Belucistan: police truck explosion, at least 3 dead

Today's news: ‘Mysterious’ deaths are affecting Chinese scientists in the AI sector; New drop in the number of inhabitants of Japan, the lowest figure in 20 years; Restoration work begins on the dome of Hagia Sophia, a basilica transformed into a mosque by Erdogan; The Burmese junta bombs a monastery in the north-west, killing at least five people including children.

PAKISTAN

New attack on the security forces in Pakistan. In the early hours of today a powerful explosion hit a police truck in the province of Balochistan, already the scene of attacks against sensitive targets in the recent past. According to initial reports, at least three people were killed in the explosion and 19 others were injured. Last March, separatist militias attacked a train service, taking hundreds of people hostage.

CHINA

A series of mysterious deaths is affecting Chinese scientists working in the field of artificial intelligence, raising concerns among workers about the pressures and personal risks associated with one of the most strategically important sectors for the future. In fact, in the space of two years, some of the brightest minds in military artificial intelligence, computer vision and medical technology have lost their lives to ‘accidents’ or illness. The latest in the series is Quan Yuhui, an expert in computer image processing.

JAPAN

Official data released yesterday show that the Japanese population fell to 120.3 million in October 2024, marking a record drop of 898,000 compared to the previous year. The birth rate is among the lowest in the world, with a smaller workforce, fewer consumers and companies struggling to recruit employees. This is the most significant decline since the government began collecting data in 1950. The overall population, including foreigners, also fell by 550,000 to 123.8 million.

TURKEY

Turkey is about to begin restoration and reinforcement work on the dome of Hagia Sophia, in one of the largest renovation projects ever undertaken on the 1,486-year-old building. Built as a cathedral, it was the world's largest for 900 years, then converted into a mosque by the Ottoman sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453, and became a museum under the (secular) Turkish republic of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk over 70 years ago. Finally, the building became a mosque at the hands of President Tayyip Erdogan in 2020, in a decision that was controversial and sparked fierce debate.

INDIA

Exports of polished and cut diamonds fell to their lowest level in two decades in the 2024/25 financial year, which ended in March. Among the reasons are the slow demand from the US market and from China. India is the largest cutting and polishing centre in the world and handles nine out of ten diamonds processed globally, however it is sensitive to economic uncertainty, particularly in the US which represents its largest market.

MYANMAR

The Burmese junta recently bombed a monastery in the north-west, killing at least five people including children. The air raid on Tabayin, in the Sagaing region, injured nine others and reduced a Buddhist monastery to rubble. The same military coup leaders had previously announced that the recent earthquake had destroyed almost 10,000 places of worship in Myanmar.

RUSSIA - UNITED STATES

Donald Trump's ‘tariff war’ is causing considerable damage to the Russian budget, especially in the energy sector. In the last few days Brent crude oil has plummeted 20% to below 60 dollars a barrel, and Russian Urals has dropped to almost 50 dollars, rising to 55 with the 90-day moratorium, but Moscow officials predict that the price should not drop below 70.

KYRGYZSTAN

A scandal has erupted in Kyrgyzstan after MP Baktybek Sydykov proposed fining parents who give birth to children with genetic diseases without having undergone the necessary medical tests, using Germany as an example. The parents compared Sydykov to Hitler, who apologised, saying ‘I have not been understood’ and that he was concerned about the health of the population, and the costs of the health service.

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