South Asia
In a major victory for the country’s LGBTQI+ movement, a town in Bangladesh appointed its first transgender mayor, Nazrul Islam Ritu. On her victory over a ruling party rival, Ritu said that her election was indicative of a growing acceptance of the community. [Al Jazeera]
Amid scepticism raised by opposition leaders, the Maldives’ Parliamentary Committee on National Security clarified that the agreements signed with the Indian military are not a cause for concern. This follows opposition leader and former Defence Minister Adam Shareef Umar’s calls for a review into the Committee. [Economic Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
An Azerbaijani military helicopter crashed in the Khizi province on Tuesday, killing 14 officers and wounding two others. Officials said that a criminal investigation has been launched into the incident. [Azer News]
Georgia has introduced a COVID-19 passport system in which citizens will need to present “green passes” that confirm that they have been vaccinated. The system will be put into place on Wednesday. The passes will be required in order to enter public spaces, including parks, hotels, bars, and cinemas. The move is aimed at increasing the vaccination rate in the country, which currently stands at 27%. [Eurasianet]
East and Southeast Asia
South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong held a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Sirodjiddin Muhriddin on Tuesday. Chung signed protocols strengthening the institutional framework for boosting investment between the two countries. Chung is the first Korean Foreign Minister to make an official visit to the country. [MOFA.KR]
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that Japan and the United States (US) could not simply stand by if China attacks Taiwan. “A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan-US alliance. People in Beijing, President Xi in particular, should never have a misunderstanding in recognising this,” he said. [The Straits Times]
Europe
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a telephonic conversation with his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo to discuss enhancing cooperation in security and illegal migration. The meeting indicated increased interoperability between the two sides on tackling the issue of illegal migrants crossing the English Channel. [UK Government]
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday clarified his position on Crimea, calling the annexed territory a “legal” part of Russia. In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Lukashenko added that he plans on visiting Crimea with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Until now, Lukashenko had avoided the question, casting doubt on his commitment to Moscow. [The Moscow Times]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Ahead of Brazil’s election next year, President Jair Bolsonaro has joined the Liberal Party, which is part of the “centrao” alliance of conservative parties that collectively hold a Congressional majority. Bolsonaro is trailing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in various polls, largely due to discontent over his handling of the pandemic and numerous allegations of corruption. [MercoPress]
Xiomara Castro from the leftist Liberty and Refoundation was declared as Honduras’ new president, after Nasry Asfura, the ruling National Party’s candidate, conceded defeat. Castro will now replace President Juan Orlando Hernández, who has been in power since 2014, meaning that the National Party could lose its grip on power after 12 years. In recent years, Hernández has drawn rebuke for corruption and his alleged involvement in drug trafficking. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Tuesday, the Lira plunged by 8% to a record low of 14 against the United States dollar, less than a week after setting a previous record low of 13.44, increasing Turkey’s economic woes amid the country’s ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Critics have blamed the fall of the Lira on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s policy of cutting interest rates. [Reuters]
Iraq’s election commission on Tuesday confirmed the results of the October parliamentary election that was won by Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The announcement was made amid allegations of the results being “fabricated” by several pro-Iranian parties after they lost heavily in the election. [AFP]
North America
On Tuesday, three Muslim lawmakers from the Democratic party—Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Rashida Tlaib (Michigan) and André Carson (Indiana)—slammed Republican minority leader Kevin McCarthy over rampant Islamophobic comments by Republican representatives Lauren Boebert (Colorado) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia). On Tuesday, Greene used the labels, “apologist for Islamic terrorists,” and “pro-al Qaeda” while referring to Omar. Both Republican lawmakers have called Omar and other Muslim lawmakers’ members of the “Jihad Squad.” [The Washington Post]
On Tuesday, former Vice-President Mike Pence displayed optimism about the United States Supreme Court of Justice’s decision to hear oral arguments regarding a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Pence welcomed the arguments, opining that they hint at a possible overturn of Roe v. Wade, which protects women’s right to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. [ABC News]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Wednesday that his government will conduct a wide-ranging parliamentary inquiry into the behaviour of tech giants and look into introducing new legislation to regulate them. “Big tech has big questions to answer. Big tech created these platforms, they have a responsibility to ensure they’re safe,” he said. [Al Jazeera]
A landmark report has found that a third of employees in Australia’s federal parliament have been sexually harassed. The report, titled “Set the Standard,” stated that 51% of staffers had experienced varied forms of “bullying, sexual harassment, or actual or attempted sexual assault.” [BBC]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The armies of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) conducted joint air and artillery strikes against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group in eastern DRC. This follows twin blasts carried out by the ADF in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, two weeks ago that killed at least two police officers and four civilians, and injured dozens. Ugandan police earlier arrested 21 suspects linked to the blasts. [Africa News]
Malawian President has hit out against recent travel bans placed against southern African nations to contain the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, saying they are not supported by science. However, Chakwera has curiously cancelled all public engagements. That being said, this may be related to domestic pushback over spiralling prices of basic goods and services, including fuel, and rising costs of living and unemployment. [The East African]