Situation Reports

Pakistan's government proscribed hardline Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, or TLP, under the country's Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, weeks after the party's members clashed with police during pro-Palestinian protests in Punjab province that killed five people and injured dozens of others, Dawn reported on Oct. 24.

The South Korean and U.S. trade teams are divided over how much money South Korea should invest annually in the United States to fulfill the former's $350 billion investment pledge, with the United States demanding $25 billion per year and South Korea claiming it could only invest $15 billion-$20 billion annually without a currency swap deal, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 24.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gave her first policy speech to the Diet, in which she pledged to raise defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product by March 2026, two years ahead of schedule, Jiji Press reported on Oct. 24.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced that the United States was launching a Section 301 trade investigation into whether China complied with Phase 1 of the 2020 U.S.-China trade deal, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 24.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev used his Republic Day address to reiterate plans for sweeping constitutional reforms that would create a unicameral, party-list parliament and reaffirm Kazakhstan's "strong presidential" system, KazTAG reported on Oct. 24.

The United States is hosting indirect talks between the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, in Washington with the goal of establishing a humanitarian truce between the two sides and returning to the Jeddah peace negotiating framework, Sudan Tribune reported on Oct. 23 based on talks with several sources.

The Ethiopia-based and anti-Eritrean government Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization, or RSDAO, announced the graduation of new fighters after three months of military training, Addis Standard reported on Oct. 23.

The Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, removed South Africa from its anti-money laundering and terrorism financing "grey list" after assessing that it had met all the necessary actions proposed in a 2023 plan, News24 reported on Oct. 24.

EU leaders failed to agree on a 140 billion euro ($162 billion) loan to Ukraine backed by roughly 190 billion euros in frozen Russian state assets during a summit in Brussels, following Belgian objections, Reuters reported on Oct. 23.

A Turkish court threw out a contentious court case that alleged there were procedural irregularities during the 2023 party congress of the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party, or CHP, during which the party's leader Ozgur Ozel was elected, Reuters reported on Oct. 24.