‘If anyone assaults you, defend yourself’ ― IGP tells police officers⁣ and more

This week in Across Africa, Georja Calvin-Smith speaks to Namibian President Hage Geingob ahead of his arrival in New York for the UN General Assembly. He shares his perspective on governance, the impact of Africa's first climate change summit and the role of the African Union in responding to regional upheaval.

Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign and security policy, speaks to Talking Europe from New York, where he is attending the annual United Nations General Assembly. We discuss the big issues facing the EU in the world: Ukrainian grain exports and food security; the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia; the EU's strategy in the Sahel, and migration.

Poland's Foreign Ministry has rejected accusations that officials accepted bribes in exchange for visas. But the EU isn't satisfied with the explanations coming from Warsaw.

The EU has approved changes to its asylum policy but a late amendment is now on the table. The German foreign minister warned Berlin won't back plans to allow more flexibility during periods of large-scale migration.

Pakistan has seen an upsurge in terrorist attacks since the Taliban retook power in neighbouring Afghanistan in August 2021. A large proportion of these attacks are carried out by the TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, against security forces. Faced with this new threat, the Pakistani police are now taking on the role of a counter-terrorism force. They must not only maintain law and order, but also protect themselves from terrorist attacks. Our correspondents report.

The Cook Islands and Niue have been recognized by the United States as "sovereign and independent states." The move appeared to be aimed at curbing further Chinese inroads into the Pacific region.

Joe Biden makes history by becoming the first sitting US president to join a picket line, making the UAW autoworkers' strike a major battleground for the 2024 presidential race. Also, French papers take a look at what to expect as the government prepares to unveil a plan to tackle school bullying. We then take a look at reactions to the burgeoning refugee crisis in Armenia, and finish with an Economist special on the new science behind reversing ageing.

The ballot hadn't been expected until spring next year. But Egypt's National Election Authority announced this week that the country would be holding its presidential vote in December, amid its worst-ever economic crisis. The vote is already fraught with accusations of repression. Human rights groups say at least 35 opposition supporters have been arrested in recent months. Our Cairo correspondent Eduard Cousin tells us more.

Interior ministers from across the European Union are meeting to explore ways to deal with the arrival of migrants arriving by sea.

To mark International Safe Abortion Day, we're taking stock of women's abortion rights in the United States. Terminations are now illegal in 14 states following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year. Some women in those states are now forced to travel elsewhere in the US for the procedure, costing them hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

A new report predicts a dip in economic output this year, correcting earlier forecasts of moderate growth. But experts are optimistic for 2024.

A court in Ho Chi Minh City handed down a 3-year prison sentence to leading climate activist Hoang Thi Minh Hong on charges of dodging taxes during the time she ran a climate non-profit group called Change.