• State media in Iran reports at least 26 people have died in continuing protests triggered by a young woman’s death in morality police custody, as security forces crack down and the government disrupts internet traffic to prevent online organization. (The Associated Press) The army said the protests were part of a conspiracy to “weaken the Islamic regime” and said it would “confront the enemies’ various plots” in the strongest warning yet. (Reuters)
• Russian-backed officials have commenced sham referendums in occupied regions of Ukraine meant to legitimize a Russian annexation of those areas and give Moscow pretext to claim Ukrainian forces are attacking Russians while they attempt to regain control of land lost earlier in the war. (The Associated Press) Moscow’s recent call-up of 300,000 reservists has triggered a mass exodus of young men fearful of being caught up in the draft, with airline tickets to neighboring countries selling out and long lines reported at some border crossings. (The New York Times)
• New U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng revealed a plan to cut taxes and lift bonus caps on British businesses in an effort to break what he described as a cycle of increasing tax burdens contributing to low growth and vice versa. Markets didn’t appear to follow his logic, as the pound slid 1.5% to a 37-year low and bond yields increased a third of a percentage point to 3.8%. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Former Chinese Deputy Police Minister Sun Lijun was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on a variety of charges ranging from bribery to stock market manipulation. His conviction is part of a late string of purges of former senior officials just ahead of the 20th Communist Party Congress next month, where President Xi Jinping is expected to attempt to award himself another 5-year term in office. (The Associated Press)

Happening today at U.N. General Assembly (all times local):

• 10 a.m. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks following conciliatory statements from Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid. 

• 10:15 a.m. E.U. President Charles Michel speaks ahead of winter, which could challenge the bloc’s unity against Russia.
• 11:45 a.m. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks amid devastating climate change-related flooding in Pakistan.

Jay Powell refuses to rule out US recession after third 0.75 percentage point rate rise

Financial Times

‘Knocking on famine’s door’: UN food chief wants action now

Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press 

The U.N. food chief warned Thursday that the world is facing “a perfect storm on top of a perfect storm” and urged donors, particularly Gulf nations and billionaires, to give a few days of profits to tackle a crisis with the fertilizer supply right now and prevent widespread food shortages next year.

China says protracted Ukraine crisis not in the interests of all parties

Ryan Woo and Meg Shen, Reuters 

An expanded and protracted Ukraine crisis is not in the interests of all parties, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau on the sidelines of a United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York on Wednesday.

World opinion shifts against Russia as Ukraine worries grow

Matthew Lee, The Associated Press 

The tide of international opinion appears to be decisively shifting against Russia, as a number of non-aligned countries are joining the United States and its allies in condemning Moscow’s war in Ukraine and its threats to the principles of the international rules-based order.

After days focused on Ukraine, other concerns emerge at UN

Sarah DiLorenzo, The Associated Press 

After three days in which the war in Ukraine consumed world leaders at the United Nations, other conflicts and concerns are beginning to emerge.

Russia’s Sergei Lavrov trades barbs with western officials at UN Security Council

Felicia Schwartz, Financial Times 

Foreign minister defends Ukraine invasion as US counterpart says Moscow has ‘shredded’ international norms.

Wang Yi: U.S. bill on Taiwan ‘fundamentally challenges’ China ties

Marrian Zhou, Nikkei Asia 

Beijing foreign minister says Washington should ‘stand on right side of history.’

Marcos, Biden Meet on Sidelines of UN General Assembly

Sebastian Strangio, The Diplomat 

The two leaders committed to strengthening a strategic partnership that both view as vital in an era of renascent Chinese power.

US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea for joint drills

Kim Tong-hyung and Lee Jin-man, The Associated Press 

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrived in the South Korean port of Busan on Friday ahead of the two countries’ joint military exercise that aims to show their strength against growing North Korean threats.

AP PHOTOS: Backbreaking work for kids in Afghan brick kilns

Ebrahim Noroozi, The Associated Press 

Nabila works 10 hours or more a day, doing the heavy, dirty labor of packing mud into molds and hauling wheelbarrows full of bricks. At 12 years old, she’s been working in brick factories half her life now, and she’s probably the oldest of all her co-workers.

Flood-hit Pakistan should suspend debt repayments, says UN policy paper

Benjamin Parkin, Financial Times 

Islamabad urged to prioritise disaster response over international lenders.

Major Covid Holdouts in Asia Drop Border Restrictions

Alexandra Stevenson and Ben Dooley, The New York Times 

Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan have relaxed their pandemic rules, as they look to bolster their economies and play catch-up with much of the world.

Many POWs freed by Russia had suffered torture – senior Ukraine official

Max Hunder and Gareth Jones, Reuters 

The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence said on Thursday the percentage of released Ukrainian prisoners of war who had suffered torture while in Russian detention was “rather high”.

UN rights experts cite signs of war crimes in Ukraine

Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press 

A team of experts commissioned by the U.N.’s top human rights body to look into rights violations in Ukraine said Friday its initial investigation turned up evidence of war crimes in the country following Russia’s invasion nearly seven months ago.

Italy’s right puts on united front in final days of election campaign

Amy Kazmin, Financial Times 

Potential coalition partners use rally to promise pride and stable government to a frustrated electorate.

Hungary to poll public on support for EU sanctions on Russia

Justin Spike, The Associated Press 

Hungary’s governing party said Thursday it wants to poll the country’s citizens on whether they support European Union sanctions imposed against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Putin was ‘pushed’ into Ukraine war, says Italy’s Berlusconi

Alvise Armellini, Reuters 

Russian President Vladimir Putin was “pushed” into invading Ukraine and wanted to put “decent people” in charge of Kyiv, former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has said, drawing fierce criticism just ahead of Italy’s election.

Poland distributes iodine pills as fears grow over Ukraine nuclear plant

Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz, Reuters 

Poland, concerned about fighting around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, has distributed iodine tablets to regional fire departments to give to people in the event of radioactive exposure, a deputy minister said on Thursday.

Poland and Baltic states push for harsher EU sanctions against Russia

Sam Fleming et al., Financial Times 

Hawks want more Russian banks forced off Swift system and a ban on diamond imports following Putin’s escalation.

Ex-Honduras first lady sentenced to prison for embezzlement

The Associated Press 

A judge sentenced former Honduran First Lady Rosa Elena Bonilla de Lobo to 14 years in prison Wednesday on corruption charges, the second time Bonilla had been sentenced.

UN experts detail extensive war crimes amid Tigray conflict

Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press 

U.N.-backed investigators said Thursday they have turned up evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Ethiopian government forces, Tigray forces and Eritrea’s military — including rape, murder and pillage — over the nearly two-year war centering on Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.

Iran’s conservative women join backlash over enforcement of hijab rule

Najmeh Bozorgmehr, Financial Times 

In wake of Mahsa Amini’s death, even staunch supporters of the regime are questioning need to enforce Islamic dress code.

Israel’s Prime Minister Endorses Palestinian State in U.N. Speech

Dion Nissenbaum, The Wall Street Journal 

Yair Lapid has long said he supports a two-state solution but aides say he isn’t ready to launch peace talks.

World Bank Leader, Accused of Climate Denial, Offers a New Response

David Gelles and Alan Rappeport, The New York Times 

David Malpass touched off a furor, including calls for his removal, when he refused to acknowledge that fossil fuels are warming the planet.

U.S. levies Iran sanctions, rallies leaders against Russia

Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times 

Signaling that the Russian war in Ukraine has triggered an existential crisis for the United Nations, several of its key members on Thursday harshly denounced Moscow’s actions, but failed to take new steps to stop the bloodshed and food, energy and humanitarian crises unleashed worldwide.

U.S. Latino GDP bigger than U.K.’s and India’s

Russell Contreras, Axios 

The total economic output of U.S. Latinos reached $2.8 trillion in 2020, surpassing the GDPs of the U.K. and India, according to a report released Thursday.

Audits of Chinese Companies Start to Face U.S. Inspections

Michelle Chan, The Wall Street Journal

U.S. regulators have started inspecting China-based audits, kicking off a monthslong process that will determine whether companies from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to Yum China Holdings Inc. can remain listed on American stock exchanges.

EU talks up Russia sanctions but consensus may prove elusive

Lorne Cook, The Associated Press 

The European Union appears determined to respond to new Russian attempts to annex parts of Ukraine with more sanctions, but finding a consensus among member countries is becoming increasingly difficult as measures meant to punish Moscow bite into their own economies.

Why did Modi Push Back on Putin? 

Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Policy

New Delhi may have signaled a shift in its posture on Russia’s war in Ukraine, but it seeks more quiet support from the West.

Making Sense of Biden’s Taiwan Policy

Denny Roy, The Diplomat 

The Biden team thinks its adjustments to Taiwan policy will prevent a miscalculation by Beijing. Unfortunately, that may itself be a miscalculation.

How to deal with the problem of ‘submerging markets’

Soofian Zuberi, Financial Times 

A global effort to mitigate the effects of food insecurity, currency weakness and rising debt is essential.