Lebanon: China calls for the cancellation of UNIFIL’s withdrawal by the end of 2026

Today’s headlines: Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi is in Vietnam to strengthen economic and security cooperation; A Cambodian appeals court has upheld a 27-year sentence for opposition leader Kem Sokha on charges of “conspiring with foreign powers”; In Iran, Narghes Mohammadi has been transferred from prison to hospital after suffering two episodes of loss of consciousness; Controversy over stereotypes against Asians in the sequel to the film ‘The Devil Wears Prada’.

LEBANON-CHINA

The Chinese Ambassador to the UN, Fu Cong, has stated that it is necessary to reconsider the decision of the United Nations Security Council – adopted in August 2025 – to end the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, scheduled for the end of this year. Speaking from UN headquarters in New York, Fu expressed concern about the situation in the country, emphasising that there is no real ceasefire, but only a ‘reduced level of fighting’. In his view, the majority of the Council believes that now is not the time to withdraw the mission. China is awaiting a UN report due in June before taking a final position.

JAPAN-VIETNAM

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has arrived in Vietnam on a trip that will also take her to Australia, with the aim of strengthening economic cooperation and energy security, against a backdrop of tensions in the Middle East. In Hanoi today, she will meet President To Lam and Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, focusing on energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence. Sanae Takaichi will also deliver a speech at a university in Hanoi to outline her vision for the evolution of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific initiative, launched ten years ago by Shinzo Abe. The aim is to strengthen an international order in the region based on shared rules.

CAMBODIA

Cambodia’s Court of Appeal has upheld the 27-year sentence for treason handed down to former opposition leader Kem Sokha, 72, who has been under house arrest since 2023. The founder of the Cambodia National Rescue Party is accused of conspiring with foreign powers against former Prime Minister Hun Sen. The sentence also includes a ban on leaving the country for five years following the completion of his term. The case is emblematic of the repression of the opposition by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. Many opponents have been arrested or forced into exile, rendering recent elections devoid of any real competition. The government, led by Hun Manet, denies political persecution.

IRAN

Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, has been transferred from prison to a hospital following a serious deterioration in her health. The news confirms the concerns expressed in recent days by her family regarding her health. According to her foundation, she has suffered two episodes of loss of consciousness and an acute heart attack. Detained in Zanjan, she is reported to have already suffered a heart attack in late March. Prison doctors deemed the transfer necessary, as they were unable to manage the situation on site, whilst specialist treatment in Tehran had long been recommended. Mohammadi, 53, has been back in prison since December and was sentenced in February to over seven years’ imprisonment on charges of ‘collusion’ against state security.

ASIA-UNITED STATES

The highly anticipated sequel to the film “The Devil Wears Prada” is sparking controversy over allegations of racism towards Asian characters. At the centre of the controversy is the character of Jin Chao, an assistant played by Helen J. Shen: her name is said to resemble an offensive term, and the character’s appearance has been deemed stereotypical. The criticism has fuelled accusations of Western clichés about Asians, particularly in China, where some users have called for a boycott of the film.

RUSSIA

According to calculations by Memorial activists, over 5,000 people in Russia have been victims of political repression, and in the last 10 years there have been 68 confirmed cases of these prisoners dying in labour camps, with 6 in the first four months of 2026 alone: in January Roman Sidorkin (aged 52), in February Oleg Tyryškin (aged 64) and Aleksandr Dotsenko (aged 65), in March Vladimir Osipov (aged 56), in April Andrej Akuzin (aged 53) and Vegan Khristoljub Božij (aged 43).

ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called for “avoiding escalation” over the issue of the destruction of Armenian monuments in Artsakh, and for “acting in accordance with the written and signed agreements” rather than seeking conflict through “extreme patriotic rhetoric”, noting that the issue of the destruction of the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God in Stepanakert will be addressed “through an international assessment involving the states party to the agreements”.

• Asia
• Today