South Asia
On Tuesday, Pakistani officials arrested a suspect in the suicide bombing outside the University of Karachi in April that caused four deaths, including three Chinese nationals. The Pakistani government has been facing pressure from China to expedite the investigation and take measures to protect Chinese nationals and projects in Pakistan. [SCMP]
Pakistan’s Parliamentary Committee on National Security gave the government formal permission to conduct negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or the Pakistani Taliban. The Committee also formed a mechanism to regulate the discussions and ensure their compliance with constitutional principles. [Geo.Tv]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Five missiles were fired from Afghanistan at the Uzbek city of Termez on Tuesday, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said. The Ministry noted that while there were no casualties, infrastructure in the area was severely damaged, including homes. It is not clear who fired the missiles. Unverified reports claimed that Uzbek warplanes took off to identify the location of the missile launches. [RFE/RL]
A Tajik court sentenced Muyassar Sadonshoev, a poet from the Gorno-Badakshan region, to 11 years in jail for “collaborating” with banned activist group Commission 44. Sadonshoev was accused of committing treason against the state for filming Commission 44’s activities and posting them on social media. The group is believed to be behind the mass protests in the Gorno-Badakshan region in May after security forces led a crackdown against “terrorists.” [Fergana News]
East and Southeast Asia
Taiwan reaffirmed its right over the Diaoyutai Islands on Tuesday, after Japan, which administers the islets located in the East China Sea, accused the Chinese and Russian navies of deploying its military vessels to waters near the disputed territory. “It is an indisputable fact that the Diaoyutai Islands are an inherent part of the territory of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Any unilateral action taken by other parties will not change the fact,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Joanne Ou said. [Taipei Times]
The Chinese megacity of Shanghai has suspended the operations of karaoke venues around the city, after an outbreak was traced to one such location. Meanwhile, other recently opened venues of public conveniences, such as libraries, will stay open. The city eased its repressive zero-COVID policy only last month, after China reported the lowest new cases in three months. [The Star]
Europe
The British government reached an agreement with South Korea for the exchange of personal data to bolster digital trade. This is the first such agreement the United Kingdom has signed since its exit from the European Union, which gave it control over its own data policy. The British government is seeking to secure such agreements with 10 countries including Australia, India, and the United States. [Politico]
The European Parliament has adopted the Digital Services Act, which seeks to improve consumer protection and the regulation of online platforms. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the law will be the “digital regulator for the biggest platforms.” [Al Jazeera]
While speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he believes Ukraine can “retake territory recently captured by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s forces.” As per a Downing Street spokeswoman, Johnson assured Zelensky that the United Kingdom (UK) “stood ready to help in any way possible” in order to export Ukrainian grain. The UK is also supplying Ukraine with more military aid, including ten self-propelled artillery systems. [The Independent]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Tuesday, two American companies–Gramercy Funds Management and Atmos Global Energy–joined hands with the Caracas-based Inelectra Group to pursue oil and gas exploration and production projects in Venezuela. Gramercy’s Head of Public Credit & Alternatives, Matt Maloney, said these efforts will be “beneficial to US interests in the region and the US economy by lowering fuel prices for American consumers,” adding that any business is subject to approval by the two governments. American companies have been barred from pursuing projects with Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA since 2018 under the Trump-era sanctions regime. [Reuters]
On Tuesday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Honduras urged the authorities to “conduct a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation” into the death of six members of the Barrio 18 gang in the El Pozo prison. The inmates were allegedly “punished” by the gang for their sexual orientation, as gang rules stipulate that homosexuality is punishable by death. The OHCHR expressed concerns over the “hypothesis of a crime due to prejudice based on the sexual orientation of individuals” and called on the state to protect the life and integrity of prisoners. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Tuesday that his country reached a deal with Sudan to “peacefully” settle their border dispute during a meeting with Sudanese leader Gen. Abdel Fattah El Burhan in Nairobi, Kenya. “We both made a commitment for dialogue and peaceful resolution to outstanding issues,” Abiy said. His comments came a week after Sudan launched a military attack on Ethiopian forces stationed in the disputed Al Fashaqa region following Ethiopia’s alleged execution of eight Sudanese civilians. [Al Jazeera]
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas met with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Algeria on Tuesday, the first time in 15 years that the leaders of the two groups have met. Their meeting was facilitated by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The meeting comes at a time when speculation is rife about a possible unified Palestinian government. The PA and Hamas split violently in 2007 following a coup by the Gazan group that ousted the PA’s Fatah party from the coastal enclave. [Haaretz]
North America
On Tuesday, the United States (US) Department of State announced that Secretary Antony Blinken will conduct a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at the upcoming G20 Foreign Ministers’ Summit in Bali, Indonesia later this week. This comes against the backdrop of Chinese Vice Premier Liu He expressing concern over the US’ additional tariffs on Chinese imports in a virtual meeting with US Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen early Tuesday. Blinken will not hold any talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 summit, with White House officials saying there cannot be “business as usual” with the Ukraine war going on. [AP News]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Canada was the first country to ratify Sweden and Finland’s accession protocols to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which brings the two countries “a step closer to full membership.” “As a founding member of NATO, Canada remains a champion of NATO’s Open Door Policy for any European country in a position to advance the commitments and obligations of membership, such as protecting democracy, and contributing to the collective defence of the Alliance,” Trudeau said in a statement. [Prime Minister of Canada]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese said that Sydney’s floods were a sign that the world needs to urgently act on climate change. “We need to show leadership and encourage that action. That is one of the reasons why my government is taking climate change seriously and engaging with the world to ensure that global action steps up,” said Albanese. More than 85,000 of the city’s residents have been warned to prepare for evacuation as the city faces a fifth day of rain. [The Straits Times]
New Zealand’s Associate Foreign Minister, Aupito William Sio, will visit Suva, Fiji this week to participate in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, said that the PIF is “at the heart” of Auckland’s engagement with the region. “It is the pre-eminent institutional structure for addressing Pacific priorities,” she said. According to the New Zealand government, the forum will focus on “regional responses to broader security challenges, including maritime surveillance and illegal fishing, support for economic resilience, managing the COVID-19 pandemic, and responding to natural disasters and emergencies.” [Beehive]
Sub-Saharan Africa
In an interview with Radio France Internationale on Tuesday, Operation Barkhane commander General Laurent Michon revealed that the French troops had already vacated their bases in Gossi and Menaka in central Mali and are currently disengaging from a camp in Gao, with less than 2,000 soldiers left in the African country now. He said that the forces and equipment have now been stationed in Niger, adding that future operations will be “determined more strictly by requests from the African countries, and will take the form of ‘in support of’ and not ‘in replacement for.’” [Africanews]
The European Union has committed to providing Nigeria with $1.3billion in financial support until 2027 under its “Green Deal” initiative to help the country diversify its economy away from the oil sector. The European Investment Bank will invest in 57 projects, including the agri-food sector, building rural roads, renewable energy, climate adaptation and mitigation efforts, and waste-to-energy initiatives. The funding is expected to diversify Nigeria’s exports, wherein oil presently accounts for 90% of its foreign exchange earnings. [Vanguard News]