South Asia
The Maldivian Health Ministry announced the end of its health emergency, including its mandatory mask policy, which was introduced in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has now launched a “national strategy and action plan” to reboot the country’s tourism industry. [The Hindu]
United States State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that there is “no indication” that India’s supersonic cruise missile launch into Pakistan was “anything other than an accident.” He added that New Delhi has already “precisely” explained what happened. [NDTV]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday to discuss the promotion of a “peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future for the South Caucasus.” Blinken urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to “show restraint and intensify diplomatic engagement” in light of recent reports of escalating tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh. [US Department of State]
Turkmenistan saw a voter turnout of 97% in the March 12 snap election, the Central Election Commission announced on Monday. Per reports, the election was “not considered to be free and fair” and was rigged in favour of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s son, Serdar. [bne Intellinews]
East and Southeast Asia
In a recent Bloomberg poll in which 28 investors and analysts were asked to pick a presidential candidate best fitted to lead the Philippines economy, Vice President Leni Robredo emerged as the top pick while Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., the highest-polling candidate, came in second to last. Robredo has promised to stomp out corruption and accelerate pandemic recovery. [The Straits Times]
Taiwan has grounded its entire fleet of Mirage-2000 fighter jets after one of the jets crashed off the coast of southeastern Taiwan on Monday. The pilot ejected safely and the air force is seeking to recover the wreckage to determine the cause of the failure, which is speculated to be a mechanical malfunction. [Focus Taiwan]
Europe
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met in Ankara on Monday to discuss the Ukraine crisis. Both leaders agreed that the conflict should be resolved through “diplomatic efforts” and that measures taken in this regard should be “sped up.” Erdoğan emphasised Turkey’s willingness to mediate a “lasting ceasefire” in Ukraine. They also discussed the differences in their national policies on the topic of human rights and the rule of law. [Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, DW]
Polish Minister of Development and Technology Piotr Nowak on Monday called for the removal of Russia from the G20, an intergovernmental platform comprising the world’s largest economies. Nowak stressed that Russia’s aggressive actions towards Ukraine demands its ouster from the group. Nowak proposed Warsaw as Moscow’s likely replacement, citing the Polish economy’s high growth rate. [The Warsaw Voice]
Under its newly launched “Homes for Ukraine” scheme, the United Kingdom will now pay £350 ($456) per month to individuals or organisations that house Ukrainian refugees amid Russia’s ongoing offensive. The British government called on citizens to “join the national effort” to support their “Ukrainian friends.” [Al Jazeera]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Monday, lawmakers in Peru’s opposition-led Congress voted 76-41 to approve a motion to debate the impeachment of President Pedro Castillo. They will now need a two-thirds majority, or 87 votes, to successfully impeach him. The opposition claims that he is morally unfit to serve as president due to allegations of corruption. Castillo’s approval rating stands at a dismal 30% and he has already run through four separate cabinets, despite only coming into power last July. [Al Jazeera]
Results from Sunday’s presidential primaries in Colombia have revealed that voters have veered left, with left-wing coalition Historical Pact securing 5.4 million votes, with 80%going to Senator Gustavo Petro alone. On the other hand, the primary of right-wing coalition Team Colombia only attracted 3.9 million voters and was won by former Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez. Meanwhile, the centrist coalition of Hope Coalition received two million voters and its primary was won by Sergio Fajardo, who also ran in the 2018 election. The three candidates will compete in the May 29 election along with other candidates from smaller parties. If none of them receives a majority, a runoff ballot will be held in June. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Somaliland President Muse Bihi travelled to Washington DC at the invitation of American think tank Heritage Foundation to deliver a keynote address. Somaliland is a de facto state that the vast majority of the international community consider to be a part of Somalia. In this respect, Bihi’s visit has generated doubt about the United States’ support for Somalia, where it has been ramping up its counterterrorism operations in recent weeks. [The East African]
Iran said on Monday that its security forces prevented a sabotage of its Fordow nuclear plant by an Israeli network. According to Iran’s state TV, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) agents arrested several members of the network. [Reuters]
North America
On Monday, American Bridge, a Democratic super PAC (Politician Action Committee), announced that it is officially lodging a complaint against former United States President Donald Trump for violating campaign finance laws by not declaring his 2024 presidential run. According to American Bridge, Trump’s Save America group raised millions in funding his ad campaigns and rallies, violating Federal Election Commission (FEC) laws that require presidential candidates to file with the Commission after spending on a campaign or receiving donations. [The Washington Post]
Despite escalating sanctions, Washington and Moscow are set to engage in a rare collaboration to bring back American and Russian astronauts from the International Space Station. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has affirmed that the return of American astronaut Mark Vande Hei in a Russian capsule will take place as scheduled despite the Russian Space Agency cancelling launches and terminating contracts over the situation in Ukraine. [ABC News]
Oceania
On Tuesday, New Zealand announced the ‘2022 Special Ukraine Policy’ to ramp up its humanitarian aid to the war-torn country. The government said, “It’s a two-year visa to help people escape the current conflict and to shelter here in the hope they can return home when the war ends.” The policy will be open for a year. It allows Ukrainian born New Zealand citizens and residents to sponsor members of their family residing in Ukraine.[Government of New Zealand]
On Monday, Australian Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama inaugurated the newly expanded Blackrock military camp. The new facility will primarily be used to train the Fijian military. The Australian government invested $100 million into redeveloping and expanding the facility after outbidding China to finance the project in 2018. Australian military personnel are due to travel to this travel facility next month for the first joint training exercise. [ABC News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The Nigerian government is attempting to re-integrate into society 559 ex-Boko Haram members who graduated from a military-run de-radicalisation programme. In fact, the initiative first entered into force back in 2016 and has thus far provided special training to 1,629 ex-members of the terrorist group in vocational skills, religious reorientation, and psychological support. [Africanews]
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is currently in a self-imposed exile in Belgium, plans to return to the country soon due to his confidence in the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The leader of the Chadema party previously survived an assassination attempt in 2017 under the presidency of John Magufuli, who was in power from 2015 until his death in 2021, at which point Vice President Hassan took over. She has taken a more conciliatory approach with opposition parties and politicians than her predecessor and in fact met with Lissu in Brussels last month. [The Citizen]