Israel, students will double by 2060: +246% among the ultra-Orthodox

Today's headlines : Tokyo wants to strengthen diplomatic corps by hiring 8,000 people before 2030; Chiang Mai bishop appeals for reception of Burmese refugees - Catholics and Buddhists - fleeing military violence; Colombo wants to toughen pollution laws to save elephants from plastic; Card. Zuppi arrived in Moscow on behalf of the pope for new avenues of dialogue between Russia and Ukraine; Beijing has started seaborne exports to Uzbekistan.

ISRAEL
In 2060 the total number of students in Israel will approach 5.2 million, up from the current 2.5 million in the current year. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (Cbs), by that date 31.9 percent of pupils-almost one in three-will be ultra-Orthodox with a 246 percent growth over the current number. In contrast, the increase of students in Arab schools by 2060 will be 35.7%. 

JAPAN
Tokyo wants to strengthen the diplomatic corps by hiring an additional 8,000 staff by the end of the decade, increasing the number of people by 20 percent over the current number to counter Beijing's influence in the Indo-Pacific. The goal is to bring the number of employees in line with other G7 nations such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom and deepen expertise in a specific country. 

THAILAND-MYANMAR
The bishop of Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, has appealed to the local community to help and welcome several thousand Burmese refugees, the vast majority of them Catholics, who have crossed the border to flee fighting between the military and rebels. According to Msgr. Francis Xavier Vira Arporndratana calls for openness to those "knocking at the door." 

SRI LANKA
Images of sacred elephants (and cattle) eating plastic have prompted authorities to tighten pollution laws, although they remain ignored. After the deaths of 20 specimens and other wildlife, Colombo assures a crackdown to also prevent clogged drains, flooding and mosquito (Dengue) proliferation. Per the UN, the country recycles only 3 percent of single-use plastics. 

VATICAN - RUSSIA - UKRAINE
After Ukraine on June 5 and 6, the archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Card. Matteo Maria Zuppi, has arrived in Moscow where today and tomorrow he will seek new avenues of dialogue that can end the war. The appointee of Pope Francis, accompanied by an official from the Secretariat of State, may - but there is no confirmation - meet with Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.

IRAN - IRAQ
The director of Iran's Nigc gas company, Majid Chegeni, said Iraq has repaid its debt to Tehran that amounted to .76 billion. According to Iranian Oil Minister Djavad Oudji, the sum will cover the debt Tehran owes Turkmenistan, which has stopped exporting oil since 2017 and started an international arbitration procedure.

CHINA-UZBEKISTAN
Beijing has started exporting goods to Uzbekistan by sea through Iran from the port of Xiamen. The Uzbek firm Uztemirjulcontainer reported this, but did not specify which items were on the more than 40 containers that arrived after a 14-day journey to the capital Tashkent along the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan route. 

RUSSIA
During the hours of uncertainty over the possible coup, Russians rushed to banks and ATMs to withdraw cash, in amounts not seen since last year's mobilization announcement. The surge in withdrawals was particularly noticeable in the southern regions crossed by Prigožin's "justice march," with increases of up to 80 percent.

• AsiaToday