South Asia
The Maldivian Parliamentary Committee on National Security Services launched an investigation into the opposition-led India Out movement that aims to push for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel and assets from the island nation. The Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed said that the inquiry would look into the impact of the movement on Maldives’ diplomatic relations. [The Maldives Journal]
The United States (US) State Department on Monday announced a $10 million reward for any information on Sanaullah Ghafari, the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria-Khorasan (ISIS-K) in Afghanistan, over the Kabul airport bombing last year. The incident had been orchestrated as the US was seeking to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and resulted in the death of 170 Afghan civilians and 13 American personnel. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Eight Armenian soldiers, who were captured by Azerbaijani forces during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, arrived in Yerevan on Monday after being freed by Azerbaijan. [RFE/RL]
Hundreds of protesters rallied for the sixth day in Kazakhstan’s Zhanaozen town on Monday to demand jobs after the government made promises of economic reforms following last month’s deadly unrest. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Taiwan announced on Tuesday that it would relax a ban on Japanese food imports that was put in place following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Taiwan’s ban had stayed intact despite repeated complaints from Japan, which insists the food is now safe. [Channel News Asia]
The Philippines officially kicked off its three-month campaign season on Tuesday, ahead of the May 9 general elections. Marcos Jr., who is currently leading the polls, seems to be the favourite to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte. [The Straits Times]
Europe
On Monday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited Ukraine for the second time in three weeks amid fears of a Russian invasion. Baerbock said Germany is willing to pay a high economic price for Ukraine’s peace and sovereignty. “The security of Ukraine is at stake,” Baerbock added. Germany and its allies have prepared a series of tough sanctions to be imposed on Moscow if the latter invades Ukraine. [DW]
British Defence Minister Ben Wallace said that the United Kingdom (UK) would send another 350 troops to Poland, which he added was a “strong signal” of the two countries’ growing partnership. Previously, the UK had deployed 100 troops to Poland to help it counter the threat posed by the influx of illegal migrants from the Belarusian border. [Reuters]
Poland’s ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), on Monday announced that it had accepted the resignation of Finance Minister Tadeusz Kościński who stepped down over the shortcomings and implementation problems regarding the government’s new tax regulations. PiS announced its flagship Polish Deal programme earlier this year — a progressive tax system that, according to PiS, benefits 80% of the Polish people. However, a majority of Polish taxpayers have expressed discontent over the programme. [The First News]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Last year, the United States placed former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández on a classified list of officials suspected of corruption and undermining democracy in Central America, the State Department said on Monday. [US Department of State]
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Monday called for greater efforts to conduct elections even as his political opponents are seeking the creation of a new transition government to address the problem of rising gang violence. Opponents argue that Henry no longer had any legitimacy as President Jovenel Moïse’s term ended on Monday. Moïse was assasinated in July 2021. [Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Former Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators made a proposal on Monday that calls for the establishment of a two-state confederation between Israel and Palestine. Under the plan, while both sides will have separate governments, they will also jointly cooperate in the fields of security, infrastructure and other issues affecting their populations. Most importantly, the plan calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, which would include the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. [Associated Press]
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with his Djiboutian counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh in Cairo on Monday to discuss bilateral and security ties and regional tensions, especially the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Both leaders also discussed the ongoing war in Tigray and strategic cooperation in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa regions. [Associated Press]
North America
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called out the ongoing demonstrations in the capital city of Ottawa against the government’s COVID-19 policy and vaccine mandates. During a speech in Parliament, Trudeau accused the protesters of imposing a blockade on Canada’s economy and democracy, adding that the residents of Ottawa don’t deserve to be “harassed” by them. Trudeau’s remarks come after Ottawa’s mayor on Sunday declared a state of emergency in the city due to the ongoing protests since two weeks. [CBC]
The United States (US) Department of Justice on Monday slammed Chinese tech company Hytera on espionage charges, accusing them of conspiring to steal trade secrets from American tech giant Motorola between 2007 to 2020. According to the Justice Department, Hytera hired Motorola employees without authorisation in an effort to gain access to Motorola’s radio technology, which “accelerated” Hytera’s growth and development in the market. [Newsweek]
Oceania
During her first parliamentary speech for 2022, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said the COVID-19 pandemic would not end with the Omicron variant, and that the country should be prepared for more variants. Ardern’s comments come after thousands of protesters gathered outside the Parliament building to demand an end of COVID-19 restrictions and mandatory vaccination. On Saturday, New Zealand recorded 243 new cases. [Reuters]
On Tuesday morning, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Parliament House in the Australian capital Canberra to oppose coronavirus vaccine mandates and restrictions. Banners reading “Mandates are not law,” “unconstitutional” and “solidarity” was spotted. In addition, the protesters also called for the dismissal of state and territory health ministers and chief health officers. [Sky News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Uganda and Tanzania have been elected to be members of the African Union’s (AU) Peace and Security Council. The 15-member Council comprises member states from each of the five regions of the bloc and acts as the bloc’s decision-making body for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts on the continent. [The East African]
Malawi is expected to go through 6 months of power cuts, according to the national electricity company Egenco. The country’s main power station stopped operating following heavy damage to the Chikwawa dam due to the landfall of tropical storm Ana last month. [Africa News]