South Asia
The Taliban released a statement on Thursday expressing its desire to attend the India-Centra Asia National Security Advisors’ meeting in Kazakhstan next May. The group stressed that its representatives would help promote cooperation and coordination in regional security and infrastructure development. [Ministry of Foreign Affairs Afghanistan]
On Thursday, Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan vowed to help Pakistan bring down inflation, which touched nearly 24% last month, “as much as [it] can.” As of 2 December, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves dropped by $784 million to $6.7 billion, forcing it to seek assistance from allies like Saudi Arabia and Egypt. [Geo TV]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Uzbek Energy Minister Jorabek Mirzamahmudov said on Wednesday that his country rejects the idea of a “natural gas union” of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Inferring that the union aims to impose political conditions on Uzbekistan, Mirzamahmudov said Tashkent “will never compromise” its national interests. According to Russia, the gas union seeks to promote cooperation between the three countries in supplying natural gas to other countries. [RFE/RL]
Georgian and Emirati delegations met in Dubai on Thursday to hold a second round of negotiations towards establishing a free trade agreement. The delegations discussed removing trade barriers and liberalising the flow of goods and services, including eliminating customs duties. Both sides also agreed to hold a third round of negotiations in March 2023 in Georgia, where a deal could be finalised. [Agenda.ge]
East and Southeast Asia
Former Japanese Vice Minister of Defence Yasuhide Nakayama said yesterday that “Taiwan has all the basic elements of a nation — territory, people and a clearly defined population.” He thus asserted that “it is highly possible that Taiwan will be recognised by Japan as a country if it maintains a free and democratic system.” [Taipei Times]
Malaysia’s anti-graft agency will summon former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, and ex-Finance Minister Zafrul Aziz for questioning over their alleged misappropriation of MYR600 billion ($136 billion ) of public funds under the guise of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. [Borneo Bulletin]
Europe
The Border Violence Monitoring Network reported that migrants and asylum seekers at European Union borders are facing “an unprecedented rise in violence.” The rights group said it has video evidence, medical reports, and testimonies to prove the existence of the violent “pushbacks.” [Politico]
The Dutch government is set to release an official apology for its colonial past on 19 December, when ministers will publicly apologise from different former colonies of the Netherlands. However, organisations from ex-colonies have criticised the Dutch government for deciding on the date arbitrarily and without consultation. They instead proposed 1 July, 2023, to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the end of slavery in the former colonies. [Euronews]
On Thursday, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) arrested a couple suspected to be Russian military intelligence officers in Odesa while “they attempted to transfer classified information to Russia.” The SBU accused them of aiming to establish a network of spies in southern Ukraine. They were also suspected of providing information related to Ukrainian military assets and the movement of air defence units. [Reuters]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Paraguayan Health Surveillance Director Guillermo Sequera has warned that cases of mpox (recently renamed from monkeypox by the World Health Organization) in the country are on the rise, with a total of 32 confirmed cases. Sequera noted that these cases are likely “just the tip of the iceberg.” [teleSUR]
The United Nation’s resident coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, said UN sanctions against Haiti will likely come into effect next month and revealed that the UN Security Council is also continuing to discuss a possible international mission to tackle gang violence in the country. In fact, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said members have discussed deploying a “rapid action strike force” to Haiti, where gangs control 60% of the capital. In addition, there are 155,000 internally displaced people, up 77% since August. [Reuters]
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Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia could normalise ties with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords within a year. Danon, a member of Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, said the new government’s priority would be to add new signatories to the accords. “The Abraham Accords were not built in a day. The hardest part was going public. We have been in contact with the Saudis for years,” he said. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco normalised ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the United States-brokered Abraham Accords. [Jerusalem Post]
On Thursday, hundreds of Sudanese citizens protested in Khartoum against the recent framework agreement signed between military and civilian leaders to end the year-long military rule and form a two-year transitional government. Protesters said they would not accept a deal with the military, stressing that the only fair outcome is its ouster from power. [Associated Press]
North America
On Thursday, the United States House of Representatives passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 350-80. The package is worth $847 billion, including $30 billion to fund nuclear activities in the Department of Energy. Prior to the vote, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) remarked that “just about every member of this House has something in this bill that is important for policy, important in their district.” The Senate is expected to approve it before the end of the year. [The Hill]
Canadian Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino on Thursday announced that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has suspended its $550,000 contract for radio frequency equipment with Sinclair Technologies. Sinclair’s parent company, Norsat International, is owned by Chinese telecommunications company Hytera since 2017; the Chinese government has a 10% stake in Hytera via investment funds. “They are in the process of both reviewing the manner in which this contract was awarded, as well as mitigating against any risks,” Mendicino affirmed. [CBC News]
Oceania
The Australian police on Friday charged four Chinese nationals for their involvement in an online investment scam. While the accused are Sydney residents, their victims were based mainly in the United States. Authorities said their crimes have caused losses of more than $100 million across the world. [ABC News Australia]
In an attempt to control skyrocketing energy prices, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attempt to strike a deal with the states and territories today to temporarily cap gas prices at $12 per gigajoule and coal at between $125 and $160 per tonne. [ABC News Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The United Nations’ peacekeeping mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), MONUSCO, said in a report yesterday that it estimates that the M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians on 29 and 30 November. In addition, 60 people were kidnapped and at least 22 women and five girls were raped during attacks on the Kishishe and Bambo villages in eastern DRC. [Africanews]
Ugandan Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said the country has received 1,200 doses of Ebola trial vaccines from the World Health Organization to protect against the Sudan Ebola virus. Uganda is currently dealing with a fresh Ebola outbreak that began on 20 September. So far, it has recorded around 150 cases and 60 deaths. [The East African]