South Asia
A United Nations Development Program report said that the Afghan economy has lost around $5 billion since the Taliban’s takeover, effectively reversing 10 years of progress. The report highlighted that the Afghan economy is highly dependent on foreign aid, which has been discontinued to pressure the Taliban to conform to internationally-accepted standards of human rights. [Khaama News Press Agency]
Sri Lanka rejected a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution that sought to promote “reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka.” Pakistan, too, voted against the motion, raising concern it is “intrusive” and allows excessive scrutiny into a sovereign state. The resolution nonetheless passed, with 20 countries voting in favour, 7 voting against, and 20 others abstaining. [Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Thursday conferred Uzbekistan’s highest state award for foreigners—the Dustlik order—on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Tashkent said it awarded Putin for his “huge personal contribution” to developing bilateral ties. [Fergana News]
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the European summit in Prague. The duo discussed the ongoing situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and ongoing efforts to restore bilateral ties. “I sincerely believe that we will achieve full normalisation on the basis of good neighbourly relations,” Erdoğan told reporters after the meeting. [Associated Press]
East and Southeast Asia
A former Thai policeman killed at least 37 people, most of them children, in a gun and knife attack at a childcare centre in the country’s north-east, before fleeing to kill himself and his family. Police claim that the former security official was fired in June for drug use; however, it remains unclear if that was the motive behind his attack. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha described the incident as “a shocking event.” [BBC]
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told reporters on Friday that he agreed with Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Fumio Kishida during a phone call on Thursday evening that their bilateral ties should be improved as early as possible. “We agreed that if Korea-Japan relations go back to the good times as early as possible and smooth corporate and public exchanges return, it will be beneficial to the economies of both countries,” Yoon said. He added that the neighbours also “agreed to firmly respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations by establishing a close security cooperation system among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.” [The Korea Herald]
Europe
A Dutch court has called on the government to improve living conditions at asylum centres to match the European Union’s standards. Due to a shortage of space, hundreds of asylum seekers have been housed in outdoor facilities with restricted access to clean drinking water, sanitary facilities, and healthcare. [Al Jazeera]
The British National Grid warned that consumers in several parts of the country could face three hours of “pre-defined” power cuts during the winter, saying they will help protect the “security and integrity” of the country’s electricity system. These concerns have been amplified by indications that Russia could shut off gas supplies in order to retaliate agaisnt sanctions. [The Guardian]
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of partial mobilisation last week, two Russians sailed from the city of Egvekinot in northeastern Russia to the St Lawrence Island in Alaska to seek asylum in the United States in an effort to avoid getting drafted in the Ukraine war. Calling it a “surprise,” Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy remarked, “We don’t anticipate a continual stream of individuals or a flotilla of individuals. We have no indication that’s going to happen, so this may be a one-off.” [BBC]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The death toll from the ongoing cholera outbreak in Haiti has now risen to 9. This number is expected to rise even further, given that there are currently 11 confirmed active cases and a further 111 suspected cases, among whom 27 are below the age of five. The outbreak has been exacerbated by a gang blockade at a fuel terminal, which has interrupted the supply of both fuel and clean drinking water. [teleSUR]
Argentina on Thursday was one among 11 countries to abstain from voting on a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution to hold a debate on human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang province. The 47-member council ultimately voted 19-17 against holding such a debate. Argentina has in recent years become closer to China after becoming a partner under the Asian giant's flagship Belt and Road Initiative. [Buenos Aires Times]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Thursday, at least 54 Sudanese pro-democracy groups approved a draft constitution calling for democracy and an end to military rule. The charter includes measures to remove military leaders and establish new political bodies, including a legislative council. Sudan has been under political turmoil since the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah El Burhan, ousted the civilian leaders in a coup last October. [Associated Press]
Turkey on Thursday appointed Şakir Özkan Torunlar as its new ambassador to Israel, almost two months after the two countries agreed to normalise ties and reappoint their respective envoys. [Daily Sabah]
The United States military on Thursday conducted an airstrike in northern Syria, killing two prominent Islamic State leaders. Shortly before the airstrike, the military carried out a helicopter raid in Qamishli, Syria, that killed an ISIS arms smuggler. No civilians or US troops were killed. [Centcom, Centcom Twitter]
North America
United States President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of citizens for “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law on Thursday, urging state governors to follow suit. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs,” he noted in a statement. [The White House]
During a hearing at the Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday, refugee advocates argued that the 2004 Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States (US) should be revoked for violating the right of “life, liberty and security of the person” promised under Canada’s constitution. Under the pact, asylum seekers are sent back to the US and vice versa at official border crossings and could possibly face deportation, defeating the purpose of seeking asylum. However, a government lawyer said they consider “the general return to the United States is safe.” [The Washington Post]
Oceania
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met with Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday. In a Twitter post following the meeting, Jaishankar said the pair “discussed deepening [their] bilateral cooperation through focused engagement in areas of strength” and “agreed on encouraging greater business collaboration and people-to-people exchanges.” [Twitter]
During his meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese yesterday, Solomon Islands Prime Minister (PM) Manasseh Sogavare assured that his country “will never be used for foreign military installations,” referring to the island nation’s controversial security pact with China. “Solomon Islands will not do anything that will undermine our national security, and jeopardise the security of any or all forum countries,” Sogavare said. “I reiterate again that Solomon Islands will never be used for foreign military installations or institutions of foreign countries, because this will not be in the interest of Solomon Islands and its people,” he underscored. [ABC News Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
India’s health ministry said it has sent samples of four locally-manufactured cough and cold syrups that the World Health Organization has claimed are likely responsible for at least 66 child deaths in the Gambia. The products, manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. reportedly had “unacceptable” amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which are used in antifreeze and brake fluids, leading to acute kidney injuries. [Reuters]
Six days after ousting now-former junta chief Col. Paul-Henri Damiba from power, military leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré declared himself as the new president of Burkina Faso. He has vowed to hold elections by July 2024 as agreed with the Economic Community of West African States, but there is doubt about his commitment to this pledge. [Africanews]