South Asia
Responding to a media query, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said India and the United States’ recent ‘Yudh Abhyas’ joint military exercise along the Line of Actual Control violated border agreements Beijing and New Delhi signed in 1993 and 1996. He said the government had already expressed concerns to India. [Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
A bomb blast at a religious school in Afghanistan’s Samangan province killed 15 people and injured 20 others. Local authorities confirmed that all the casualties were children. No group has taken responsibility for the attack so far. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The French National Assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s military aggression against Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh, blaming Baku for starting the clashes in September. The Assembly called for an end to Azerbaijan’s “military occupation” and demanded that Azerbaijani troops withdraw from the volatile region. Furthermore, the resolution called for sanctioning Azerbaijan and urged the United Nations Security Council to deploy UN troops to Nagorno-Karabakh. [Public Radio of Armenia]
The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry on Wednesday said Armenian troops opened fire at Azerbaijani military positions in the regions of Aghdam and Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh. The ministry also claimed that Armenian soldiers carried out the attack from the location where Russian peacekeepers are stationed. [Anadolu Agency]
East and Southeast Asia
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that North Atlantic Treaty Organization members “remain concerned” by China’s “coercive policies, by its use of disinformation, (and) by its rapid, opaque military buildup, including its cooperation with Russia.” He added, however, that the alliance also remains “committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with China.” [The Guardian]
A court in Tokyo has ruled that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional. However, it added that the absence of legal protections for same-sex families is a violation of human rights. While a modest step forward, the ruling has been welcomed by activists. [Japan Today]
Europe
The United Kingdom government’s public spending body said the Ministry of Defence’s 2022-2032 equipment plan does not adequately take into account the “impact of growing pressures of costs.” The National Audit Office said in its recent report that while the ministry believes the plan to be affordable, replacing old equipment like tanks is difficult with the current level of funding. [Telegraph]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that a United Nations-backed special court must investigate Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. She lamented the “death, devastation and unspeakable suffering” caused by Moscow’s “crimes of aggression.” [Politico]
Following a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billström on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Bucharest on Wednesday, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu noted that the new Swedish government appears determined to follow through on the June trilateral memorandum, but asserted that Turkey still wants to see “concrete steps,” specifically regarding the extradition of Kurdish criminals to Ankara and freezing their assets. Billström affirmed that “there is progress in line” and that they are “moving forward.” [AFP]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Argentina’s Central Bank will reportedly maintain the country’s interest rate at 75% into the new year in a bid to curb inflation, which fell from 6.3% in October to around 5.5% in November. [Buenos Aires Times]
Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research found that the Amazon rainforest lost around 11,000 square kilometres of land from August 2021 to July 2022. While this figure is down 11% compared to the previous cycle, it is still quite close to a 15-year high. Deforestation rose by roughly 60% under now-former President Jair Bolsonaro. Meanwhile, incoming President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to end all deforestation in the country by 2030. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Saudi Arabia will host a Chinese-Arab summit on 9 December that will be attended by President Xi Jinping, who is scheduled to visit the Kingdom on 7 December. China will reportedly sign numerous agreements with Arab countries during the summit, including in the fields of energy, security, and investment. [Reuters]
United States (US) Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday urged his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar to de-escalate the violence in northeast Syria. Turkey has launched a series of airstrikes against Kurdish militants in response to the bombing in Istanbul last month that killed six people. Reaffirming the importance of Turkey-US “strategic relationship,” Austin said Turkish airstrikes “directly threatened the safety of US personnel who are working with local partners in Syria to defeat ISIS.” [US Department of Defence]
North America
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the United States (US) Department of Treasury confirmed that they had “complied with last week’s court’s decision” and provided former President Donald Trump’s tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee. Trump is the first president in four decades to not reveal his tax returns and sought to block the committee from accessing his records. However, a federal court ruled in favour of the committee and even the Supreme Court declined to intervene. It is believed that the records won’t be made public. [CNN]
A Canadian Ministry of Defence spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed that Chinese jets “intercepted” a Royal Canadian Air Force surveillance plane during the “most recent iteration of Operation Neon,” a United Nations sanctions mission on North Korea. “Canada has been clear in its expectation that all intercepts should be conducted in a safe and professional manner and refrain from impeding lawful operations in international airspace,” the spokesperson remarked. It is not clear whether the interception was unsafe. [Global News]
On Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that “Obviously everyone in China should be allowed to express themselves (and) should be allowed to share their perspectives, and indeed protest,”referring to ongoing demonstrations against COVID-19 restrictions in China. “We’re going to continue to ensure that China knows we’ll stand up for human rights. We’ll stand with people who are expressing themselves,” he asserted. Chinese Ambassador Cong Piewu defended China’s handling of the protests by saying that the “policy works well” in the country, further mentioning that Beijing had relaxed some restrictions. [CTV News]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he has requested the United States to put an end to pursuing Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange. Albanese said that while his “government will continue to act in a diplomatic way,” he has “made clear” to Washington “that it is time that this matter (to) be brought to a close.” [The Guardian]
Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese said he found it “extraordinary that there was no contrition whatsoever” from ex-PM Scott Morrison over the censure motion against him. Referring to Morrison’s allegations that the media was at fault for not asking him about secret portfolios at the time, Albanese said that the situation was “so bizarre and so beyond comprehension… that of course no-one would have asked that question… because it wouldn’t enter into my mind.” [Prime Minister of Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
A three-member independent panel reporting to the South African parliament said President Cyril Ramaphosa had abused his power and may have violated an anti-corruption law in the Phala Phala farm scandal. A three-member independent panel reporting to the South African parliament said President Cyril Ramaphosa had abused his power and may have violated an anti-corruption law in the Phala Phala farm scandal. The investigation was first opened after Former State Security Agency Director-General Arthur Fraser alleged that Ramaphosa “concealed” a 2020 robbery worth $4 million at his Limpopo farm because he later abducted and interrogated the suspects and paid henchmen off “for their silence.” The independent panel said that Ramaphosa was required to report the robbery and noted that his failure to do so has raised “substantial doubt about the legitimacy of the source” of the money. The country’s central bank is conducting a parallel investigation into whether the money was properly registered as foreign currency under exchange regulations. The scandal could severely impact Ramaphosa’s chances in the 2024 election. [Financial Times]
At the East African Community-led Nairobi Process conference on inter-Congolese dialogue yesterday, the Congolese government reiterated that the M23 rebels, who have fomented violence and instability in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, must lay down their weapons or face military retaliation. The DRC government said, however, that amnesty is not being considered. [The East African]