South Asia
The United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review urged India to reduce its “broad application” of terror laws, particularly against human rights activists, journalists, and religious minorities. Several members, including the United States, Canada, and Germany, raised concerns about India’s treatment of minority groups. [Al Jazeera]
United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said India can buy oil “at any price” as long as it does not use Western maritime and insurance services that are tied to the G7 price cap. She added that Russia will find it difficult to transport oil after the G7 introduces the price cap by 5 December, forcing Moscow to sell its oil at a “bargain price.” [Reuters]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna in Paris on Friday, updating her on the negotiation and border demarcation process with Azerbaijan and the unblocking of transport infrastructure in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. [NEWS.am]
At the 9th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Samarkand this past weekend, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Armenia of planting more than a million landmines in Azerbaijani territory during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, saying around 270 citizens have been killed or injured in mine explosions since. [AZERTAC]
East and Southeast Asia
Taiwan has signed an agreement to reopen its representative office in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, after the mission became inactive in 2017. [Taipei Times]
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Sunday that ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) “must become a peaceful region and anchor for global stability” and must “consistently uphold international law and not be a proxy (for) any powers.” [The Straits Times]
Europe
On Sunday, Slovenia elected lawyer Nataša Pirc Musar as its first female president, with 53.86% votes against right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) candidate and former foreign minister Andze Logar’s 46.14%. “I will do my best to be a true president for all, to work for fundamental and constitutional human and democratic rights and democracy,” Pirc Musar said, as she replaced incumbent President Borut Pahor. [Reuters]
British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt announced a plan to increase taxes and cut spending to undo the economic instability caused by former Prime Minister Liz Truss. He noted, however, that poorer sections of society would be exempted. [Reuters]
Germany will leave the Energy Charter Treaty to align its trade policy with its commitment to climate action. The treaty allows international investors to sue signatory countries for any loss of profits caused by a policy change, posing a threat to plans to shut coal plants and reduce reliance on oil and gas. [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Saturday, gas stations across Haiti opened to customers for the first time in two months after gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier lifted the blockade earlier in the week. The blockade, intended to remove Prime Minister Ariel Henry from power, wreaked havoc across various sectors, forcing gas stations to close, hospitals to restrict services, banks and grocery stores to reduce their hours of operation, and exacerbating a cholera outbreak that has now killed dozens. [Associated Press]
The presidents of France, Colombia, and Argentina—Emmanuel Macron, Gustavo Petro, and Alberto Fernández—met in Paris on Friday to discuss how to approach the Venezuelan migration crisis, wherein millions have fled the country due to spiralling inflation, shortages, political suppression, and crime. The three leaders welcomed the resumption of dialogue between the Maduro government and the opposition, saying negotiations are the “only way” forward. [MercoPress]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog handed Benjamin Netanyahu the mandate to form government as the new prime minister (PM) on Sunday, a little less than two weeks after his coalition secured 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, allowing the former PM to return to power after just 19 months. Netanyahu has promised to form a “stable and successive government” that looks out for the best interests of “all of Israel's residents, without exception.” He also stressed that Israel “is the nation-state of the Jewish people.” [The Times of Israel]
Iranian police have now arrested a total of seven French citizens amid ongoing protests, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna revealed on Saturday. Colonna demanded their “immediate release” and accused Iran of “blackmail,” urging it to honour its “international obligations.” She also said she has spoken with her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian, whom she said “committed to respecting” the detainees’ right to consular access. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron met with some leading Iranian activists on Saturday, and described the protests against the regime as a “revolution.” [AFP, Iran International]
North America
The prospect of a joint G20 statement in Indonesia this week was thrown further into doubt after the United States (US) and Russia failed to agree on a joint statement at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit over the weekend in Cambodia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blamed Washington and its allies for insisting on “absolutely unacceptable language regarding the situation in Ukraine.” However, US Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen argued that Washington and its partners want to discuss the “global implications of Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine,” while “there are other countries that are reticent about criticising Russia.” [The Business Times]
In an unprecedented report by the United States National Intelligence Council on Saturday accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of using legal and illegal means to manipulate American foreign policy in favour of the Gulf ally. In this respect, Emirati Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba remarked that he is “proud of the UAE’s influence and good standing in the US,” which is “the product of decades of close UAE-US cooperation and effective diplomacy.” [The Washington Post]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese said that his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday was “very positive and constructive.” “I think it’s a good thing that it happened. I’ve said repeatedly about the relationship with China — that we should cooperate where we can and that dialogue was always a good thing,” the PM remarked. [Taipei Times]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the annual meetings of the East Asia Summit and the Second ASEAN Global Dialogue came “against a challenging backdrop of inflationary, economic and security challenges in the region.” “Our condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the military coup in Myanmar, were also topics we engaged on,” Ardern said. [Scoop Parliament]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Local authorities in the Rubavu district in Rwanda’s Western Province have reported the arrival of 89 Congolese citizens amid the escalating conflict between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. [The New Times]
South African Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said President Cyril Ramaphosa will “gladly step aside if he is charged with any crime,” referring to the Phala Phala farm theft scandal, wherein the leader has been accused of covering up the theft of millions of dollars from his farm in 2020. Former State Security Agency Director-General Arthur Fraser has 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.” [eNCA]