New Delhi: African Union becomes permanent member of G20

Today's headlines: 2 dead in typhoon in Hong Kong, controversy over no text alert; In Mindanao, two Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) factions agree to work together for the Bangsamoro; New clashes in Ein al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp; Appeal by Armenian Prime Minister Pašinyan against troops massed by Azerbaijan at the border.

INDIA-G20

G20 leaders began their annual summit in New Delhi by granting permanent membership to the African Union in an effort to broaden the forum's representation of the world's largest economies. However, the bloc remains deeply divided over the war in Ukraine, with Western nations pushing for strong condemnation of Russia while others call for the group to focus on global economic issues.

HONG KONG

Two people died in the second wave of exceptional rainfall that hit Hong Kong in just a few days on the night of Thursday to Friday. It was an exceptional event with 158 mm of rain falling in just one hour. But local authorities are still under indictment for failing to use the SMS system, implemented during the pandemic, to alert the population.

PAKISTAN-INDIA

In the Pakistani part of the Kashmir region, unidentified gunmen shot dead a senior commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a militia made responsible for terrorist actions in India, at point-blank range in a mosque. Riyaz Ahmad, known as Abu Qasim, was wanted by Indian justice for the terrorist attack in Dhangri village that killed 13 people on Jan. 1. This was the fourth killing of Kashmiri militiamen across the Pakistani border since the beginning of the year.

PHILIPPINES

In the Philippine island of Mindanao, the two factions of the former revolutionary group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have agreed to work together to promote the development of their communities and the rest of the Bangsamoro region. Announcing this to the Inquirer newspaper is Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr, who speaks of a convergence with the peace process being carried out by the Philippine government in Mindanao with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and other sectors in the Bangsamoro. This is the first time the two factions have agreed to work together since their split in 2001.

LEBANON-PALESTINE

New clashes broke out in the Ein al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, leaving 20 people injured. Clashing in the camp, which is located on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon, are factions linked to President Mahmud Abbas' Fatah movement and Islamist militias. Dozens of families have been forced to flee.

RUSSIA

The deputy speaker of the Moscow Duma, Petr Tolstoy of the United Russia party, has proposed considering Russia's exit from UNESCO because of the organization's criticism of Russia's draft law that intends to allow deforestation of the Lake Bajkal area to open tourist residency zones, what risks ruining the region's ecosystem.

ARMENIA-AZERBAIGIAN

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pašinyan has issued a new appeal against the "further escalation of the military and political situation in the region," due to Azerbaijan's amassing of new troops in recent days along the border line with Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, and the "aggravation of anti-Armenian rhetoric" by the Azeris.

• AsiaToday