Pakistan-Afghanistan War Continues

• At least 143 people were killed in a Pakistani airstrike that hit a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul on Monday.
• Pakistan, claiming to be targeting military sites, has carried out dozens of airstrikes on military infrastructure that have hit health facilities and civilian homes. 
• The escalating war has complicated China’s Belt and Road, as it simultaneously invests in Pakistan through the CPEC and courts the Taliban for rare earth access

South Korea and Japan on Edge

• Reports that the US is moving military assets out of South Korea and Japan have worried residents.
• US presence formerly deterred military action from North Korea and China, leaving leaders concerned that the redeployment of military assets could destabilize the region.
• Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi is visiting the White House this week, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has attempted to assure citizens that South Korean deterrence is sufficient.

Australia Hikes Interest Rates 

• Just Monday, the Reserve Bank of Australia voted to lift the base interest rate by 25 points to 4.10 percent, following a hike by the same amount in February.
• The decision resulted from the US-Israeli war against Iran, which has disrupted markets and led to a hike in inflation, especially the leap in petrol prices.
• The bank made it clear it would lift rates further, even driving the economy into recession if necessary to stall inflation.

Trump Delays Diplomatic China Trip

• President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that he would delay his trip to China for “five or six weeks.”
• The delay is due to an escalation in the war with Iran, and President Trump seems to have turned his attention towards continuing Operation Epic Fury, the US-led military campaign against Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.
• The trip to the major summit, supposed to resolve trade tensions over tariff policies, is now indefinitely delayed, raising questions about its potential effectiveness.

New Zealand PM Tours Pacific

• New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon spent Monday in Samoa signing new policing deals aimed at fighting transnational cartels.
• This trip is aimed at dealing with an increasing amount of cocaine and methamphetamine trafficked toward New Zealand and Australia.
• Alongside the drug crime issue, the wider agenda for the trip includes the Iran war’s effect on Pacific fuel supply chains and a question about New Zealand’s visa settings for Pacific visitors.

Solomon Islands in Crisis

• Solomon Islands’ PM Jeremiah Manele is refusing to convene parliament next week amid a takeover bid by government defectors who have joined forces with the opposition.
• He is not expected to convene parliament until May or June and maintains that the government is continuing to function despite the political crisis.
• Bleak economic growth continues to plague the archipelagic nation, causing political turmoil and heavy criticism toward the current administration.