South Asia
On Tuesday, the Taliban released two American prisoners from Afghan prisons. United States State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the release was a “goodwill gesture” and not a prisoner exchange. One of the released prisoners, Ivor Shearer, was arrested in August for filming using a drone in Kabul. The other prisoner’s identity has been hidden at the family’s request. [New York Times]
On Tuesday, the Pakistani federal government said it will approach provinces with a proposal to close all markets and restaurants to close by 8 pm to conserve energy. Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, who said the decision could be implemented by Thursday, claimed the policy could help Pakistan save $273 million per year. He urged employers to allow workers to work from home on a rotational basis to curb energy consumption. [Dunya News]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
On Tuesday, dozens of relatives of 26 Kyrgyz opposition politicians and activists who were arrested in October for opposing a border deal with Uzbekistan rallied in Bishkek, demanding that Kyrgyz authorities immediately release them. They also insisted on meeting with President Sadyr Japarov. In November, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement to jointly manage the disputed Andijan/Kempir-Abad water reservoir near their border. [RFE/RL]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday called on Georgia to transfer jailed former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to a clinic outside the country in order to “save his life.” Saakashvili, who has been in jail since last October on corruption charges, has claimed that he is innocent, accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of persecuting him. He has held two separate hunger strikes while in prison and is being treated at a Georgian clinic where his health has reportedly deteriorated. [The Kyiv Independent]
East and Southeast Asia
China plans to introduce new rules to regulate environmentally friendly funds in an effort to curb “greenwashing,” which refers to a process whereby funds make dubious sustainability claims to increase investment. China is the world’s second-largest climate fund market; fund managers in the country have the ability to declare the fund’s sustainability without regulation. [Reuters]
Chinese President Xi Jinping told his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a phone call on Tuesday that Beijing and Berlin “have always been partners of dialogue, development and cooperation.” He said China is ready to work with Germany to solve global challenges like climate change, the food and energy crises, and the COVID-19-induced global economic downturn. [Xinhua]
Europe
On Wednesday, ambulance workers in England and Wales will join 10,000 National Health Service (NHS) nurses in their second strike this week. Healthcare workers are demanding a 19% pay rise, which is 5% over the 14% inflation rate. The government has already given them a 4% hike this year, but the workers have said this is inadequate to cope with the spiralling cost of living crisis. [BBC]
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the House of Commons on Tuesday that while the Russia-Ukraine conflict was the “number one foreign policy challenge,” he is “increasingly concerned” about Iran. Just a day before, he said that the United Kingdom needs to “spend an increasing amount of time” to deter Iran from supplying military equipment to Russia. [Politico]
On Tuesday, a Russian court seized the $1 billion valued Imeretinskiy hotel and marina complex in Sochi owned by aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska after the Kremlin warned him to not publicly criticise Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In March, Deripaska said peace was needed “as soon as possible” and then in June emphasised that “destroying Ukraine would be a colossal mistake.” Though the lawsuit was filed before the Ukraine war began, it is believed that the court’s judgement was influenced by Deripaska’s comments. [The Moscow Times]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly on Monday announced sanctions against two former Haitian ministers, Berto Dorcé and Liszt Quitel, saying they are “enabling the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs, including through money laundering and other acts of corruption.” Dorcé is a former justice minister, while Quitel is a former justice minister and also a former interior minister. [Global Affairs Canada]
Peru has ordered Mexican Ambassador Pablo Monroy to leave the country within 72 hours in response to Mexico’s “interference in [Peru’s] internal affairs.” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has said he still views Pedro Castillo, who was impeached as president two weeks ago, as the legitimate leader of Peru, while Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has offered asylum to Castillo’s family. [CNN]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
A Tunisian judge on Tuesday ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, also the Vice President of the Islamist Ennahda party, on terrorism charges. Tunisian authorities accuse Larayedh and other Ennahda members of allegedly sending jihadists to fight in Syria between 2013 and 2014. The Ennahda party retorted that the move was meant to cover the “abject failure” of President Kais Saied. [Middle East Eye]
Ousted Sudanese dictator Omar Al Bashir on Tuesday took “full responsibility” for launching the 1989 military coup that led to his 30-year presidency. He was ousted by the military in 2019 following a popular uprising and has since been in prison on corruption charges. Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes and genocide in Darfur. [Associated Press]
North America
According to unnamed American officials, the United States (US) is planning to provide an additional $1.8 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles and precision-guided bombs. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is slated to meet with his US counterpart Joe Biden and Congress members on Wednesday in his first overseas trip since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February. Congress is also slated to approve another $44.9 billion in aid to Ukraine over the next year. [Associated Press]
Following the United States’ (US) request for consultations on Canada’s dairy tariff rate quota policies under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) again, Canadian Minister of International Trade Mary Ng on Tuesday affirmed that the terms negotiated under CUSMA “are being respected and upheld.” “Dispute settlement panels have confirmed that our supply management system is in line with our international trade obligations,” she remarked. [Global Affairs Canada]
Oceania
Sitiveni Ravuka has been elected as Fiji’s new prime minister after opposition parties reached a deal to form a coalition government. He replaces Frank Bainimarama, who ruled the island for 16 years. Ravuka has promised to introduce a “more caring and compassionate” government after over a decade of authoritarian leadership. [AFP]
Australian Foreign Minister (FM) Penny Wong arrived in China on Tuesday to meet her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to “discuss many of the issues that are important to us.” She is the first Australian FM to visit China in four years and is seeking to end China’s trade restrictions and advocate for releasing two detained Australian citizens. [Associated Press]
Sub-Saharan Africa
On Monday, Islamic police in the northern Nigerian city of Kano arrested 19 people accused of attending a gay wedding. The Kano state is one of 12 northern states in the country to have introduced sharia law in 2000. In 2014, the country passed a nationwide law against same-sex marriage, with sentences ranging from 10 to 14 years. [Nigerian Tribune]
The Ghanaian government announced an “interim emergency measure” to suspend payments on the vast majority of the country's external debt, including Eurobonds, commercial loans, and most bilateral loans. Ghana has a debt of $55 billion, with a balance of payments deficit of over $3.4 billion. Furthermore, consumer inflation touched 50.3% last month, a 21-year high and up 10% from the previous month. The country’s national currency, the cedi, is down roughly 40% against the US dollar this year. Ghana’s debt also stands at over 100% of its GDP, and its debt service payments constitute 70-100% of government revenue. Against this backdrop, the government reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund last week on a $3 billion assistance package. [Al Jazeera]