South Asia
The Indian Supreme Court ruled against mandating COVID-19 vaccines to access public places and urged the government to publish information on any potential adverse impacts of the jabs. Citing the importance of “bodily integrity,” the apex court said that no curbs can be imposed on the unvaccinated, particularly when cases are low. [NDTV]
Protests outside the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo entered their 24th day, with demonstrators continuing to demand the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Several religious leaders, artists, scholars, and civil activists are also calling for a no-confidence vote against the government. [Colombo Page]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of civil nuclear cooperation in Washington. The US State Department said that the MoU will improve strategic cooperation in energy security. [US Department of State]
Armenian police arrested hundreds of people in Yerevan on Monday protesting perceived government concessions to Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The protesters called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Last month Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev agreed to start peace negotiations and the former agreed to the demands put forth by Aliyev, which include mutual respect for each other territorial integrity. This fuelled speculation that Pashinyan is willing to recognise Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry announced on Monday that it is considering alternative precision and long-range alternative weapons systems options after the United States informed it of a delay in the delivery of the 40 155mm M109A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer artillery system due to a “crowded” production line. The two countries tentatively agreed on a $750 million deal for the howitzers last year. They were expected to be delivered by 2023 but this has now been pushed back to 2026. Among its options, Taipei said that it is considering truck-based rocket launchers manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. [Reuters]
Solomon Islands High Commissioner to Australia Robert Sisilo said on Monday that Chinese military police will be barred from using techniques seen in Hong Kong when they are stationed on the Solomon Islands. The presence of defence personnel on the islands is guaranteed by the recently signed security deal between the two countries and is aimed at boosting the defence capabilities of the island. [The Straits Times]
Europe
During an interview with ZDF on Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised Ukraine for disinviting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier from a planned visit to Kyiv last month, calling it “an unacceptable way to treat the president of a country that provides so much military assistance, so much financial assistance, that is needed when it comes to the security guarantees that are important for Ukraine in the future.” He further said the incident “stands in the way” of his own possible trip to Kyiv. [Politico]
Poland on Monday urged the European Union (EU) to slap sanctions on Russia’s oil and natural gas sectors and not pay for Russian gas in rubles. Poland’s appeal came as EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss Russia’s decision to cut gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland. [Associated Press]
The United Kingdom released an additional $375 million in military aid to Ukraine, including electronic warfare equipment and a counter-battery radar. The recent announcement is in addition to the $250 million it has already dispatched. [Reuters]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Gustavo Petro, the leftist candidate who is leading the polls ahead of Colombia’s presidential election on May 29, cancelled a campaign rally in the country's coffee region after claiming that the La Cordillera crime gang was planning to assassinate him, though he did not provide further evidence. Petro is a former M-19 guerrilla and mayor of Bogotá and is polling at around 43.6% ahead of the first round of voting, well ahead of centre-right candidate Federico Gutiérrez. [Reuters]
Global Forest Watch, a forest tracking tool jointly developed by the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland, has found that Brazil topped the charts for deforestation in 2021, accounting for 40% of the global total. In total, 1.5 million hectares, or 15,000 square kilometres, of forest cover was felled in the South American country. Brazil alone accounts for 33% of the world's primary tropical forests. [Folha de S.Paulo]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
At least 3,000 people, mostly from the minority Yazidi religious group, fled Sinjar in northern Iraq after the Iraqi military launched a major offensive against the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a mostly Yazidi militant group with close ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The incident took place just weeks after Turkey launched a major offensive against the PKK in northern Iraq. [Al Jazeera]
Israel on Monday ordered communication firms to bolster cyber security efforts in the wake of several hacking attempts. The National Cyber Directorate said that new regulations are being developed in this regard and firms must formulate plans to protect their communication networks in line with the latest regulations. [Reuters]
North America
The United States (US) is averaging more than 56,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, up from roughly 25,000 daily cases in early April. Experts have attributed it to the rapid spread of the new “stealth omicron” subvariant, which they believe could be even more transmissible than the BA.2 strain. [US News]
United States (US) Chargé d’Affaires to Kyiv Kristina Kvien said on Monday that the US will only reopen its embassy in the Ukrainian capital once it receives approval from security professionals. “When they tell us we can go back, we will go back,” she said. However, she noted that US diplomats will begin making day trips to the war-torn country over the next couple of weeks. [Voice of America]
Oceania
As part of the New Zealand government’s continued response to the Ukraine war, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced sanctions against 170 Russian politicians and six defence entities. Reaffirming New Zealand’s support for Ukraine, Mahuta said, “As President Putin’s war machine continues its illegal attacks and as further revelations of atrocities come to light, we are determined to impose costs on those involved.” [Government of New Zealand]
On Wednesday, Australians stuck in an extreme lockdown in Shanghai accused Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) of “doing little to help” and “not advocating for citizens forced from their homes or those seeking to leave the country.” Shanghai has been under strict lockdown for the last five weeks to counter a record outbreak of COVID-19. [The New Daily]
Sub-Saharan Africa
During his tour of West Africa, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged the military juntas in Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali to return their countries to civilian rule and hold elections. Burkina Faso experienced a coup in January 2022, Guinea in September 2021, and Mali in August 2020 and May 2021 In fact, just this past weekend, Guinean junta leader Col. Mamady Doumbouya said it would take at least 39 months before he hands over power to civilian authorities. [Africanews]
Anti-corruption chiefs from across Africa’s 19 Commonwealth countries are meeting in Kigali from May 3-7 to discuss avenues for regional collaboration in an event whose theme is “Combating Corruption for Good Governance and Sustainable Development in Africa.” Around 150 officials will attend the event, which will bring together anti-corruption agency and government officials, representatives from international organisations, civil society leaders, policymakers, and development partners. Data from as far back as 2015 shows that Africa loses around $148 billion to corruption each year, a figure which is only likely to have risen since. The continent also loses over $50 billion per year in illicit financial outflows. [The New Times]