CSP WEEKLY UPDATES (December 3-9, 2022)

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA & THE UNITED NATIONS

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2390072/pakistan-expresses-disappointment-after-us-adds-country-to-religious-freedom-list

Ø  US to take action if terrorists regroup in Afghanistan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1725298

Ø  US designates members of Pakistan armed groups as ‘terrorists’

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/2/us-designates-members-of-aqis-tpp-terrorists

Ø  Five Key Issues Facing Pakistan’s New Army Chief

https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/11/five-key-issues-facing-pakistans-new-army-chief

Ø  Rejuvenating the Sustainable Development Goals through shared action

https://www.brookings.edu/essay/17-rooms-rejuvenating-the-sustainable-development-goals-through-shared-action/

Ø  U.S. State Department Releases 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom

https://religiousfreedominstitute.org/us-state-department-releases-2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

Ø  Iraq: Investigative team reaches ‘next level’ in bid to bring ISIL terrorists to justice

https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131387

Ø  Developing countries face ‘impossible trade-off’ on debt: UNCTAD chief

https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131432

Ø  ‘Without nature, we have nothing’: UN chief sounds alarm at key UN biodiversity event

https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131422

Ø  Afghanistan: First public execution since Taliban takeover, ‘deeply disturbing’ says UN rights office

https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131487

RUSSIA & EUROPE

Ø  EU backs Croatia’s entry into Schengen, rejects Bulgaria, Romania
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/8/eu-backs-croatias-entry-into-schengen-rejects-bulgaria-romania

Ø  India signals it will continue to buy oil from Russia
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/12/5/india-signals-it-will-continue-to-buy-oil-from-russia

Ø  Ukrainians face emergency blackouts after Russian missile attacks
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/6/ukrainians-face-emergency-blackouts-after-russian-missile-attacks

Ø  Belarus to move troops, equipment amid Ukrainian fears of attack
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/7/belarus-to-move-troops-sparking-fears-of-attack-on-ukraine

Ø  Turkey seeks proof of insurance from Russian oil tankers
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/7/turkey-seeks-proof-of-insurance-from-russian-oil-tankers

Ø  Russia could be fighting in Ukraine for a long time: Putin
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/7/putin-russian-forces-could-be-fighting-in-ukraine-for-long-time

Ø  How the alleged right-wing terrorists wanted to recruit more soldiers and police officers
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/schlag-gegen-mutmassliche-reichsbuerger-terrortruppe-ermittler-stellen-waffen-und-viel-bargeld-sicher-a-eb292982-1748-472c-a6c5-c64ded1fb12b

Ø  Ukraine goes on offensive in the South
https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/zelenskyy-s-risky-push-ukraine-goes-on-the-offensive-in-the-south-a-429b5923-828b-4dc8-9470-b3282fe9c06a

Ø  Ukrainian refugees report cases of exploitation in Europe
https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/open-arms-the-exploitation-of-ukrainians-in-the-european-union-a-83327326-3692-4663-92f3-85a26731c0c2

Ø  Poland to seal Kaliningrad border
https://www.dw.com/en/poland-to-seal-border-with-russias-kalinigrad/video-63975331

Ø  US and EU reach stalemate on green subsidies
https://www.dw.com/en/us-and-eu-reach-stalemate-on-green-subsidies-in-ttc-talks/a-64022096

Ø  UK approves controversial new coal mine, sparking criticism
https://www.dw.com/en/uk-approves-controversial-new-coal-mine-sparking-criticism/a-64023473

Ø  Merkel defends decisions on Russian energy
https://www.dw.com/en/merkel-defends-decisions-on-russian-energy/a-64018499

Ø  Bangladesh’s RAB receive foreign intelligence training in the EU
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/8/bangladeshs-rab-received-foreign-intelligence-training-in-the-eu

Ø  Russia ready for dialogue with US only on equal basis – Russian embassy
https://tass.com/politics/1547513

Ø  Hungary opposes another package of EU’s sanctions against Russia, newspaper reports
https://tass.com/politics/1547617

Ø  Italy, Japan and UK to merge projects for new fighter jet by 2035
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/9/japan-uk-and-italy-to-collaborate-on-fighter-jet-project

Ø  Germany’s Scholz hopes EU’s anti-missile shield to be in place in five years
https://tass.com/world/1547705

Ø  Russia and Ukraine enter grim winter campaign as war losses mount
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/8/russia-and-ukraine-enter-grim-winter-campaign-as-war-losses-mount

Ø  NATO is increasingly involved in Ukrainian conflict – Russian MFA
https://tass.com/politics/1547683

Ø  EAEU summit kicks off in Bishkek
https://tass.com/world/1548177

Ø  US to send Ukraine air defence aid worth $275 million
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20221209-live-us-to-send-ukraine-air-defence-aid-worth-275-million

Ø  EU defence stockpiles almost empty despite increase in spending, Borrell warns
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/12/08/eu-defence-stockpiles-almost-empty-despite-increase-in-spending-borrell-warns

Ø  Finland considers arms export to Turkiye in return for NATO membership support
https://www.euronews.com/2022/12/09/finland-considers-arms-exports-to-turkey-in-return-for-nato-membership-support

POLITICAL ECONOMY & NON-TRADITIONAL THREATS

Ø  The narrow path

https://www.dawn.com/news/1725440/the-narrow-path

Ø  ‘Pakistan’s debt repayments on track’, SBP chief on depleting forex reserves

https://www.geo.tv/latest/457459-pakistans-debt-repayments-on-track-sbp-chief-on-depleting-forex-reserves

Ø  What we need to grow

https://www.dawn.com/news/1725278/what-we-need-to-grow

Ø  ‘Pakistan to be 6th top economy by 2075’

https://www.dawn.com/news/1725257/pakistan-to-be-6th-top-economy-by-2075

Ø  Loan projections shared with IMF

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2389836/loan-projections-shared-with-imf

Ø  Foreign banks threaten to pull out if forced to implement interest-free regime, Senate panel told

https://www.dawn.com/news/1725264/foreign-banks-threaten-to-pull-out-if-forced-to-implement-interest-free-regime-senate-panel-told

Ø  Business confidence nosedives

https://www.dawn.com/news/1725265/business-confidence-nosedives

Ø  Monetary policy is not the best tool

https://www.dawn.com/news/1724757/monetary-policy-is-not-the-best-tool

Ø  16% rate to trigger hard landing

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2389499/16-rate-to-trigger-hard-landing

Ø  Baffling inflation

https://www.dawn.com/news/1724764/baffling-inflation

Ø  Continuing in the economic quagmire

https://www.dawn.com/news/1724766/continuing-in-the-economic-quagmire

Ø  No signs of economic relief

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2389503/no-signs-of-economic-relief

Ø  ‘Debt restructuring is inevitable’

https://www.dawn.com/news/1724571/debt-restructuring-is-inevitable

Ø  With $225m in blocked airline funds, Pakistan among top three on IATA’s list

https://www.dawn.com/news/1725417/with-225m-in-blocked-airline-funds-pakistan-among-top-three-on-iatas-list

Ø  Oil bounces on pipeline shutdown, but heads for weekly loss on demand woes

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/oil-bounces-near-dec-2021-lows-after-keystone-pipeline-shutdown-2022-12-09/

Ø  Cost to the climate

https://www.dawn.com/news/1724613/cost-to-the-climate

Ø  Sustainability is the only way forward

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2389502/sustainability-is-the-only-way-forward

Ø  Ignoring undernutrition

https://www.dawn.com/news/1724745/ignoring-undernutrition

Ø  Islamic finance for climate

https://www.dawn.com/news/1725277/islamic-finance-for-climate

Ø  Which countries are ‘particularly vulnerable’ to climate change?

https://www.climatechangenews.com/2022/12/08/which-countries-are-particularly-vulnerable-to-climate-change/