Malaysia: Over 100 Burmese migrants escape from a detention centre, one dead

Today's news: Hindu worshippers started to pray inside the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi; Indonesian President Jokowi dismisses rumours of discontent among his ministers; Korean President Yoon's popularity falls due to the affair over his wife's Dior bag; Azerbaijan tries to take over more Armenian churches.

MALAYSIA

Over 130 migrants from Myanmar escaped from a detention center in Malaysia, which does not recognize refugee status. During the escape, a man died after being hit by a car. Most of the migrants who escaped from the center are ethnic Rohingya, the local authorities who are searching for the fugitives said.

INDONESIA

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has rejected rumors of discontent among members of the government and denied reports that the finance minister was on the verge of resigning. Criticism of Jokowi has increased recently for his continued interference in the electoral campaign preceding the February 14 vote. The president has in fact often appeared with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who chose Jokowi's son as deputy.

INDIA

Hindu worshipers have started praying inside Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque after a local court gave them the green light. The mosque is one of several Muslim places of worship that right-wing groups, supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have claimed for decades. After the inauguration of the Ayodhya temple, a mosque in New Delhi was also razed to the ground without warning.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating fell to 29%, the lowest level in recent months, after a video was released showing his wife and first lady Kim Keon-hee being greeted by an American pastor a Dior bag worth around 2,200 dollars, an issue that the Democratic Party is insisting on in view of the April elections, putting the president's People Power Party in difficulty which is seeking a majority in Parliament.

ARMENIA - AZERBAIJAN

Armenia's rights guarantor, Arman Tatoyan, denounces that Azerbaijan is attempting to take over other Armenian churches, that of Gošavank, the Polos-Petros basilica in Aparyan and the church of St. Astatsatsin in Akhtal, claiming that they are of “Christian monuments of the ancient Turkish sultanate of Azerbaijan”, where the Armenians later settled.

RUSSIA - ASIA

The great shortage of labor force due to the war in Ukraine is pushing Russian companies to invite labor migrants from India, Pakistan and North Korea through specialized agencies, especially for the chemical and agricultural industries, given that workers also from Central Asia are pressured in every way to enlist in the special operation.

ISRAEL

US President Joe Biden announced sanctions against four extremist Israeli settlers who committed violence in the West Bank, after a series of first-of-their-kind visa restrictions were announced in December. “The situation in the West Bank – in particular the high levels of extremist settler violence, the forced displacement of people and villages, and the destruction of property – has reached intolerable levels and constitutes a serious threat to peace, security and stability,” he said. Biden said.

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