Israeli - Iranian war on Canada's G7 summit agenda

Today's news: Xi Jinping in Astana for summit with Central Asian countries; Saudi Arabia executes journalist; Two die in Pune bridge collapse; Hun Sen threatens to block fruit and vegetable imports from Thailand; In South Korea, half of the over-60s  still work.

ISRAEL-IRAN

Israeli air raids and Iranian missile strikes continued for the fourth consecutive night in the war in the Middle East. Rockets fell in central Israel, killing eight more people between Haifa and central Israel, while according to Tehran, 224 people have been killed since hostilities began on Thursday night. All eyes are now on the G7 summit in Canada, while US President Trump has ruled out direct US involvement in the conflict for the time being and signalled openness to Putin playing a mediating role in ending the conflict. South Korea's new president, Lee Jae-myung, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are also expected to attend the summit.

SAUDI ARABIA

In Saudi Arabia, a well-known Saudi journalist, arrested in 2018 and convicted on charges of terrorism and treason, has been executed. Turki Al-Jasser, who was in his 40s, was put to death on Saturday. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, Saudi authorities claimed that Al-Jasser was behind a social media account on X, formerly Twitter, that accused members of the Saudi royal family of corruption. Al-Jasser also reportedly posted several controversial tweets about militants and militant groups.

INDIA

At least two people have died after an iron bridge collapsed in western India. Six other people were seriously injured and rescued from the Indrayani River, which flows under the bridge in the Pune district of Maharashtra state. Witnesses said a large group of people were crossing the bridge when it collapsed yesterday afternoon.

CAMBODIA-THAILAND

Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, former prime minister and father of current head of government Hun Manet, has issued an ultimatum to Thailand, demanding that it lift restrictions on border crossings or his country will ban all Thai imports of fruit and vegetables, in a new chapter in the border dispute between the two countries. A Cambodian soldier was killed on 28 May during a firefight between troops in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet.

SOUTH KOREA

The share of economically active Koreans aged 60 or older rose to match that of young people in the country, according to Statistics Korea data released on Monday. As older people enter the labour market due to insufficient financial resources for retirement, a growing number of young people are giving up on finding a job, leading older workers to make up the bulk of the national workforce. The data show that 49.4% of Koreans aged 60 and over were employed or actively seeking work last month, meaning that almost half of the elderly are participating in the workforce.

CHINA-CENTRAL ASIA

Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Astana today, where he is attending the second China-Central Asia Summit at the invitation of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, trade between China and the five Central Asian countries exceeded .8 billion in 2024, an increase of .4 billion compared to 2023. Chinese investment in Central Asia has continued to expand, particularly in the renewable energy and agricultural processing sectors.

RUSSIA

In the Siberian region of Altaj, local residents blocked the Chike-Taman motorway, protesting with placards and banners against Governor Andrej Turčak and local government head Aleksandr Prokopiev over plans to abolish the two-tier local government system, which grants considerable autonomy to municipalities, and which will be suspended on 20 June.

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