ISRAEL - PALESTINE - USA
The United States and Israel have reached an agreement on the 20-point plan drawn up by the White House to end the war in Gaza. The announcement of a “historic” milestone - as the promoters have called it - came last night at the end of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Among other things, it provides for: the release of hostages within 72 hours; the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners; a “Board of Peace” chaired and led by the tycoon, together with other members and heads of state, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; no participation by Hamas or the PNA; and a “buffer zone” for the IDF. Hamas' response is awaited, with Arab countries pressuring it to accept the proposal, although some leaders have already raised criticisms and concerns about it. If no agreement is reached, the Israeli army would have a free hand to “finish the job”, while international diplomacy - led by China - is pushing for a ceasefire and a halt to the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, which is “eroding the foundations” for the two states.
INDONESIA
At least three people have been killed, over a hundred injured and 38 are missing in the collapse of a school, the Islamic boarding school (pesantren) Al Khoziny in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. Rescuers are racing against time to find survivors in the rubble of the collapsed building, where many of the students had gathered to pray. According to initial reports, the two-storey structure had unstable foundations and could not support its weight.
BANGLADESH - MYANMAR
Eight years after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled violence - equated to ethnic cleansing - in Myanmar in 2017, many of whom took refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh in what is one of the largest refugee camps in the world, their fate is still uncertain. A meeting with activists and world leaders is scheduled today on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss their repatriation, but no representatives of the Muslim minority will be present.
CHINA
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will hold its annual session between 20 and 23 October in Beijing to discuss the next five-year plan, which will set the country's economic, political and social goals at a time of global tensions and (trade) war with the United States. The date was made official yesterday at the end of a Politburo meeting. President Xi Jinping and more than 370 members of the party's central committee will be present.
SINGAPORE
The population grew by 1.2% in June compared to the same month in 2024, reaching a new high of 6.11 million. This is according to data released yesterday by the government, which confirms steady growth since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest increase is mainly linked to the greater presence of foreign workers, who have reached 1.91 million, 2.7% more than the previous year.
INDIA - ITALY
The Indian Prime Minister wrote a preface to the autobiographical book published by his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, describing the manuscript as the “Mann Ki Baat” of the Italian head of government, in reference to Narendra Modi's radio programme in which he addresses the nation. The Prime Minister praised Meloni, recalling her “inspiring and historic” trip to the country.
RUSSIA - USA - EU
Russian intelligence services are adopting new schemes to recruit spies and saboteurs in the US and Europe, according to Sistema, using Telegram bots and spreading pseudo-Ukrainian and radical Western channels. One of these is called “Eye of Sauron” and is included among English ultra football sites, as well as neo-Nazi-inspired media such as Topaz and that of the fanatical Española brigade.
KAZAKHSTAN - JAPAN
Japanese tourists' interest in Kazakhstan is growing, with almost 10,000 visiting last year, 38% more than the previous year; The percentages are set to increase further in 2025, as explained by the president of Hk Kazakh Tourism, Daniel Seržanuly, who announced that direct flights between Tokyo and Almaty will begin next year and that Kazakhstan will participate in the tourism exhibition in Osaka, where new projects will be discussed.
