Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday that the ongoing crisis in Ukraine seems to be driven by an “invisible hand,” which is using the situation “to serve certain geopolitical agendas.” He further urged that dialogue between Russia and Ukraine begin as soon as possible.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, warned on Tuesday that her country would consider it a “declaration of war” if the US tried to preempt the North’s strategic weapon tests with military action. Additionally, she hinted that Pyongyang may continue with its series of missile tests in the Pacific Ocean.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Tuesday that the government had received assurances from the Chinese Exim Bank regarding the debt restructuring it requires as a precondition to secure funding from the IMF.
France’s Interior Ministry said that 1.28 million citizens participated in a strike against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plan, which seeks to increase the retirement age to 64. After protestors clashed in Paris, the police arrested 22.
Tropical Cyclone Freddy — which developed over a month ago off the North Australian coast and travelled across the Indian Ocean — has been wreaking havoc in Madagascar and Mozambique for the past two weeks. Reportedly, at least 21 people have been killed and thousands displaced as of Monday. The World Meteorological Office (WMO) said on Tuesday that Freddy could become the longest-lasting storm on record.
In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that defending Bakhmut is “tactical,” as Russian forces would have an “open road” to go further into other towns, such as Kramatorsk or Sloviansk in the Donetsk direction, if Ukrainian forces were to retreat. Zelensky dismissed concerns about Ukrainian troops facing an increasing number of casualties amid fears of getting their supply routes cut off, noting, “We have to think about our people first and no one should be surrounded, encircled — this is very important.”
On Monday, a Belarusian court sentenced exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya to 15 years of imprisonment in absentia on charges of high treason and “conspiracy to seize power.” In response to the verdict, Tikhanovskaya said she would continue to campaign for the release of thousands of political prisoners, who were jailed in Belarus following the anti-government protests in 2020, adding, “Today I don’t think about my own sentence. I won’t stop until each of them is released.”
The Canadian government said on Tuesday that anti-abortion and indecency laws targeting women and the LGBTQ community had been repealed. Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien affirmed that the government recognized the past laws as “unjust” and compromising the freedom of those affected. People convicted for such offences will be given a chance to clear their records by applying for an expungement order for free under the 2018 Expungement of Historically Unjust Convictions Act.
Protests broke out in Georgia on Tuesday night over a draft law that limits freedom of the press and reduces the functionality of civil society. According to the draft law, any organisations that receive more than 20% of their funds from foreign sources must register as “foreign agents,” or pay significant fines. Protestors launched petrol bombs and stones at the police, who retaliated by using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the angry citizens.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin made a surprise visit to Iraq on Tuesday, days before the 20th anniversary of US’ invasion of Iraq in 2003. Austin met with Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al Sudani in Baghdad and underscored the US’ commitment to ensuring security and stability in Iraq and the “enduring defeat of ISIS.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on Tuesday that while the Arab League could allow Syria to return, the move would not happen any time soon. He noted that isolating Syria, especially through sanctions, was not working, and called for greater dialogue with the Syrian government. “An engagement in order to address these concerns is necessary. And that may well lead eventually to Syria returning to the Arab League. But for now, I think it is too early to discuss.”