Thailand: Anutin wins support from reformists, but with elections within the year
Today's news: North Korea's economy is experiencing record growth thanks to Russian military contracts. The United States revokes visas for Mahmoud Abbas and 80 Palestinian officials to prevent them from attending the UN General Assembly. China released a list of "authorised sources" for news on digital platforms. In Japan, a government-sponsored video simulation shows the effects of a possible volcanic eruption of Mount Fuji.
THAILAND
The Bhumjaithai Party – a former ally of Pheu Thai, which left the government a few weeks ago following the allegations against former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, sacked yesterday by the Supreme Court – has declared its readiness to form an interim government with the support of the reformist People's Party, heir to Move Forward, the party that won the 2023 elections, also dissolved by a court, and still the largest party in the House of Representatives. The new government would stay in power for four months before new elections are called. Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul said that such a coalition has enough votes in the house form the next government, adding that he is ready to serve as prime minister. The People's Party has made it known that it will support the formation of a new government on the condition that the House is dissolved by the end of the year and a referendum is held to draft a new constitution.
NORTH KOREA
According to estimates released yesterday by the South Korean central bank, North Korea's economy – supported by expanding economic ties with Russia – grew by 3.7 per cent in 2024, the highest annual growth rate in eight years. GDP growth was 3.1 per cent in 2023, while in 2022 it contracted by 0.2 per cent. In particular, the heavy chemicals sector expanded by 10.7 per cent, the highest rate ever recorded, driven by the expansion of production of metal products for weapons exports to Russia.
PALESTINE – UNITED STATES
The United States has revoked the entry visa for President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other Palestinian officials to prevent them from attending the next session of the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled to take place in New York on 9 September. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Palestinian officials of hindering peace efforts by seeking "unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state.” Palestinian representatives already present at the UN mission in New York will still be able to participate in meetings, according to the United Nations Headquarters Agreement, the document that regulates UN operations in the United States.
CHINA
Chinese authorities have released the updated list of approved online news sources, a registry of outlets first established a decade ago to limit the sharing of articles and news from unauthorised sources – those without close ties to the Communist Party of China and the government. The 2025 list, released by the Cyberspace Administration of China, includes 1,456 outlets. All digital platforms are prohibited from republishing news from sources not included in the approved list, including those of international media and public accounts on platforms such as WeChat and Weibo.
INDIA
For the first time in India's history, personal income tax has surpassed corporate tax, according to a report by JM Financial Institutional Securities. The share of personal income tax in total direct taxes has increased significantly, from 38.1 per cent in fiscal year 2014 to 53.4 per cent in 2024. This is due to a sharp increase in the number of individual taxpayers: including those paying taxes through deduction at the source, the number of individual taxpayers has nearly doubled, from 53.8 million to 99.2 million.
JAPAN
The Japanese government has released a video showing a simulation of the aftermath of a major volcanic eruption of Mount Fuji in an effort to better prepare the population for such a disaster. The 10-minute video uses computer graphics to depict the scenes following an eruption of intensity equivalent to the last one in 1707. The footage warns that infrastructure affected would include electricity supplies, sewage systems, roads, and railways. “It is a bit unusual that Mt. Fuji has not erupted for over 300 years,” says Toshitsugu Fujii, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, in the footage.
RUSSIA
Starting 1 September, new migration registration procedures will come into effect in Moscow and surrounding provinces. The mediation of third parties or the landlord will no longer be required, and will be implemented through the Amina mobile app. This simplifies the process but requires migrants to share their geolocation, effectively a form of digital tracking.
KYRGYZSTAN
According to data released by the Central Bank of Kyrgyzstan, the total number of credit cards in Kyrgyzstan had exceeded 10 million as of 30 June 2025, far greater than the number of Kyrgyz citizens. Nearly half of these were registered in the capital, up from last year's number by over two million, largely to the benefit of Russians.
.png)
