Taiwan: President-elect Lai chooses new prime minister

Today's news: Indian court dismisses appeal against arrest of opposition leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvid Kejriwal; Sunni militants kill five policemen in Sistan-Baluchestan; South Korea invests billions in artificial intelligence; Protests in Manila against Chinese 'aggression', Xi Jinping's image trampled. 

TAIWAN
Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te this morning appointed Cho Jung-tai, former leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as the new prime minister. He will assume office on May 20th, with the inauguration of Lai's mandate. The president appoints the prime minister, who then indicates the members of the cabinet (the roles of Foreign Affairs and Defense are crucial) who are subject to the final approval of the head of state.

INDIA
An Indian court has rejected the appeal against the arrest of opposition leader and Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, accused of corruption. A ruling criticized by the anti-government front, just 10 days before the general elections. The 55-year-old leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate, specializing in financial crimes.

IRAN
Sunni militants yesterday attacked two police cars in Sistan-Baluchestan province, in the south-east of the country, killing at least five police officers and wounding one. The action was claimed by Jaish al-Adl, which says it is fighting for greater rights and better living conditions for the Baloch minority, and has been the protagonist of attacks against Iranian security forces in recent years.

SOUTH KOREA
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced a plan to invest 9.4 trillion won (.94 billion) in artificial intelligence by 2027, aiming to maintain a global leadership position in chips cutting-edge semiconductors. In parallel, a separate 1.4 trillion won fund will be created to promote AI semiconductor enterprises.

PHILIPPINES - CHINA
A group of demonstrators in the streets of Manila to protest against Beijing's "aggression" in the South China Sea trampled on an image of President Xi Jinping as they marched towards the consulate. The demonstrators are calling for an end to the occupation, the dismantling of "illegal" structures, an end to attacks on Filipino fishermen and the application of the 2016 arbitration court ruling.

AFGHANISTAN
The ecologists of "Rivers without borders" are spreading increasingly heartfelt alarms regarding the construction of the Koš-Tepa canal by the Kabul government. The infrastructure could in fact cause a catastrophe in the water supplies of the Amudari basin, on which all the countries of Central Asia depend, and in the last 30 km stretch it comes dangerously close to the river delta.

RUSSIA - CENTRAL A.
The humanitarian activist agency Okno has published information about the persecution of migrants from Central Asia in Russia, who are hunted down by neo-Nazi groups and are systematically beaten and tortured by police. Many are returning to their homeland, but most are living "in the catacombs" indoors, waiting for better times.

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