To Deal or Not to Deal
MIDDLE EAST
Hamas drags heels on elusive ceasefire deal — Over the weekend, unnamed U.S. officials confirmed that Israel has "more or less accepted" the terms of a deal that would pause fighting for 6 weeks and feature an exchange of prisoners for hostages. Negotiations with Hamas are ongoing in Cairo today, but the Israeli team refused to attend when Hamas refused to provide a list of surviving hostages. Vice President Kamala Harris called on Hamas to accept the deal that is on the table. (BBC, Jerusalem Post, WaPo)
Benny Gantz comes to Washington — The man seen as Bibi Netanyahu's major rival is set to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris today in Washington. Though an official meeting with Biden is off the table, the president could unofficially stop in and say hello. Polls in Israel show Gantz outperforming Netanyahu 50-33. Discussions are supposed to be focus on what Gaza will look like post-war. Gantz has recently said that he, too, does not favor the establishment of a Palestinian state, so any readout is unlikely to focus on that. (WaPo, Twitter)
Iran tried to get a naval base in Sudan — In exchange for an intelligence gathering base which could also allow Iranian ships to dock, Tehran was willing to provide Sudanese authorities a helicopter-carrying warship. Iran had already provided explosive drones to Sudan. Khartoum balked, fearing reprisals from the United States and Israel. (WSJ)
ASIA
Amid slowing growth, Xi yanks on the reins — China's National People's Congress is set to open this week. On Tuesday, Premier Li Keqiang is expected to announce an economic growth target of 5 percent for 2024 —the same as last year — to be achieved with stimulus measures that will be more restrained than markets are demanding. “Xi sees China’s current economic wobbles as the short-term pain necessary to achieve the long-term gain of his vision of ‘high-quality development,’” one analyst opined. Also notable: for the first time in decades, the premier will not hold a press conference at the conclusion of the session — a move some analysts are seeing as Xi further tightening control over the bureaucracy. (FT, Nikkei, WSJ)
Japan's stock market breaks records — The Nikkei 225 index closed above 40,000 for the first time ever yesterday, led by gains in semiconductor stocks due to expectations of higher demand for artificial intelligence technologies. Tech shares rose, while some large caps like Toyota fell. Analysts said the index does not appear overheated and further gains could come from wage hikes and foreign investor inflows due to Japan's recent reforms. (Nikkei)
Foreign national gang-raped in India — A woman with both Brazilian and Spanish citizenship was allegedly raped by seven men in India. She and her partner were on a motorcycle tour of the country. The attack occurred in the Dumki district in Rajasthan. Awareness of the prevalence of sexual violence in India rose after the 2012 gang-rape and murder that took place in Delhi. (BBC, WaPo)
EUROPE
France enshrines the constitutional right to an abortion — France's parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of the abortion measure, 780-72, in a rare moment of national unity. Thousands gathered in the streets to mark the occasion and celebrate the milestone. (WaPo, WSJ)
Ukraine's growing military manpower crisis — As Russian troops continue to make marginal gains after taking Avdiivka last month, Ukraine is struggling to conscript an adequate number of fighters. Despite months of warnings of a shortage, President Zelensky has been unable to forge consensus on a mobilization strategy. The lack of a clear plan has led to divisions in parliament and confusion among civilians. Many fighting-age men have gone into hiding, worried they will be poorly equipped if drafted. (WaPo)
AMERICAS
Prison break in Haiti — Armed gangs in Haiti attacked two prisons over the weekend, allowing thousands of inmates to escape. The assaults were part of escalating violence in the capital Port-au-Prince, which has been controlled by gangs for over two years. Haiti’s national penitentiary houses several high-profile inmates, including the Colombian commandos accused of being part of the group that killed Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, in 2021. The country has imposed a curfew in the wake of the jailbreak. (WaPo, NYT)
Indians are the third largest group of undocumented migrants to U.S. — An estimated 725,000 Indians arrived in 2021, data shows. This number has grown 70% since 2011, the fastest of any nationality. U.S. visa restrictions contribute to the ongoing demand for illegal migration routes. (WaPo)
