INDONESIA
Indonesian Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has resigned: a move that threatens to split a key political alliance and risks exacerbating political uncertainty in South-East Asia’s largest economy. Gibran, 39, the son of former President Joko Widodo, has been the subject of intense scrutiny by parliamentarians following rulings handed down last month by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, which found that his academic qualifications did not meet the electoral requirements. Meanwhile, the Indonesian police say they have sufficient preliminary evidence to proceed with a charge of treason in the case of the telephone wiretaps involving Prabowo.
PAKISTAN
In north-western Pakistan, militants ambushed vehicles carrying police officers, triggering a firefight that left at least 10 officers and 18 militants dead. The attack took place in Kohat, a district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on the border with Afghanistan, whilst the police officers were returning after conducting an operation against criminals involved in illegal gold mining in an area near Kohat. The firefight between the security forces and the attackers reportedly continued for hours. A few hours later, the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
CHINA – TAIWAN
“The course of history cannot be stopped,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling for the complete “reunification” of Taiwan with the motherland and pledging to achieve this peacefully, without making any reference to the use of force. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory, despite Taipei’s strong rejection of this claim, and has repeatedly proposed a model of autonomy based on the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, which is not supported by any major Taiwanese political party. Resolving the Taiwan issue is an “unwavering historic mission” of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi said in a speech delivered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
INDIA
An Indian court has ordered an investigation into allegations that a public library in the state of Tamil Nadu purchased hundreds of books suspected of having been generated using AI. The controversy erupted after the Tamil writer Perumal Murugan raised concerns about the presence, in a recently opened library in the city of Coimbatore, of books containing false information and of questionable authorship. The Madras High Court has ordered the state’s anti-corruption agency to investigate. Tamil Nadu’s Minister for School Education, Rajmohan Arumugam, described the allegations as potentially “the first AI scam in India”.
PALESTINE – GAZA
An Israeli airstrike on a building at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed at least six people, including a surgeon, and injured a further 20. The Israeli army subsequently stated that it had targeted a senior Hamas leader and other members of the group’s armed wing who were reportedly operating inside the hospital in Khan Younis. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks have killed at least 13 Palestinians across Gaza, whilst the United Nations has launched an emergency appeal for waterproof tents to provide shelter for hundreds of thousands of people exposed to flooding caused by heavy rains.
RUSSIA
Numerous Western companies are still operating in Russia: according to the Kyiv School of Economics’ Leave Russia project, there are over 2,000 German companies alone. Almost all of them try to conduct their business discreetly, avoiding attracting attention both in Russia and at home, even though, when asked directly, they condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The situation is slightly different for the Globus hypermarket chain and its main owner, the German billionaire Thomas Bruch, who, even during the war in Ukraine, has continued to open new stores in Russia, urging Berlin to initiate a dialogue with Moscow, and taking part in forums organised by the Kremlin.
ARMENIA – IRAN
The renowned Armenian-Iranian composer and conductor Loris Čknavorian was honoured at the Blue Mosque in Yerevan; the ceremony was attended by Iran’s Vice-President, Hamid Pourmohammadi. The event recognised Čknavorian’s long creative career and his contribution to the development of cultural ties between Iran and Armenia, according to a statement from the Iranian Embassy in Armenia. Loris Čknavorian was born in 1937 in Borujerd, Iran; he has composed over 70 musical works, and from 1989 to 2000 he served as artistic director and principal conductor of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
