South Asia
India and Saudi Arabia are considering initiating a rupee-riyal trade system. The two sides have also discussed establishing a refinery in western India, LNG infrastructure investment, and building more petroleum storage facilities in the country. [Reuters]
Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe said Beijing is willing to provide “technical assistance” to Pakistan to help it mitigate the impact of the flood. In a meeting with Pakistani Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Wei also expressed gratitude to Pakistani authorities for protecting Chinese projects and promoting regional stability. [Associated Press of Pakistan]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Monday told his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov that Baku must remove its forces from the “sovereign territory” of Armenia. The two FMs met in New York ahead of the 77th UN General Assembly summit amid ongoing fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. Mirzoyan stressed that Yerevan is willing to seek a peaceful resolution to the latest skirmishes and completely normalise ties with Azerbaijan. [Public Radio of Armenia]
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov urged citizens to ignore online stories that blamed Kyrgyzstan for starting the clashes with Tajikistan. Japarov claimed that such reports are “manipulative” and aim to “disrupt friendly ties with Kyrgyzstan’s neighbours.” “We continue our efforts to resolve the Kyrgyz-Tajik border issues in a purely peaceful way,” he noted. Deadly clashes erupted between Kyrgyz and Tajik forces along their disputed border on Friday, killing almost 100 people. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen told a conference in New York that her government is “proud to play a role” in assisting Ukraine in its “struggle to defend [its] country and freedom.” She affirmed that it will “continue with [its] efforts.” Tsai also suggested that China may seek to take inspiration from Russia, saying it is important for Taiwan to “educate” itself on the “authoritarian playbook.” [Channel News Asia]
The BBC reported that Htet Htet Khine, a freelance television presenter who worked for its charity branch, has been sentenced to three years of hard labour by the Myanmar junta. The presenter was arrested in August 2021 on charges of incitement and illegal association. BBC Media Action’s director of programme Richard Lace said that the arrest was “alarming” and violated “basic principles of human rights and freedom of expression.” [BNI Online]
Europe
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Canadian Ambassador to lodge a protest over its embassy getting attacked in Ottawa last week after an unknown person threw a Molotov cocktail on its premises and some “aggressive” demonstrators were seen blocking a public entrance to its consular section. The Russian government also accused the Ottawa Police of not doing enough to prevent or arrest those committing “hostile actions” against its diplomatic staff, which it noted is a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has launched an investigation into the matter. [MSN]
The European Commission on Monday released the “Single Market Emergency Instrument,” which aims to protect supply chains to ensure the availability of essential items during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. It prohibits export bans within the bloc, along with mandating stockpiling of certain goods and directing companies to prioritise certain orders. [Politico]
The German Environmental Ministry said operators of the Isar 2 nuclear power plant reported a leak, forcing the facility to pause for repairs by the end of the year. The leakage has been contained and doesn’t pose a threat to public health. However, it will further strain energy security in Germany, which is already struggling to ensure sufficient fuel for the coming winter. [DW]
Latin America and the Caribbean
One person was killed in Colima, Mexico after a wall from a commercial plaza collapsed during a 7.4 magnitude earthquake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has alerted authorities of a possible tsunami at Mexico’s coast and neighbouring Central and South American coasts. Monday’s earthquake coincides with the anniversaries of the two deadliest earthquakes witnessed in Mexico—in 1985 and 2017. [TeleSUR]
On Monday, the Ecuadorian government revealed that it has finalised a deal to restructure $4.4 billion of its outstanding debt with two Chinese banks—China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China (Eximbank)—postponing their maturity until 2027 and 2032, respectively. Eximbank also suspended interest rates on loans and all amortisations allowing Ecuador a six-month grace period. President Guillermo Lasso said “the cash-flow relief will support government priorities” to aid economic recovery. [Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday cast doubt on whether the Holocaust occurred during an interview with CBS News in New York. When asked whether he believed that six million Jews were killed during the Nazi regime, Raisi said there were “some signs” that such an event happened, but one could not be entirely sure, and there should be further investigation. Raisi’s remarks were condemned by top Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Yair Lapid. [Times of Israel]
Two Turkish banks—Isbank and Denizbank—stopped using the Russian Mir payments system to transact with Russian companies. The move happened as the United States sanctioned the head of Mir and warned that it would impose sanctions on anyone helping Russia. Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Turkish banks would do business with Russian companies through Mir, raising concerns in the West that such a move would enable Russia to bypass restrictions. [Reuters]
North America
During a background press call on Monday, an anonymous senior United States Defence official said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed to achieve any of his strategic objectives in the “brutal and unprovoked attack” on Ukraine. He noted that the Ukrainian forces are making “deliberate progress” in the south but added that Russian forces are fighting back. “We all know that this fight is far from over,” he noted. [US Department of Defense]
The Pentagon has launched a review of its psychological information operations after complaints about the United States Department of Defense allegedly running fake accounts to manipulate people abroad. Twitter and Facebook suspended about 150 such fake accounts that were in violation of its rules. [Washington Post]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described his one-on-one meeting with King Charles III as a “great honour” and “a very warm engagement.” Albanese said the new monarch was “very conscious of the connection” between the late Queen Elizabeth II and Australia. “But he also has, of course, a close personal connection, spending six months of his schooling in Australia and we had quite a considerable engagement and discussion,” Albanese added. [The Guardian]
New Zealand Prime Minister (PM) Jacinda Ardern landed in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly leaders’ summit. She is expected to talk about her country’s successful COVID-19 pandemic response. While in New York, the PM is also scheduled to speak at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, a climate change event. [Stuff]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Chad’s interim foreign minister, Chérif Mahamat Zene, resigned on Monday due to disagreements with the military junta, alleging that his department has been reduced to playing a “mere background role” in the national peace dialogue with rebel groups, presently being held in Doha. Over 30 opposition factions signed a deal last month agreeing to engage with the military government to discuss Chad’s transition to civilian rule. [Reuters]
Niger’s Civil Protection Services on Monday revealed that 160 fatalities have been reported due to severe flooding following heavy rains since June, making the 2022 monsoon the deadliest so far. 185 people have been severely wounded and over 225,539 people have been displaced, with the meteorological department predicting heavy showers until the end of the month. [Africanews]