South Asia
Pakistani Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah denied reports of talks or agreements with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and vowed to take action against any terror activities. The statement comes shortly after the group declared an end to the ceasefire with the government vowed to launch nationwide attacks. In fact, on Wednesday, a TTP attack in Quetta killed four people. [Dawn]
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar lauded the G20 as “uniquely impactful,” adding that India will host over 200 meetings across the country to display its “extraordinary diversity and rich heritage.” He vowed to push for an approach that recognises the burden on vulnerable communities worldwide. [Indian Ministry of External Affairs]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Armenia and Hungary decided to fully restore diplomatic relations after ten years during a meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto in Poland on Thursday. Armenia cut ties with Hungary in 2012 after Budapest extradited Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani soldier who killed an Armenian officer in 2004, to Azerbaijan. [RFE/RL]
The Azerbaijani parliament on Thursday condemned the French National Assembly’s resolution supporting Armenia and calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan. The parliament said France has its own history of committing war crimes and genocide when it was a colonial power. Moreover, it accused Armenia of committing genocide against Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh. [Azer News]
East and Southeast Asia
At least 2,000 pro-democracy activists have been killed fighting Myanmar’s military junta since it siezed power from the civilian government last February, the National Unity Government’s Acting President, Duwa Lashi La, said in an interview. He also called on allies to provide military aid. [Borneo Bulletin]
Roxana Tiron, a senior reporter for Bloomberg, said that the United States Congress was “poised to back as much as $10 billion to bolster Taiwan’s defenses against growing threats from China.” She added that the proposed aid was part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act that is “likely to be revealed this week.” [Twitter]
Europe
Spain’s interior ministry said on Thursday that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had received a letter bomb containing pyrotechnic material last week. The announcement came just 24 hours after a similar letter bomb was delivered to the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid, injuring one employee. [Euronews]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed optimism about British Prime Minister Sunak’s initial discussions to end the deadlock on the Northern Ireland protocol. She appreciated Sunak’s “more pragmatic spirit” and called the talks “encouraging.” [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Peru’s Congress on Thursday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Pedro Castillo, with opposition lawmakers contesting that he is morally unfit to hold office due to the ongoing corruption investigation into him. It also marks the third impeachment attempt against Castillo since he took office last July and reflects the seemingly perpetual political instability in a nation that has seen five presidents since 2016. [Reuters]
Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez has Uruguay's declaration of intent to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership “denatures the essence” of regional trading bloc Mercosur, which prohibits members from reaching trade deals with third parties. Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou has also faced criticism in the past for moving towards a trade agreement with China. [MercoPress]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday voted to commemorate the Palestinian Nakba, otherwise known as the catastrophe of 1948, which coincides with the establishment of Israel. The resolution, sponsored by Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Senegal, Tunisia, and Yemen, was passed with 90 votes in favour, 30 against, and 47 abstentions. Israel, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United States were among those who voted against, while Azerbaijan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Morocco were among those who voted in favour. Nakba refers to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced following the first Arab-Israeli war that resulted in Israel’s creation. [Times of Israel]
The Somali government on Thursday announced that its troops killed around 40 Al Shabaab militants during operations in the Middle Shabelle region. Operations against the terrorist group have been ongoing for months across the country, with the government claiming that forces have killed over 600 Al Shabaab members in the last three months. [Reuters]
North America
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Thursday that the US declared three members of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorists.’ The announcement comes on the back of the TTP ending a five-month-long ceasefire with the Pakistani government and promising nationwide attacks. [US Department of State]
Canadian Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development Mary Ng welcomed the German parliament’s decision to ratify the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement as a “major step forward.” She said the deal has many benefits, noting that bilateral trade has increased 16% from pre-CETA levels to $25.5 billion last year. [Global Affairs Canada]
Oceania
In a joint statement, Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese and Fininsh PM Sanna Marin “agreed that managing complex supply chains, energy sources and investing in trustworthy critical and emerging technologies” is essential to “promote economic, political, social and environmental stability as well as human rights.” [Prime Minister of Australia]
Wellington-based private health insurance provider Accuro said the confidential health data of up to 30,000 customers could have been exposed in a cyber attack. “At this stage, we have no evidence that any Accuro data has been compromised, but we cannot rule out this possibility,” the company said. [NZ Herald]
Sub-Saharan Africa
After five days of relative calm, fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo once again resumed on Thursday. This past week, the DRC and Rwanda reached an “immediate ceasefire” and called on the rebels to pull back from all occupied territory. However, the Rwanda-backed Tutsi rebel group, which was not invited to the East African Community-mediated talks in Nairobi, did not follow through on the agreement. [The East African]
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing intensified calls to resign after a parliamentary panel argued that he may have violated anti-corruption laws and abused his power by failing to report the theft of around $4 million in cash from his farm in 2020. Ramaphosa, however, is seeking re-election as the leader of the African National Congress, which would make him the party’s candidate for the presidential election in 2024. [Associated Press]