SOUTH KOREA
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol publicly apologised for what he called the ‘unwise conduct’ of first lady Kim Keon Hee during a press conference marking the second anniversary of his presidency. The reference is to allegations that emerged after a video circulated online showing the first lady accepting a Christian Dior handbag. The scandal was for months a headache for the Yoon administration, which then emerged heavily defeated in the parliamentary elections on 10 April. At the press conference - the first in two years - the South Korean president also acknowledged that his government's efforts to improve the lives of citizens were insufficient and promised new measures to boost the economy and support the birth rate in a country severely affected by the demographic crisis.
ISRAEL-US-GAZA
US President Joe Biden stated in an interview with CNN that his administration will not supply offensive weapons to Israel if the operation against Hamas is launched in the populated areas of Rafah city in Gaza. This is the strongest warning to date and is provoking strong reactions in Israel. Foreign Minister Israel Katz reacted by declaring that ‘Israel will continue to fight Hamas until its destruction’, while the incendiary far-right leader Ben Gvir wrote in a tweet this morning: ‘Hamas loves Biden’.
CHINA
From 1 July, Chinese police will have broad powers to search electronic devices, including smartphones and laptops, as part of a nationwide campaign to ensure ‘national security’. Documents issued by the Ministry of State Security on 26 April authorise its officials to collect ‘electronic data’ related to an investigation, including ‘mobile phone text messages, e-mails, instant messages and group chats’, along with ‘documents, images, audio and video, apps and log records’ from electronic devices.
JAPAN
The Japanese government will add large minke whales to the list of species to be hunted commercially. Japan has resumed commercial whaling in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zones in 2019, after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Last year, Japan caught a total of 294 whales, said the Fisheries Agency, which currently limits commercial hunting to the three relatively minor species. Consumption of whales in Japan peaked in the early 1960s, then declined when other meats became more readily available.
THAILAND
Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin yesterday reiterated his intention to reinstate cannabis as a narcotic substance by the end of 2024. Thailand in 2022 was one of the first countries in Asia to decriminalise the use of the substance. But while the original intention was to encourage medicinal use, in the absence of a framework law it was ‘recreational’ use that skyrocketed.
RUSSIA
On 8 May, a public meeting was held in Ulan-Ude to discuss with the population the planned opening of a 162 hectare penal super-colony for 3,000 people on the outskirts of the capital of Buryatia. However, the inhabitants of the affected district of Energetik were not able to enter the hall, which was occupied in advance by state officials.
KAZAKHSTAN-TAJIKISTAN
Tajik migrants in Kazakhstan complain that they are subjected to treatment similar to that in Russia, with constant searches, arrests and deportations, affecting even those who hold regular residence permits, as several migrants told Radio Ozodi.
