East Asia

Today's news: Japan's record low in new births and marriages; Afghan Taliban publically execute a man convicted of murder; Seoul imposes a deadline on (youth) white coat protest; Anti-Muslim hatred grows in India, also linked to the 7 October attack and Gaza war.

Tibetan monks who took to the streets against Chinese authorities were arrested and mistreated in detention. Plans to build a hydroelectric power plant would see two villages and six monasteries submerged, which is why Beijing has issued an order to relocate residents, which the latter are resisting.

Today's news: China's space agency names launchers that will put a man on the moon by 2030; Thousands of Filipinos take to the streets against Marcos' constitutional reform on the 38th anniversary of his father's ouster; Indians spend less on food, increase resources for TVs and fridges; New on-shore gas field discovered in Saudi Arabia.

The appeal contained in the final declaration of the Peace Round Table that brought together Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Jews in Tokyo on the initiative of Religions for Peace. "We pray and offer solidarity to those who suffer the brunt of ongoing wars and violence. Let us work together to promote the common good'.

Record sales figures in 2023 with doubled profits in China for the largest local coffeehouse chain. But in the current difficult environment for the Chinese economy, the much lower price of its products also counts.

Today's news: Imran Khan appeals to the International Monetary Fund demanding independent verification of the vote before negotiations; Taiwan's TSMC opened its first microchip factory in Japan; Egyptian economy collapses as tourism, gas and Suez Canal hit by war in Gaza; In Russia more victims of the repression of crimes of opinion under Putin than in the thirty years from Kruschev to Andropov.

The authorities have completed the transformation of one of the most symbolic places of Chinese Islam. The minarets have been torn down, while a sentence at the entrance invites obedience and gratitude to Beijing. A change that also affects other mosques in the area, where a large Hui Muslim community lives. As for the churches, children are forbidden to enter.

Due to rising political tensions and diversification strategies, only 11.4 per cent of Taiwan’s foreign investment went to mainland China last year, down from 83.8 per cent in 2010. Chinese investments in the island are also down. In 2022, China accounted for 34 per cent of Taiwan’s overall foreign investment, down from two thirds a decade ago. US lawmakers start visit in Taiwan.

Going by the nickname Plato, he posted in November an hour-and-17-minute video on YouTube titled "Urumqi Middle Road," named after the street where protesters gathered. The events in the video began spontaneously, but soon turned into a wider protest movement against the Chinese government.

Most of the evacuees from the New Year's Day earthquake that hit Ishikawa Prefecture in particular are still housed in hotels, but spring and the opening of the new high-speed train route are speeding up the time for their departure from hotels

They are protesting over the increase in the number of students admitted to university faculties, a measure that has been talked about for some time in a country that has one of the lowest rates of doctors in relation to its population. But health workers claim that other deficiencies such as overcrowding in hospitals are not being addressed. Preceptions were ordered while the police investigated the protesters.

The balance of trade between the two countries has increased by 10% in the past year, exceeding USD 1 billion. Tajiks import machinery and equipment of all kinds from China and export raw materials. There are currently 580 companies with Chinese capital working in the country. But the other side of the coin is the 60% of foreign debt now in Beijing's hands.