JORDAN
Security forces have arrested three armed suspects following a gunfight in the early hours of today, as part of the investigation into the attack on the Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud, in the Karak Governorate, which left at least nine people dead and around 40 injured. According to witnesses, the shooting lasted several minutes.
The Public Security Directorate reported that the suspects were located whilst hiding in an abandoned house in the Karak area and refused to surrender, engaging in a shootout with the police, who returned fire and arrested the trio. Several firearms and rounds of ammunition were found in the suspects’ possession. The government in Amman has stated that the acts of violence were carried out by “extremist terrorists”, although no claim of responsibility has yet been made.
CHINA
The plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party opened today, a four-day meeting involving the highest-ranking officials, with the aim of defining measures for “full and rigorous Party self-governance”.
President Xi Jinping is thus seeking to strengthen his authority and impose ideological uniformity. Xi presented the Central Committee with a draft document which, according to Xinhua, lists the challenges the Party faces: from strengthening its capacity to govern to combating complacency, right through to the fight against corruption – the latter being the President’s flagship issue. The Central Committee will meet behind closed doors from 26 to 29 October; this is the fifth meeting since the current body was formed in 2022, which is why it is referred to as the ‘fifth plenum’. Analysts and experts suggest that this could be the last major meeting before the leadership reshuffle scheduled for 2027, when it is speculated that Xi will retain the top post for a fourth term.
PHILIPPINES
The Philippine bishops have spoken out on the ongoing dispute between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea. Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan states that the conflict concerns not only sovereignty and international law, but also the welfare of families who depend on the sea. “I call on the government,” he emphasised today, “to be firm and unwavering in defending what belongs to us by law and which is a legitimate right of our people, without, however, provoking hostility.” At the same time, he pointed out that many families in Pangasinan and neighbouring coastal communities depend on these waters for their livelihood, income and their children’s future, and are victims of harassment by Chinese vessels. Meanwhile, a poll reveals that the public is almost evenly divided over the way President Ferdinand Marcos’s administration is handling the maritime dispute with Beijing, although nearly three in four people prefer diplomacy to a head-on confrontation. Certain statements by the Chinese ambassador in Manila have sparked a diplomatic row, just ahead of the ASEAN summit scheduled for November.
NEPAL – BANGLADESH
Over the weekend, Nepal resumed exporting 40 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh, using the Indian transmission grid. Supplies had been cut off following damage caused by the flooding of the Bhotekoshi River on 26 August, which had affected two hydroelectric power stations, Trishuli and Chilime. The damage caused by the flooding also affected, albeit partially, electricity exports to the Indian state of Haryana, under bilateral agreements for the sale of electricity. The managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha, stated that exports have resumed after the Indian Central Electricity Authority gave the go-ahead for the supply of electricity to Bangladesh generated by other hydroelectric plants.
JAPAN
There is a shortage of Japanese language teachers for foreign workers, ahead of the introduction – in April – of a new system for foreign labour. Under the new ‘Employment for Skill Development’ programme, which replaces the Technical Intern Training scheme, foreign nationals are required to pass a language proficiency test at A1 level or higher, or to attend at least 100 hours of language lessons before starting work. The survey involved 1,880 organisations listed by the Organisation for Technical Training of Trainees (affiliated with the government); 348 valid responses were received over three days. Among the respondents, 35.9 per cent stated that they had been unable to find a sufficient number of qualified teachers and did not expect to be able to do so in the future. Only 14.7 per cent stated that they had an adequate number of teachers, whilst 19 per cent said they had good prospects. The remaining 106 respondents reported that they were still in the process of recruiting. The 348 organisations expect to take on a total of 17,247 foreign workers.
SRI LANKA – IRAN
Colombo co-ordinated the rescue of 40 Iranian seafarers aboard various commercial vessels in international waters off the country’s coast, facilitating their return to Iran. The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a request from the Iranian embassy, via diplomatic channels, to rescue the seafarers, adding that they were in a medical emergency, though without specifying the nature of their health problems. The Indian newspaper The Hindu reports that the individuals in question were on board vessels which appear to be oil tankers subject to US sanctions. The Sri Lankan navy and coastguard usually provide support during humanitarian operations. Sri Lanka rescued dozens of Iranian seafarers on humanitarian grounds following the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which was struck on 4 March by a torpedo fired from a US submarine. The bodies of over 80 seafarers who died in the attack were repatriated in mid-March.
RUSSIA
The Russian Ministry of Justice intends to create a register of relokanty, citizens residing abroad who are subject to restrictive measures and have been convicted in absentia by the courts for any criminal offence or ‘political’ administrative offence, such as ‘defamation of the army’.
This was announced by Deputy Minister Oleg Sviridenko, who stated that the register will be publicly available on the ministry’s website and accessible to all, in the same way as the existing register of so-called ‘foreign agents’.
AZERBAIJAN – INDIA
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Džeikhun Bayramov stated during a press conference in Baku with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, that “this visit is very important to us”. The minister noted that in recent years the two countries have had differences on various issues, which have also had an impact on bilateral relations and cooperation within international organisations. However, “today we have discussed these issues openly and constructively, and we will soon see the results of this dialogue”.
