Five Indian soldiers killed in Kashmir

Today's news: In Myanmar more than a quarter of public schools are closed due to the war; New Caledonia elected a pro-independence candidate to the Farnese National Assembly for the first time;  North Sumatra court acquitts former government official accused of slavery; Indian universities are strengthening relations with Israel.

INDIA

Five soldiers were killed in an ambush set by suspected militants in Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir territory. Reinforcements arrived quickly and a search operation was launched to track down the attackers. Kashmir has been the scene of an armed insurgency against Indian rule since 1989.

MYANMAR

More than a quarter, about 13,700 out of Myanmar's 48,753 public schools, have been closed due to the country's civil war, the Ministry of Education of the military junta said. In the western state of Chin, which has seen fierce fighting since the 2021 military coup, only 38 schools out of about 1,500 are still open, according to figures released by the ministry.

OCEANIA

For the first time in almost four decades, New Caledonia elected a pro-independence candidate, Emmanuel Tjibaou, to the French National Assembly in elections that ended last Sunday. It was another setback for the French loyalists, while unrest continued in the Pacific island territory despite substantial security reinforcements sent from Paris.

INDONESIA

An Indonesian court acquitted a former government official accused of human trafficking after people were found in cages near his palm oil plantation, a ruling that the country's rights body said established impunity for state actors. Prosecutors promised to appeal Monday's decision by judges of a North Sumatra court.

ISRAEL - INDIA

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Indian universities have intensified ties with Israeli universities and arms companies, despite the fact that several institutions in the US and the UK have been forced to review exchanges due to the rising death toll, Middle East Eye reveals. In recent months, Indian universities have increased collaborations in the fields of defence, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).

KAZAKHSTAN

The international military exercise Birlestik-2024 ('Union-2024'), in which military contingents from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are taking part, has begun in the Mangistau region of Kazakhstan, with the aim of 'carrying out armed conflict localisation operations', with over 4,000 soldiers deployed.

CHINA - NORTH KOREA

Trade between Beijing and Pyongyang is expanding, whereby the Russians will start importing soap, shampoo, toilet paper and other personal hygiene items from North Korea. There are also plans to open up to textiles and clothing, banned by UN sanctions, but the Koreans only produce 'traditional' jeans, not the tight, ripped ones.

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