Israel hits hospital area in latest attack on Beirut

Today's news: agreement between New Delhi and Beijing on patrols on the Himalayan border; China, an ally of the Myanmar military junta, condemned the attack on the consulate in Mandalay; In Moldovia, the yes vote in the referendum to join the EU wins, despite Russian pressure; South Korean economy in growth spurt.

ISRAEL - LEBANON - SYRIA

The Israeli army confirmed an air attack in Syria, in which it claims to have killed the head of Hezbollah's financial arm, responsible for sending money from Iran. The area of a large hospital in Beirut was also hit in a new wave of raids. This morning Hezbollah launched rocket barrages against two military bases near Tel Aviv and a naval base west of Haifa. Diplomatic efforts - US Secretary of State Blinken arriving in Israel today - have so far failed to end the escalation.

INDIA - CHINA

India and China agreed on patrol arrangements to ease tensions along the disputed Himalayan border, which has seen deadly hand-to-hand clashes in recent years. Vikram Misri, India's foreign secretary, said yesterday that the two sides had agreed on the ‘disengagement and resolution of issues in these areas that had arisen in 2020 (with the 15 June clash, ed)’. The first deadly clash between the two sides dates back to 1975. Since then, relations between the neighbours have been tense.

CHINA - MYANMAR

China recalled Myanmar authorities after the attack on the Beijing consulate in the city of Mandalay with an explosive device. ‘China expresses its deep shock at the attack and strongly condemns it,’ Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. China is a major ally and arms supplier to the Myanmar junta, but analysts say it also maintains ties with ethnic groups fighting the military in Shan State.

MOLDOVA - EU - RUSSIA

In Moldova, which is facing major challenges, including external pressure from Russia, the yes vote won with 50.2 per cent in the referendum to join the European Union. Moreover, outgoing president Maia Sandu will contest re-election with 42.3 per cent, going into the runoff with the runner-up, pro-Russian Aleksandr Stoianoglo at 26.1.

SOUTH KOREA

According to a Reuters poll, theSouth Korean economy returned to growth last quarter after a slight contraction in the previous quarter, thanks to an export-led expansion that offset rising financing costs. After an unexpected 0.2 percent contraction in the April-June quarter, Asia's fourth largest economy is expected to have grown by 0.5 percent in the third quarter, according to the median forecast of 23 economists.

ARMENIA - AZERBAIJAN

The speaker of the Yerevan parliament, Alen Simonyan, said that the reasons for not meeting with his counterpart in Baku, Sakhiba Gafarova, were related to his statements in Europe on the ‘search for the origins of the Armenian homeland’, which did not please the Azeris, and their insistence on changes to the Armenian constitution ‘lead every peace negotiation into a dead end’, also due to the will of ‘third countries hostile to us’.

GEORGIA

A mass demonstration on the slogan ‘Georgia chooses the European Union’ was held in Tbilisi, one week before the parliamentary elections, starting from five rallies and converging on Freedom Square, organised by independent social organisations and supported by President Salome Zurabišvili, with the presence of opposition politicians.