South Asia
On Thursday, a Hindu woman was brutally killed in Sindh, Pakistan. In response, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi demanded action from Islamabad to protect minorities. [NDTV]
The Indian Embassy in Tashkent on Thursday said it is in constant touch with Uzbek officials regarding the death of 18 children that reportedly died after consuming India-made cough syrups. Saying that it regretted the incident, the embassy noted that India “values” cooperation with Uzbekistan in the pharmaceutical industry. [Indian Embassy in Tashkent]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
The Republic of Azerbaijan appointed its first-ever ambassador, Mukhtar Mammadov, to Israel on Thursday, a month after the Azerbaijani parliament voted to open an embassy in Tel Aviv, making it the first Shi’ite Muslim country to do so. “This move is the result of the Israeli government’s efforts to build strong diplomatic bridges with the Muslim world,” then-prime minister Yair Lapid said in November. [Times of Israel]
A Kazakh court on Thursday reaffirmed the deportation verdict for Major Mikhail Zhilin, a Russian officer of the Federal Protective Service who fled Russia in objection to the Ukraine war. Zhilin was barred from leaving Russia and illegally crossed into Kazakhstan in September. Kazakhstan, which denied Zhilin’s request for refugee status, is striking a balance between maintaining trade relations with Russia and avoiding a pro-war stance in light of the prevalent anti-invasion sentiment among the Kazakh populace. [Reuters]
East and Southeast Asia
At least 19 people were killed in a fire that broke out at the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino in Poipet, Cambodia on Wednesday night. Authorities believe the actual death toll could be higher. [Channel News Asia]
Indonesia will curb its palm oil export starting 1 January. Indonesian Palm Oil Association Secretary General Eddy Martono said that from next year, exporters will be allowed to ship only six times their domestic sales volume, lesser than the current ratio allowed of eight times. [Reuters]
Europe
On Thursday, Serbs began removing roadblocks in northern Kosovo after Kosovo opened its main border crossing with Serbia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić also revoked the combat readiness of his armed forces, thus defusing tensions between the two countries. “Diplomacy prevailed in de-escalating tensions in north Kosovo. Violence can never be a solution,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell noted. [Associated Press]
Italy passed a decree on Thursday mandating humanitarian rescue boats at sea to immediately look for a port to dock at after rescuing asylum seekers, failing which they will face fines. This comes amid the Italian government’s criticism of humanitarian organisations-run rescue vessels, accusing them of facilitating human trafficking. [Al Jazeera]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The Brazilian police on Thursday arrested four people for allegedly plotting to remove incoming President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. They also conducted nationwide raids to detain more suspects. The arrests are part of an investigation into a possible coup attempt orchestrated by several people during the riots by incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters to protest Lula’s victory in October. [Reuters]
The Brazilian government on Thursday declared three days of mourning following the death of footballing legend Pelé, 82, who was suffering from colon cancer. Pelé’s death was mourned across the world, including by the leaders of the United States and France. [The Brazilian Report, Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Ethiopian federal police entered the Tigray region’s capital Mekele on Thursday, under last month’s peace agreement between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The officers will “protect federal properties as part of the country’s constitution,” and guard airports, power and telecom installations and banks. Further, a delegation from the African Union and the Ethiopian government arrived in Mekele yesterday to set up an agreed mission to monitor the implementation of the peace deal. [Associated Press]
Turkey rescued 201 irregular migrants on Thursday, after Greek authorities pushed them back into Turkish territorial waters. In the past, Turkey, a key transit point for asylum seekers coming to Europe, and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned the Greek pushback of migrants, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law. [Anadolu Agency]
North America
On Thursday, the United States (US) Department of Justice (DOJ) sued one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the country, AmerisourceBergen, in the Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania for fueling the opioid crisis by “flouting” the Controlled Substances Act since 2014. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta accused the company of failing to “report suspicious orders to federal law enforcement,” which is required by law. AmerisourceBergen, meanwhile, blamed the Drug Enforcement Agency for not taking action against the pharmacies. [The Hill]
Canadian Army commander Lt-Gen Joe Paul on Thursday said that the Canadian Armed Forces were planning to buy new defence equipment, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and different types of long-range, precision missile systems. He said the decision was taken as the armed forces have been closely watching and studying the Russian invasion of Ukraine since February. [Global News]
Oceania
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) had come into force on Thursday. Albanese said the agreement “underscored the government’s commitment to delivering opportunities to diversify trade that are commercially meaningful” for Australian businesses. [Firstpost]
The Australian opposition’s spokesperson for cybersecurity and foreign interference Senator James Paterson accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of “dangerously and irresponsibly” politicising the country’s relationship with China. “Before the election the prime minister promised he would not politicise national security, but that’s exactly what he has now done,” he said. [Sydney Morning Herald]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The Rwandan government on Thursday said that a warplane from the Democratic Republic of Congo violated its airspace, noting that “these repeated violations” are against efforts to preserve regional peace. The incident occurred amid escalating tensions between the DR Congo and Rwanda over the latter’s support for the M-23 rebels, who are waging an armed insurgency against the Congolese government. [Reuters]
The United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway have released a statement urging South Sudan’s leaders to “urgently intervene” to stop the ethnic clashes in the Pibor region that has killed 57 people. [UN Mission in South Sudan]