Gaza: New ceasefire under discussion

Today’s News : 20,000 containers of munitions from North Korea play a decisive role in Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. In Hong Kong, four more democrats imprisoned over the 2020 primaries have been released upon completion of their sentences. Japan grants billion in aid to Bangladesh. A shocking video shows a young Chinese paraglider reaching 8,500 metres in an updraft.

ISRAEL–GAZA
As the military offensive continues with more casualties, Israel has announced that it has accepted the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza. Hamas – which disputes certain amendments made at the request of Netanyahu’s government – has said it will respond by tomorrow. The proposal, coordinated with mediation by Egypt and Qatar, outlines a 60-day truce and the release of 28 Israeli hostages, whether alive or deceased, in exchange for 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the bodies of 180 deceased Palestinians. Humanitarian aid for Gaza – to be delivered by the UN, the Red Crescent, and other agencies – would begin as soon as Hamas approves the ceasefire deal. The final 30 of the 58 remaining Israeli hostages would be released upon the establishment of a permanent ceasefire.

NORTH KOREA – RUSSIA – UKRAINE
North Korean ammunition supplies have enabled Russia to intensify missile strikes on critical Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. According to a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team – a group of 11 UN members established after a Security Council committee was dissolved by Russia and China – Pyongyang has shipped over 20,000 containers. Up to nine million artillery shells and rocket munitions have been delivered from North Korea to Russia via Russian cargo vessels, violating UN sanctions as part of the ongoing military cooperation between the two nations.

HONG KONG
Four more individuals jailed under Hong Kong’s national security trial of the “47 democrats” – linked to the organisation of the 2020 primary elections – have been released today after serving over four years. Among them is Jimmy Sham, who led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy coalitions, the Civil Human Rights Front, dissolved in 2021. Also released were Kinda Li, Roy Tam, and Henry Wong. In late April, former Legislative Council members Claudia Mo, Kwok Ka-ki, Jeremy Tam, and Gary Fan were also freed. Dozens remain imprisoned, including former law professor Benny Tai – who received the harshest sentence of 10 years for “conspiracy to commit subversion” – and Joshua Wong.

BANGLADESH – JAPAN
Japan will provide .063 billion to Bangladesh in the form of budget support, railway modernisation funding, and scholarships, reaffirming its strong support for the interim government’s reform initiatives and efforts towards a peaceful transition. Japan and Bangladesh signed agreements to this effect during a bilateral meeting today in Tokyo between Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

THAILAND
Thailand has dropped a high-profile royal defamation case against an American academic teaching in the country. Paul Chambers, 58, a political science lecturer who had lived in Thailand for three decades, was arrested last month under the lèse-majesté law, resulting in the loss of his job, work visa, and the seizure of his passport. It was the first time the law had been applied to a foreign national. Chambers said he plans to return to the United States while maintaining “strong ties of friendship with the people of Thailand.”

CHINA
A Chinese paraglider has survived being unintentionally lifted to an altitude of 8,500 metres by an updraft over north-western China. Peng Yujiang, 55, was testing new equipment at 3,000 metres in the Qilian Mountains when he was caught in a rare atmospheric phenomenon known as “cloud suck,” which pulled him 5,000 metres higher into a cloud formation. The event was captured on a camera mounted to Peng’s glider and has gone viral on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. The footage shows him gripping the controls tightly, his face and much of his body covered in ice crystals. “It was terrifying,” he said.

KYRGYZSTAN
Kyrgyzstan has successfully launched its debut sovereign bond on the international market, issuing 0 million in five-year bonds at a yield of 7.75%, according to the Ministry of Finance in Bishkek. Investor demand exceeded billion, with interest from the UK, the US, Europe, and Asia, reflecting “growing confidence in the country’s macroeconomic policy.”

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