IRAN
Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian was elected president in a run-off against Saeed Jalili, a right-winger who supports closer ties with Russia and China. Although the president does not have a direct impact on Iran's policies, he is involved in the choice of the Supreme Leader, a role currently held by Ali Khamenei, 85. The turnout was around 50 per cent, against less than 40 per cent in the first round.
TAIWAN
Prosecutors in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan, said that they had opened an investigation against Cheng Wen-tsan, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party in charge of relations with China, for alleged corruption. Cheng, in a statement released by his lawyer and the foundation he heads, the Straits Exchange Foundation, denied any wrongdoing.
CHINA
Chinese authorities this morning faced a dam breach in Hunan province, while the country copes with extreme weather conditions. No casualties were reported so far but 6,000 people have been evacuated. Yesterday a tornado ripped through part of Shandong province, killing one person and injuring another 79.
INDONESIA
Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, an official with Indonesia’s the Ministry of Communication, resigned on Thursday after a cyberattack paralysed government services across the country for several days starting on 20 June. People are using online petitions to demand the resignation of other officials as well. So far, government agencies have salvaged only 2 per cent of the lost data, but the ministry expects full recovery by next month.
TURKMENISTAN
Turkmenistanis who plan to leave the country face a new hurdle. In addition to going through complicated procedures, they must (unofficially) carry US$ 1,500 in cash when they fly out of the country to ensure that they “are tourists and not a migrants looking for earnings abroad.”
RUSSIA
A Moscow court sentenced Alexei, Ioann, and Timofei Ashcheulov to 17 years of harsh prison. The three are the sons of Father Igor Ashcheulov, an Orthodox priest from Lipetsk; their offence was trying to illegally cross the border with Ukraine to take part in terrorist activities, i.e. fight on the side of Ukraine against the Russia.
