Tokyo: Former Prime Minister Murayama, who apologised for World War II atrocities, has died
Today's headlines: After a two-hour phone call, Trump ready to meet Putin in Hungary “for peace in Ukraine”; Israel and Hamas exchange accusations over “violations” of the truce and the return of deceased hostages; Gold smuggling is on the rise on the eve of two key festivals in India ; Seoul develops first organ donation plan based on cessation of heartbeat; Ankara rejects accusations of deporting Christian foreigners.
JAPAN
Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama died today at the age of 101. In office from 30 June 1994 to 11 January 1996, during his term he had to deal with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in the west of the country and the devastating sarin gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyō religious sect on the Tokyo subway. However, he is best remembered for being the first senior Japanese official to apologise on 15 August 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, for the atrocities committed by Japan during the Second World War.
RUSSIA - UNITED STATES
US President Donald Trump announced yesterday on Truth Social that he will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, to “try to end the war” in Ukraine. The announcement comes at the end of a two-hour phone call between the two leaders, with the date of the summit still uncertain. It will also be preceded in the coming days by talks between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The White House will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tomorrow and says it is convinced that a face-to-face meeting between the leaders of Kiev and Moscow remains possible.
ISRAEL - GAZA - LEBANON
Israel is preparing to reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt for goods and people, but there is still no official date. The delay is due to the exchange of mutual accusations with Hamas over ceasefire violations and a dispute over the return of the bodies of deceased hostages. The militants are having difficulty locating and recovering the bodies, but the peace plan remains intact, although issues regarding disarmament and the future governance of the Strip remain unresolved. In addition, on 14 September, but the news has only just emerged, Israeli prison guards allegedly beat Marwan Barghouti, the most important Palestinian political prisoner in Israeli jails, until he lost consciousness. Finally, at least one person was killed and seven wounded in a series of Israeli bombings yesterday on southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
INDIA
Gold smuggling has increased recently, on the eve of several major holidays and in response to rising prices and a supply crisis in the world's second-largest purchaser of the precious metal. In the recent past, the government had cut the import tax from 15% last year to 6%; However, this was not enough to stop trafficking on the eve of the Dhanteras and Diwali festivals, when buying gold is considered auspicious, while prices have risen by 67% this year.
SOUTH KOREA
The Ministry of Health yesterday announced the first national plan for organ donation after the heart stops beating. This reform aims to address the growing imbalance between demand and donation rates: nearly 55,000 people are on the waiting list for a transplant in South Korea, where the average wait is four years and, in some cases, up to eight years for a kidney, while 8.5 people die every day on average before receiving a transplant. At present, the system depends on brain-dead donors, and the number is steadily declining: from 478 in 2020 to 397 in 2024, while the number of patients waiting has risen from 43,182 to 54,789.
TURKEY
Ankara rejects accusations that it has deported foreign citizens belonging to Christian communities, calling the claims baseless and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign to target Turkey. For the authorities, the narrative undermines the image of a nation that is home to some 180,000 Christians and 20,000 Jews, with 435 churches, monasteries and synagogues scattered throughout the country.
INDONESIA
The army killed 14 Papuan fighters in an operation to liberate a village from separatist control in one of the poorest regions of the country, despite its underground riches, including natural gas, copper and gold. The Free Papua Movement has been fighting for independence since the area came under Jakarta's control, with a UN-supervised vote, after Dutch colonial rule. According to the separatists, there were 15 victims, including three fighters and 12 civilians.
KAZAKHSTAN
Three large power plants for heating will be built in Kazakhstan in Semej, Kokšetau and Ust-Kamenogorsk, initially designed with the Russians, but which will instead be financed entirely by Chinese investors. The change follows the signing of an agreement in Beijing between the project representatives, which are now being finalised and are expected to cost 134 billion tenge, approximately £120 million.
.png)
