Gaza negotiations: Progress on numbers, but distances remain

Today's news: Pyongyang reports meeting proposal launched by Japanese PM Kishida; Philippines summons Chinese chargé d'affaires after renewed clashes in the South China Sea.;In a house in Ventiane 16 bear cubs are rescued; The exceptional cold wave in Mongolia does not subside, putting a strain on families.

ISRAEL-GAZA

At the Doha ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, Israel agreed to release up to 800 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of 40 hostages by Hamas. The Israeli media reported this, citing sources involved in the negotiations. If confirmed, it would be a rapprochement between the positions of the two parties, even if Hamas continues to call for a definitive end to hostilities and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza to reach an agreement.

NORTH KOREA-JAPAN

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently conveyed her intention to meet the North Korean leader soon. However, Kim said that improving bilateral relations between the two countries will depend on Japan's ability to make concrete political decisions. Asked by the media about Kim's comment, Kishida reiterated the importance of a summit meeting to resolve bilateral issues, such as the issue of Japanese citizens kidnapped by Pyongyang agents decades ago.

PHILIPPINES-CHINA

The Philippines has summoned China's chargé d'affaires to protest "aggressive actions" in the South China Sea over the weekend. “China's continued interference with the Philippines' routine and lawful activities in its exclusive economic zone is unacceptable,” the Philippine Foreign Ministry said. China's coast guard said Saturday that it had taken necessary measures against Philippine vessels that were intruding into its waters. China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its own.

LAOS

Sixteen malnourished Asian black bear cubs were found in a house in the Lao capital, Vientiane, by an animal welfare group. The cubs, also known as moon bears for the white crescent that covers their chest, are classified as vulnerable on the Red List of threatened species. Across Asia, thousands of these animals are kept as pets or bred to extract their bile for use in expensive traditional medicine.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has promised legislation that would grant greater autonomy to the four "special cities" of Yongin, Suwon, Goyang and Changwon, so defined because they are municipalities with a population of more than 1 million. The initiative aims to facilitate the promotion of strategic industries and the development of own urban development plans.

RUSSIA-JAPAN

Moscow's ambassador to Tokyo, Nikolai Nozdrev, declared in an interview with Ria Novosti that "relations between Russia and Japan are currently at their lowest point in the entire post-World War II period", due to the actions "constant and deliberate actions of the current Japanese government, which are destroying our relations in all directions."

MONGOLIA

The exceptional period of frost in Mongolia, which shows no signs of abating at the end of March, caused the death of around 5 million farm animals, and thousands of families were left without means of subsistence, with effects that are also being felt in Kazakhstan, where many horses die because they cannot find food under the snow, and viruses that are lethal to wildlife spread from Mongolia.

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