South Asia
The Nepalese government has secured $14.5 million worth of investment in horticulture projects from the Asian Development Bank. With a focus on increasing climate-resilient agricultural produce, the agreement is expected to benefit 30,000 households and protect food security. [The Himalayan Times]
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasised the need for “climate solidarity” and “climate justice” during the COP27 climate conference in Egypt. He highlighted the damage caused by the flash floods in Pakistan and stressed on the need to take “concrete action” and introduce “credible plans” to prevent developing countries from bearing the brunt of climate change. [Associated Press of Pakistan]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday welcomed the arrival of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers to Washington for peace talks to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. “What we are seeing now are real steps, and courageous steps, by both countries to put the past behind and to work toward a durable peace,” Blinken said. “The US is committed to doing everything that we can to support you in this effort; to walk the path to a durable peace with you, to help in any way that we can.” [US State Department]
On Monday, Russian Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to refrain from taking steps that escalate the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a day after Yerevan accused Baku of firing at Armenian military positions. Peskov urged the two countries to follow through on the results of the trilateral meeting in Sochi last week between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pashinyan and Aliyev had vowed to work towards peace during the meeting. [Anadolu Agency]
East and Southeast Asia
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense tracked 63 military planes and four naval vessels belonging to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army around its airspace and maritime borders yesterday evening. In response, the island nation scrambled its aircraft and naval ships, and used land-based missile systems to monitor the sortie. [Taiwan News]
North Korea on Tuesday dismissed claims that it had supplied arms to Russia and stated that it has no future plans to do so. Its state media accused the United States of making a “hostile attempt” to “tarnish” the North’s image in the international community. [Korean Central News Agency]
Europe
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday that he is optimistic about reaching a deal with France to tackle illegal migration across the English Channel. In the run-up to the COP27 climate conference, he declared that he has “renewed confidence” in working with European partners to “stop people coming illegally.” [Reuters]
The Greek Supreme Court has called for an investigation into a wire-tapping scandal, after it came to light that several former cabinet ministers, including former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, had been targetted. The issue has shaken Greece’s politics since July, when Member of European Parliament Nikos Androulakis filed a complaint alleging attempts to tap his phone by individuals using the Predator software. [Euronews]
In a letter to Primorye Governor Oleg Kozhemyako in the Far East last week, Russia’s 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade slammed military commanders for sending them into a “baffling offensive” in Pavlivka, southwest of Donetsk, that led to 300 deaths. The marines accused their superiors of hiding the losses due “for fear of accountability” and called for an independent investigation into the failed attack. However, the Russian Defence Ministry denied their claims, saying the death toll was not more than 1% and the injured 7%. [The Moscow Times]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan is on a two-day visit to Brazil, just under three months after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited the country during his Latin American tour. Muraleedharan will address lawmakers from both the upper and lower house of the Brazilian parliament and interact with officials from the foreign ministry. [Indian Ministry of External Affairs]
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro briefly interacted with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt. Macron asked Maduro how things are going” in his country, to which the Venezuelan leader replied: “Excellent. Better every time.” Macron also expressed interest in “talking a little bit more” by expanding bilateral ties, in response to which Maduro said, “At your service.” [teleSUR]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Monday, an attack by Al-Shabaab militants on a Somali military base in the Galgaduud region killed at least ten soldiers. The Somali army later launched a counter-offensive, pushing the militants back from the base. [Reuters]
The Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on Monday agreed to establish a communication channel between their militaries to address any flare-up in fighting. Representatives of the two sides met in Nairobi to discuss the implementation of the terms of the “permanent” peace deal reached last week. The agreement formally ended the two-year-long conflict in Tigray. [Associated Press]
North America
The United States (US) Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Monday sanctioned four individuals of an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) cell in South Africa and eight companies they own, control, or direct for providing technical, financial, and material support to the group. “The United States, as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, will continue to partner with South Africa to deny ISIS the ability to exploit the country’s economy to raise and move funds to support the growth of ISIS affiliates and networks,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson remarked. [US Department of Treasury]
During a meeting with her newly-appointed British counterpart Kemi Badenoch on Monday, Canadian Minister of International Trade Mary Ng discussed progress in negotiations toward a new, comprehensive Canada-United Kingdom free trade agreement based on mutually beneficial trade and investment ties. She also confirmed Ottawa’s commitment to working toward London’s successful accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. [Global Affairs Canada]
Oceania
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern criticised banks making huge profits while the country tackles a cost of living crisis. “We’ve seen repeated significant profits being drawn by banks in New Zealand…It doesn’t always take government intervention for that kind of self-reflection to occur. It’s time the banks operating in New Zealand did that very thing,” she said. [Stuff]
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presented the remaining recommendations from the Respect at Work report to parliament on Monday. He said it is “unacceptable” that workplaces in the country in the 21st century are not “safe” or “respectful.” [Sky News Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Malian General El Hadj Ag Gamou has urged all Tuaregs in the continent, from as far as Algeria and Libya, to join the army’s fight against the Islamist State in the Great Sahara. Northern Mali, particularly the Gao and Menaka regions, has become overrun by Islamist rebels since March. Apart from his role in the army, Ag Gamou is also a leader in the pro-government Self-Defence Group of Imghad Tuaregs and Their Allies (GATIA) [AFP]
Rwanda on Monday accused the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of sending a fighter jet into its airspace, just two days after the two countries’ foreign ministers pledged to “maintain dialogue” on how to realise the roadmap they agreed to in July wherein they vowed to cease hostilities. The DRC continues to accuse Rwanda of fomenting instability in its eastern region by supporting the M23 rebels and recently expelled Rwanda's ambassador to Kinshasa and recalled its own chargé d'affaires to Kigali. [Africanews]