Outlining the new regional connectivity and trade in the West Asian region, Israeli Foreign Minister (FM) Eli Cohen said that Indian goods will be transported to the Israeli port of Haifa by Arab trains in the future. Calling India, Israel, and the Gulf countries a “Gate from the East to the West”, Cohen urged expediting the Free Trade Agreement process between New Delhi and Tel Aviv. The Israeli FM spoke at the India-Israel Business Forum organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on his maiden visit to India, cut short due to the escalation of the security situation in Gaza.
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka cleared a bill seeking to decriminalise homosexuality in the country, saying it was not inconsistent with the Constitution. The determination came as a recent case challenged a Private Member’s Bill by a ruling party legislator seeking to amend the Sri Lankan penal code to decriminalise homosexuality. The country’s apex court also referred to the landmark Navtej Johar v. Union of India case, decriminalising homosexuality in India by striking down Section 377. The next step would be to pass the bill in the Sri Lankan Parliament. An attempt to amend the law in Sri Lanka was made in 1995 but was unsuccessful.
Japan is working on opening a NATO liaison office in Tokyo next year, enabling it to hold discussions with the security alliance’s partners, such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
South Korea and Japan are set to reach an agreement early next month, allowing them to link their radars via a US system and share real-time information on North Korea’s ballistic missile launches.
Two civilians and two security personnel were killed in a gun attack outside a synagogue in Tunisia on Tuesday. The incident occurred as hundreds of worshippers gathered to participate in the yearly pilgrimage at the Ghriba synagogue, which was previously targeted by a suicide bomber in 2002.
The French Parliament voted on Tuesday to designate Russia’s Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation and demanded the same from the EU. The Russian entity has already been subject to several sanctions by the EU.
Former US President Donald Trump was ordered by a jury on Tuesday to pay $5 million in damages for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and defaming her as a liar. Trump, who was absent during the trial, called the verdict a “disgrace,” and plans to appeal it as he campaigns for the 2024 presidential election.
Representatives of the participants of the Core Group on options for the establishment of a tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine issued a joint statement on Tuesday, holding Russia accountable and declaring unwavering support for global peace, security, and democracy. In the statement, the leaders of 37 nations strongly denounced all the crimes and atrocities committed by Russian troops and officials on Ukrainian territory, including assaults on civilians, conflict-related sexual assault and other war crimes. The statement added that an appropriate legal system should be established to ensure effective responsibility for the crime of aggression, which concerns the entire global community.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared that he sees no immediate possibility of establishing a comprehensive ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war since both sides believe they can win. “At the moment, I do not see any possibility of achieving immediately - we are not talking about the future - a comprehensive ceasefire, a peace negotiation,” he said. Guterres indicated that the UN was instead concentrating on negotiations with Russia and Ukraine to resolve fundamental issues, such as extending the Black Sea grain deal, which is slated to expire on 18 May.
Saudi Arabia and Syria are set to reopen their diplomatic missions 11 years after Riyadh ended ties with Damascus due to the brutal civil war. The move comes as Arab League countries agreed to reinstate Syria into the bloc, a decision seen as an attempt to completely normalise ties between Arab countries and the regime of Bashar Al Assad.