Xi Jinping at parade: “The world must choose: peace or war”

Today's headlines: Thailand agrees on minority government, but Pheu Thai wants immediate dissolution of parliament; Indian man sentenced to death for burning wife over skin colour;  400 children poisoned after eating Prabowo's free school meals; UN reports return of 850,000 refugees to Syria; Two Mosul churches rebuilt after ISIS destruction are inaugurated.

CHINA

‘Today, humanity is once again faced with a choice: peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, mutual benefit or zero-sum rivalry.’ This is the powerful message that Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered from Tiananmen Square in Beijing in a seven-minute speech accompanying the eagerly awaited military parade marking the ‘80th anniversary of the victory over Japan’. Alongside him were the leaders of 26 countries, including Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un. As expected, Beijing paraded its most modern weapons, including new-generation nuclear warheads.

THAILAND

The leader of the Bhumjaithai party (former ally of Pheu Thai), Anutin Charnvirakul, 58, has signed a written agreement with the People's Party, winner of the 2023 elections, to support his candidacy for prime minister, declaring that he will form a minority coalition government as soon as possible for the next four months. At the same time, however, interim Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai (a Pheu Thai representative who would be excluded from the agreement) has submitted a decree to dissolve the House which, if approved by the king, would pave the way for immediate elections, which should take place within 60 days. The clash is part of the political stalemate caused by the deposition of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

INDIA

A court in India has sentenced a man to death for burning his wife alive because of the colour of her skin. District Judge Rahul Choudhary, from the city of Udaipur, said the murder was “a crime against humanity”. The murder of Lakshmi, which took place eight years ago on 24 June 2017, and the sentence handed down over the weekend have attracted a great deal of attention in a country where public obsession with colourism is well documented.

INDONESIA

Approximately 400 children fell ill after eating free school meals in the province of Bengkulu, western Indonesia, in the worst case of mass food poisoning linked to President Prabowo Subianto's flagship food programme to date. Prabowo launched the programme for children and pregnant women in January, but the initiative has been marred by incidents of food poisoning caused by poor hygiene.

IRAQ

An official ceremony was held in the city of Mosul, Iraq, on Monday 1 September to celebrate the reopening of the churches of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, known as Al-Tahera Church (for Syriac Catholics), and Our Lady of the Hour (inside the Dominican monastery), after their complete restoration. The event was attended by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, several government officials and representatives of the organisations that supported the reconstruction.

SYRIA

According to the UN, around 850,000 Syrian refugees have returned from neighbouring countries since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime last December; the number could reach one million in the coming weeks. Despite the continuing violence, Syrian government forces and affiliated groups carried out at least 46 extrajudicial executions of Druze men and women last July, according to Amnesty International. The war in Syria, which began in March 2011, has caused the deaths of nearly half a million people and the displacement of about half of the pre-war population.

ARMENIA - AZERBAIJAN

The European Union representative in Armenia, Vasilis Maragos, has stated that the EU has decided to extend the mission of its observers in the border areas with Azerbaijan, as their presence does not contradict the procedure for finalising the peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku and is well accepted by both sides. “If changes are needed, we will discuss them”..

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