The combined GDP of the region’s five countries has grown by almost 2.5 times over the last eight years, whilst mutual investment has increased 5.6-fold. But even beyond the economic sphere, questions are mounting as to what unites these peoples, what they can achieve together in the face of today’s challenges, and what kind of future they envisage.
The court dismissed a petition challenging the eligibility for office of Indonesia’s vice-president, the eldest son of former President Widodo, on the grounds that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to bring the case. Yet doubts persist over the lack of evidence regarding his educational credentials, an essential requirement for the position.
These days, it is hard to find a single person who has not had a row with their parents, siblings or closest friends over differences of opinion regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. Ideologies encapsulate traumas within narratives, creating an emotional aura in which political opinions, values and interests align with the characteristics of one’s own psychological makeup.
The People’s Initiative Coalition Against Dynasty (Picad) has launched a petition and an online platform to support the measure called for by the Supreme Court itself. Today, 83 per cent of the country’s senators and around 80 per cent of the members of the House of Representatives come from political families. The target is 7 million signatures.
Putting aside the rhetoric and panda diplomacy, the only outcome of the visit is the extension of the tariff truce until 10 January. Between now and then, the APEC summit will be held in Shenzhen and the G20 in Miami. Regarding Taiwan, China is asking the United States to oppose independence. Japan is unhappy about references to the wartime anti-Japanese unity.
Qin Weizhong, 55, had led the metropolis, a symbol of China's tech race, since 2021. His surprise departure comes just weeks before the APEC summit in Shenzhen. The expulsion of two high-ranking military officials from the Party has also been confirmed. The Central Committee is set to meet on 26–29 October to discuss strict self-governance.
Whilst Russia is electing the Duma – knowing full well that only Putin is allowed to win, and with the opposition torn between a boycott and a ‘tactical vote’ – journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek is attempting to shake things up by calling for a computerised system that would allow everyone to trace their vote.
Around 40 volunteer militias are currently on duty in St Petersburg, and many more are active in Moscow and numerous other cities across Russia. Drawing on the experience of the Soviet-era squads tasked with crime control and the ‘strengthening of public morality’.
Maria Čadina, the wife of a soldier at the front, with flawless make-up and a velvety voice, alternates between posts about love and stories in which she claims that there is no repression in Russia and that Ukraine does not enjoy state sovereignty. A far cry from the aggressive tone of Vladimir Solov’ev or Olga Skabeeva, she now has almost 400,000 followers.
After years of delays and violence, 2.39 million people in the five Muslim provinces of the large southern island of the Philippines are heading to the polls today to elect an assembly that is expected to consolidate the peace process. About 100 international observers have also been deployed. Three people were killed in a shooting at a polling station in Cotabato.
Beijing has confirmed that the Chinese president will attend the BRICS summit on 12-13 September. This is his first visit to India in seven years, marking a thaw facilitated by Trump's slights against India. However, following the 2020 conflict in Ladakh, a border agreement remains elusive, and competition persists.
Today is the deadline for submitting lists for the October 27 elections. Arab voter turnout is a variable that will have a major impact on the distribution of Knesset seats. Segalovitz joins Ra‘am to form an odd alliance, calling on “Jews, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, and Druze” to unite.
Relations between Moscow’s eastern neighbours remain largely in limbo, as they seek to reduce their dependence without severing ties with Russia for good. Meanwhile, in Bishkek, Xi Jinping has, yet again, rejected Putin’s call to unblock the ‘Power of Siberia 2’ gas pipeline project.
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