South Asia
The Executive Director of the World Food Programme, David Beasley, warned that over half of Afghanistan’s 39 million population are “marching to starvation,” highlighting the acute risk of child malnutrition and hunger. [Al Jazeera]
Two key suspects in the recent incidents of communal violence in Bangladesh have confessed to inciting hatred against the country’s minority Hindu population on social media. Over 70 Hindu-owned homes and businesses were reportedly set on fire on October 17. [NDTV]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Incumbent Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has won the presidential election held on Sunday with 90% of the votes. The Organization for Security and Cooperation Europe’s (OSCE) monitoring mission noted the election was “not truly competitive” and lacked “genuine pluralism.” [Euronews]
A lawyer for jailed former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has said his client’s health has worsened dramatically and called for “immediate medical interference.” Saakashvili, who is on his 25th day of hunger strike, was arrested by the police on October 1 as he returned to the country following an eight-year absence. Saakashvili was convicted in absentia in 2018 for abuse of power during his term in office. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
The Cambodian parliament on Monday approved constitutional amendments that bar the country’s top officials, including the prime minister, from being citizens of other countries. [The Straits Times]
Beijing is suffering its worst bout of air pollution since May, after the government decided to boost coal production to address the ongoing power crunch. [The Straits Times]
Europe
On Monday, Russian presidential envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov called for better relations between the current Taliban government and the West, particularly the European Union (EU). Kabulov urged the EU to “reopen its mission” in Afghanistan, warning that failure to do so could result in the country becoming a haven for terrorism and drug trafficking. [The Moscow Times]
On Monday, a Munich court sentenced a German citizen and former member of the Islamic State to ten years in prison for letting an enslaved Yazidi girl in Iraq die of thirst. The woman was found guilty of being complicit in crimes against humanity, attempted murder, and war crimes. This marks the first time someone has been prosecuted for war crimes against Yazidis. Around 10,000 Yazidis were killed in northern Iraq and about 7,000 Yazidi women and girls were enslaved and trafficked. [Euronews]
British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that the United Kingdom is considering making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for National Health Service (NHS) workers. He asserted that non-vaccinated NHS workers are endangering patient safety. However, Javid clarified that a final decision has yet to be taken. [Politico]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta has dismissed reports that he reached an agreement with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, for Russian energy company Gazprom to extract lithium from the Salar de Uyuni region. Rather, he said that the pair discussed the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, the need to put a stop to interference in the internal affairs of other countries and the economic blockade on Cuba, and the malign actions of the United States in Venezuela and Nicaragua. [MercoPress]
Facebook and Instagram have deleted a video posted by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in which he baselessly claimed that people in the United Kingdom who have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are “developing AIDS faster than expected.” [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the military coup in Sudan and said that Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other civilian officials “must be released immediately.” He also called for the “immediate reconstitution” of the government and reiterated the UN’s “unwavering commitment” to the realisation of Sudan’s political transition. On Monday, Sudan’s military dissolved civilian rule and arrested political leaders. [United Nations]
Israel will hold its annual ‘Blue Flag’ air exercises with Western countries and India this week. The United Arab Emirates’ air chief, who arrived in Israel on Monday, is set to inspect the drills. [Voice of America]
North America
The United States’ (US) Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, told reporters on Monday that attempts to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are at a “critical phase.” Malley also added that Tehran is running out of reasons to avoid talks that have been on hold for the last few months. Malley further hinted that further delays could push the US to use alternate methods to limit Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. [Reuters]
The United States (US) and its allies called China out for its disregard for World Trade Organization (WTO) rules during a periodic review of Chinese trade policy. Beijing was accused of undermining WTO trading rules that are meant to create a ‘level playing field’ for business. [Voice of America]
Oceania
On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison unveiled a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 ahead of the COP26 conference in Glasgow. “Australia has already met and beaten our 2020 targets and indeed Australia will beat and meet our 2030 targets as well,” Morrison said. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
New Zealand is witnessing a steady rise in COVID-19 cases despite being under lockdown for two months. On Monday, the country reported 109 new cases, the majority of which are confined to Auckland. In addition, over the weekend, the country reported the first community case of coronavirus on its South Island. [Reuters]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The chairman of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Wafula Chebukati, lamented that only around 760,000 citizens have registered as new voters, despite the Commission having set a target of 4.5 million people registering by the November 2 deadline. The situation reflects a growing apathy for elections, particularly among the youth. [The East African]
On Monday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari launched the eNaira digital currency, which will have a perpetual one-to-one exchange ratio with the national currency, the naira. Buhari said this initiative could expand Nigeria’s gross domestic product by $29 billion over the next ten years. [The Nation]