South Asia
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi rejected the Pakistani National Assembly’s “farcical” resolution criticising India’s delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the delimitation of electoral constituencies was a “democratic exercise” that was conducted following “extensive stakeholder consultation and participation.” He stressed that Pakistan has no grounds to “interfere” in India’s internal affairs and lamented that it is doing so “instead of putting [its] own house in order.” [Indian Ministry of External Affairs]
Following a meeting between Japanese Ambassador to Afghanistan Takashi Okada and Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Afghan foreign ministry claimed that the Japanese official had said that the “security situation” in the country is “better than even before.” A press release said that Japan would not link the political situation in Afghanistan to “humanitarian, development, and other cooperation.” [MFA Afghanistan]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Iran has inaugurated a factory to manufacture a new military drone, Ababil 2, in Tajikistan, its first overseas military production. The site, located in Dushanbe, was opened as part of an agreement to increase defence cooperation, especially since both sides view the Taliban’s takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan as a threat to their security. [Associated Press]
Over 400 people were detained in Yerevan on Tuesday by the Armenian police after protesters blocked streets as part of a mass civil disobedience campaign that began on May 1. Protesters continue to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over reports that he agreed to recognise Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over the entire Nagorno-Karabakh region. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Hundreds of smallholder Indonesian farmers protested in Jakarta on Tuesday demanding that the government revoke a palm oil export ban that has impacted their income. In a statement, farmers’ group APKASINDO said that since the ban was introduced, the price of palm fruit had dropped 70% below the floor price set by local authorities. APKASINDO estimates that at least 25% of palm oil mills have stopped buying palm fruit from independent farmers since the ban was put in place, as they are not protected by the floor price. [South China Morning Post]
Investigators looking into the crash of China Eastern Airlines’ Boeing 737-800’s jet back in March found no evidence of a technical malfunction. Citing people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that flight data from one of the black boxes indicated that someone in the cockpit intentionally crashed the plane. Boeing Co, as well as the US National Transportation Safety Board, have declined to comment on the speculation. 132 people were killed in the crash. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
The British Metropolitan Police reported that an unnamed British Conservative Member of Parliament was arrested over rape and sexual assault incidents between 2002 to 2009. The Conservative Whips Office said that the legislator was asked not to attend sessions in the Parliament while the investigation was pending. [BBC]
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell vowed to defend Finland and Sweden in case of a Russian attack and welcomed the countries’ decision to apply for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) membership. Earlier this week, the two Nordic countries confirmed their plans to join NATO despite Russia’s threat of political and military consequences. [Euronews]
Greece will grant the United States military continued access to three bases on its mainland, along with the long-standing naval presence on the island of Crete. Additionally, Athens will be extending its bilateral military agreement with Washington for the next five years to make the region stable in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. US Ambassador George Tsunis, who met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis last week, tweeted, “We discussed how the U.S. and Greece can work together to strengthen our remarkable […] alliance promoting security and prosperity, building on our fantastic momentum.” The agreement will be ratified by the Parliament on Thursday. [Greek City Times]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The Dominican Republic’s justice ministry has alleged a corruption fraud worth $81.8 million in the Coral and Coral 5G case involving 30 people and 18 companies. The report names 4 active Dominican Generals—Adán Benoni Cáceres, Juan Carlos Torres Robiu, Julio Camilo de los Santos Viola, and Rafael Núñez de Aza—as the leaders behind the corruption network. [Dominican Today]
In an address to the Jamaican parliament during his four-day visit to the country, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind expressed interest in expanding bilateral collaboration in the education, business, sports, and tourism sectors. He said that India soon plans to establish new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) abroad and expressed joy that “Jamaica is one of the first countries to express interest in hosting an IIT.” He added that there exists a “great potential for partnering in the railway and agriculture sectors.” Furthermore, he pointed to the ongoing successful cooperation between the two nations under the International Solar Alliance and said that India shares Jamaica’s Vision 2030 goals. [Jamaica Observer]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Israeli diplomat Ben Bourgel presented his credentials as ambassador to Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby on Tuesday. This marked the first time in 50 years that an Israeli envoy presented credentials to the President of Chad. “This marks an important benchmark in the deepening of the relations between Chad and Israel since their resumption in 2019,” the Israeli embassy in Senegal tweeted. Israel and Chad severed diplomatic ties in 1972 over the Palestine conflict and only renewed relations in 2019. [Times of Israel]
United Nations special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said on Tuesday that with only two weeks left in a two-month ceasefire reached between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, talks are underway between the conflicting parties to extend the fragile truce. [Associated Press]
North America
On Tuesday, the Pentagon rejected claims that the United States military violated the laws of war or intentionally killed civilians while being attacked by the Islamic State (IS) near the town of Baghuz in eastern Syria in 2019. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that he was “disappointed” at the errors committed during the aftermath of the attack and the subsequent enquiry, since no action was taken against anyone, including the ground commander, for the strike that killed 52 IS militants and four civilians; it also injured 11 women and four children. [France24]
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the United States Dairy Export Council (USDEC) called on the United States government to retaliate against Canada for refusing to make any changes to its dairy tariff-rate quotas. “Canada simply refuses to institute real reform, and such actions must have consequences,” said Krysta Harden, the president and CEO of the USDEC. On Monday, Global Affairs Canada announced new amendments to its allocation policies under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which included the elimination of all allocation holder pools for all dairy TRQs in CUSMA while deeming distributors eligible for industrial cheese. [National Post]
Oceania
On Wednesday, Australia announced further sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine invasion and against Belarus for aiding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s propaganda and disinformation campaign. Canberra also imposed financial sanctions against entities linked to the Russian intelligence service, private military company Wagner Group, and two Belarusian defence entities. [Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs]
An election poll on Wednesday revealed a tough fight between Australia’s ruling coalition and the opposition Labour party, with the coalition closing the gap three days ahead of the federal election. Labour’s lead over the National Coalition reduced to 2% from 8% just two weeks ago. Incumbent Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the results “really encouraging.” [RNZ]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The death toll from a blast near a primary school in Nigeria’s Sabon Gari area in the northern city of Kano has risen to nine. While Kano’s Police Commissioner, Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, has attributed its cause to a “gas explosion,” eyewitnesses allege it was caused by a suicide bomber, fuelling allegations of a cover up. Videos circulating on social media on Tuesday showed school children in bloodied uniforms but Kano’s Information Commissioner, Mohammed Garba, has said that “no building of the school was affected.” Human rights activists have suggested that there hasn’t been enough time to carry out an in-depth analysis to ascertain the cause of the explosion. [CNN]
Seven African nations have been included in a list of the top ten countries affected by pollution-related deaths, according to a study by a team of scientists published in Lancet Planetary Health. The report suggests that environmental contamination has caused nine million deaths worldwide since 2015, with Africa being the hardest hit. While deaths from traditional pollutants like water and indoor air are declining globally, they continue to cause deaths in countries like Chad, Niger, and the Central African Republic. Fatalities attributable to modern pollutants like fossil fuel emissions, agrochemicals, and heavy metals also remain high in developing countries. [Reuters]