SRI LANKA
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has overturned the presidential pardon granted to the Buddhist monk Galagodaatte Gnanasara, leader of an extremist movement close to former President Rajapaksa, who had been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for intimidating Sanya Eknaligoda, wife of Prageeth Eknaligoda, a well-known political cartoonist who disappeared in 2010 and has not been heard from since. Prageeth Eknaligoda had also criticised former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his cartoons, and his wife has repeatedly accused the authorities of not doing enough to find him.
PAKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN
The Lahore High Court has suspended the directives of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council which prohibited medical schools from admitting Afghan students. The decision was taken following appeals lodged by 13 Afghan students enrolled at various institutions in Lahore, who had been ordered by the Pakistan Medical Council to return to their home country via a notice published on 1 September.
TAIWAN – EUROPE
Taiwanese Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim is currently on a visit; she will attend the Ventotene Conference for Freedom and Democracy (which began yesterday and will end on Saturday 12 September) and will be travelling with Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, the island’s presidential office has announced. Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament, stated that Hsiao’s participation “was kept secret until her arrival to safeguard her presence” at the conference.
JAPAN
According to a recent government survey, over 30 per cent of unmarried people aged between 18 and 34 in Japan do not wish to have children, the highest percentage since 2002, when the data first became available. The survey highlights that the average number of children desired is 1.30 for men and 1.36 for women, both of which are historic lows.
YEMEN – WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The Houthis, an armed group backed by Iran, have captured the port city of Mokha, which overlooks the Red Sea, taking it from pro-government forces supported by Saudi Arabia. The port is located just 75 km from the Strait of Bab al-Mandab, the southern gateway to a trade route linking Asia and Europe as an alternative to the route through the Strait of Hormuz, which is particularly important for Riyadh’s oil exports. No precise figures are available, but hundreds of people have been killed and thousands displaced since the start of the Houthi offensive in south-western Yemen.
RUSSIA
The Russian agency Rossotrudnichestvo has announced on its Telegram channel the expansion of its network of Russian Houses (Russkij Dom), scientific and cultural centres designed to promote Russian culture, language and humanitarian projects abroad, which have been closed in Berlin and many other countries. Director Igor Chaika has signed agreements for the opening of 11 such institutions: the new Russian Houses will open in Armenia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mali, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Togo.
ARMENIA
The Tour of Armenia 2026, a new international cycling race, is being held in the country for the first time; it began yesterday and will end on 13 September. As announced at a press conference by Armenia’s Minister for Education and Sport, Žanna Andreasyan, 16 teams from various countries will take part; during the four stages, the cyclists will pass through various Armenian villages and roads, and the competition will culminate in Republic Square in Yerevan. The race will showcase over 500 km of Armenian roads, featuring ‘breathtaking’ villages and landscapes.
