Myanmar: Presidential election set for March 30 (likely Min Aung Hlaing)

Today’s headlines: mutual attacks between Iran and Israel continue in the region during the Persian New Year and the end of Ramadan; shock in Japan over the comparison to Pearl Harbor. In North Korea, dictator Kim Jong Un unveiled a new tank, while tomorrow in Seoul, BTS will perform again after a four-year hiatus. In Macau, national security cases will be heard behind closed doors.

WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Israel and Iran have launched and continue to launch mutual attacks. Yesterday, Tehran struck an Israeli oil refinery, while Tel Aviv is striking the Iranian capital again even as Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is being celebrated, and is continuing to decapitate the regime’s leadership, killing even the spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guards. The Arab monarchies of the Gulf have also suffered new attacks on their energy infrastructure as the Muslim population prepares to celebrate the festival marking the end of Ramadan. Meanwhile, yesterday at the White House summit with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, U.S. President Donald Trump caused a stir in Japan by comparing the attacks on the IRA to those on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

MYANMAR

The Burmese parliament will begin the process of selecting a president on March 30, although many predict that the role will be assigned to the head of the military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, who was responsible for the February 2021 coup that plunged the country into civil conflict. The army and each of the two chambers of parliament, which emerged after the sham elections, will nominate a candidate for the presidency.

CAMBODIA

A statue of the dancing god Shiva that had been shattered into thousands of fragments during the civil war has been successfully restored. The sandstone sculpture, standing 5 meters tall and weighing seven tons, with ten arms and five faces, dates back to the 10th century and comes from the site of Koh Ker, the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The five-year restoration process was conducted in collaboration with the French School of the Far East.

CHINA – MACAO

Yesterday, the city of Macau passed a law that will allow judges to hear national security cases behind closed doors and require defense attorneys to obtain authorization before appearing in such cases. Macau, a former Portuguese territory returned to China in 1999, has its own legal system based largely on Portuguese law, but enacted a national security law in 2009 and subsequently expanded the powers of the National Security Committee starting in 2023.

SOUTH KOREA

Seoul is preparing for the return of BTS, the famous K-pop band, whose last concert was in October 2022, before the members went their separate ways to perform mandatory military service. About 260,000 people are expected tomorrow at Gwanghwamun Square. During the concert, which will also be live-streamed on Netflix, the band will perform songs from their highly anticipated new album, Arirang, set for release today.

NORTH KOREA

North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, has unveiled a new tank reportedly capable of intercepting missile and drone attacks.

“The tank intercepted 100% of the anti-tank missiles and drones attacking it from various positions and directions,” reported KCNA, the state news agency, which released a series of photos of Kim accompanied once again by his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae.

RUSSIA

The Russian Ministry of Health has issued a recommendation to refer women who “during their reproductive years state they have no desire to have children” to a psychoanalyst for consultation, and during routine medical checkups, women are asked to specify how many children they desire, with every effort made to “create favorable conditions for pregnancy,” prioritizing treatment for conditions that may negatively impact it.

ARMENIA

The Armenian Court of Appeals has rejected the request to lift the house arrest order against Archbishop Mikael Adžapakhyan, who was arrested on June 28, 2025, on charges of inciting a coup d’état, for which he was found guilty in the first instance and sentenced to two years in prison, although he was permitted to attend the liturgies of the Armenian Apostolic Church after undergoing surgery for health issues.