Globalsecurity.org

A junta-appointed court in Myanmar has handed down a 20-year jail sentence to Win Htein, a close aide to the country's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar media and family members said Friday a long-time colleague and fellow party member of the country's ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been found guilty of treason and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Paramilitary troops were deployed in the central Pakistani province of Punjab on October 29 to confront thousands of supporters of a banned Islamist party on a protest march toward the capital despite warnings from the government.

Thousands of protesters from a banned Islamist group traveled toward Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, Friday in a bid to get their leader released from prison and force the government to expel the French ambassador.

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Washington demands that 55 more Russian diplomats and administrative and technical workers of the Russian embassy and consulates leave the United States in the coming months, the situation on the diplomatic "front" will worsen as a result, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

As Russia's COVID crisis raged on, prompting lockdowns, paid holidays, and a mix of pleas and pressure for the populace to get vaccinated, President Vladimir Putin took aim at the West again. Meanwhile, the clampdown on Kremlin opponents, independent media, and civil society continued.

The European Union's top diplomat has said that Russia is weaponizing its natural-gas supply to bully Moldova, one of Europe's poorest nations, as a gas dispute between Moscow and Chisinau continues.

The Moldovan government and Russia's state-controlled Gazprom say they have agreed to extend a contract for Russian natural gas supplies from November 1, for a period of five years.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has defended the use of a Turkish-supplied armed drone to strike Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, saying the military acted in self-defense and did not violate any agreements.

French Ambassador to the UK summoned to FCDO over threats made against the UK and Channel Islands

The UK has warned France over the seizure of a British scallop dredger in French territorial waters, saying London could order the boarding of more French vessels in retaliation for the move.

The United States says it is committed to assisting Chinese Taipei to defend itself in the face of a potential Chinese attack, in a move which China views a blatant instance of interference in its internal affairs.

For countries in Europe and around the world that find themselves increasingly tied to China economically and politically, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has a simple warning: "They should think twice."

The top U.S. diplomat to Taiwan said Friday the United States has a commitment to help the self-ruled island provide for its self-defense as tensions intensify between Taiwan and mainland China.

A senior official from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Friday that after reunification, Taiwan's peace and tranquility will be fully guaranteed and its economic development will be enhanced.

Senior EU leaders have described a punitive Chinese campaign against Lithuania as unjustified, stating that a proposed Vilnius Taiwan representative office does not breach the bloc's One China policy.

The de facto American ambassador to Taiwan has reaffirmed Washington's commitment to help Taipei defend itself, but offered few details on hot button bilateral issues in her first press conference since assuming office this summer.

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Friday responded to accusations made by secessionist Chiu Tai-san in the island of Taiwan, saying it was another attempt to sell the "two country" theory and confuse black with white, with the aim of deceiving the Taiwan people and misleading the international community.

The Chinese military is fully committed to its missions and responsibilities and remains on high alert to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, a military spokesperson said Thursday.