South Asia
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday criticised Pakistan for raising the Kashmir issue in the United Nations (UN) Security Council, noting that India is committed to the “best solutions” on the issue. He retorted that a country that hosted Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden does not have the right to “sermonise” the UN body. [NDTV]
Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari responded to criticism by his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar about terrorism by saying that India no longer conforms to the Gandhian ideology of peace. In an apparent dig at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added that while Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is dead, the “butcher of Gujarat” is still alive and had been appointed as the leader of India. [Geo TV]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Jailed former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s lawyer on Thursday condemned Georgian authorities’ decision to release a video of Saakashvili without his consent. On 14 December, Georgian officials released footage of Saakashvili in good health after reports that Saakashvili’s health was deteriorating, saying the video is “proof that his life is not in danger.” Saakashvili’s lawyer said officials doctored the video, arguing that its distribution is a “criminal offense.” [RFE/RL]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has given Azerbaijan time until Monday to end the blockade of the Lachin Corridor—the only road connecting Armenia to Artsakh—before the Court takes measures against Baku. Armenia on Thursday submitted a complaint to the ECHR against Azerbaijan for its blockade, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan saying Baku is manufacturing a “humanitarian crisis.” [Public Radio of Armenia, Prime Minister of Armenia]
East and Southeast Asia
Thailand’s House of Representatives’ deputy speaker, Supachai Phosu, revealed a mass resignation of 29 parliamentarians yesterday, which has left the lower chamber with 442 lawmakers. The MPs are believed to have quit in order to contest the general election next May under new party banners. [Borneo Bulletin]
Zhong Nanshan, China’s top respiratory disease expert, said during a lecture on Thursday that Beijing will soon release its 10th edition of COVID-19 control protocols, which will be “conducive to gradual reopening” and will “allow economic development to proceed more smoothly.” [Global Times]
Europe
The European Union granted candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Thursday, three unnamed diplomats told Associated Press. BiH applied for candidacy in February 2016, but it might take years for the country to become a member. In October, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi noted that Sarajevo has made insufficient progress in fighting corruption and implementing judicial, constitutional, and electoral reforms. [Associated Press]
Days after reports that the United States is considering sending the Patriot air defence system to Ukraine, the Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday uploaded a video of loading an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) called ‘Yars’ with a nuclear warhead into a silo launcher in Kozelsk, western Russia. Russia has previously stated that it would consider the Patriot as a legitimate target if given to Ukraine. [Business Insider India]
Two British legislators have called for an inquiry into why senior members of the Bangladeshi Rapid Action Battalion visited the United Kingdom on multiple occasions this year. The anti-crime squad, also called the “death squad,” has been accused of orchestrating several war crimes, and has been sanctioned by the United States. [Al Jazeera]
Several British Members of Parliament have been accused of inappropriate behaviour and sex tourism during foreign trips. [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Thursday, federal police officers in Brazil started serving 81 search warrants for supporters of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro for violence and blockading highways after his election defeat against incoming President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in October. During its searches so far, police have seized at least 15 guns, including rifles and a submachine gun. The supporters blocked around 1,000 roads across the country, echoing Bolsonaro’s disproven claims that the election was rigged. [Associated Press]
Inflation in Argentina fell to 4.9% last month, the lowest figure since February. However, when looking at year-on-year inflation, prices in the country have risen by 92.4% over the last 12 months, the highest figure in 30 years. The prices of food, beverages, housing, water, electricity, communication services, gas, and fuel have all risen substantially. [Buenos Aires Times]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
An Irish peacekeeper from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed and three others were injured after their convoy, which was on its way to Beirut, came under fire by an unidentified crowd in the town of Al-Aqbiya, a stronghold of militant group Hezbollah. However, Hezbollah has said it was not involved in the killing. [AFP, Reuters]
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Thursday criticised his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib for expressing “concerns” about a possible Turkish ground offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria and Iraq. Çavuşoğlu said it would be “unacceptable” for Turkey to sit idle in the face of attacks by terrorists, referring to the Syrian People’s Defense Units (YPG) and the Iraqi Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He also urged Brussels to “take measures and fight against” Kurdish groups that are active in Belgium. [Anadolu Agency]
North America
On Thursday, the United States (US) blacklisted the Chinese chipmaker YMTC and 21 other “major” companies in the artificial intelligence chips sector, amid fears that YMTC could redirect US technologies to previously blacklisted Chinese companies like Huawei and Hikvision. “US national security interests require that we act decisively to deny access to advanced technologies,” asserted Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea Kendler. Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy slammed Washington for engaging in “blatant economic coercion and bullying in the field of technology” and undermining normal business activities between Chinese and American companies while threatening the stability of global supply chains. [Reuters]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday revealed that the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Ottawa’s foreign signals intelligence agency, is watching out for any security threats from Chinese social media app TikTok “very carefully.” It comes days after Republican Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bipartisan bill to ban the app earlier this week. Trudeau also mentioned that Ottawa is “watching what the Americans are doing” regarding TikTok. [CBC News]
Oceania
New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta said that it was time to “move on” after the Public Service Commission found there was “no favouritism, bias or undue influence” in her decision to award contracts to companies of family members. Mahuta said that her husband’s company had disclosed potential conflicts of interest when the contracts were being considered. Calling the accusations “clearly quite deliberately damaging,” Mahuta said, “I’m glad we can draw a line in the sand now that report’s out. I’m certainly wanting to move on as we go into Christmas and the new year.” [Waatea News]
In a veiled jibe at China’s deal with the Solomon Islands, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Australia’s new security deal with Vanuatu would be released publicly. “As two nations committed to democracy, accountability and transparency, we will ensure that the agreement is made publicly available,” she said. [The Guardian]
Sub-Saharan Africa
At the US-Africa Leaders Summit on Thursday, United States President Joe Biden once again voiced his support for permanent seats for the African Union in the G20 and an African nation in the United Nations Security Council. “Africa belongs at the table in every room – in every room where global challenges are being discussed, and in every institution where discussions are taking place,” he said. [The White House]
In an interview along the sidelines of the US-Africa Summit in Washington, Rwandan President Paul Kagame insisted that instability and violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is not Rwanda’s concern, despite them being neighbouring countries and Kigali being accused of supporting the M23 Tutsi rebel group. “What I want to say clearly, this problem was not created by Rwanda and it is not Rwanda’s problem. It is Congo’s problem. They’re the ones that have to deal with it,” he said, adding, “I cannot be responsible for the fact that there are Congolese of Rwanda ethnicity in Congo who are being denied their rights as citizens. That is not my problem.” [The New Times]