Haniyeh's funeral in Tehran, UN warns of 'dangerous escalation'

Today's news: Malaysia's PM attacks Facebook for deleting Hamas condolence post; Myanmar extends state of emergency for six months Data breaches increase in India Bangladesh government wants to ban the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party Military spending increases in Central Asia.

IRAN

The funeral of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh took place in Tehran. Iran's Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, presided over the prayers. Iran promised revenge against Israel. The UN called an emergency meeting of the Security Council and Secretary General Antonio Guterres cited the possibility of a "dangerous escalation".

MALAYSIA

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim lashed out at Meta for removing a Facebook post of his on the assassination of Hamas leader Ismai Haniyeh. The PM had posted a video recording of his phone call with a Hamas official to offer condolences for Haniyeh's death. Anwar and Haniyeh had met in May in Qatar and the PM had then clarified that he had no military ties with the organisation.

MYANMAR

The head of the Burmese military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, yesterday extended the state of emergency for another six months. Meanwhile, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), one of the ethnic militias fighting against the coup junta, ordered its commanders to protect Chinese interests and citizens while advancing into northern Shan State.

INDIA

The average cost of data breaches in India is 195 million rupees (.3 million), says a report by the IBM company. This is a cost that has increased by 30 per cent worldwide since 2020. In India, the cost of lost business (downtime, lost customers, reputational damage) has risen 45 per cent in the past year, with the industrial sector being the hardest hit.

BANGLADESH

The Bangladeshi government announced plans to ban the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party and its youth wing, accused of being responsible for last month's violence. The Jamaat, which has not been allowed to participate in elections since 2013 because it is not a secular party, called the decision 'illegal and unconstitutional'. Meanwhile, some young people took to the streets again yesterday to protest against the violence used by the police on demonstrators.

RUSSIA - CHINA - USA

Russia and China challenge the USA's right to exploit one million seabeds, having failed to ratify the 1982 UN 'Constitution of the Oceans', between the Bering Sea, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, as stated during debates at the seabed body's session in Kingston, Jamaica

CENTRAL ASIA

As Radio Ozodlik informs, all Central Asian countries have significantly increased their military spending, following the lessons of Ukraine, Karabakh and Afghanistan. In 2023, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan invested over USD 2 billion in defence, although not all of them publish official budgets, such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

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