Chinese military exercises around Taiwan

Today's news: Burmese military junta has calls for a week of mourning, while the Government of National Unity in exile tries alternative ways to send aid; South Korea's Constitutional Court to issue verdict on President Yoon Suk-yeol at the end of the week; Israel bombs Beirut; Uttarakhand renames places of Islamic origin.

CHINA – TAIWAN

China has launched military exercises around Taiwan, calling President Lai Ching-te a ‘parasite’. In response, Taiwan has sent warships to prevent the Chinese Navy from approaching its shores. The exercises took place after the US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, left the region following visits to Japan and the Philippines, where he criticised China and stated that Japan is ‘indispensable’ in countering Chinese aggression.

SOUTH KOREA

The Constitutional Court of South Korea has announced that it will issue its verdict on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday 4th April, as tensions mount between those for and against Yoon. The conservative president was impeached after declaring martial law in December. If he is removed from office – the sentence must be voted by at least six judges out of eight – elections must be held within two months.

MYANMAR

The junta in power in Myanmar has announced a week of national mourning, while the leaders of the National Unity Government in exile are pressuring for humanitarian aid not to fall into the hands of the military for fear that it will be used as a weapon against the population. The NUG representatives are working with civil society groups. Even before the earthquake, 20 million people needed healthcare.

NEPAL

The Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oil has declared that legal action will be taken against King Gyanendra Shah and the pro-monarchy demonstrators who in recent days have clashed with the police in the Tinkune area of Kathmandu. Last week at least two people died during the protests calling for a return to the monarchy.

INDIA

The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, has renamed a series of places in four districts ‘in accordance with popular sentiment and Indian culture and heritage’, a move that comes a few days after sectarian tensions between Hindus and Muslims in Maharashtra. These are in fact names of Islamic tradition that have been changed to be dedicated to important Hindu personalities: for example, Aurangzebpur in the district of Haridwar, has become Shivaji Nagar, Ghaziwali has been transformed into Arya Nagar, Khanpur into Shri Krishnapur and Khanpur Kursali into Ambedkar Nagar.

MIDDLE EAST

This morning Israel bombed a building in Beirut, killing at least three people, in an attack aimed at Hezbollah, according to the Israeli army, but which once again puts the ceasefire at risk. In Gaza, on the other hand, the IDF has issued orders for the evacuation of Rafah and the surrounding areas, indicating that it could soon launch another major ground operation in the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip.

GEORGIA – IRAN

Economic relations between Georgia and Iran have recently been developing with increasing intensity, considering the good relations that have existed since the founding of the Georgian Dream party in 2012, and there are already over 9 thousand new Iranian companies active in Georgia. In 2024, tourists from Iran grew to almost 150 thousand people.

TURKMENISTAN

The International Labour Organization has published the results of a survey conducted by 40 specialists, starting in autumn 2024, on hiring conditions and work performance in all 5 velayats of Turkmenistan, especially with regard to cotton harvesting, noting how widespread the practice of forced labour still is, also considering that 27 farms and 17 state organisations refused to allow the audits.

• Asia
• Today