Japan, attack on Kishida rally: premier unharmed, one detained

Today's headlines: thousands take to the streetsin Iran and the Arab world for al-Quds day; Hong Kong police arrest two youths for firing water guns during a festival; Indonesian President Widodo pardons a woman on death row for more than 20 years for drug offenses; Delhi government claims unit that "monitors" news has no censorship role; Chinese exports to Russia soar to +136% year-on-year in March.

JAPAN
Less than a year after the attack in which former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died, fear is returning to Japan. During a scheduled open-air speech this morning, current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unharmed after a suspect threw a smoke grenade. Attendees heard a loud explosion, but no injuries were reported. Police are investigating.

IRAN - ISRAEL - PALESTINE
Thousands of people demonstrated yesterday in Iran and other Arab countries (Iraq, Lebanon, Syria) for "Jerusalem Day" in support of the Palestinian cause. An event that falls on the last Friday of Ramadan and this year comes amid an escalation of violence in the Holy Land. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iranians have been celebrating al-Quds Day in solidarity with the Palestinians.

HONG KONG.
Hong Kong police have arrested two young men, ages 25 and 26, for "firing" water guns at officers and a Chinese TV crew during a popular festival in Kowloon. The arrest came after articles appeared in pro-Beijing newspapers that those using toy guns want to "cause trouble." Even a water gun becomes a "national security" issue. 

INDONESIA
In a decision called "unprecedented" by activist groups, Indonesian President Joko Widodo granted a pardon to a woman who spent more than 20 on death row for drug trafficking. Merri Utami, 49, had been sentenced to death in 2002 for importing heroin. The woman has always defended herself by saying she acted under deception.  

INDIA
The government unit wanted by Delhi to monitor news on social media will not have censorship duties toward journalists or press consequences. The newly amended regulation requires online platforms (including Facebook and Twitter) to make "efforts" to avoid "false or misleading" news about the executive. For activists and publishers, it is a draconian move against press freedom. 

RUSSIA - CHINA
As of March 2023, Chinese exports to Russia soared at +136 percent year-on-year, and imports from Russia also grew by 40.5 percent, according to Chinese Customs Administration data. Import-export figures with Europe and the United States were stable, with total gains for Beijing from foreign trade of .19 billion, double last year's figure.

AZERBAIJAN - IRAN
The Azerbaijani press lashes out at Iran, the historical enemy that "backs Christian Armenia against Muslim Azerbaijan." Against Tehran it accuses it of conducting secret negotiations with Russia and China for fuel for its ballistic missiles, as Politico and Zerkalo.az publish, breaking international sanctions regimes to wage war "in Ukraine and the Caucasus."

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