Oil prices soar in Asia following Trump’s speech, which offered no new developments on the war

Today’s headlines: a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia, with at least one fatality. Hong Kong has reopened its history museum after rewriting the narratives regarding its relations with mainland China.. The Archbishop of Manila at the Chrism Mass: 18% of Filipino priests suffer from psychological distress. Indian Parliament votes for Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Seoul nominates ginseng culture for UNESCO World Heritage status.

MIDDLE EAST WAR

Oil prices have risen above 5 and stock markets are falling sharply in Asia after Donald Trump’s eagerly awaited televised address last night failed to clarify anything regarding the course of the ongoing war in the Middle East. The US President spoke of a ‘mission nearly accomplished’, essentially repeating what he had already stated in recent days and promising further airstrikes ‘over the next two or three weeks’ on Iran. Meanwhile, hostilities continued overnight with Iranian and Hezbollah missile strikes, including on Israel, which was celebrating the Jewish festival of Passover in homes last night.

INDONESIA

A strong earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia today, causing at least one fatality and generating waves up to 75 cm high, with a tsunami warning later lifted. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake occurred at a depth of 35 km in the Molucca Sea, between Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands.

HONG KONG-CHINA

The Hong Kong Museum of History has reopened its permanent exhibition with a new thematic section on the city’s shared ‘roots’ with mainland China, almost six years after it closed for refurbishment. Whilst the old exhibition stated that the island of Hong Kong had been ‘ceded’ to the British in 1841 following the First Opium War, the revamped exhibition describes the event as a ‘forced takeover’. Photographs of Hong Kong residents marching in support of the students in May 1989 have disappeared: the new exhibition no longer mentions the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests on 4 June of that year, referring only to “political unrest in the spring and summer of 1989”.

PHILIPPINES

The Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal José Advincula, has encouraged members of the clergy to address and manage their own mental and emotional difficulties, noting that around 18% of Filipino priests reported psychological distress in a recent survey. In his homily during the Chrism Mass at Manila Cathedral on Holy Thursday, he said: “It is a concern we can no longer ignore”, urging priests to recognise the signs and symptoms of their mental and emotional difficulties, stating that this is the first step towards resolving the problem.

INDIA

The lower house of the Indian Parliament has approved an amendment to the law reorganising Andhra Pradesh, establishing Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital. The measure received broad support but was contested by the YSR Congress Party. Following the 2014 division and the creation of Telangana, the capital had remained uncertain. The triple-capital plan proposed subsequently was abandoned following the return to the helm of the local government of N. Chandrababu Naidu, who relaunched Amaravati as the state’s sole political centre.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea has submitted to UNESCO the nomination of the ginseng tradition as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, highlighting its value in relation to health, rituals and social cohesion. A decision on the application is expected at the December 2028 session. Seoul is also preparing a nomination for Taekwondo, based on its transmission across generations. In this regard, it hopes for a joint nomination with North Korea, as was the case for ssireum, another local martial art. Pyongyang, however, has already submitted its own separate proposal on Taekwondo in 2024.

RUSSIA

The Russian statistics agency Rosstat has published data on industrial production for February, which shows a further decline of 0.9% year-on-year, following January’s -0.8%, a sign that the entire Russian economy is now in recession, not just the civilian and services sectors. Manufacturing industries fell by 3%, with only the production of ‘means of transport’ (+16.3%) – referring to drones, tanks and armoured vehicles – showing growth.

ARMENIA

At the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, a resolution proposed by Armenia on the ‘Prevention of Genocide’ was unanimously adopted, with the aim of implementing the Convention on ‘Notifications of Genocide Crimes and Punishment Therefor’, defining the risk factors to be countered, such as hatred, discrimination and impunity through appropriate and immediate responses, to prevent escalation.