Blinken in Jerusalem for truce between Israel and Hamas (and release hostages)

Today's news: Vietnam convokes an extraordinary session of parliament; Beijing rewards the Burmese junta crackdown with a medal and money; Turkish Airlines resumes connections with Afghanistan, four flights a week between Istanbul and Kabul; First two phases of marathon election in India record lower turnout for 2019 Lok Sabha vote

ISRAEL - GAZA - USA
From Jerusalem, where he met President Isaac Herzog, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renews his appeal to Hamas to accept Israel's truce proposal and free the hostages. He asks the Jewish state to allow aid into Gaza. During the night Star of David fighter jets hit Hezbollah positions in five different areas in southern Lebanon. 

VIETNAM
The Vietnamese parliament will meet tomorrow afternoon in special session to discuss 'personnel' issues, five days after the resignation of assembly Speaker Vuong Dinh Hue. A special meeting had already been held last month to welcome the sudden resignation of Speaker Vo Van Thuong. Two of the four offices on which the country is founded - party leader, the most important: president; prime minister; parliament president - are vacant. 

CHINA - MYANMAR
Beijing presented a medal and provided economic assistance worth five million yuan (about 0,000) to the Myanmar police for their crackdown along the borders. Receiving the honour, the first awarded by China to a member of the ruling coup junta since February 2021, was Interior Minister Yar Pyae who was visiting for security talks. 

TURKEY - AFGHANISTAN
Turkish Airlines, Ankara's national airline, is ready to resume direct connections to Afghanistan as of 21 May. The announcement came yesterday and puts an end to a blockade that had lasted almost three years: the carrier had in fact suspended operations in August 2021, coinciding with the rise to power of the Taliban. There will be four weekly flights between Istanbul and Kabul.

INDIA
The first two phases of the marathon election in India for the Lok Sabha recorded a lower turnout than in 2019, a partial but significant figure on voter participation. According to data from the Election Commission, the first round recorded 66.14%, while the figure for the second round was 66.71%. Five years ago it exceeded 69% in both cases. 

INDONESIA - MALAYSIA
At least six airports have been closed, tens of thousands of people displaced and ash has reached the shores of Malaysia. These are the effects of the eruption of a volcano in a remote area of Indonesia, while the tsunami risk remains high. Mount Ruang erupted three times yesterday, spreading lava and ash for over 5 km and forcing authorities to issue evacuation orders.

RUSSIA
The foreign ministers of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia accuse Moscow of blocking Gps signals, causing considerable disturbances for aviation in the Baltic Sea area, which is considered an action of 'hybrid aggression that will be discussed with the allies', as Estonian Marcus Tsakhna stated. By doing so, the Russians intend to prevent drone attacks on Kaliningrad.

KAZAKHSTAN
The former Interior Minister of Kazakhstan, Erlan Turgumbaev, was arrested as part of the trial for the crackdown on mass protests in January 2022, on charges of abuse of power. In the protests, which were violently repressed, 238 people died among demonstrators challenging gas price increases and the political rule of Nursultan Nazarbaev.

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