Over 40 die in Burmese army bombing of Buddhist festival

Today's headlines: Singapore executes another Malaysian citizen; Israel blocks more boats from the Gaza flotilla; Modi inaugurates Mumbai's new international airport; Macau opens luxury health resort; Moldova joins the SEPA payment system, a new step towards Europe.

MYANMAR

The death toll from bombs dropped on a crowd by the Burmese army in the town of Chaung U in Shan State during a Buddhist festival has risen to at least 40. According to the country's government-in-exile, the bombs were dropped from a motorised paraglider. Witnesses reported that the explosions devastated the crowd in a matter of minutes. Survivors described scenes of chaos, with many bodies badly damaged and difficult to identify.

SINGAPORE

Singapore carried out another death sentence on a Malaysian citizen, Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, 38, convicted of trafficking 51.84 grams of heroin in the republic in 2014. This is the second execution of a Malaysian citizen in Singapore in less than two weeks, following another hanging on 25 September. Under the city-state's harsh laws, trafficking more than 15 grams of heroin carries a mandatory death penalty. Pannir was the son of the pastor of the evangelical community in Ipoh, where he was affectionately known as “the little drummer boy” for his role in the church choir. Despite his cooperation with the investigation, his request for clemency was rejected.

GAZA-ISRAEL

While in Sharm el Sheikh, high-level delegations from the United States, Qatar and Turkey will today join the negotiating table on the ceasefire and the release of hostages, a new flotilla of ships bound for Gaza has been intercepted and blocked by the Israeli army. According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the ship The Conscience, carrying 93 journalists, doctors and activists, was targeted before three other smaller boats were attacked and intercepted. Those on board will be taken to Israel in custody for deportation proceedings.

PAKISTAN

Islamist militants ambushed a Pakistani military convoy near the border with Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing nine paramilitaries and two officers, according to reports. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. According to five Pakistani security officials interviewed by Reuters, the attack took place in the north-western district of Kurram. The convoy was hit by roadside bombs before a large number of militants opened fire.

INDIA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today inaugurate the new Navi Mumbai International Airport, which will join the overloaded Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in December to become a hub for international routes. Built through a public-private partnership with the Adani Group, the new Mumbai airport will initially be able to handle 20 million passengers a year with one runway and one terminal. At full capacity, it is expected to handle 155 million passengers a year with four terminals and two runways.

MACAU

Having surpassed Las Vegas as the world's leading gambling centre almost 20 years ago, Macau is now seeking to become a major hub for medical tourism. This week, the first hospital resort offering luxury medical services, including health screenings, advanced diagnostic tests and cosmetic surgery, was inaugurated in the Chinese special administrative region. The facility is located in Macau's Studio City, a Hollywood-themed casino resort owned by Hong Kong-based Melco Resorts and Entertainment.

RUSSIA

According to the “I Want to Live” project, organised to help Russians avoid conscription into the war in Ukraine, by 2025 the number of Russian casualties on the Ukrainian front had exceeded those of the Second World War, with an average of 35,000 deaths per month. In the first eight months, the number reached almost 300,000, including over 1,500 officers and 8,633 prisoners, with 33,966 missing without trace. The number of wounded is reported to be 160,000.

MOLDOVA

Moldova has joined SEPA, the Single Euro Payments Area for payments in Europe, as announced by the director of the National Bank, Anka Dragu, who called it “a historic moment for the national financial system and a confirmation of the country's European course”, to abolish administrative barriers and introduce European standards into the daily lives of citizens and the business world of the Republic.