South Asia
Australia’s envoy to India, Barry O’Farrell, said that Quad allies have “accepted” India’s stand on Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine and said that New Delhi’s decision would not impact the alliance. He further said that India has been using its “contacts” with Russia to bring an end to the conflict. [Hindustan Times]
At least six people were killed after a ferry collided with a cargo vessel in a river near Dhaka. This has raised concern about the rise in ferry accidents in the country, which has been attributed to overcrowding and poor abidance of safety protocols. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Kazakhstan said on Friday that it will use the Russian Ruble while doing business with Russia and Belarus. Officials said that the country was forced to make the move as a result of Western sanctions on Moscow and Minsk. [RFE/RL]
Armenia on Saturday condemned the participation of United Nations (UN) officials in an Azerbaijan-sponsored event in the town of Shusha in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Yerevan has demanded that the UN take steps to “restore its neutral position in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.” [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Further heightening tensions on the peninsula, North Korea appeared to have tested a short-range multiple rocket launcher on Sunday, the South Korean military reported. In response to the launches, Seoul’s National Security Council held an emergency vice-ministerial meeting. Pyongyang has in recent months greatly increased its tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles. [Channel News Asia]
Timor Leste held its presidential election on Saturday, the results of which will be officially announced later this month. 16 candidates competed in the race, including incumbent President Francisco Guterres. For the first time, four female candidates also contested the polls. [Xinhua]
Europe
Slovakia’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that it has started deploying the United States’ Patriot air defence system. The system will be part of a new battle group formed as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s effort to bolster member-countries’ defences following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Reuters]
Four European Union member states—Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—expelled 20 Russian diplomats over the invasion of Ukraine. Latvia and Estonia each expelled three Russian diplomats, while Bulgaria expelled ten and Lithuania four. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said, “Russia's military attacks on civilians, civilian targets, hospitals, schools, maternity hospitals and cultural property are war crimes and crimes against humanity.” [Euronews]
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the Ukrainians’ struggle against Russia’s military invasion indicates that they have the same “instinct” to “choose freedom” as the United Kingdom did during the Brexit referendum. European Council President Donald Tusk raised concern about Johnson’s statement, which he said offends “Ukrainians, the British, and common sense.” [Al Jazeera]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Sunday, Brazil’s Supreme Court revoked a ban on messaging application Telegram just two days after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had ordered the suspension. De Moraes said the app had refused and failed to suspend accounts that are spreading misinformation. However, on Sunday, he said that Telegram has now shown “full compliance” in replying to court orders, which included banning the account of activist Allan dos Santos, a key ally of President Jair Bolsonaro. [Reuters]
On Friday, newly-inducted Chilean President Gabriel Boric signed the Escazú environmental agreement, which calls for greater transparency regarding potentially harmful projects (e.g. by copper and lithium companies) and environmental policies, and increased accountability for those violating regulations. Although the majority of Latin American and Caribbean nations had already signed and ratified the agreement back in September 2020, Boric’s predecessor, Sebastián Piñera, had refused to follow suit. [MercoPress]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Naftali Bennett is scheduled to visit India on April 2 at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi. The visit will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Israel. [Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
Spain on Friday announced that it will recognise Morocco’s plan to provide partial autonomy to the disputed Western Sahara region. According to the plan, Morocco will allow Western Sahara to be governed by the region’s ethnic Sahrawi people but under Moroccan sovereignty. The former colonial power’s move was condemned by Algeria, which recalled its ambassador to Madrid for “consultations.” [New York Times, Algeria Press Service]
North America
The Biden administration intends to designate Myanmar’s yearslong repression of the Rohingya Muslim population as “genocide,” officials said Sunday. It is being speculated that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make the declaration during an event at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on Monday. [Voice of America]
United States President Joe Biden will travel to Poland on Friday to coordinate the international response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has created a “humanitarian and human rights crisis,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki announced on Sunday. [Reuters]
Oceania
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine, noting the targeting of a maternity hospital, shelters, civilian infrastructure, and innocent civilians. Payne said Russian President Vladimir Putin must be held accountable for Ukraine’s invasion, which has created Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. 6.5 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced, and 3.3 million have fled to neighbouring countries. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
On Monday, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced non-lethal aid and a range of defence equipment to support Ukraine’s defence against Russia. Ardern said, “By contributing directly to the NATO Trust Fund, Ukrainian forces on the ground can benefit from the additional assistance immediately.” The announcement comes after a request for support from the Ukrainian government. [Government of New Zealand]
Sub-Saharan Africa
In its Freedom of the World 2022 Report, the Media Institute of Southern Africa called on Angola, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe to institute greater press freedoms. The report took aim at the frequent use of internet shutdowns, particularly during elections, and of the criminalisation of political dissenters. [Voice of America]
Around 6,000 people have fled from Senegal to neighbouring Gambia over the past week amid escalating violence between the Senegalese army and rebel fighters in the southern region of Casamance. On March 13, the army began an operation to destroy the bases of rebel military leader Salif Sadio. Casamance is separated from the northern part of the country by the Gambia. [Africanews]