Iran responds to Larijani’s killing by striking hard at Tel Aviv

Today’s headlines: China offers Taiwan reunification in exchange for energy security; In India, 14 Muslim youths have been arrested for breaking their fast on the Ganges in Varanasi; In Malaysia, salaries in the tech sector have overtaken those in Japan; Alcohol banned in Damascus, except in Christian neighbourhoods; Russian poll: Russians’ confidence in Putin is falling.

WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST

In response to the killing of security chief Ali Larijani, Iran launched a series of missiles at Tel Aviv overnight, killing two people. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that the United States and Israel fail to understand that the Islamic Republic is a robust political system that does not depend on a single individual, and will therefore continue to function despite targeted killings. The latest Israeli bombings of Beirut have killed six people, the Lebanese Health Minister reported this morning, whilst in the United States Joe Kent has resigned as head of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, having criticised the Trump administration’s decision to attack Iran, stating that “it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”.

CHINA – TAIWAN

The Chinese government has stated that a “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan would guarantee the island the energy security it needs, particularly in the wake of the war in the Middle East, thanks to the support of the “strong motherland”. Taiwan, which does not use Chinese resources but receives a third of its liquefied natural gas from Qatar, has stated that it has secured supplies for the coming months, including from the United States.

SYRIA

The authorities in Damascus have banned the sale of alcohol in the city except in predominantly Christian neighbourhoods, whilst also stipulating that alcoholic beverages may not be consumed in places of worship such as mosques and churches – a measure dating back to the Ottoman Empire, intended to “eliminate practices contrary to public morality”.

INDIA

In Varanasi, the police arrested 14 young Muslims who filmed themselves breaking the Ramadan fast on a boat on the River Ganges. The complaint against them was filed by the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ultra-nationalist Hindu party to which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also belongs, on charges of having “offended religious sentiment”.

MALAYSIA

For the first time, salaries in Malaysia’s tech sector have surpassed those in Japan: a managerial role can now fetch 28 million yen a year (176,000 dollars), a 27% increase on last year. According to experts, Malaysia’s “aggressive” wage growth is due to an increase in foreign direct investment and the development of the semiconductor industry in Penang, in the north of the country.

KYRGYZSTAN – SOUTH KOREA

Kyrgyzstan’s Health Minister, Damir Osmonov, met with South Korea’s Ambassador to Bishkek, Kim Kwangju, to discuss prospects for bilateral cooperation in the health sector, ahead of the “Central Asia – South Korea’ summit to be held this year, with particular focus on infrastructure projects to be carried out with the support of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, including a major infectious diseases hospital and the modernisation of the national hospital in the “City of Medicine”.

RUSSIA

The Russian sociological centre Vitsom shows a significant drop in Russians’ confidence in President Vladimir Putin, mainly due to mobile internet outages across the country and, in recent days, in Moscow, the Moscow region and St Petersburg, as well as the blocking of the Telegram messaging app. When asked which politician they trust the most, only 32.1% of respondents cited Putin, and Prime Minister Mishustin just 4.5%.