South Asia
The Pakistani Interior Ministry has given undocumented Afghan refugees until the end of the year to leave the country. Beyond the deadline, Afghans that don’t have legal permits from the government or the United Nations High Commission for Refugees will face fines or imprisonment. A United Nations report published in June said that Pakistan hosts 1.3 million Afghan refugees; however, it is unclear how many are undocumented. [Khaama Press News Agency]
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday rubbished reports about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refusing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “misunderstanding.” Last week, media reports said that Modi cancelled a summit with Putin over his threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. [Reuters]
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday to discuss bilateral defence cooperation and the Ukraine war. Shoigu said Russia is concerned about the possibility of Ukraine using a ‘dirty bomb,’ a radioactive explosive. Singh urged Russia to avoid nuclear warfare and underscored the need to “pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict.” [Indian Ministry of Defence]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday met with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New York to discuss “deepening” bilateral relations. Mirzoyan also urged India to support Armenia against Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Armenia to Artsakh. India has previously sided with Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. [Public Radio of Armenia]
The leaders of Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan—Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ilham Aliyev, and Serdar Berdimuhamedov—met in Awaza on Wednesday for a trilateral summit. The trio vowed to expand their energy cooperation and underscored the importance of developing transport infrastructure to move energy supplies. They also agreed to collaborate on security issues and work together to bring “lasting peace” to the region. [Turkish Presidency]
The Indian and Kazakh armies are set to begin the ‘KAZIND-22’ military exercise in Meghalaya from 15 to 28 December. This is the sixth edition of the exercise, which started in 2016. The training aims to promote the best practices of their respective armed forces, with an emphasis on counterterrorism operations. [Indian Ministry of Defence]
East and Southeast Asia
Taiwan confirmed on Wednesday that it has filed nine complaints to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against China for its “unfair” restrictions and practices with respect to Taiwanese suppliers. The move comes after China banned several seafood, beverage, and alcoholic products from the island nation. [Taiwan News]
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and French President Emmanuel Macron called for the immediate cessation of Russia’s airstrikes and drone attacks against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. “[We] would like all international partners to join in this call and exert their influence to this end,” they said. [Phnom Penh Post]
Europe
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace signed an agreement for defence cooperation with his Saudi counterpart Prince Khalid bin Salman. Wallace lauded Saudi Arabia as one of the United Kingdom’s “most important partners” and celebrated the deal as a “key milestone” in bolstering mutual and regional security. [UK Government]
At least four migrants died as a small boat capsized while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom. The 50 asylum-seekers onboard came from Afghanistan, Iraq, Senegal, and India. However, authorities only rescued 39 on early Wednesday morning. [Sky News]
On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved over $19 billion in macro-financial aid assistance to Ukraine through an “urgent procedure” that allowed 26 member states to become Kyiv’s loan guarantors while exempting Hungary. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said the funds would help “completely cover (Ukraine’s) deficit,” which is projected to reach $38 billion next year, and also act as an “additional security cushion.” The package is intended to pay for essential public services, maintain macroeconomic stability, and restore critical infrastructure. [The Kyiv Independent]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak met with Venezuelan Minister of Petroleum Tareck El Aissami in Caracas on Wednesday, wherein the two OPEC+ members discussed how to stabilise the global energy industry. Venezuela also broached the topic of restructuring its debt to Russia. [Reuters]
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves has imposed new restrictions on the country’s asylum system, saying it is being "abused by economic migrants." The country was behind only the United States, Germany, and Mexico in the number of asylum applications it received last year, in spite of having a population of just five million people. [Associated Press]
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Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Wednesday dismissed the United States’ criticism of his power grab as ill-informed and based on “fake news.” Talking to the Washington Post, Saied blamed “foreign forces” for spreading lies about his government in an attempt to oust him. Before speaking with the Post, Saied met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington and justified his decision to suspend the parliament in June last year, saying he had no alternative because the country was on the “brink of civil war.” [The Washington Post, US State Department]
Iran on Wednesday sentenced Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele to 28 years in prison on espionage charges. Vandecasteele, 41, was arrested in Tehran in February. Iran reportedly arrested the Belgian to swap him for Assadollah Assadi, a top Iranian intelligence official, who is serving a 20-year jail term in Belgium for plotting a bomb attack on an exiled Iranian opposition group near Paris in 2018. [BBC]
North America
On Wednesday, the United States (US) military launched its first Space Force command on foreign soil at Osan Air Base in South Korea against the growing threat from North Korea and China. The US Forces Korea said it “will be tasked with coordinating space operations and services such as missile warning, position navigation and timing, and satellite communications within the region.” Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir noted that the unit is an example of “integrated deterrence” and showcases the “unparalleled” ability of Washington and its allies on land, at sea, in the air, and now in space. [CNN]
Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly on Wednesday jointly announced the removal of exemption of sanctions on the Nord Stream 1 turbines owned by Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom, which were repaired by Siemens Canada in Montreal, saying, “It no longer serves its intended purpose.” They noted that the purpose was to call Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “bluff,” who had blamed the turbines’ maintenance issues for preventing Russia from supplying gas to Germany. “Putin has been forced to show that his intention was never to return Nord Stream 1 to full operation,” they asserted. [CTV News]
Oceania
Australia signed a new security deal with Vanuatu that offers humanitarian, disaster relief, law enforcement, cyber security, defence, border security, and maritime safety assistance. The deal is part of Australia’s efforts to keep Chinese influence at bay, [Manila Times]
Australian regulator e-Safety Commissioner lashed out at Apple and Microsoft Corp for not proactively taking measures to take down child exploitation content from their platforms. Commissioner Julie Inman Grant voiced concern of the firms’ “clearly inadequate and inconsistent use of widely available technology to detect child abuse material and grooming.” [Reuters]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The death toll from heavy flooding in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa has risen to at least 141. More than 38,000 houses were flooded and 280 others collapsed. President Félix Tshisekedi has blamed the disaster on climate change, saying, “This should have been avoided if the commitments of the polluting countries had been respected for more than 13 years.” [The East African]
Consumer inflation in Ghana touched 50.3% last month, a 21-year high and up 10% from the previous month. The sharp rise was fuelled by an increase in the price of utilities, food, and fuel. The country's national currency, the cedi, is down roughly 40% against the US dollar this year. Ghana’s debt also stands at over 100% of its GDP, and its debt service payments constitute 70-100% of government revenue. The government reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund this week on a $3 billion assistance package. [Al Jazeera]