The other news of the day: Travel is booming in China for Lunar New Year. Tokyo joins Washington and bans microchip sales to China. Thailand’s general elections is getting underway. India’s Adani group sees market value plunge. In Russia, controversial former Orthodox priest gets more prison time.
ISRAEL – PALESTINE
Seven people are dead and 10 wounded as a result of last night's synagogue attack in East Jerusalem. An armed Palestinian opened fire on worshippers before he was killed by police. This followed an Israeli army's operation in Jenin that left 10 Palestinians dead, including some alleged terrorists, on Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah).
CHINA
Travel in the country for Lunar New Year jumped by 74 per cent over the same period last year. This follows the government’s decision to drop the zero-Covid policy it imposed three years ago.
JAPAN
Responding to US demands, Japan yesterday decided to restrict microchip sales to China. According to various media outlets, the Netherlands also joined the embargo.
THAILAND
The ruling Palang Pracharat party picked former army chief Prawit Wongsuwon as its candidate in the upcoming general election. He is likely to challenge incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who joined the United Thai Nation Party, and Paetongtarn Shinawatra, nephew of former Prime Minister Thaksin.
INDIA
Seven publicly traded companies owned by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani lost US$ 48 billion in market value since 25 January after a report the day before questioned the group's debt situation and expressed concerns about its use of tax havens.
RUSSIA
A court imposed five and a half more years in prison on former Orthodox priest Nikolai Romanov (Fr. Sergiy). The ultraconservative COVID-19 denier was accused of inciting hatred against Catholics, Muslims, and Jews.
UZBEKISTAN – KYRGYZSTAN
The presidents of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan signed 20 bilateral agreements yesterday, including the ratification of an accord reached last November delimiting the border between the two countries, the scene of repeated armed clashes between the two sides.