MYANMAR
The pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is currently detained, has been allowed a phone call with her son Kim Aris in London: this is the first time mother and son have spoken since her elected government was overthrown by a military coup in early 2021. “Hearing her voice again means more to me than words can express,” Aris said. “But this moment must not be mistaken for freedom.” The country’s military-backed government announced that the former leader – currently under house arrest – had been allowed to speak for 20 minutes with her son Kim Aris at 2.30 pm via a phone call made to the Myanmar embassy in London, where Aris resides.
TIBET
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck a mountainous region of Tibet, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens more, according to reports in the Chinese state media. The epicentre of the quake was in Baqên County, Nagqu Prefecture, on Thursday night, according to the Xinhua news agency. The county – situated in what China refers to as the Tibet Autonomous Region following its annexation in the 1950s – lies 400 km north-east of the regional capital, Lhasa. Power supplies have been cut off in the affected region and 339 homes have collapsed. Local media reported that, following the earthquake, more than 12,400 people have been evacuated.
INDONESIA
Indonesian authorities seized 1.16 tonnes of ketamine on board a Mongolian-flagged vessel travelling from Malaysia in the waters off North Sumatra province earlier this week, said the head of the Indonesian National Police, Suyudi Ario Seto. Indonesian authorities, including the police and customs, intercepted the tanker in the waters off Tanjung Balai, off the coast of the province. Seven Indonesian nationals and one Taiwanese national were arrested, Seto said, including the captain, the engineers and a refuelling crew member. The ketamine is believed to have a market value of 3.48 trillion rupiah ($192.64 million).
TURKEY – MIDDLE EAST – EU
Ministers from the so-called E3 group – the United Kingdom, France and Germany – will meet their counterparts from the recently formed R4 group, comprising Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan, to discuss the Palestinian issue, developments in Yemen and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as ways to bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Trump has hinted at the possibility of further military action against Iran, whilst Iran claims that seven oil tankers have sustained damage in the Strait of Hormuz.
INDIA
Some Kuki-Zo communities – one of the ethnic groups hardest hit by over three years of ethnic violence in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur – have called for the reintroduction of the presidential state of emergency in the face of escalating violence. Their call follows the killing of 32 members of their community since the presidential state of emergency was lifted and an elected government reinstated. The federal government had imposed a presidential state of emergency on 13 February 2025, which lasted for one year, following the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, whose government had failed to restore peace and constitutional governance in the violence-torn state.
EUROPEAN UNION
The 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded ‘collectively’ to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials. Yesterday, when announcing the 2026 winner, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, stated: “By awarding the Sakharov Prize to the International Criminal Court and its officials, the European Parliament recognises the important work carried out by the Court in upholding international law and justice.” The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and, where warranted, prosecutes individuals accused of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
RUSSIA – CENTRAL ASIA
Almost one in two foreign mercenaries in the Russian army is a citizen of one of the five Central Asian countries, according to the Ukrainian state project ‘I Want to Live’, which reports that by 1 October 2026, Russia had recruited 20,437 citizens from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. This accounts for 44 per cent of the total number of identified foreign mercenaries in the Russian armed forces, and the total number of Central Asians recruited exceeds the number of military personnel in the Tajikistan army. In 2025, the number of Central Asian citizens who signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence more than doubled compared with the previous year.
