South Asia
India’s federal cabinet on Wednesday approved a relief package for its struggling telecommunications sector. The deferred payments cycle will begin from October 1, telecoms minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a news conference. This will give the debt-ridden Vodafone Idea more time to pay its dues. [Reuters]
India views itself as a “net provider of security” in the Indian Ocean region, where it “helps build economic capabilities and improve maritime security for its friends and partners,” India’s Ambassador to the United States (US), Taranjit Singh Sandhu, said ahead of the next week’s first in-person Quad summit in Washington. [News 18]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
A firm linked to a relative of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has received tens of millions of dollars from Uzbekistan’s sovereign wealth fund, according to an investigation by RFE/RL. Despite pledging to get rid of corruption in Uzbekistan, it is believed that Mirziyoyev enjoys unchecked powers and controls the country’s politics and its business sphere. [RFE/RL]
The speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonyan, received Indian Ambassador Kishan Dan Dewal in Yerevan on Wednesday to discuss “the deepening and development of friendly relations with India.” Simonyan confirmed the restructuring of the Armenian-Indian friendship group and said that it will play a significant role in expanding inter-parliamentary cooperation. He also welcomed India’s position that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be solved peacefully. [Armen Press]
East and Southeast Asia
A Beijing court ruled against a Chinese woman whose sexual harassment case against a popular TV host made her the face of the Chinese #MeToo movement. The Haidian people’s court said in a judgment on Tuesday that Zhou Xiaoxuan did not provide sufficient proof in claiming that Zhu Jun, her superior at work, had sexually harassed her. [The Guardian]
Following North Korea’s missile test earlier this week, South Korea said on Wednesday that it had conducted its first underwater ballistic missile test. The government reported that the domestically-built missile “fired from a 3,000-tonne-class submarine and flew a set distance before hitting a designated target.” [Al Jazeera]
Europe
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demoted Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and replaced him with Liz Truss, who became the United Kingdom’s second female foreign secretary. Raab had faced widespread criticism for delaying his return from a holiday in Greece as the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August. [Associated Press]
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday morning confirmed the killing of Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the leader of the Islamic State in West Africa, by French troops. Macron wrote in a tweet: “Adnan Abou Walid al Sahraoui, leader of the terrorist group Islamic State in the Greater Sahara was neutralized by French forces. This is another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel.” [DW]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Tuesday, Brazil’s Senate repealed a decree issued by President Jair Bolsonaro last week that forces social media companies to only be allowed to remove content with a “just cause.” [MercoPress]
On Tuesday, Bedford Claude, the chief prosecutor in the investigation into President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination, was replaced by Frantz Louis Juste. Claude’s dismissal from the role has drawn suspicion because it closely follows his invitation to Prime Minister (PM) Ariel Henry to testify in the investigation and his request for Henry to be barred from leaving the country. PM Henry is considered one of the prime suspects in the case, given that there are phone records of him speaking to one of the alleged masterminds behind the assassination just hours after it took place. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Wednesday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) launched the Human Capability Development Program (HCDP), which aims to strengthen the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative. MBS said that HCDP is a strategy to enhance the skills of the Saudi labour force for the future through “instilling and promoting values, developing basic and future skills, and developing knowledge.” [Saudi Press Agency]
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met with Hezbollah’s representative in Iran, Abdullah Safiodin, on Wednesday to discuss the formation of a new government in Lebanon. Abdollahian “expressed hope” that the Lebanese crisis would be resolved “as soon as possible.” He affirmed Iran’s support for Hezbollah and called its fight against the “Zionist enemies” [Israel] a “dignified resistance” and said that Iran is “ready to provide for the needs of Lebanon in various fields.” [Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
North America
On Wednesday, United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne in Washington. The pair discussed the US-Australia Alliance and how to facilitate peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. They also reaffirmed their support for a “rules-based international order, ASEAN centrality, and the rights and livelihoods of Southeast Asian claimants in the South China Sea.” [US Department of State]
US President Joe Biden released a statement celebrating the International Day of Democracy on Wednesday. He announced that he will be holding a two-day virtual summit in December to “set an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal around the world.” [The White House]
Oceania
Australia on Thursday morning announced a new partnership with the United States and the United Kingdom that bolsters their shared military capabilities. The partnership would allow Australia’s submarine program to acquire nuclear-powered submarine capability and share advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence. [news.com.au]
The Australian government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, signed a new agreement with Bangladesh to increase economic opportunities and expand trade. Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment Dan Tehan said, “Australia has the potential to meet Bangladesh’s increasing education, training and energy needs. And we offer world-class expertise in agriculture and infrastructure development.” [Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The Guinean military junta, which deposed President Alpha Condé on 5 September, met with the leaders of various political parties on Tuesday. The coup leader, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya is also expected to meet with political activists, civil society leaders, and international representatives in the near future. Doumbouya is yet to reveal a timeframe for elections. [AfricaNews]
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine, who lost in the country’s presidential election to Yoweri Museveni under questionable circumstances back in January, described the leader, who has been in power since 1986, as a “dictator.” Wine said that Museveni will “end up in the dustbin of history,” just like other African “tyrants” who have “come in the name of revolutionaries but descend[ed] into despised despots.” [Daily Monitor]