The Trump administration says Nepal is “central” to its strategy in the Indo-Pacific, but the small South Asian country is already home to a battle for influence between its giant neighbors: China and India.
Why it matters: Nepal is a signatory to Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative, and the government sees a railway deal with China as a “game changer” for the country, Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali tells Axios. The U.S. is also flexing its muscles, though, while India is desperate to keep Nepal in its sphere of influence. Gyawali says investment from the big powers is welcome, but Nepal won’t take sides in their great power contest.
Scientists have found new evidence that bat-like dinosaurs once fluttered through the skies.
What's new: A tiny dinosaur with membranous, bat-like wings lived during the Upper Jurassic period, according to a study in Nature on Wednesday. A fossil of the species — named Ambopteryx longibrachium — was found in northeastern China's Liaoning Province and dated to around 163 million years ago, bolstering the conclusions of a 2015 study detailing a less well-preserved but similar fossil finding called Yi qi. The specimen in the new study, by Min Wang and colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is superbly preserved — researchers were even able to glean information from its stomach contents.
The FBI and federal prosecutors seized a North Korean cargo vessel — named the Wise Honest — on Thursday for allegedly transporting and selling coal in violation of international sanctions, NBC News reports.
Why it matters: Justice Department officials told the Washington Post this marks the first time the U.S. has seized a North Korean cargo ship for violating sanctions. It's sure to ratchet up tensions with North Korea, which has recently resumed short-range missile testing, despite President Trump's efforts to rein in Kim Jong-un with a pair of summits.
China has detained an estimated 1 million to 2 million Uighur Muslims, but the world has turned a blind eye. Dan and Axios' Dave Lawler discuss why there's been no repercussions from the U.S., other world governments or global corporations.
North Korea fired 2 suspected short-range missiles eastward Thursday, South Korea's military said, per AP.
Details: The launch began about 4:30 p.m. local time from the northwest location of Sino-ri, towards the east, the South’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to Reuters.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday canceled a scheduled visit to Greenland to return to Washington, D.C., amid heightened tension over Iran, AP first reported.
Why it matters: Iran'sPresident Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday, on the 1st anniversary of President Trump’s withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, he would suspend key nuclear deal commitments and would increase uranium enrichment if new terms weren't reached within 60 days. Hours later, Trump announced sanctions on Iranian metal industries.
President Trump has issued an executive order declaring sanctions against Iran's iron, steel, aluminum and copper exports in an effort to curb any revenue that may be used for developing weapons.
"Tehran can expect further actions unless it fundamentally alters its conduct. Since our exit from the Iran deal, which is broken beyond repair, the United States has put forward 12 conditions that offer the basis of a comprehensive agreement with Iran. I look forward to someday meeting with the leaders of Iran in order to work out an agreement and, very importantly, taking steps to give Iran the future it deserves."
The announcement by President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday that Iran will partially cease to comply with the 2015 nuclear deal was a foreseeable outgrowth of draconian sanctions imposed by the U.S. after its withdrawal from the agreement last year.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign has increased the threat of a nuclear escalation across the Middle East. Even short of that nightmare scenario, it could be self-defeating in the long term, hurting Iran’s pro-Western middle class at the expense of hardliners who control both the black market and a repressive state apparatus to stifle dissent.
National security adviser John Bolton's saber-rattling promise on Sunday that “any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force” was the latest sign of mounting White House frustration with Iran.
Why it matters: If U.S. pressure drives Iran toleave the nuclear deal — or diminish commitments, as President Hassan Rouhani indicated Wednesday — its increased isolation could have fallout effects the Trump administration has not publicly reckoned with. The likelihood of military conflict between Iran and its neighbors could grow, and the dangerous aspects of its nuclear program could be restarted.
Despite provoking international condemnation for his disdain for laws and institutions, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte seems likely to gain stronger domestic support in the May 13 midterms, when voters will elect the lower house of Congress and part of the Senate.
Why it matters: Long one of the most democratic states in Southeast Asia, the Philippines has seen under Duterte an illiberal crackdown on the press, judiciary and political opposition and an anti-drug campaign that reportedly has led to the deaths of over 12,000 people, often through extrajudicial killings.
Iran will suspend some of its nuclear deal commitments and resume higher uranium enrichment if new terms for the agreement aren't reached within 60 days, President Hassan Rouhani told state television Wednesday.
Details: Exactly 1 year on from President Trump’s withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, Rouhani sent letters outlining a partial withdrawal from the 2015 deal to ambassadors of Britain, China, the European Union, France and Germany, state-run Tasnim news agency reported. Those nations were still committed to the existing deal.
