Myanmar now world's leading opium producer

Today's news: Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Hanoi; Malaysia's premier will be joined by a new finance minister; Scandals continue to haunt the government of Fumio Kishida in Japan; Yemen's Houthis hit a Norwegian oil tanker bound for Israel; No news of Aleksej Naval'nyj from Russia.

MYANMAR

Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan in opium production, says a report released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). According to estimates, production will increase by 36%, due to the economic difficulties experienced by farmers after the 2021 army coup, while in Afghanistan poppy cultivation has fallen by about 95% in the last year after the ban imposed by the Taliban.

CHINA – VIETNAM

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Hanoi for a two-day official visit which is seen as an attempt to counter US influence in the South-East Asian country, after three months ago US President Joe Biden also visited the Vietnam. This is Xi's first trip to the communist neighbor since 2017: despite close ties on the economic front, Beijing and Hanoi have differences, for example on the borders in the South China Sea.

MALAYSIA

In an attempt to rebuild trust after a year in office, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also in charge of the Finance Ministry, has implemented some changes within the government, appointing the head of Malaysia's largest state pension fund as second minister of Finance and affirming the need to have professionals in the executive. The prime minister's popularity had fallen in recent months due to economic difficulties.

JAPAN

A government reshuffle may not be enough for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida: according to government sources, the prime minister is expected to replace four officials, including the government spokesperson, in two days, due to alleged involvement in a fundraising scandal for the Liberal Democratic Party. According to some experts, the recent news adds to the prime minister's relationship with the Unification Church and it is not unlikely that the government could fall.

GAZA – ISRAEL

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the Israel Defense Forces had surrounded the last Hamas strongholds in Jabaliya and Shejaiya in northern Gaza. Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthi group, supported by Iran like Hamas, struck a Norwegian oil tanker that was apparently transporting crude oil to Israel.

RUSSIA

For the second time in a week, Alexei Naval'nyj was not connected to the Kovrov court hearing, where the cases concerning him are being discussed, and his supporters are worried, having no news about him from any source, in since December 6 they have not allowed his lawyers to visit him. The camp managers justify themselves by saying that "the electricity for remote connections is not working due to the intense frost".

NAGORNO-KARABAKH - USA

The US ambassador to Armenia, Kristina Kvien, visited the Kapan refugee camp and spoke with the exiles from Nagorno Karabakh, promising all possible aid to encourage their integration into their historic homeland. There are still many thousands of fugitives who have no accommodation, while in the now Azerbaijani Artsakh there remain a few dozen Armenians.

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