After a Texas court ruled in August that the United States must recommence a policy established under the Donald Trump administration that requires asylum seekers in Mexico to remain there until their U.S. court dates, Mexico has agreed to allow the program’s resumption (NYT), with some modifications. The Joe Biden administration had ended the policy (BBC), formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols, in June. 
 
Among other measures, the deal stipulates (AP) that migrants will be vaccinated against the coronavirus and receive improved access to legal counsel. Legal aid groups for migrants criticized the resumption, with some vowing not to cooperate with what they called an inhumane policy. The Biden administration continues to fight for the policy’s termination in U.S. courts.  

Amid China’s regulatory crackdown on overseas public offerings, the ride-hailing company said it is delisting its shares (Nikkei) from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and preparing for a listing in Hong Kong. 
 
For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR’s Carl Minzner unpacks China’s regulatory blitz.
 
Indonesia: Authorities charged eight students with treason (AFP) for raising a banned flag and calling for independence for West Papua Province. They face life in prison if found guilty.

The decree says that women cannot be forced to marry (Radio Azadi) by coercion or pressure but does not mention underage marriage.
 
India: The UN Development Program plans to nearly triple (Reuters) the number of cities under its plastic-waste management program in India by 2024. The program has collected 83,000 metric tons of plastic waste since 2018; India generates some 3.4 million metric tons annually.

Information Minister George Kordahi had sparked a rift (National) with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in the Persian Gulf by publicly criticizing the war in Yemen.
 
Iraq: The self-declared Islamic State committed crimes against humanity (AP) and war crimes by systematically killing at least one thousand prisoners in the city of Mosul in 2014, a UN investigator said.

Tomorrow’s vote will be the first (DW) since a 2016 election ended President Yahya Jammeh’s twenty-two-year dictatorship. Current President Adama Barrow is running for reelection; in 2019, he broke a promise to leave office after three years.
 
South Africa: The government accelerated its COVID-19 vaccination campaign (AP) by giving doses at pop-up sites. Reported infections nearly doubled from Tuesday to Wednesday.
 
For Think Global Health, Charles Holmes writes that reactions to the omicron coronavirus variant show the world is still far unprepared for pandemics.

The Austrian People’s Party named Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (AFP) to the position after former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned from his position as party chief and Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg resigned.
 
France: The country signed a deal (Politico) to sell the United Arab Emirates eighty warplanes, closing thirteen years of negotiations.

Amid a drought, annual inflation reaching a five-year high, and over 12 percent unemployment, Brazil’s economy shrank (Bloomberg) for the second consecutive quarter.

Some Republicans had threatened to block the bill (WaPo) over opposition to President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine policies.