THAILAND - MYANMAR
Thailand arrested at least 70 illegal immigrants, including 30 children. They are said to be Rohingya who fled the war in Myanmar, the latest wave of arrivals of modern-day ‘boat-people’ whom the Burmese regime considers to be irregulars from South Asia, denying them citizenship and abusing them. The group was spotted in the south, with women wearing the hijab. Escape attempts to Thailand and Bangladesh have been recorded for years, especially between October and April when the sea is calmer.
LEBANON - ISRAEL - IRAN
Tehran supports every decision taken by Lebanon in the ongoing talks to reach a ceasefire with Israel. This was reported by a senior Iranian official, confirming the desire to de-escalate a conflict that has dealt heavy blows to the country of the cedars and the Shiite Hezbollah movement. Meanwhile in New York the day before Donald Trump's appointment as a close aide in the new US administration Elon Musk met the Iranian ambassador to the UN.
CHINA
The Chinese Communist Party expelled former Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian, six months after the opening of an investigation that led to her removal from government office. According to state media, Tang, 61, is under investigation for ‘serious violations of discipline and the law’, a term used by the authorities to refer to cases of corruption, as was the case with former Defence colleague Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe, who were also subject to purges.
PAKISTAN
Punjab province yesterday declared a health emergency caused by smog, blocking construction sites and closing schools for another week, enforcing distance learning. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Muslims are going to the 600 government mosques to recite the ‘Namaz-e-Istisqa’, a prayer asking for rain and often offered in times of natural disasters.
VIETNAM
After more than four months of silence, Thich Minh Tue, whose real name is Le Anh Tu but who became famous under the nickname ‘wandering monk’, reappeared, renowned for his ascetic life and pilgrimages on foot around the country. A practice that earned him great popularity, but attracted the attentions of the Hanoi authorities who stopped him. Although he has returned to public life, he has asked not to be followed nor to post photos on social networks, a detail that arouses more than one suspicion among his admirers and followers,
RUSSIA
With the help of all institutions and experts, the government of Russia has drawn up the ‘Family-centrism Strategy’. This is a programme for the implementation of family and demographic policies, and support for multi-generation by 2036, with the intention of increasing the birth rate from the current 1.41 per woman to 1.6 in 2030 and 1.8 in 2036.
TURKEY - AZERBAIJAN - TURKMENISTAN
Turkey considers it possible to traffic Turkmen gas through the territory of Azerbaijan, up to 2 billion cubic metres per year. This was stated by Ankara's Energy Minister, Alparslan Bayraktar, passing it through the same infrastructure from which Azerbaijani gas reaches Turkey via Georgia, starting with limited quantities.
