South Asia
The Taliban rejected a statement by Russia’s Secretary of National Security Council Nikolai Yatrushev that blamed the United States for creating the Taliban to counter the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. The release said that the Taliban was a movement created by the Afghan people to “rescue the nation” and end “foreign occupation” through a “long legitimate struggle.” [Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
Prior to the COP27 summit in Egypt, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, said he intends to call for “climate justice.” He said he will argue for the need to compensate developing countries suffering at the hands of climate change, which he said has been exacerbated by “the policies of industrialised countries.” [Associated Press of Pakistan]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The Armenian Defence Ministry on Friday accused Azerbaijani forces of firing at Armenian military positions near their border. The ministry did not report any casualties. The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry rejected Armenia’s claims and said they are “inaccurate and do not reflect reality.” [Public Radio of Armenia, Azer News]
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday that “there is a disturbing trend towards an increase in the number of references to the use of nuclear weapons,” referring to Russia’s threat of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine. “It should be remembered that atomic energy is an outstanding achievement of mankind, which should be used exclusively for the benefit of the peaceful life of our peoples, and not as a destructive weapon,” he noted. [Fergana News]
East and Southeast Asia
Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu said the island nation must prepare to counter a Chinese invasion, the chances of which have increased since Chinese President Xi Jinping became the country’s “emperor.” “Xi’s consolidation of power at the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 20th National Congress and his policy pronouncements at the event indicate that the invasion threat is increasing,” Wu said. [Taipei Times]
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday pledged to ramp up the country’s naval and military capabilities. He reasoned that Tokyo must prepare “for an era when actors emerge to disobey rules and use force or threats to destroy the peace and safety of other nations.” [AFP]
Europe
Jordan Bardella replaced Marine Le Pen as the chief of the National Rally, a populist far-right French political party. After securing 85% of the votes, he became the party’s first leader outside the Le Pen family since its establishment 50 years ago. [Euronews]
British police said the petrol bomb attack on the immigration centre in Dover on 30 October was an act of terrorism motivated by far-right anti-immigration ideologies. However, authorities confirmed that the assailant acted alone and had a history of mental health issues. [Reuters]
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a law to mobilise criminals convicted of murder, robbery, larceny, and drug trafficking for military service. Criminals who were indicted for committing sex crimes against minors, treason, spying or terrorism, attempted assassination of a government official, hijacking an aircraft, extremist activity, and illegal handling of nuclear materials and radioactive substances are not subject to the new troop mobilisation order. [CNN]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier on Sunday announced the removal of a two-month-long blockade on a critical fuel terminal in capital city Port-au-Prince, saying, “Drivers can come to the terminal without any fear.” The blockade had resulted in roughly 10 million gallons of diesel and gasoline and over 800,000 gallons of kerosene being taken off the market, impacting gas stations, hospitals, banks, water suppliers, and grocery stores. He clarified that the decision was not a result of negotiations with the government. [Associated Press]
Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, 69, hinted this weekend that she could run for the presidency once again in next year’s election, saying she will “do whatever I have to do to ensure that our society can organise itself into a project for a country that recovers hope, strength and joy.” The VP, who survived an assassination attempt in September, previously served as president from 2007 to 2015. She was also the first lady under the presidency of her husband Néstor Kirchner from 2003 to 2007. [Buenos Aires Times]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Saturday admitted that Iran provided drones to Russia, after months of denying Western accusations. However, Amirabdollahian said Iran provided the drones before the war began in February and insisted that they have not been used in combat. [Iran International
United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday accused Yemen’s Houthi rebels of committing war crimes since the ceasefire collapsed last month. Türk said the Houthis have shelled civilian areas, shot at people, and launched a drone attack on the Al Dhabah oil terminal in the Hadramaut governorate. He noted that these attacks have injured civilians, including women and children. He thus urged all warring parties to “strictly adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law in the conduct of military operations and do their utmost to limit the impact of fighting on civilians.” [UN News]
North America
On Friday, the United States (US) Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sanctioned the Haitian Senate’s president, Joseph Lambert, and former Haitian Senate President Youri Latortue for their involvement in international drug trafficking, specifically trafficking cocaine from Colombia to Haiti. “Joseph Lambert and Youri Latortue have abused their official positions to traffic drugs and collaborated with criminal and gang networks to undermine the rule of law in Haiti,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson noted. Meanwhile, the US Department of State also sanctioned Lambert for “his involvement in significant corruption and a gross violation of human rights.” [US Department of Treasury, US Department of State]
The United States Department of Defense announced on Friday $400 million in additional security assistance For Ukraine, including 45 refurbished T-72B tanks with advanced optics, communications, and armour packages and funding to revamp HAWK air defence missiles. The overhauled T-72B tanks are part of a trilateral, coordinated effort with the Netherlands and the Czech Republic; the Netherlands will supply another 45 T-72B tanks to Ukraine. [US Department of Defense]
Oceania
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her government will subsidise childcare costs by paying for 10,000 more children to go to after-school care and pre-schools so their parents can go to work. [Stuff]
Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy said that “it was seen as a sign of disrespect” that the previous Scott Morrison government “rejected taking action on climate change, which is the number one existential threat to the Pacific.” He stressed that under the current Albanese government, the country’s “door is open again to rebuilding relationships” and that Canberra stands ready to “walk through the door with other policies and actions.” [Sydney Morning Herald]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Over 1,000 protesters took to the streets of Ghanaian capital Accra on Saturday to demand President Nana Akufo-Addo’s resignation over rising living costs, with consumer inflation at a 21-year high of 37%. The national currency, the cedi, has also fallen around 40% against the United States dollar this year. [Reuters]
There are growing calls from Cameroonian youth for 89-year-old President Paul Biya, who on Sunday celebrated his 40th year in power, to resign, owing to his poor health, the deteriorating economic situation, and violence in the northern and western regions of the country. [Africanews]