CHINA-ASIA-USA
The tariffs announced a week ago by Trump for 60 countries came into force last night, with the tariff for China raised in the last few hours to 104% after Beijing announced counter-tariffs of 34% on goods imported from the United States. This morning Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke about the matter and called for the construction of a ‘community with a shared future with neighbouring countries’. For its part, India, coinciding with the entry into force of the tariffs, lowered its interest rates by 25 basis points, bringing them to 6% to support its economy.
UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CHINA
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that Kiev troops have captured two Chinese citizens in the Donetsk region who were fighting alongside Russian forces. ‘We have these prisoners‘ documents, credit cards and personal data,’ Zelenskyy said in a social media post that includes a video of one of the alleged Chinese prisoners. China presents itself as a neutral party in the conflict, but is a close political and economic ally of Russia, and NATO members have labelled Beijing a ‘key supporter’ of the invasion by Moscow, which it has never condemned.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
Israel has closed six schools run by UNRWA – the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East – attended by at least 800 children in East Jerusalem. The measure has been strongly condemned by the Palestinian National Authority, which denounces the ‘denial of the right to education’. Meanwhile, the Israeli Supreme Court has issued a temporary injunction stating that the head of Shin Bet (the internal intelligence agency), Ronen Bar, must remain in office until further notice, and gives the Netanyahu government and the attorney general until 20 April to reach a compromise on the legal dispute regarding his dismissal.
CHINA
Twenty people were killed in a fire that broke out in a retirement home in the city of Chengde, in the northern province of Hebei, China. This is the latest in a series of similar incidents that have occurred in the country in recent years. The authorities have ordered the arrest of the owner while the causes are being investigated.
INDIA
The Indian government has launched a new app to make Aadhaar, the digital identity document, more accessible and secure. It combines facial authentication with artificial intelligence. The system provides instant verification via QR code and real-time facial identification for authentication. This will eliminate the need to carry photocopies or physical cards.
RUSSIA-JAPAN
The Russian General Prosecutor's Office has declared the Japanese Association for ‘Northern Territories Issues’ ‘undesirable’, as it was evaluating revisions to the border between Russia and Japan, an issue that has been pending since the end of the Second World War with the dispute over the Kuril Islands, which the Japanese consider their own territory.
KAZAKHSTAN
Kazakhstan will receive a reserve of 3.7 billion cubic metres of water from the Syrdarya river during the period of field irrigation by 2025, as communicated by the Ministry of Water Resources in Astana thanks to the agreement with their colleagues from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the session of the specific coordination committee.
