in October, when he will face off against incumbent leader Jair Bolsonaro. The 76-year-old Leftist leader has called on citizens to unite behind him to defeat the “totalitarian threat” of the current administration. Lula is one of the most popular former leaders and presided over an economic boom that lifted around 30 million people out of poverty. [Al Jazeera]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
The Egyptian military on Saturday said that 11 soldiers were killed and five others injured in an attack by Islamic State-affiliated militants in the north. According to Al Arabiya, the attack was the heaviest loss suffered by the army in years, which has been fighting an ISIS-led insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi mourned the victims and vowed to “uproot terrorism” from the region. Last week, ISIS militants blew up a natural gas pipeline in the Sinai, which caused a major fire in the area. [Al Arabiya, Times of Israel]
Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said on Friday that the government plans to construct 4,000 settler homes in the West Bank. If approved, the move would be the biggest settlement plan since United States (US) President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. [Associated Press]
North America
During a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv over the weekend, Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau said that it is clear now that Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for “heinous war crimes” and called for Russia to be held “accountable.” Trudeau met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and announced further military assistance and funding for Ukraine as it continues to ear with Russia. [Global News]
The United States (US) Department of the Treasury has announced fresh sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. They target prominent entities and people, including board members on two of the country’s most important banks, a state-supported weapons manufacturer, and state-controlled television stations. “Today we are further constricting Russia’s economy and access to services and technology it needs to conduct this unprovoked invasion,” Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said. [VOA]
Oceania
In a speech to the Australia India Chamber of Commerce, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment Dan Tehan said the Free Trade Agreement with India underscored the importance of liberal democracies working together to tackle the “very, very different” geostrategic environment in the Indo-Pacific. Tehan further emphasised the need to integrate the two economies. [Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Australia]
On Friday, the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne met with her counterpart from the Solomon Islands, Jeremiah Manele, for the first time since the Islands signed a security pact with China last month. Following her meeting, Payne reiterated Australia’s respect for Solomon Islands’ “sovereign decision making” and welcomed assurances from Islands’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare that the country would not be used for a foreign military base. [ABC News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The World Health Organization has confirmed a third death from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first case of the current outbreak was reported on April 23. With 13 previous outbreaks of Ebola, the country has begun vaccinating the population and has so far inoculated over 350 people. [Reuters]
Ahead of presidential elections in 2026, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s son, Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Commander of Land Forces in the Uganda People’s Defence Force, has emerged as the most likely successor. While some have interpreted this as the best hope for a peaceful transfer of power from a leader who has been in power since 1986, others have voiced their opposition to dynastic rule. Moreover, Ugandan law prohibits serving officers from engaging in political affairs. [Associated Press]