14 dead in Israeli air strikes on Lebanon with Aragchi in Washington and talks limited Hormuz

Today’s headlines: Two Americans among the victims of a Philippine army operation against the NPA in Negros. Hanoi revokes unpopular measure against Honda on the eve of the Japanese Prime Minister’s visit. Taiwan imposes sentences of up to 10 years for industrial espionage at TSMC. In Russia, a staunch Putin loyalist implicated in the deportation of Ukrainian children has been appointed as the new Human Rights Ombudsman.

MIDDLE EAST

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks caused 14 deaths and 37 injuries over the weekend, making the ceasefire increasingly precarious. The Israeli army claims to have struck targets used for attacks, whilst a Hezbollah drone killed one Israeli soldier and wounded six others. As the diplomatic stalemate with Washington continues, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, speaking from Russia, has opened the door to negotiations on the issue of free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, whilst postponing the nuclear issue. Meanwhile, in Israel, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have announced an alliance between their two political forces in a new party called ‘Together’, standing to lead the opposition to Netanyahu with Bennett as prime ministerial candidate.

PHILIPPINES

Two US citizens, who arrived in the Philippines a month ago, are among the 19 people killed in a clash on 19 April on the island of Negros, during a military operation by the Manila army against alleged communist rebels of the New People’s Army. The incident caused over 300 residents to flee and has sparked fierce controversy. Only one soldier was injured. Authorities and human rights organisations are calling for an investigation, describing the incident as a massacre: they also cite the deaths of a young student and a journalist. The army defends the operation as legitimate.

VIETNAM-JAPAN

On the eve of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s eagerly awaited visit to Vietnam, local authorities in Hanoi are reconsidering the ban on petrol-powered motorcycles in the city centre, which has long been criticised by Honda. Under a new proposal, motorcycles with internal combustion engines would be banned from July for a six-month trial period, but in a smaller central area and only at weekends. Honda, which dominates the Vietnamese market for petrol-powered two-wheelers, had deemed the initial restrictions too severe, calling for a more gradual transition to electric solutions.

TAIWAN-JAPAN

A Taiwanese court has fined the local subsidiary of Tokyo Electron 150 million Taiwanese dollars and sentenced five defendants to prison terms of up to 10 years in a case linked to the technological secrets of semiconductor giant TSMC. The case, one of the most significant involving breaches of national security, concerns the unlawful acquisition of trade secrets to favour Tokyo Electron in securing orders. A former employee was sentenced to 10 years, whilst others received sentences ranging from two to six years.

INDIA

The forest department of the Indian state of Uttarakhand has removed the structures erected for the wedding of Minister Khajan Dass’s son at a temple located within the protected area of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, and has also initiated legal proceedings. The authorities stated that no authorisation had been sought for the event. The action was taken after photos and videos were shared on social media. The minister has rejected the allegations, calling them a political conspiracy.

ASIA

The Asian Games could be moved to odd-numbered years from 2031 onwards, so that they take place in the 12 months leading up to the Olympics, reshaping the sporting calendar. The proposal envisages that Asia’s biggest sporting event will also serve as a qualifying and preparatory stage for the Olympics, thereby gaining greater significance. The Asian Games in Japan in September–October will remain unchanged, but the 2030 edition in Doha would be postponed by a year. The Executive Board of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has already approved the idea, and further talks are planned with the international sports federations.

RUSSIA

On 22 April, Tatiana Moskalkova’s nine-year term as Russia’s human rights ombudsman came to an end, and in her place, 37-year-old Duma deputy Jana Lantratova, of the “Fair Russia” with the support of “United Russia”, former chair of the committee for the development of civil society and religious affairs, a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin and known for having been involved for years in the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

ARMENIA

The Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II, spoke at the commemoration of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, stating that “the tragedy has not broken the spirit of the Armenian nation; the suffering of the people recalls one and a half million martyrs, the destruction of churches and monasteries, and of so many settlements, and we must ask the whole world not to deny the genocide, and not to allow its continuation in Artsakh”.