Myanmar: Landmine casualties triple in 2023

Today's news: Taiwan quake injured rises to 1,000; Thousands bid farewell to South Korean-born panda that will return to China;  By-elections in Pakistan delayed for a group of senators, PTI protests; Clashes in Turkey over the removal of a pro-Kurdish mayor, later readmitted to office.

MYANMAR

Civilian casualties caused by landmines tripled in 2023, with more than 1,000 individuals killed or maimed, 21% of whom were children. The data was released by Unicef, according to which explosive devices are used "indiscriminately" by all parties in the conflict, contaminating almost every region. Only the capital Naypyitaw has so far been spared.

TAIWAN

The number of injured due to the earthquake in Taiwan exceeded 1,000, while the death toll remained stable at nine and 52 people were missing. The disruption in the capital Taipei was minimal. The railway line to Hualien (epicentre of the earthquake) was reopened earlier than expected yesterday, with only one station remaining closed due to damage. Hundreds of people slept outdoors for fear of aftershocks.

SOUTH KOREA – CHINA

Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the first panda born in South Korea, Fu Bao, who left for China yesterday. Beijing has long used "panda diplomacy" as a form of soft power: Fu Bao's parents - Ai Bao and Le Bao - were gifted to South Korea in 2016 by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The female panda was born in 2020 and was a celebrity in the country: videos of her on the zoo's YouTube channel have achieved around 500 million views.

PAKISTAN

The main opposition party Pakistan Tehkreek-e Insaf (PTI) has condemned the election authorities' decision to postpone the elections of 11 senators in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The PTI, which already has 20 members in the Senate, could have won at least 10 more seats, making it the largest party in the upper house. The PTI once again accused the establishment of hatching a "conspiracy".

TURKEY

The Supreme Election Council has reversed the decision of the Election Commission of Eastern Turkey to remove the pro-Kurdish mayor of the city of Van who won the recent elections. Abdullah Zeydan had obtained 55% of the votes but was judged ineligible to run and was replaced by a representative of the AKP (the Islamic-oriented party from which President Erdogan comes) who had received 27% of the votes. The decision was revised after clashes and protests broke out.

RUSSIA

President Vladimir Putin confirmed the tax reform plan that has been talked about since before the elections, even without official confirmation, with strong increases in taxes on high incomes and private companies, presented by the official press as "the need for a crackdown to the economy to mobilize finances and trade on war tracks”.

TURKMENISTAN

As reported by a Turkmen.news report, to obtain residence in the capital Ashgabat, with the associated privileges, citizens of other areas of Turkmenistan are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars, and in some sensational cases the parents are also willing to sell their children for adoption, in the hope of then obtaining residence documents through them.

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