PAKISTAN – MIDDLE EAST
Delegations from the United States and Iran have arrived in Islamabad to discuss ending the war in the Middle East. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar welcomed US Vice President J. D. Vance. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that his negotiators have "good intentions" but "do not trust" the United States.
LEBANON – ISRAEL
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called for direct talks with Israel, which will take place in Washington on Tuesday. Hezbollah has expressed its opposition to direct talks, and many Lebanese are sceptical. “Just because Israel agreed to negotiate with us doesn't mean it's going to be easy. The problem is that we don't have any other option,” said Nabil Boumonsef, deputy editor-in-chief of Lebanon's Annahar newspaper, speaking to Reuters.
NORTH KOREA – CHINA
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that North Korea attaches "top priority" to developing ties with China. The remarks, reported by state media, were made during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday in Pyongyang. Kim added that he "fully support[s]" Chinese policies aimed at “realizing the territorial integrity of the country on the basis of the 'one-China' principle and building a fair and just multipolar world.”
PHILIPPINES
Philippine companies are hard put to meet growing demand for solar panels, whose components are mostly sourced from China. Prices for solar panels have “skyrocketed”, up by 30 per cent in some cases. The price of aluminium railings has also tripled. A high-quality battery that once cost 85,000 pesos now fetches more than 100,000.
INDONESIA
PT Perkebunan Nusantara IV, a state-owned company, released about 7,000 African weevils at a palm oil plantation in North Sumatra to boost production, a first step in a broader plan to introduce approximately one million of these insects across Indonesia. In recent years, palm oil production growth has stalled in the Southeast Asian country, primarily due to aging trees, which some growers are reluctant to replant due to the long time it takes them to bear fruit.
RUSSIA
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced that the number of grounds for deporting migrants from Russia will double. Duma members will review a bill that will increase the number of offences under the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (CAO RF) from 22 to 43. “We will do everything to prevent the arrival of illegal migrants into the country,” Volodin said. The proposed grounds for deportation include disturbing public order, resisting police, and damaging infrastructure.
UZBEKISTAN
Uzbekistan is introducing a new mass sports evaluation system, centred on population health indicators as well as coverage. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has ordered schools to implement a high-intensity fitness programme called CrossFit, tasking local self-governing entities (mahallas) with reducing disease rates and requiring all officials to participate in regular exercise, while ministers have been asked to "set a good example”.
