South Asia
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Monday that Afghan authorities had captured three assailants responsible for the explosions and gun attacks on the Kabul Longan Hotel. All guests have been moved out of the hotel. ISIL, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said it targeted the hotel because it is frequented by Chinese diplomats and businessmen. Three people died in the attack, though none of them were foreigners. [Khaama Press News Agency, Al Jazeera]
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud noted on Monday that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party had “knocked down itself” after all seven of its legislators resigned from parliament on Sunday. He said the opposition party could not fulfil its promise of toppling the government and replacing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with party chief Khaleda Zia by 10 December. [Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The leaders of Azerbaijan, Hungary, Georgia, and Romania will meet in Bucharest on Saturday to finalise an agreement on an undersea electricity connecter to provide power to Europe. The proposed plan involves constructing an underwater cable in the Black Sea that would transfer electricity from Azerbaijan to Hungary via Georgia and Romania. [Associated Press]
Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov announced on Monday that 19 international companies have relocated from Russia to Kazakhstan since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, adding that about 300 companies had agreed to shift all their operations completely. He noted that Kazakhstan would work to attract foreign companies. Thousands of foreign firms have halted operations in Russia following the invasion, with 320 companies completely leaving the country. [RFE/RL Kazakh Service]
East and Southeast Asia
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s national security trial has been postponed to next September, as Beijing interprets the law to determine if Lai can be defended by an overseas lawyer of his choice. [South China Morning Post]
In a reference to China, Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu said that “cross-strait communications may diminish even further” after Chinese President Xi Jinping secured a third term in office this year. He added that Beijing’s military threat was “getting more serious than ever,” as its warplane incursions into its de facto airspace have “increased five-fold” since 2020. [Taipei Times]
Europe
On Monday, the Dutch foreign ministry’s secretary-general, Paul Huijts, tendered an apology after an independent investigation reported rampant racism in the ministry and its diplomatic missions across the world. Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said that the reports were “extra painful” and vowed to take action to eliminate racism in the organisation. [Associated Press]
The International Energy Agency said on Monday that the European Union must reduce its energy consumption to avoid a gas shortage during the next winter. The agency’s executive director, Fatih Birol, said that while the bloc has made “significant” progress in mitigating its reliance on Russian gas, it is not “out of danger” yet. [euronews]
Latin America and the Caribbean
A little less than a week after he was impeached and briefly arrested for his attempted coup, ousted Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced on Twitter that he will remain “faithful” to the constitutional mandate he was given by voters and "won't renounce or abandon" the role’s “sacred functions.” He also called his replacement, Dina Boluarte, who was his vice president until last week, a “usurper” who is nothing more than the “snot and slobber of the coup-mongering right.” He denounced her decision to cave in to demands by protesters to hold early elections instead of staying in power until the end of Castillo’s term in 2026. [Pedro Castillo via Twitter]
Three months after citizens rejected a proposed new constitution for being too progressive on issues such as Indigenous land rights and gender equality, the Chilean government and opposition lawmakers reached an agreement to begin drafting a new proposal. The document will be drafted by a group of around 50 elected constitutional advisers and then be put to a vote in a referendum last November or December; citizens will once again be mandated to participate. [Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 11,000 children have been injured or killed in the Yemen war, with an average of four per day since the conflict began in 2015. It noted that at least 62 children have died since the April ceasefire between the Houthis and the Yemeni government collapsed in October. [UN News]
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Monday that a helicopter raid killed two Islamic State officials in eastern Syria. It said one of the officials was involved in ISIS’ “deadly plotting and facilitation operations” in Syria. “ISIS continues to pursue an aggressive operational agenda, including external attacks that threaten US allies and partners in the region and beyond,” CENTCOM said. [US Central Command]
North America
United States Special Presidential Advisor for the Americas Christopher J. Dodd on Monday met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico City to mark the 200th anniversary of US-Mexico relations. Dodd impressed upon the Mexican President the “unparalleled opportunity to drive regional goals on migration, climate, and economic competitiveness, while accelerating our region’s clean energy transition.” He also emphasised on the importance of collaborating on addressing the deteriorating security situation in Haiti. [US Department of State]
On Monday, ahead of the African Leaders Summit later this week, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said United States President Joe Biden will push for the African Union to join the G20 as a permanent member and for an African nation to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. [The White House]
Oceania
After months of mounting public pressure over the rising cost of living, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that her government will shift its “focus on the economy.” “We’ve been really focused on making sure, during this particularly tumultuous economic time we’re in, that we are trimming back and making sure that the economy is our priority,” Ardern said. [The Guardian]
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denied reports that his administration will offer compensation to fossil fuel companies as the federal government aims to contain energy prices. However, he admitted that producers could be incentivised with “payments” to maintain supply. “If there is a cost of production that is higher than $125 per tonne, then it is reasonable that there be payments made for that to make sure that there isn’t a disincentive to continue to supply,” he said. [The Guardian]
Sub-Saharan Africa
On Monday, the United States Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Emmerson Mnangagwa Jr., the son of the Zimbabwean president. It also sanctioned three other individuals and two entities for their ties to previously-sanctioned businessman Kadakwashe Tagwirei, who is accused of using his relationship with high-profile individuals, including the president, to “gain state contracts and received favoured access to hard currency, including US dollars.” In return, Tagwirei gifted these individuals, many of whom are senior government officials, expensive products, including luxury cars. [US Department of the Treasury]
Nigerian Information Minister Lai Mohammed dismissed a report by Reuters last week that claimed that the military is running a secret programme of forced abortion in the country’s northeast. Reuters alleged that the military has performed upwards of 10,000 abortions on women and girls since 2013, many of whom were kidnapped and raped by members of Boko Haram. Mohamed, however, said, “The Federal Government hereby categorically states that there is no ‘secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme’ being run by our military in the northeast or anywhere across the country.” [Al Jazeera]