CHINA
At least 60 thousand people have been evacuated from the populous province of Guangdong due to the flooding of several rivers. According to the authorities, the waters could reach a level not seen in the last century. Rescuers intervened by transporting some elderly people from their homes and deploying helicopters to free the inhabitants involved in the landslides. More than 10 people are missing but no deaths have been reported so far.
JAPAN
The search continues for seven members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces following the collision of two helicopters during a military exercise late on Saturday night. The Defense Ministry is analyzing flight recorders, but so far there is no data to indicate an anomaly in either aircraft. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, expressing his regret in parliament, promised an "all-out" search.
INDIA
Indian election authorities have ordered local officials to redo voting at several polling stations in Manipur following a series of attacks on polling stations that occurred despite the deployment of dozens of paramilitary soldiers. Some videos circulating online show the attackers destroying voting machines. Unrest has been reported in the north-eastern state for almost a year.
MALDIVES
The party of the president of the Maldives, Mohammed Muizzu, achieved a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections with 66 seats out of 93 members. According to local media, the National People's Congress has obtained the "super majority" needed to amend the Constitution. Muizzu, pro-China, wants to reduce traditional Indian influence on the archipelago.
VIETNAM
Police arrested Pham Thai Ha, assistant to the speaker of Vietnam's National Assembly (parliament), on charges of abuse of power. The arrest of Ha, who is also vice-president of the National Assembly Office, is part of a larger nationwide anti-corruption operation conducted in recent months.
MIDDLE EAST
Last night at least five rockets were launched from Iraq against an American military base in Syria. Iraqi security forces blamed the attack on "outlaw elements". Meanwhile, Israeli bombing continues on the Gaza Strip after 24 people were killed in Rafah yesterday. In Khan Yunis, after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, 210 bodies were found in a mass grave.
ARMENIA - AZERBAIJAN
The Azerbaijani authorities destroyed and razed the Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (Kanač Žam) dating back to 1818 in the city of Šuša in Nagorno Karabakh, reconquered in October 2020 in the "40-day war" with Armenia . As Karabakh Records writes, "the Azeris are eliminating all traces of the Armenian presence on the territory."
RUSSIA
Several regions of Russia are canceling the military parades scheduled for Victory Day on May 9th, in some cases due to the serious situation resulting from the recent floods, due to a lack of funds to be allocated to the war in Ukraine or due to "the high risk of attacks terrorists”, as they warned in Kursk, Bryansk, Belgorod, Ryazan and Pskov.
