Myanmar: 1 billion Yuan from Beijing while the junta's raids continue

Today's news: Israeli pilots dismissed for signing a petition on Gaza; the death toll in Gaza is almost 51,000; Fake social media accounts defend Duterte, to influence the mid-term Philippine elections; 47 deaths in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh due to lightning and storms: orange alert in several districts; Investigation into the disastrous 2023 Korea Scout Jamboree: ‘complete closure’ on all aspects.

CHINA - MYANMAR

Beijing has promised emergency humanitarian aid of 1 billion yuan (7 million) to earthquake-stricken Myanmar, its embassy in the Southeast Asian nation said. The funds will provide urgently needed food, medicine and prefabricated housing, as well as paying for teams of medical experts, epidemic prevention experts and disaster assessment experts. In Myanmar, despite the ceasefire, the air strikes by the junta in the northwest have killed more than 30 civilians in the last few days.

ISRAEL - GAZA 

Israeli officers who publicly asked for the release of the prisoners even if it meant ending the war in Gaza, have been fired from the air force. ‘Any active reservist who signed the letter will not be able to continue serving in the IDF’, said an Israeli military official in response to a letter signed by about 1,000 reserve and retired pilots that appeared in the media. Meanwhile, Hamas reported yesterday that Israeli attacks on the Strip have caused 40 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of victims to 51,000.

PHILIPPINES

A sophisticated network of fake social media accounts has been set up to defend former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte - now in custody in The Hague. About a third of the reports discussing the arrest on platform X, mostly praising Duterte and denigrating the International Criminal Court, were fake, according to research by Reuters. This aggressive proliferation of disinformation aims to direct the discussion around the Philippine midterm elections next month.

INDIA

At least 47 people have died from lightning and the effects of thunderstorms in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange alert’ for a number of districts. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, has instructed officials to immediately distribute financial relief to the families of the deceased, provide adequate treatment to the injured and provide assistance to those affected.

SOUTH KOREA

A recently concluded investigation by the government into the World Scout Jamboree hosted by South Korea in 2023, which ended in chaos, speaks of a ‘complete lapse’ in all aspects, including the incompetence of the organisers and the selection of the site. Some national contingents withdrew early due to terrible conditions, including an insect-infested site (and the risk of a typhoon). During the event, hundreds of the 40,000 scouts from 155 countries had to seek medical attention.

UKRAINE - RUSSIA - CHINA

The Chinese Foreign Ministry representative Lin Qiang reacted to the news of the arrest of two Chinese soldiers fighting for the Russians on the front in Ukraine, stating that ‘an attempt is being made to clarify the situation’ alongside the Ukrainians, and that the ministry has always ‘advised its citizens to keep away from armed conflict zones, and not to get involved in them’.

KYRGYZSTAN

The Ministry of Culture of Kyrgyzstan has proposed a mass media bill that has been criticised by MP Marlen Mamataliev for the possible consequences for bloggers, who work ‘at the same level as journalists’, considering that by now ‘young people no longer watch television, but scroll through social networks, where “greater control is needed”.’

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