South Asia
After Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said that the incumbent government had pushed “China and Pakistan together,” the United States clarified that it would “not endorse” the remarks. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that countries did not have to choose between the US and China and that Pakistan remains a “strategic partner.” [Times of India]
According to sources cited by Reuters, India and Russia are participating in their first “government-to-government negotiations” for a multi-year deal for the supply of fertilisers. To conclude the negotiations, Indian Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will meet with Russian Trade Minister Denis Manturov in the coming weeks. [Reuters]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chechnya’s authoritarian leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, on Thursday amid a public outcry over Kadyrov’s threat to behead family members of a Chechen human rights activist. The Chechen strongman also threatened several journalists by promising to “destroy” them and calling them “terrorists.” Kadyrov’s regime has been accused by human rights organisations of torturing, kidnapping and killing activists, critics and members of the LGBT+ community. [The Moscow Times]
Azerbaijan and Hungary inked a number of bilateral agreements in Baku on Thursday, including MoUs on security, trade, investments, energy cooperation, food security and education. [Azer News]
East and Southeast Asia
Myanmar’s military government on Thursday slapped a new bribery charge against deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi faces nearly a dozen cases that carry a combined maximum sentence of at least 150 years in prison and has already been sentenced to a total of six years in detention for other cases. [Channel News Asia]
In a rare push to thwart online abuse and misinformation, the Philippines on Thursday approved legislation that requires social media users to register their legal identities and phone numbers when creating new accounts. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
British Minister for Africa Vicky Ford announced a fresh push to UK’s relations with Nigeria, vowing to strengthen their partnership in countering terrorism and enhancing regional security. Through a series of new agreements, the UK is seeking to further its “stabilisation efforts” and assist Nigeria in peacekeeping. [UK Government]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday ruled that the Civil Chamber of Poland’s Supreme Court “lacked impartiality and independence,” hence violating the European Convention on Human Rights, a set of laws that guarantee the right to a fair trial. The ECHR claimed that the procedure in place to appoint judges to the Polish Supreme Court’s Civil Chamber undermines the independence of courts as it is highly influenced by legislative and executive powers. According to the ECHR, there are currently 94 more cases against Poland filed between 2018 and 2022 concerning Poland’s Judicial reforms which started in 2017. [The First News]
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, amid escalating tensions at the Ukraine border. Macron’s office said that the leaders tried to defuse tensions in the Donbas region. The Elysée Palace said Macron highlighted the need to reach a strategic balance in Europe to reduce tensions on the ground and ensure the continent's security. [France 24]
Latin America and the Caribbean
At least 23 people have been killed and 84 others hospitalised in Argentina after consuming cocaine that was mixed with a synthetic opioid. The victims are mostly young Argentines from poor neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires, the police stated. [Associated Press]
Hundreds of migrants in Mexico have threatened to form a new caravan and head to the United States border if the government continues to delay visa approvals. Most of the migrants are from Haiti and parts of Latin America. [Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz met with Bahrain’s King, Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa in Manama on Thursday to discuss security and bilateral ties. Both countries signed a historic agreement formalising defence relations and supporting “future cooperation in the areas of intelligence, military-to-military, industrial collaboration and more.” [Israel MFA]
Turkey’s inflation level hit a 20-year high of 49% on Thursday, according to the Turkish statistical institute, amid a collapse of the Lira and skyrocketing prices of consumer goods and items. [Associated Press]
North America
United States (US) President Joe Biden on Thursday announced additional measures to combat increasing gun violence in America after meeting high-ranking officials and community members in New York to discuss the solutions. Biden’s new plan allocates around $300 million to hire more police officers. Biden said that “the answer is not to defund the police; it’s to give you the tools, the training, the funding to be partners, to be protectors.” [ABC News]
On Thursday, lawmakers from the Democrat and Republican parties in the United States (US) introduced a bill in the upper and lower chambers of US Congress calling for a name change of Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington. Currently, Taiwan’s embassy is called Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, the bill seeks to enter into negotiations to change this name to “Taiwan Representative Office,” a move many believe will irk China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory. [Reuters]
Oceania
On Friday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, called on Australia to impose stricter sanctions on Russian individuals under the newly passed Magnitsky laws designed to penalise human rights abusers for deterring Moscow from invading Kyiv. The situation between both countries further deteriorated after leaked documents confirmed the United States and NATO rejecting Russia’s key security demands and the US deploying additional 3,000 forces in Eastern Europe. [The Age]
Australia’s federal government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, defended its efforts to preserve the Great Barrier Reef after The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation recommended listing it as an endangered World Heritage Site. In a report published on Thursday to provide an update on the reef's health, the government argued that coral reefs worldwide are threatened by climate change and urged global action to protect them. [Brisbane Times]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), met in Accra, Ghana on Thursday to discuss the series of recent coups in the West African region and the group’s next steps. The meeting comes after the coup in Mali and Burkina Faso, and the attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau earlier this week. [Africa News]
On Wednesday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta called on Ethiopia to embrace “genuine” reconciliation and end the war in Tigray that has been ongoing for more than a year. [The East African]