Iran: Mojtaba Khamenei supreme leader, new attacks in the Gulf

Today's headlines: the mayor of Istanbul in court today in the maxi-trial for corruption, with over 400 defendants in the dock; A Taiwanese prime minister makes a (personal) trip to Japan after more than 50 years; Dhaka imposes fuel rationing for the war in the Middle East; Two hundred Shiites in Thailand gathered yesterday to “honour” the memory of Khamenei.

IRAN - GULF

The Assembly of Experts, a group of 88 religious figures, has officially appointed 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late 86-year-old leader Ali Khamenei, as Iran's new supreme leader. This was announced by state television, confirming rumours of a dynastic succession for a figure never before chosen for a government position and who has not been welcomed by everyone in the Islamic Republic's religious and military apparatus. The Pasdaran will now answer to him and he will have the final say on the war. The Bahraini Ministry of Health confirms that 32 people were injured in Sitra in an Iranian drone attack, at least four of whom are in serious condition, including two children. In addition, a missile strike triggered a fire at an oil facility. In the morning, there were also loud explosions in several areas of Doha, Qatar, while an alarm was triggered for a missile attack in the United Arab Emirates. Yesterday, two more migrants - one Indian and one Bangladeshi - died in Saudi Arabia in a residential area of the Al Khali governorate hit by an Iranian attack.

TURKEY

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been in pre-trial detention for almost a year, will appear in court today in a massive corruption trial that threatens to derail his ambitions to challenge Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the presidency in the upcoming elections. The mayor is on trial along with more than 400 defendants linked to the municipality of the country's economic and commercial heart. The opposition leader and his CHP (Republican People's Party) reject all charges and speak of judicial repression. If convicted, they face hundreds of years in prison.

TAIWAN - JAPAN - CHINA

Taiwan's prime minister made a personal trip to Japan and appeared in public to watch the island's baseball team in action, a rare visit that risks further damaging Tokyo's ties with China. This is the first trip since the breakdown of diplomatic relations in 1972 between Tokyo and Taipei, although the prime minister says it was for sporting reasons and that there was “no other objective”.

BANGLADESH - MIDDLE EAST

Yesterday, Dhaka decided to ration fuel due to the war in the Middle East, which has exacerbated the energy crisis, causing long queues at filling stations and fuelling discontent in the country. Bangladesh imports 95% of its oil and gas needs. The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has limited sales for most vehicles, and universities have also closed in anticipation of the end of Ramadan celebrations.

THAILAND - IRAN

About 200 Thai Shiite Muslims gathered yesterday outside the Iranian embassy in Bangkok to honour the memory of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, condemning Israel and the United States for the war and calling on Bangkok to remain neutral in international conflicts. The small crowd, made up of men, women, children and the elderly, gathered peacefully in the late morning to honour a “paternal and spiritual figure”.

RUSSIA

Since 1 March, Russia has had a “federal register of pregnant women”, which in the past only contained statistical data, with the information remaining confidential in hospital records. Now, however, they will have notes with their first name, surname and patronymic, and their health card number, collected digitally in a single automated centre. Many have protested against this form of control over reproduction, which violates people's privacy.

KAZAKHSTAN

The National Statistics Office of Kazakhstan has published data on women's employment on the occasion of the 8 March holiday. There are 10.4 million women living in the country, with an average age of 34.1 and a life expectancy of up to 79.4 years; one third are girls and adolescents up to the age of 15, more than half are between the ages of 16 and 60, and half of them participate in the country's economy, with an employment rate of 48%, many in the education sector.