South Asia
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court sentenced former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha to 11 years in jail for money laundering. The sentence has been criticised by opposition leaders and commentators for being politically motivated. [Al Jazeera]
Pakistan is set to host a Troika meeting on the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan just one day after the India-led meeting on the issue. China, which refused to attend the meeting in New Delhi, said it would attend the meeting in Islamabad. [Hindustan Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Georgian authorities have detained dozens of protesters demanding the release of jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Hundreds of Saakashvili supporters demonstrated in front of the courtroom in Tbilisi where his trial began on Wednesday. Saakashvili, who is a month into a hunger strike, was arrested by the police on October 1 for alleged abuse of power and corruption. [RFE/RL]
The Russian peacekeeping mission in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region confirmed on Tuesday the killing of an Armenian civilian near Shusha by Azerbaijani forces. The Russian Defence Ministry said Russia “is jointly investigating the incident” with Armenia and Azerbaijan. [Armen Press]
East and Southeast Asia
A Constitutional Court in Thailand ruled on Wednesday that pro-democracy activists’ demands to reform the monarchy violate a provision in the country’s military-drafted charter that bans any actions to “overthrow” the royal institution. [The Straits Times]
The United States (US) Treasury imposed sanctions on a group of Cambodian defence officials for corruption in relation to the construction of a US-funded naval base. The duo reportedly “conspired to inflate the cost of facilities” at the US-funded Ream Naval Base project. [The Maritime Executive]
Europe
On Wednesday, the annual Baltic Conference on Defence held in Tallinn, Estonia discussed the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the security threats and challenges on NATO’s north-eastern flank. The conference was attended by Estonian Minister of Defense Kalle Laanet, British Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey, and NATO Assistant Secretary-General for Defense Policy and Planning Patrick Turner. [The Baltic Times]
The European Union and the United States (US) urged the United Kingdom to uphold the Northern Ireland Protocol for peace and stability on the island after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met US President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday. Senior US representatives said, “The Northern Ireland Protocol was a significant achievement during the volatile Brexit process, and its full implementation is critical for ensuring Brexit doesn’t undermine decades of progress toward peace on the island of Ireland.” [EU Reporter]
The United Kingdom is set to release its National Space Strategy, in which it will state its aim of using space technology to combat climate change. The program will be released in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Office Space Affairs. [UK Government]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez claimed on Wednesday that protests planned for November 15 in the country have been orchestrated by the United States with the support of Facebook. Rodríguez further alleged that the level of dissatisfaction with the Cuban government has been artificially inflated by “altering logarithms, altering the geolocation mechanism to simulate the massive presence in Cuba of people with accounts that are known to reside outside our country, primarily in Florida and in the U.S. territory.” [Reuters]
At the COP26 conference in Glasgow on Wednesday, Venezuelan Minister for Ecosocialism Josué Lorca ratified the country’s multilateral commitment to tackling climate change, pointing to how Venezuela’s dense forest cover has made such a decision imperative. He also hit out at sanctions by the United States for undermining Venezuela’s ability to effectively combat climate change. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said on Wednesday that the country wants to “turn the page definitively” on the Western Sahara conflict without giving up its “legitimate rights” over the disputed territory. He also mentioned that Morocco is committed to finding a solution to the conflict. [Al Jazeera]
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi has said that Turkey does not have the permission of the United States and Russia to attack Rojava, an autonomous region in northeast Syria controlled by the mostly Kurdish SDF. Turkey has been threatening a new offensive against the SDF in Rojava for several weeks. [Rudaw]
North America
The residents of Flint, Michigan won a $626 million settlement with the state of Michigan over the city’s consistent negligence regarding lead contamination in the water supply. The compensation program allocates funds for children exposed to the water, adults affected by the water, and businesses that paid water bills. [NPR]
On Wednesday, United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US helped broker a deal between drug giant Johnson and Johnson (J&J) and global COVID-19 vaccine sharing network COVAX. According to Blinken, the deal is set to “facilitate the first delivery of J&J vaccines to people living in conflict zones, and other humanitarian settings.” [The Voice of America]
Oceania
On Thursday, France urged the European Union to pause trade negotiations with New Zealand until its new president is elected in April next year, angering other European states, who want to conclude the deal at the earliest. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was hoping to address trade concerns during her trip to Europe later this month, but the trip has been delayed until next year. [NZ Herald]
In an interview on Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison accused the Leader of the Opposition and Australian Labor Party Anthony Albanese of siding with China. Morrison said, “I see Anthony Albanese backed in the Chinese Government and a number of others in having a crack at me as well. I mean, that’s up for him.” The remarks come after Albanese’s Labor party demanded an inquiry into the AUKUS deal, which has angered France. [news.com.au]
Sub-Saharan Africa
On Wednesday, Beninese President Patrice Talon and his culture minister travelled to Paris to receive 26 royal treasures that were stolen during French colonial role over 130 years ago. It is estimated that 85-90% of African cultural artefacts were stolen during colonial rule and are now on display across Europe and the United States. [Africa News]
The World Health Organization's immunisation and vaccination specialist in Uganda, Dr Andrew Bakainanga, has said that 42 African countries are likely to miss the WHO's target of countries vaccinating at least 70% of the population against COVID-19 by mid-2022. He attributed this to vaccine hoarding by richer countries, whom he urged to speed up vaccine diplomacy efforts. [The East African]