Indonesia and the United States reach trade deal

Today's headlines: execution of Indian Christian nurse in Yemen halted; Syrian army in Suweida in Druze areas, Israel bombs: death toll rises to 200; Japanese citizen sentenced to three and a half years in China for espionage; World's oldest marathon runner, aged 114, hit by car in India; New trial begins in Seoul for the assassination of Park Chung-hee.

INDONESIA-UNITED STATES

Indonesia has reached an agreement with the United States on the issue of tariffs, joining the White House's agreement with Vietnam. President Donald Trump announced that Indonesian goods entering the country will be subject to a 19% tariff, well below the 32% previously threatened. Indonesian leader Prabowo Subianto welcomed the agreement, speaking of a “new era of mutual benefit” with Washington. Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country and a member of the G20, recorded a trade surplus with the United States of US.9 billion in 2024, according to US data.

INDIA-YEMEN

The execution of Nimisha Priya, the Indian Christian nurse accused of murdering a Yemeni citizen who was holding her captive, has been postponed to an unspecified date in Yemen. The postponement is seen as an important step forward in the case. Fr. Ajimon Puthiyaparambil, a priest of the Syro-Malabar Church, told AsiaNews that the postponement was made possible thanks to the intervention of AP Abubakar Musliar, an important leader of the Muslim community in Kerala, in an important gesture of interreligious harmony.

SYRIA-ISRAEL

Israel bombed Syrian government forces near Suweida as they entered the Druze-majority town after two days of violent sectarian clashes. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), at least 200 people have been killed since Sunday, when fighting broke out between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the attacks on forces and weapons in the Suweida area because the Syrian government “intended to use them against the Druze”. Syria condemned Israel's intervention, claiming that the bombing killed members of the armed forces and civilians.

CHINA-JAPAN

A Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced a Japanese citizen to three years and six months in prison for espionage, according to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing. The verdict could negatively affect bilateral relations between the two countries. The man is an employee of Astellas Pharma Inc. who was detained in March 2023, shortly before his planned return to Japan, formally arrested in October of the same year and indicted in August 2024.

SOUTH KOREA

The Seoul High Court has begun a retrial for Kim Jae-gyu, the former head of the secret service sentenced to death for the assassination of former President Park Chung-hee in 1979 and executed the following year. Five months ago, the same court accepted the request for review filed by Kim's family, citing evidence that the former head of the now defunct Korean Central Intelligence Agency had been tortured and assaulted during interrogations. The family had filed a request for a retrial in 2020, with the aim of clearing Kim of the charge of insurrection.

INDIA

Police in India have arrested a man in connection with the death of Fauja Singh, the world's oldest marathon runner, who died at the age of 114 after being hit by a car while walking in a village in Punjab. According to police reports, the accused, Amritpal Singh Dhillon, was driving a high-speed SUV when he hit the runner, who was known for his sporting achievements in old age. Singh suffered serious injuries and died shortly after being taken to hospital.

RUSSIA

Following continuous internet blackouts in many regions of Russia, a campaign has been launched to launch the new messenger Max, based on the more established Russian social network VKontakte, similar to the Chinese WeChat, with all services including bank payments. According to its creators, it is intended to replace Telegram for Russian users and will store all data within Russia, without foreign servers.

KAZAKHSTAN-CHINA

The Chinese company Zhōngyún from Hēilóngjiāng has signed an agreement with the government of the Mangistau region in western Kazakhstan to open a state-of-the-art port on the Caspian Sea in Aktau, with the aim of making it a key logistics hub for cargo on the international Trans-Caspian route, with entirely Chinese funding.

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