South Asia
Bangladesh reported 436 dengue hospitalisations on Monday, with 253 admitted in Dhaka alone. With the new cases of the mosquito-borne illness, the total number of dengue patients this year has risen to 56,932. [Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha]
Russia has requested India to deliver a list of over 500 raw materials and equipment—including parts for carts, aircraft, and trains—to prop up its industrial and manufacturing sector due to the impact of Western sanctions and the exit of multiple foreign manufacturers in the wake of the Ukraine war.[Reuters]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday proposed the formation of a “gas union” with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to trade natural gas between the three countries and supply it to other countries. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the move is crucial because there is a “need for synchronisation [and] coordination” among natural gas sellers in the region. [RFE/RL]
The Uzbek Foreign Ministry on Tuesday vowed to continue the “strategic partnership” with the United States and improve ties in other areas like trade, investment, and energy. Uzbek and American officials agreed during a meeting in Tashkent to work together regarding the situations in Afghanistan and Ukraine. [Kun.uz]
East and Southeast Asia
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s accusation that a BBC journalist had been “assaulted” in China was “a serious distortion of the facts” which constituted a “grave interference in China’s internal affairs.” He accused the BBC of “(twisting) the story…to try to paint China as the guilty party.” Meanwhile, the British Foreign Office summoned Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zeguang over the journalist’s arrest and assault. [Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China, BBC]
The death toll from a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia’s Java island last week has risen to 321 as rescuers continue to find more bodies, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said. [Borneo Bulletin]
Europe
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is “starting again,” with the country reporting 40,000 new cases on a daily basis. Calling for preemptive measures, she highlighted a 10% increase in hospitalisations and 400 deaths at the hands of the virus just last week. [Politico]
On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry denounced the United States’ “toxicity and hostility,” alleging that it has launched a “total hybrid war” against Russia. Its remarks came after Moscow postponed talks to extend the New START treaty, which were supposed to be held from 29 November to 6 December in Cairo. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova argued that the “extremely negative” relations between the two countries made it impossible to conduct the arms control talks. [The Moscow Times]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Tuesday, the Peruvian Congress submitted yet another request to impeach President Pedro Castillo, who has already survived two impeachment attempts since coming to power last July. Pointing to the ongoing corruption investigation into the president, Congress argued that Castillo is unfit to carry out his duties due to his “moral incapacity.” The opposition requires 87 votes to impeach him and the previous motion, in March, only received 55 votes. [AFP]
On Tuesday, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced that the government has purchased the remaining $46 million of external debt, which matures between 2023 and 2025. In total, El Salvador has repurchased over $600 million in debt over the last year in order to avoid defaulting on the country's $800 million debt. Much of this has been financed by $360 million in special drawing rights from the International Monetary Fund.
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Violence in the West Bank continued to escalate as Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man during an operation in the region following an explosion in Jerusalem last week that killed two Israeli civilians, which Israel says was perpetrated by Palestinians. It was the fifth Palestinian death in the West Bank in less than 24 hours. [Associated Press]
The Pentagon said on Tuesday that the United States (US) has reduced the number of joint patrols with Kurdish group the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria amid Turkish airstrikes in the region and threats by Ankara to launch a ground operation, which Washington says will threaten the lives of American personnel working in Syria. The SDF is a crucial American partner in fighting the Islamic State in Syria. [Reuters]
North America
The United States is reportedly considering declaring Russian paramilitary company Wagner Group a foreign terrorist organisation over its involvement in the Ukraine war and increasing presence in Africa. Labelling it as a foreign terrorist organisation would allow Washington to begin criminal prosecution proceedings and also seize its assets worldwide. [Bloomberg]
On Tuesday, the United States Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, with 61 in favour and 36 against. The bill is slated to pass through the House next week before President Joe Biden can sign it into law. Though it wouldn’t force all states to legalise same-sex marriage, it would need them to recognise another state’s legal marriage. [CNN]
Oceania
Finnish Prime Minister (PM) Sanna Marin and her New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern slammed reporters in Auckland on Wednesday for suggesting that their meeting took place due to the similarity in their age and gender. “We’re meeting because we are prime ministers,” Marin said. “I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were of similar age,” Ardern retorted. [The Guardian]
The United Nations Development Programme held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Solomon Islands Meteorological Services Forecasting Unit building, which is being built with funding from the Australian government. The building, which will improve the country’s early warning system for natural calamities, comes in the wake of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit the island last week. [Solomon Star]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The United States has expressed concern over the legitimacy of the recent presidential election in Equatorial Guinea, wherein President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, in power since 1979, secured a sixth term, giving him seven more years in office. Obiang won the election with 94.5% of the votes; he has never been re-elected with less than 93% of the votes. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said Washington has taken note of “credible allegations of significant election-related irregularities, including documented instances of fraud, intimidation, and coercion.” It claimed that there were “restrictions on the ability of representatives of political parties to access polling stations, repeat voting, pre-filling of ballots, non-secret voting booths, and heavily armed soldiers within 20 meters of voting booths.” [US Department of State]
Spain's Maritime Safety and Rescue Society said three stowaways were found on a ship’s rudder in the Canary Islands. The Alithini II oil tanker, which docked at the Las Palmas port on Monday, was on an 11-day journey from Nigeria. The three men, all of whom are from Nigeria, were treated for symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia. It is estimated that over 11,600 people have reached the Canary Islands by boat this year. [Associated Press]