Syria: at least 830 victims of reprisals against Alawites

Today's news: South Korean prosecutors continue to pursue Yoon for insurrection; North Korea launches ballistic missiles after joint exercises between Washington and Seoul; In India marks hottest February in 125 years, concerns for agriculture and industry; Protests in Indonesia over the poor quality of life, with 7.5 million unemployed.

SYRIA

After days of fighting, hundreds of civilians belonging to the Alawite religious minority are reported to have been killed in the response of the Syrian security forces and allied militias to attacks by loyalists of the Assad regime. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an NGO, speaks of over 830 civilians killed in ‘massacres’ targeting Alawites. In a speech to the interim government, the leader of the al-Sharaa accused forces linked to Assad, blaming them for the violence, while promising an investigation into the reprisals against civilians.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korean prosecutors will continue to pursue the conviction of President Yoon Suk Yeol for insurrection, despite the court's decision to order the release of the deposed leader, the head of the prosecutor's office said on Monday (10 March). The verdict on the impeachment is expected as early as this week. There is a large presence of law enforcement as thousands of Yoon's supporters and opponents are expected to gather, with heated protests.

NORTH KOREA

North Korea launched several ballistic missiles a few hours after condemning the joint military exercises of South Korea and the United States, which Pyongyang called a ‘dangerous provocative act’ capable of causing a confrontation. The South Korean army reported that the missiles were launched from the western region of North Korea towards the Yellow Sea. This is the first ballistic missile test reported since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.

INDIA

Data from the Indian Meteorological Department shows that last month was the hottest February in India in the last 125 years. In many parts of the country, the average weekly minimum temperature was 1-3°C higher than normal. The meteorological agency has warned that above-average maximum temperatures and heat waves are likely to persist in most parts of the country between March and May. Concerns are growing on farms and in factories, with cultivation programmes and business plans being disrupted.

INDONESIA

Anger over the declining quality of life in Southeast Asia's largest economy – a nation of 280 million known for widespread corruption and nepotism – has sparked student protests and prompted young people and middle-aged professionals to seek work abroad. According to the latest data from the country's statistics agency, updated in August 2024, there are almost 7.5 million unemployed in Indonesia. Furthermore, the gap between the rich and poor in this emerging nation is widening and the middle class is increasingly being crushed.

ISRAEL - GAZA

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen has ordered the interruption of electricity supplies to Gaza, threatening the operation of the enclave's desalination plants. Sunday's announcement comes more than a week after Israel cut off all supplies of goods to the territory, which is home to over two million people, while in Doha negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire that ended the 15-month Gaza war have not been unblocked.

MYANMAR - BELARUS

The head of the Myanmar military junta, Min Aung Hlaing, travelled to Belarus after visiting Moscow, meeting with President Aleksandr Lukašenko who proposed ‘a series of wide-ranging projects fundamental for collaboration’ between the two countries that have much in common, starting with the International Labour Organization embargo, applied only to Minsk and Naypyidaw.

GEORGIA

The former president of Georgia, Salome Zurabišvili, has presented a new plan of protest initiatives, 100 days after the ‘falsified elections’ of the Tbilisi parliament, accepting the proposals of all the opposition forces, also trying to find new channels of contact with Donald Trump's administration, something that the representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party are also trying to do.

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