One of Ukraine's staunchest allies, Poland, has said it will no longer supply weapons to its neighbour, as a diplomatic dispute over grain escalates. The dispute began after the Russian invasion forced Ukraine to find alternative overland routes, which led to large quantities of grain ending up in central Europe. Consequently, the EU temporarily banned imports of grain into five countries to protect local farmers, who feared Ukrainian grain was driving down prices. The ban ended on 15 September, but Hungary, Slovakia and Poland decided to keep on implementing it. Remarks by President Zelenskiy at the UN, that it was alarming how some of Ukraine's friends were ‘making a thriller from grain’, have been denounced by Warsaw as unjustified. Prime minister Mateus Morawiecki was adamant Poland was helping Ukraine defeat the ‘Russian barbarian’ by maintaining a military hub, but he said he would not agree to Poland's markets being destabilised by grain imports. Ukraine has filed lawsuits with the World Trade Organisation against the three countries over the bans, which it says are a violation of international obligations.

Canada's high commission in India has said that it has decided to ‘adjust’ staff presence in the country temporarily after some diplomats received threats on social media platforms, adding to spiralling tensions between the two countries. The statement from the high commission came soon after an Indian company published a notice that it was suspending visa services for Canadian citizens. Tensions between the two countries escalated earlier this week when Canada said that it was ‘actively pursuing credible allegations’ linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia in June. Prime minister Narendra Modi's government has categorically rejected the claims. With both nations expelling a diplomat each, and India urging its nationals in Canada to ‘exercise caution’, relations between the two countries have touched the lowest point.

From business and strategic perspectives, Joe Biden's recent visits to Vietnam and India will likely be seen as bolstering ties with countries that can help Washington to counter China’s growing might. But for rights advocates, Biden's travels are a huge disappointment, given his administration's vow to prioritise human rights when taking office in 2021. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the government's Hindu majoritarian ideology is reflected in bias in the justice system, and authorities have intensified efforts to silence activists and journalists through politically motivated charges. Meanwhile, Vietnam is holding at least 159 political prisoners - people imprisoned for peacefully exercising basic civil and political rights - and at least 22 others were in detention pending eventual trial before a court controlled by the ruling Communist Party. In the first eight months of 2023 alone, HRW said, courts have sentenced at least fifteen people to long prison terms in violation of their rights to a fair trial. Reporters asked Biden in Vietnam if he was putting US strategic interests above rights and replied: ‘I’ve raised it (human rights) with every person I met with’.

But HRW said talking in private was not enough.

As thousands of protesters around the world took to the streets in a show of solidarity, a year after the killing of hijab protester Mahsa Zhina Amini, there are reports that Christians are coming under pressure from the authorities to boycott the protests. Those who participate have been arrested and face sexual assault in prison, according to a new report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Since the freedom protests began in Iran, the country has detained some 20,000 protesters and killed at least 530, by conservative estimates. It is claimed that seven protesters have been executed after ‘sham trials’ and dozens more have been sentenced to death. The women’s rights protests in Iran have turned into a movement pressing for greater freedom of religion or belief. For more information about the pressure on Christians in Iran, including many being jailed for their involvement with house churches, see 'More'.