In a letter written to European Council President Charles Michel, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban proposed not discussing the European Union's latest sanctions package, which includes the proposed EU embargo on Russian oil, at the European Council extraordinary leaders meeting set for May 30-31, the Financial Times reported May 24.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is preparing for a new offensive against the Kurdish militia People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria to expand a 30-kilometer buffer zone, Al Jazeera reported May 24.
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced a Cabinet reshuffle, replacing the country's ministers of the interior, transport and communications, agriculture and irrigation, and energy and mines, Reuters reported May 22.
During a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, U.S. President Joe Biden responded to a reporter’s question about whether the United States would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan from China by saying, "Yes. That’s the commitment we made," Hong Kong Free Press reported May 23.
U.N. Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet commenced her six-day visit to China, including Xinjiang province, Reuters reported May 23.
Independent candidate Chadchart Sittipunt won Thailand's Bangkok governor election, based on unofficial counts, with 1.39 million votes out of 2.7 million cast on May 22, CNA reported May 23.
On May 21, Australian voters ousted the incumbent Liberal-National coalition and voted in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and Australia swore in Anthony Albanese as prime minister two days later, AP reported May 23.
During U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Tokyo, Japan, he announced the basic framework for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which seeks to create standardization across nations and new, redundant supply chains to prevent future disruptions, Reuters reported May 23.
Iranian state oil and gas firms have started negotiations with Caracas to restore Venezuela's Paraguana Refinery Complex, which has the capacity to refine 955,000 barrels of oil per day, making it the country's largest oil refinery, Reuters reported May 23.
A Louisiana federal judge ruled that the Title 42 policy, which prohibited asylum seekers from entering the United States before their trials, will remain in effect until the resolution of a lawsuit that 24 states brought against the federal government in response to the Biden administration's plan to end the use of the policy on May 23, Politico reported May 20.
