Iran: Protests mount in bazaars and universities against the high cost of living, amid arrests and injuries
Today's news: Thailand has released 18 Cambodian soldiers, while the truce between the two sides holds. In Japan, more than three million people suffer from alcohol-related disorders. For the first time in Israel's history, population growth dropped below 1 per cent in 2025. Archaeologists in Pakistan discovered an ancient civilisation dating back to the 6th century BC.
IRAN
A three-day protest against the rising cost of living has spread to universities, with students joining shopkeepers and bazaar vendors. Despite arrests and injuries among protesters, the government has used a conciliatory tone to deal with the situation. The Iranian currency, the rial, has lost nearly half its value against the dollar in 2025, while inflation is running at 42.5 per cent in December, amid US sanctions and the threat of new Israeli attacks. President Masoud Pezeshkian has reportedly asked the Interior Minister to listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands”. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani announced a dialogue mechanism with protest leaders. In one video, scores of people are seen marching along a street chanting "Rest in peace Reza Shah”, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution.
THAILAND – CAMBODIA
Thailand released 18 Cambodian soldiers today as part of the renewed ceasefire agreed between the two countries last weekend, easing tensions after weeks of deadly border clashes. At least 20 days of fighting, including the use of fighter jets, have resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people and the displacement of half a million. The soldiers were transferred to a border checkpoint this morning at 10:00 am local time, after 155 days in Thai custody.
ISRAEL
Israel's population growth rate is set to fall below 1 per cent for the first time in the country's history, hitting 0.9 per cent, this according to a report by the Taub Center, which estimates the decline is primarily due to net migration, with more people leaving the country than entering. In 2024, approximately 82,700 Israelis emigrated, approximately 50,000 more than immigrants, and this trend is expected to continue in the near future. The country’s birth rate, historically high compared to the West, has remained stable, while the death rate is slowly rising.
JAPAN
Approximately 3.04 million people in Japan suffer from alcohol-related disorders, the same level as reported in the previous 2018 study, and this despite the government's campaign in recent years highlighting the risks associated with drinking. The study by the National Hospital Organization Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center found that approximately 640,000 people are suspected of having had an alcohol addiction at least once in their lives. In 2014, the government enacted a law on the harms of alcohol, but in 2024, only 4.2 per cent of the population said they were aware of it.
PAKISTAN
In Pakistan, during excavation operations at Bhir Mound, a site near the ancient city of Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1980, archaeologists stumbled upon the remains of a well-organised ancient civilisation dating back to the 6th century BC. The excavation uncovered evidence of early urban planning, including narrow streets, residential buildings, wells, grain storage facilities, and tools used in everyday life. The city was located along major trade routes leading to Afghanistan Asia and Central.
INDONESIA
The Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is beset by internal conflict over the government's decision in 2024 to grant the movement a coal mining concession. Several members of the country's largest moderate Muslim association are demanding it be returned, fearing a new environmental disaster after the devastation of recent weeks. Furthermore, they want to prioritise public service over personal gain. The NU’s legitimacy is at risk; with the danger that support might shift towards more radical Islamic groups.
RUSSIA – UKRAINE
The Mariupol Drama Theatre, completely rebuilt after the destruction of the war, solemnly reopened in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city on the Black Sea. Present at the ceremony were Vladimir Mashkov, chairman of the Russian Union of Theatre Workers, Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, and St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, who introduced it as “the symbol of the rebirth of Donbass, a place where we will come with our families.”
KYRGYZSTAN – CHINA
Kamchibek Tasiev, chairman of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan (SCNS), called on representatives of China Road, a Chinese company working on road construction in the Issyk-Kul region, to learn the Kyrgyz language. He also urged them not to use Russian with Kyrgyz workers “after 20 years of working with us”, adding that this would speed up construction operations, which in his opinion are “taking too long”.
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18/08/2025 10:06
