Israel bombs Beirut

Today's news: a Myanmar militia has captured another city along the trade routes to China; In Indonesia, President-elect Prabowo Subianto is choosing his ministers; In Japan a record number of women in the elections, but also candidates who already have relatives in politics; Cardinal Zuppi in Moscow asks Lavrov for the repatriation of deported children and a new prisoner exchange.

ISRAEL - LEBANON

The Israeli army targeted Lebanon's capital, Beirut again after five days, claiming to have hit ‘strategic weapons’ hidden by Hezbollah in the Dahyieh neighbourhood. Yesterday, the US called on Israel to guarantee access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, otherwise the Jewish state risks losing some of its US military assistance.

MYANMAR

The Ta'ang National Liberation Army captured the last remaining military base in the town of Hsipaw, which was home to 20,000 people in peacetime. Hsipaw is located on a highway that connects Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, to China, and hundreds of millions of dollars of trade pass through this route every year.

INDONESIA

Consultations continue for the formation of the new executive in Indonesia, which will take office on Sunday. The president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, has in recent days summoned dozens of people who are expected to take charge of the various departments. Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, Prabowo's spokesperson, said that the future president ‘wants to make sure that all ministers and all his subordinates are aware that they have to achieve 8 per cent economic growth’.

CHINA - TAIWAN

Chinese state media reported this morning that President Xi Jinping was on Dongshan Island in China's Fujian Province during military exercises around Taiwan. This is the place where China repelled an invasion attempt by the army stationed in Taiwan in 1953. According to the People's Daily, which did not mention Taiwan, Xi was there ‘to pass on the red genes and strengthen the protection of cultural heritage’.

JAPAN

Campaigning officially began yesterday for the House of Representatives elections to be held on 27 October, in which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is aiming to retain its majority. Yesterday a record number of 314 women stood as candidates, an increase of more than 5 percentage points over 2021, while a total of 136 candidates (10% of the total) have at least one relative already in politics.

RUSSIA - VATICAN

The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, received Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis' special envoy for humanitarian diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine, and in addition to the issues of the repatriation of deported children and the exchange of prisoners, they discussed “a series of other current issues”, highlighting the Holy See's mediation role at various levels of perspective.

UZBEKISTAN

Uzbekistan has become the main destination for ‘health tourism’ from Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries, in order to receive the highest level of care at affordable prices, according to a report by Radio Azattyk that from January to August 2024 more than 60,000 Tajik citizens turned to Uzbek doctors, 100% more than the whole of the previous year, although there is no confirmation of these figures from Dushanbe.

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