South Asia
Taliban officials confirmed that the United States assured during a meeting in Doha this month that it will not fund any non-state armed elements opposing the group’s reign. Western countries have in the past supported Tajik armed groups such as the National Resistance Front. [Al Jazeera]
Pakistan’s ruling coalition rejected Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s calls for early elections and condemned the opposition’s accusations of corruption against the ruling government and the military. Khan recently announced a new march to Islamabad to demand fresh elections. [Associated Press Pakistan]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Kyrgyz Security Council secretary Marat Imankulov said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to provide Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with Soviet-era maps to help resolve their border dispute. Imankulov said Putin had agreed to give the maps during the trilateral meeting between Putin, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Astana last week. Kyrgyz and Tajik border forces engage in frequent skirmishes along the undemarcated parts of their 970-kilometre-long border. Last month, clashes along the border killed 63 Kyrgyz and 81 Tajik citizens. [RFE/RL]
The European Union (EU) Council said on Monday that the foreign ministers of 27 EU countries gave the green light to set up a civilian mission in Nagorno-Karabakh in order to monitor the situation along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. “The Council today decided to deploy up to 40 EU monitoring experts along the Armenian side of the international border with Azerbaijan with the objective of monitoring, analysing and reporting on the situation in the region,” it said. [TASS]
East and Southeast Asia
Taiwanese Vice Foreign Minister Alexander Tah-ray Yui said on Monday that the self-governing island “will not accept any unilateral decision set by China.” “Taiwan is a sovereign country and is not part of the authoritarian Communist Party or (the) People’s Republic of China. If there is reciprocal and peaceful dialogue, the will and public opinion of the Taiwanese must also be respected,” he said. [Taiwan News]
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday that the European Union (EU) and China are “partners, not rivals,” and that they enjoy “close economic connectivity and strong complementarity.” He underscored that cooperation is “far greater than competition.” [Global Times]
Europe
On Monday, a Russian Su-34 fighter jet crashed into a residential building in the southern city of Yeysk in the Krasnodar region during a training exercise, killing 13, including three children, and leaving 19 injured. According to the Emergencies Ministry, about 68 people were rescued and more than 360 were evacuated. [TASS]
The United Nations Human Rights Council said it is “deeply distressed” over the report of 92 migrants found at the Greek-Turkish land border who were stripped of their clothes. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, criticised the Greek government’s decision to publish images of the immigrants, saying it showed their lack of respect for the “oppressed people’s” dignity. [Euronews]
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz extended the lifespan of three nuclear power plants from 31 December to 15 April over the energy shortages caused by Russia’s decision to block gas supplies to the European Union. Scholz’s announcement brings an end to weeks of heated discussions within the coalition government. [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
United Nations data shows that over seven million Venezuelans have left their country since 2015 due to a deepening economic, political and economic crisis that has seen inflation, corruption, crime, and food and medicinal shortages soar. Worryingly, around 80% of these migrants have sought refuge in neighbouring Latin American and Caribbean nations, many of which already struggle to provide for their own citizens. [BBC]
The United States (US) and Mexico are gearing up to introduce a United Nations (UN) resolution to answer the Haitian government’s “distress call” with an international mission to address the spiralling security situation in the country. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield noted that it would be a “non-UN” mission and could be empowered to use military force if necessary. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
United States (US) Department of State deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Monday that Iran’s supply of suicide drones to Russia violates United Nations Security Council resolution 2231, which prevents Tehran from making arms transfers. The US and Ukraine have accused Iran of transferring combat drones to Russia, which has used them to deadly effect in several Ukrainian regions, including the capital Kyiv. [Reuters, US State Department]
The European Union has followed the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada in imposing sanctions on Iran’s morality police over their role in the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in custody last month after she was arrested for not modestly wearing the hijab. Her death sparked nationwide anti-regime protests, which have continued for over a month. At least 215 protesters have died so far. [Associated Press, Iran Human Rights]
North America
In a meeting with his Emirati counterpart Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings on Monday, United States (US) Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo raised concerns about Russia attempting to evade international sanctions and reiterated the importance of bilateral cooperation to counter money laundering and terror financing. The pair also discussed global macroeconomic trends, financial support for African countries, and the price cap on Russian oil exports. [US Department of Treasury]
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly on Monday announced additional sanctions against 34 Russians and one Russian entity that are complicit in the dissemination of Russian disinformation and propaganda. According to a press release, they “are responsible for spreading false narratives that serve as pretexts for the Russian regime’s unjustifiable war” against Ukraine. “As the number of Russian human rights abuses continues to increase, Canada is taking measures to counter the propaganda that attempts to excuse them. We see through the lies,” Joly remarked. [Global Affairs Canada]
Oceania
While visiting flood-affected areas in New South Wales on Monday, Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese said that the country is facing “dangerous times” from heavy rains that are destroying farms and infrastructure. “We are living in very dangerous times in the days and weeks ahead. Essentially, a single drop of rain has nowhere else to go except stay on the surface because of the flooding that has occurred over a period of time,” he told reporters. [The Straits Times]
During a meeting on Monday, Australian Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing Tim Ayres and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh agreed to strengthen cooperation in responding to challenges such as climate change and energy security. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese PM suggested that Australia increase imports of Vietnamese agricultural and fisheries products. [VN Express]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The Nigerian humanitarian affairs ministry confirmed on Monday that the death toll from ongoing floods has surpassed 600, with a further 1.3 million displaced across 33 of the country's 36 states. In addition, over 3,400 square kilometres of land have now become submerged, which gravely threatens food security in a nation that already regularly sees food production interrupted by violence. [Al Jazeera]
Media groups and rights activists in Uganda on Monday officially filed a challenge in the constitutional court against a new internet law that they say is designed to suppress free speech and dissent. International rights groups like Amnesty International have also called on the Museveni government to repeal the “draconian” Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act, which could intensify the crackdown against journalists, lawyers, opposition politicians and supporters, and activists. [AFP]