RUSSIA – NORTH KOREA
The first road bridge linking Russia and North Korea has been opened across the Tumen River. The Pyongyang media have stated that the bridge will be used for “staff exchanges, tourism and trade”. However, the Ukrainian foreign intelligence group Truth Hounds has claimed that the bridge is intended “primarily to establish a secret military logistics corridor” to support Russia in the war.
ISRAEL
A week before 7 October 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had received an explicit warning from the United Arab Emirates about the imminent attack by Hamas, but decided not to inform his security chiefs. This was revealed by an investigation by Haaretz, according to which the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, had telephoned Netanyahu to inform him that Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, was planning a large-scale operation against Israel. Bin Zayed had expressed concern that the operation in question would not only lead to bloodshed but would also destabilise the entire region and undermine the Abraham Accords.
MIDDLE EAST
Saudi Arabia has accused the Houthis, an Iranian-backed armed group, of launching a series of attacks that injured at least 73 civilians, including women and children. The announcement was made by General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the group in Yemen. Al-Maliki described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” and a “blatant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty.
FRANCE – SOUTH KOREA
France and South Korea are to invest one billion euros in support of the film industry. The announcement was made by French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the Lumière Festival in Saint-Paul-de-Vance. Lee cited changes in the media landscape and consumer preferences following the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the emergence of artificial intelligence, as key factors that have led to a disruption in film production and consumption.
VIETNAM
Following the visit of Burmese General and President Min Aung Hlaing to Hanoi, the President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, will visit Russia and then France this week. According to experts, To Lam will seek to secure the support of both countries regarding the South China Sea dispute, on which both Paris and Moscow maintain a formally neutral stance. In recent weeks, Vietnam lodged a diplomatic protest against new Chinese constructions on Antelope Reef and Yagong Island, or Ba Ba as it is known in Hanoi.
INDONESIA
A group of lawyers has criticised the decision to reduce the sentence of two soldiers convicted of throwing acid at an activist to six months’ imprisonment. In June, the military court had handed down prison sentences ranging from one and a half to three years to four military intelligence officers, found guilty of an attack on lawyer Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence, a human rights organisation also known as KontraS.
KYRGYZSTAN – KAZAKHSTAN
Following the conclusion of the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan, a dispute has arisen over the results: Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan disagree on the calculation of the number of gold medals required to determine first place in the team standings. A team ranking has appeared on Kazakh social media showing Kazakhstan in first place with 32 gold medals, whilst the organisers have published a different table, showing Kyrgyzstan in first place with 30 gold medals and Kazakhstan in second with 29.
