John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), said that the US watchdog had uncovered diversion and control of international humanitarian assistance by de facto Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations had tasked SIGAR to investigate and report to it whether US aid to Afghanistan benefited the Taliban. Giving no further details, Sopko said the investigation uncovered some horrific information about the problems with the UN operations in Afghanistan.
India has banned the export of non-basmati white rice to reduce rising prices caused by an uneven rainfall distribution in key producing areas. A Directorate General of Foreign Trade notification said that the world’s largest exporter of rice had taken the decision to ensure adequate availability of non-basmati white rice in the Indian market. The move is expected to inflate food prices globally.
The China-Russia Northern/Interaction-2023 joint military exercise kicked off in the Sea of Japan on Thursday. The four-day exercise will include deterrence and repulsion, roadstead defence, and mock confrontational battles.
The White House on Thursday expressed deep concern about the well-being of US soldier Travis King, who fled across the North Korea border earlier this week. “This is not a country that is known for humane treatment of Americans or actually anybody else for that matter,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. Pyongyang is yet to respond to US requests for information about the soldier.
In response to a planned Quran burning in Stockholm, Iraq expelled Sweden’s ambassador on Thursday, which triggered hundreds of protesters to attack and damage the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. According to an Iraqi official statement, Baghdad also recalled its charge d’affaires in Sweden, and Iraq’s state news agency reported that Iraq had terminated Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson’s working permit in Iraq. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom confirmed that employees at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad were safe, but Iraqi authorities had failed to protect the embassy.
Saudi Arabia signed an agreement with UNESCO under which it is committed to providing free access to delegations from all member countries, including Israel, for the World Heritage Committee conference in Riyadh in September. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay informed Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen during their meeting in Paris that discussions with the Saudis had been successful.
Iranian Defence Minister Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani confirmed Thursday that Iran’s plans to purchase the Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fifth-generation fighter jets have collapsed. While Ashtiani did not share the reasons for the deal’s failure, he told the media that Iran has the “ability to produce [fighter jets] in the country.” Nonetheless, he added that Tehran is “investigating the situation” and would reconsider buying the jets if necessary.