A quick visit to the island for the Iranian leader on his return from Pakistan. The focus of the day was the signing of five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and the inauguration of a hydroelectric power plant. Analysts underline the Islamic Republic's attempt to strengthen relations with South Asia at a time of tensions in the Middle East, with heavy repercussions on international trade.
In Kaliningrad, the local governor talks about the necessary 'Russian interpretation of Kantianism', amidst gastromic festivals and bots answering questions from the audience by referring to the philosopher's writings. While Russia's leading neo-Kantian philosopher Viktor Vakštein is demoted to 'foreign agent' and forced to emigrate to Israel.
According to a survey by Save the Children, 250,000 children are not in school. About 99 per cent of repatriated families face a food crisis, 40 per cent have had to borrow money, one in six lives in tents. Many were born across the border, and Afghanistan "is not the place they call home.”
Thai Prime Minister Sretta Thavisin, who cancelled a visit to the border town, announced the creation of an ad hoc committee to manage the situation. Over the weekend, more Myanmar refugees continue to pour in their thousands across the border as fighting raged in the area. To avoid another humiliating defeat, Myanmar’s military intensified aerial bombing.
The Botika sa Kapilya (Chapel Pharmacy) programme provides drugs and medical consultations to poor people in the region, thanks to the Jesuit missionary, with the help of Catholic health workers, who are also catechists. About 102 people have benefitted from the initiative that reaches out to people struggling with hunger and the effects of El Niño.
The island is covered by more than 760 statues dedicated to the late leader, from public places to military academies (where he is honoured). For critics, their removal is an attempt to "erase" the past and ties with the mainland. But Chiang’s legacy is tainted by the massacres in several incidents that have never been explored in depth by historians. Meanwhile, his great-grandson Chiang Wan-an, as mayor of the capital, is looking for ways to become a future president.