Beirut postpones administrative vote to avert further paralysis

Today's news: the death toll in China has risen to 29 from a fire in a hospital in the capital; The Afghan economy at risk if international aid is cut; Indian authorities have imposed school closures in parts of the country hit by an exceptional heat wave; Kuala Lumpur is considering restrictions on the use of water for "non-essential" purposes; "bad weather" forces Pyongyang to cancel the "Day of the Sun", celebrating founder Kim Il-Sung.

LEBANON
Parliament voted yesterday to extend municipal councils and key local administrative offices, postponing elections scheduled for May to avoid further institutional paralysis in a country already deadlocked by the failure to elect a president. The deputies - with the exception of the Lebanese Forces - approved a 'technical extension' until 31 May 2024.

AFGHANISTAN
The Afghan economy is set to contract, leading to higher inflation and a drop in liquidity if international aid is cut by 30%, according to a report by the United Nations. Annual per capita incomes could fall to around EUR 300 in 2024, a 40 per cent decrease from 2020. The country would be among the poorest in the world.

CHINA
The death toll rose to 29 after a fire broke out yesterday in the east wing of an in-patient ward of Changfeng Hospital in Beijing. The fire started at 12.57pm local time and was extinguished 40 minutes later thanks to the intervention of a rescue team. A total of 71 people were evacuated from the affected area of the hospital in the Chinese capital, and the authorities opened an investigation. 

INDIA 
The Indian authorities have imposed the forced closure of schools in several states for at least a week, due to the heat wave that is sweeping over part of the country with temperatures already above 40 degrees. Scientists speak of an early start to summer, linked to climate change. More than a billion people in India and neighbouring Pakistan are at risk.

MALAYSIA
Kuala Lumpur is set to introduce restrictions on the use of water for 'non-essential' purposes such as watering lawns and parks, in anticipation of the coming months that are expected to be drier and hotter. According to experts at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, the problem is exacerbated by El Nino, which is expected to last until September, limiting rainfall. 

NORTH KOREA
Pyongyang has cancelled the 'Day of the Sun' (the most important national holiday, falling on 15 April, founder Kim Il-Sung's birthday) due to 'bad weather' and 'rain'. The decision came at the last minute and surprised the population, since in the past it was also held at night and in snowstorms. Citizens had been preparing for a month with patriotic songs, dances and sports competitions. 

RUSSIA
Five nuclear powers - the USA, Canada, Japan, Great Britain and France - decided to exclude Russia from the world uranium market, hitting the Rosatom agency with targeted sanctions. In addition, all possible public and private resources were invested to take control of the civil atomic energy sectors away from Moscow.

KYRGYZSTAN
The lorry drivers of Kyrgyzstan are complaining about the privileges granted by the customs authorities who, in the long border queues, allow the trucks of the historic national company 'Milan' to pass ahead. The latter is assigned a lower coefficient than the real one, and has thus become the monopolist of the transport services that are increasingly in demand today.

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