PHILIPPINES
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has stated that he has pardoned Mary Jane Veloso, who is serving a prison sentence in the Philippines after securing a last-minute reprieve from execution by firing squad for drug trafficking in Indonesia in 2015. Veloso returned to the Philippines in December 2024, following years of negotiations between Manila and Jakarta, after spending almost 15 years in prison in Indonesia. Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 with 2.6 kg of heroin hidden in a suitcase, the contents of which she has always claimed she was unaware of. The Philippine Catholic Church had also spoken out in favour of the pardon.
PAKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN
Pakistan has foiled an attempted attack by the Taliban in the border area of Gulistan, killing several members, according to reports on Friday from Pakistani security sources, who did not provide further details about the planned attack. The incident comes at a time when tensions have resurfaced between the former allies, now enemies, following three months of relative calm, in the wake of an attack on a police facility in north-western Pakistan last week, in which at least 24 people lost their lives.
CAMBODIA
Four supporters of the Cambodian opposition Candlelight Party have been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment, whilst a national youth leader has been arrested on charges of “conspiring” against the government. Rath Sothy, Am Vong, Suon Bunlor and Pin Poch were sentenced by the Phnom Penh Capital Court on 23 September under Article 453 of the Penal Code for three separate offences. Rath Sothy, aged 54, was convicted for having “spoken” about former Prime Minister Hun Sen on the telephone.
INDIA
Leaders of the Indian ‘Cockroaches’ youth movement have declared their intention to launch new nationwide protests if the Indian electoral commissioner does not resign within 48 hours, following a newspaper article reporting that he had been questioned by his deputies regarding changes made to the electoral rolls. Opposition parties have claimed that the electoral registers have been manipulated to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
SAUDI ARABIA – TURKEY – PAKISTAN
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan strongly condemned the attacks on Mecca and on civilian and economic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia by the Houthis. They praised the vigilance of the Saudi armed forces, whilst affirming Saudi Arabia’s right to take the measures it deems necessary to defend its security under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
An urgent meeting of the Chiefs of Staff of the three countries was discussed, with a view to assessing how to provide support under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed in August, which stipulates that an attack against one of the parties constitutes an attack against all parties.
UKRAINE – RUSSIA
Ukraine has the opportunity to end the war with Russia within the next two months, but “it will need help”, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, according to the Wall Street Journal, adding that “we have the chance to stop and end this war before winter if… there are several ‘ifs’, of course; the first is always the will – including the will of the United States, in particular that of President Donald Trump – and we are referring specifically to the political will to end the war”.
UZBEKISTAN
Uzbekistan is developing four airport projects with private-sector involvement, Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov announced in an interview with the television channel Uzbekistan 24. These include the new Tashkent airport, the airports in Urgench and Bukhara, and the transfer of management of the Andijan and Namangan complexes. The minister highlighted the construction of the new Tashkent International Airport as one of the most important projects, adding that practical work has already begun.
