Pyongyang fired at least one ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan early Wednesday, hours after North Korea and the United States confirmed that a new round of working-level nuclear negotiations (NYT) is set to take place this weekend. 

Diplomacy on North Korea’s nuclear program had stalled since the collapse of a summit between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February. Pyongyang has called for gradual concessions (Yonhap) from Washington as it takes measures to dismantle its arsenal, while the Trump administration has insisted on concrete steps toward denuclearization before any sanctions relief. The Wednesday missile launch was from an underwater platform (CNN), according to a U.S. official.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn decreed that two army units be placed under his direct command rather than under the military’s control, the latest in a series of measures to consolidate the monarchy’s authority (Reuters).

A citizenship registry used to identify and remove migrants (BBC) in Assam State will soon be implemented in the state of West Bengal, the Indian home affairs minister said. Local officials said they will fight the measure.

Nepal: The speaker of the lower house of Parliament resigned from his post (NYT) after a parliamentary employee accused him of rape and assault.

At least two people were killed and around two hundred were wounded in clashes with police  (Al Jazeera) during protests against high unemployment and corruption. The demonstrations were the country’s largest since President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi took office almost a year ago.

Watch President Salih discuss the challenges facing Iraq at this CFR event.

Iran: Three people have been convicted of spying for the CIA (WaPo), including one man who was sentenced to death, Iranian media reported. A fourth man was sentenced to ten years in prison for spying for the UK government.

Suspected jihadis attacked two army camps (Reuters) in central Mali, killing at least twenty-five soldiers, according to officials. Sixty soldiers are still missing. 

CFR’s Africa in Transition blog looks at the Islamist extremist threat in coastal West Africa. 

Sudan: A new women’s soccer league played its first game (BBC) in Khartoum, where crowds chanted “civilian rule.” A coalition of civilian and military leaders has governed the country since August, as part of a three-year transition deal.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to present what he says is his final Brexit proposal (Guardian) to European Union officials today. The plan includes some customs checks on the Irish border beginning in January 2021. 

Ukraine: Under a new agreement between the Kyiv government and separatist leaders, local elections (DW) will be held in separatist-controlled areas in the country’s east and troops from both sides will withdraw from the territory.

CFR’s Global Conflict Tracker looks at the conflict in Ukraine.

Vice President Mercedes Araoz, who initially agreed to replace President Martin Vizcarra temporarily after the legislature voted to suspend him (Reuters), said she reconsidered the decision and will resign. The military and police affirmed their loyalty to Vizcarra, who spurred the crisis by dissolving Congress on Monday. 

Ecuador: The country will leave (Reuters) the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on January 1, citing its hope to generate new export revenue from crude production, which would go against OPEC output quotas.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at OPEC’s waning influence around the globe.

The Institute for Supply Management’s factory index fell last month (Bloomberg) to its lowest point since June 2009. Treasury yields and stocks also dropped, prompting concerns about a global downturn.