Pakistan parliament renews confidence in PM Shahbaz Sharif

Today's headlines: China's defence minister arrives in India for the first time since the 2020 clashes; In April the Burmese coup junta conducted 47 bombings in Chin State; In Japan thousands of chickens were culled for bird flu; Trade agreements between the Arab Emirates and Cambodia. Reduced extraction of Russian oil.

PAKISTAN

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif won a vote of confidence of the National Assembly (Parliament) with 180 votes out of 342, while the opposition, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, insists on calling for early elections, to be held together with the provincial elections in May. According to some predictions, the polls will be held in October as scheduled, with the Pakistani Tehreek-i-Insaf party led by Imran Khan given as the favourite.

CHINA - INDIA

China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu arrived in Delhi to attend the meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, of which India is the rotating chairman. This is the first such visit since at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers died in clashes on the Himalayan border in 2020. A bilateral meeting between Li and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also planned.

MYANMAR

In April, the Burmese  junta conducted 47 bombings in Chin State killing at least 19 civilians and destroying several buildings, including religious places of worship. The ethnic militia of the Chin National Front has claimed new territorial conquests in recent weeks. Experts say the army has intensified its air campaign due to difficulties in the ground offensive.

JAPAN

About 150,000 hens were burnt alive in a fire at a poultry farm in Japan's main egg-producing prefecture, at a time when the country is experiencing an egg shortage due to bird flu. The investigation into what could have triggered the fire is ongoing. Japan has culled more than 17 million or about 9 per cent of the country's hens since the first case of bird flu was detected in October 2022.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - CAMBODIA

The UAE and Cambodia have agreed the terms of a bilateral trade agreement that will eliminate many tariffs on agricultural and clothing products, opening up a new market for the Emirati manufacturing and industrial sectors. By 2021 Dubai works to double the size of its economy to 2 billion by 2030.

RUSSIA

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak informed that Russia will reduce oil and gas extraction this year to 515 million tonnes, 20 million less than last year, as exports to Europe will be reduced by 2.5 times, while 140 million tonnes will be distributed to Asian markets.

KYRGYZSTAN

The court in Bishkek granted the request of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Culture, deciding to close down Azattyk Media, the Kyrgyz branch of Radio Svoboda, in the case that began in late January after accusations that the agency had refused to remove videos related to the September 2022 conflict on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border from the site.

• Asia
• Today