South Asia
The United Nations applauded Pakistan’s countrywide drive to issue smartcards to and register 700,000 Afghan refugees, including 200,000 children under the age of five. [UN News]
Nepal Airlines has suspended the use of six Chinese aircraft due to concerns over the quality of the equipment. The airline has repeatedly said that the sub-standard equipment requires a lot of maintenance and has resulted in heavy losses since their purchase in 2014. [Wion]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Violent protests that erupted on January 2 in Kazakhstan over the government’s decision to increase LNG prices continued for a third straight day. The police fired stun grenades as hundreds of protesters stormed the mayor’s office in Almaty. According to RFE/RL, explosions could be heard near the mayor’s office. The government also cut internet access and closed main streets to the public. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev warned protesters not to attack government buildings and called for an end to the demonstrations. “The government will not fall, but we want mutual trust and dialogue rather than conflict,” he added. [RFE/RL]
Fighting erupted between Turkmen border guards and the Taliban on Tuesday along the Afghan border. The exact cause of the skirmish has not been determined and both sides are yet to make any statement about the incident. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Fu Cong, the director-general of China’s Department of Arms Control in its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, refuted allegations by the United States that China is greatly expanding its nuclear arsenal. He said, “China has always adopted a no-first-use policy and we maintain our nuclear capabilities at the minimal level required for our national security.” [South China Morning Post]
North Korea reportedly fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters on Wednesday, according to the Japanese and South Korean militaries. In recent months, Pyongyang has tested several newly developed anti-aircraft missiles, including hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles with nuclear capabilities. The latest launch comes after Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un said last week that he would further expand the embattled country’s military capabilities. [Politico]
Europe
On Tuesday, the French government vowed to take action against femicide after three women were found dead in different parts of the country on New Year’s eve. The killings, suspected to be cases of domestic violence, sparked public outrage, with feminist campaigners accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of failing to protect women. In 2021, 113 women were killed either by their male partners or ex-partners. [DW]
On Tuesday, news about the arrest of Ukrainian theatre director Eugene Lavrenchuk in December 2021 was made public. Lavrenchuk was arrested in Italy on a ‘Red Notice’ issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) at the request of the Russian government. Details about the notice are not yet public. Lavrenchuk’s case draws attention to Russia which, in the past, has been accused of using Interpol’s notices for political or religious persecution purposes. [Kyiv Post]
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues to resist calls to impose restrictions, despite the United Kingdom reporting over 200,000 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. Speaking at a press briefing, he said that while the NHS could be “temporarily overwhelmed,” he remains hopeful that the country will “ride out” the Omicron-induced wave. [BBC]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Tuesday, the United States (US) Department of Justice charged Mario Palacios, a former Colombian military officer for his alleged involvement in the July 7 assassination of then-Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Palacios was detained in Jamaica back in October and was being deported to Colombia. However, during a layover in Panama, he was notified that he was being extradited to the US instead. He was part of a five-man group known as the “Delta Team” that entered Moïse’s bedroom and gunned him down; the other four members are in Haitian custody. In total, it is thought that 20 other Colombian nationals and a group of Haitian-Americans were also involved. He has been charged with “conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the US” and “providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap.” Former Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph called on US authorities to extradite him to Haiti. [Al Jazeera]
Over course of the last week, wildfires have burned down 302,451 hectares of forest cover in Argentina, 20,000 hectares in Uruguay, and 11,000 hectares in Chile. Argentina’s Environment Ministry has now claimed that 95% of these wildfires are due to “human negligence.” [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
19 Muslims from Turkey’s Uyghur community filed a criminal complaint with a Turkish prosecutor on Tuesday against Chinese officials, accusing them of committing genocide, torture, rape, and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang. [Al Jazeera]
The Lebanese pound hit a new low of 30,000 against the United States Dollar (USD) on Tuesday. The pound has thus far depreciated by almost 20 times its value since the economic crisis began in 2019. [Associated Press]
North America
For the second day in a row, United States (US) military forces blocked an explosive-laden drone attack. The attack on Monday came on the second anniversary of the death of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad. In fact, the drones had “Soleimani’s Revenge” painted on their wings. [The Voice of America]
On Monday, Sokhary Chau was sworn in as the mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts, making him the first Cambodian American mayor in the United States (US). Chau is a refugee who survived the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. After being officially sworn in, Chau said, “God bless America, right? I was a refugee, now I’m mayor of a major city in Massachusetts.” The city of Lowell is home to the country’s second-largest Cambodian community [NPR]
Oceania
Australia and Japan are set to sign a historic treaty to boost cooperation between their defence forces, particularly regarding clean energy and emerging technologies. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will sign the agreement at a virtual summit on Thursday. Morrison said, “This treaty will be a statement of our two nations’ commitment to work together in meeting the shared strategic security challenges we face and to contribute to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific.” [The New Daily]
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet on Wednesday admitted that the state’s health system is under significant pressure after recording 35,054 new COVID-19 infections and eight deaths. He warned residents to prepare for a further increase in cases and hospitalisations and urged them to get booster shots. [ABC News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
South Africa on Tuesday reported that 8,078 new COVID-19 infections had been recorded over the last 24 hours, including 139 people, meaning that 91,400 South Africans have now died from the virus. [eNCA]
Kenyan citizens are still barred or severely restricted from travelling to 40 countries across the globe, although this number is down from 43 last October and 54 last July. This has greatly impacted Kenya's economy and business environment, given that the country is a net importer and thus relies heavily on travelling to conduct business. [The East African]