Filipino sailors killed in Houthi attack in Gulf of Aden

Today's news: Another Indian enlisted by the Russians dead at the front in Ukraine; Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attacks Washington over wanting to suppress China; Pakistan's Supreme Court deems 44 year old trial that led to Ali Bhutto's death sentence unfair; In Bangladesh a university lecturer shoots a student during an argument at an exam.

MIDDLE EAST-PHILIPPINES

At least two Filipino sailors died in the missile attack by Houthi rebels on a ship in the Gulf of Aden which yesterday caused the first three victims of the assaults carried out by Yemeni Shiite militias in retaliation for the war in Gaza. The one hit was the True Confidence, a Greek-owned vessel flying the flag of Barbados. According to what was announced by the Manila Department for Migrant Workers, two other Filipino sailors were also seriously injured. There were 15 Filipino crew members on the ship, as well as four Vietnamese, two Sri Lankans, one Indian and one Nepalese.

INDIA-RUSSIA

A 30-year-old Indian citizen from Hyderabad, Mohammed Asfan, who was allegedly drafted into the Russian army on the pretext of work, died in the war in Ukraine. The family had last heard from him two months ago when he announced from Rostov-on-Don that he had been sent to the front. Another Indian citizen, Hamil Mangukiya, a twenty-three year old from Gujarat, was killed on February 21st. Meanwhile, a video is circulating on X-Twitter of about ten Indian citizens who say they were deceived and forced to fight in Ukraine after arriving in Russia in December 2023 as tourists

CHINA

In a press conference held on the sidelines of the "two sessions", the important political event underway in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi harshly attacked the United States and praised his country's partnership with Russia. He also called the war in Gaza a "shame for civilization." Wang criticized what he called Washington's efforts "to suppress China," telling reporters that "the desire to assign blame under any pretext has reached an incredible level," defending Beijing's policy in the South China Sea.

JAPAN-IRAN

Japan has signed a series of agreements to provide basic support to humanitarian medical assistance projects in Iran. This is aid worth 87 million yen (over 540 thousand euros) which will be allocated to university medical faculties and charitable organizations in five local provinces considered financially vulnerable. Japan's Foreign Ministry said medical support and other forms of humanitarian assistance fall outside the scope of sanctions against Iran imposed by the United States.

PAKISTAN

Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled that former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was hanged 44 years ago after being convicted of murder, did not get a fair trial. Bhutto, founder of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) now led by his nephew and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was hanged in 1979 after a trial under the military regime of the late General Zia-ul-Haq. The ruling was issued in response to a judicial challenge filed by Bhutto Zardari's father, Asif Ali Zardari, during his term as president in 2011.

BANGLADESH

A professor at a medical school in Bangladesh has been suspended after allegedly shooting and wounding a student in a classroom. At Sirajganj University, Professor Raihan Sharif - who was arrested and is in police custody - allegedly opened fire on Arafat Amin Tomal, a 23-year-old student with whom he had had an argument during an oral exam. Dr. Sharif allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at the student, shooting him in the right knee.

KAZAKHSTAN

A group of geologists from the South Korean Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (Kigam) published in The Korea Times their discoveries of new deposits of lithium and other minerals in eastern Kazakhstan, covering an area of 1.6 square kilometers where tantalum was mined, with a virtual return possibility of over billion.

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