WORLD BRIEFING: October 4, 2023
Kevin McCarthy has for now lost the House speaker’s gavel in an historic moment on the heels of a showdown on Capitol Hill over government funding. The California Republican, who was up against major challenges, including tough vote math and a conservative revolt against his speakership, was ousted in a 216-210 vote, with eight Republicans voting to remove McCarthy from the post - CNN
India has told Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country, an official familiar with the matter said Tuesday, ramping up a confrontation between the two countries over Canadian accusations that India may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in suburban Vancouver. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly ahead of public reaction from the Canadian government later Tuesday. The official confirmed an earlier report from the Financial Times. India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment, but ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had previously called for a reduction in Canadian diplomats in India, saying they outnumbered India’s staffing in Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood up in Parliament last month and said there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh leader who was killed by masked gunmen in June in Surrey, outside Vancouver. For years, India has said Nijjar, a Canadian citizen born in India, has links to terrorism, an allegation Nijjar denied. India denies the charges and has asked for proof - AP
Western military powers are running out of ammunition to give Ukraine to defend itself against Russia's full-scale invasion, the UK and Nato have warned. Adm Rob Bauer, Nato's most senior military official, told the Warsaw Security Forum that "the bottom of the barrel is now visible". He said governments and defence manufacturers now had to "ramp up production in a much higher tempo". Ukraine fires thousands of shells every day and most now come from Nato. The admiral, who chairs Nato's Military Committee, said decades of underinvestment meant Nato countries had begun supplying Ukraine with weapons with their ammunition warehouse already half-full or even emptier - BBC
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Indian authorities to immediately release NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and stop trying to intimidate journalists through Tuesday’s police raids on the news website's Delhi office and the homes of at least 12 staff and journalists. “The arrest of NewsClick editor Prabir Purkayastha and the raids on NewsClick and the homes of at least 12 of its former and current journalists are an act of sheer harassment and intimidation," says CPJ’s Beh Lih Yi.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking for ways to end U.S. and European support for Ukraine. American officials are convinced that Putin will try to cut off U.S. and European support for Ukraine by using his intelligence services to spread propaganda for pro-Russian political parties and fuel conspiracy theories with new technology. Putin believes he can influence U.S. policy to weaken support for Ukraine and potentially regain his advantage on the battlefield - NYT
Pakistan's government has ordered all unauthorised Afghan asylum seekers - an estimated 1.7 million people - to leave the country by November.
Russia's communications watchdog plans to block Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) from March 1 next year, a Russian senator for the ruling United Russia party said on Tuesday. Demand for VPN services soared after Russia restricted access to some Western social media after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Senator Artem Sheikin said an order from the Roskomnadzor watchdog would come into force on March 1 that would block VPNs. Sheikin emphasized that it was "especially important" to block access to Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook - Reuters
The China Coast Guard (CCG) yet again performed “dangerous maneuvers” against Philippine ships on a Wednesday, October 4, during the latter’s resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, the Philippines’ outpost on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. Video released by the office of Senate President Migz Zubiri shows a CCG ship cutting across the path a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship was sailing through. The PCG escorts Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)-commissioned boats during routine resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War 2 ship where Filipino Marines are stationed - Rappler