United States
The U.S. expelled a Cuban diplomat after a heated exchange at the UN between the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, and the Cuban foreign minister. The first secretary for Cuba’s Mission to the UN, Richard Tur de la Concepción, was caught on video hitting a phone out of a U.S. officials hand in the main hall of the UN. Ambassador Waltz accused the diplomat of assault and later said he would "be on a flight back to Havana and out of this country today.” This incident comes at a time of heightened tension between the U.S. and Cuba. The Trump administration has been consistently applying pressure on the Cuban regime and its economy in hopes of government reform or complete collapse.
Asia
The Chinese Communist Party announced on Thursday the expulsion of 33 senior political and military officials from the party. This is the latest move by President Xi Jinping as he prepares to seek a fourth term as president next year. Included in the expulsion was former diplomat Liu Jianchao, who, until last year, was the head of the Communist Party's international department. President Xi’s purges of senior political and military officials has been widespread over recent years, with close to 100 officials being expelled. The purges have all been under the guise of an anti-corruption campaign.
Europe
The Trump administration and Russia have been in talks regarding the potential removal of sanctions on Russia’s state investment fund. President Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov told Russian state media reporters that “such a conversation is taking place.” The sanctions on Russia’s investment fund were implemented by the Biden administration following the start of the Ukraine war. Only a few weeks ago, the Trump administration struck a deal with Russia to pause sanctions on Russian diesel with the hope that diesel prices will come down as a result. Many lawmakers in the U.S. have opposed such deals due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Americas
Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro fled Brazil for Miami, Florida after loosing the presidential election to incumbent candidate Lula de Silva. President Trump said to the media that he had given him “a pass” to enter the U.S. The private jet flight that he arrived on in Florida was reportedly organized by a White House official. Bolsonaro was granted parole status, which is usually given for humanitarian reasons. He decided to flee the country after Brazilian authorities ordered him to turn in his passport, which would prevent him from leaving. The next step for Bolsonaro is to apply for a green card, which would grant him permanent residency in the U.S.
Africa
New sanctions were imposed on Rwanda by the Trump administration over the country’s support for a rebel group operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Specifically, the sanctions target the Rwandan Ministry of Defense and a financial institution in the country. According to the Treasury Department, Rwanda has undermined peace through its support for the M23 rebel group. The Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on the Rwandan government to stop supporting M23 immediately. Rwanda and the DRC signed a peace deal at the White House in June to end conflict between the two nations.
Middle East
The Vice President of the U.S., JD Vance, reportedly contacted a senior Iranian military and political official in hopes of restarting negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. The letter was reportedly delivered to the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in Iran by Qatari mediators. This diplomatic outreach comes at a time when it has been reported across the media that President Trump is preparing to restart military operations against Iran following the midterm elections. In preparation for such strikes, the U.S. military has reportedly drawn up plans should the president decide to go ahead with it.
