The United States confirms halt to military aid to Ukraine

Today's news: the ‘Two Sessions’, the most important annual political event in China, have opened in Beijing; Crime on the increase in Bangladesh; The son of an atomic bomb survivor appeals to the UN against nuclear weapons; Thailand will allow tourists to drink alcohol during Buddhist holidays; China ovtertakes Russia in investments in Uzbekistan.

USA – UKRAINE

US President Donald Trump has suspended military aid to Ukraine after his confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week, an official said. The White House did not immediately make any statements regarding the scope and extent of the aid affected or the duration of the pause. Since the Russian invasion three years ago, the US Congress has approved a total of 175 billion dollars in aid for Ukraine.

CHINA

In Beijing the ‘Two Sessions’ have begun today, the annual most important political event in the People's Republic of China. The work began with the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, in the presence of President Xi Jinping and other party leaders. All eyes are on tomorrow, when at the parallel National People's Congress, Prime Minister Li Qiang will present the economic objectives in a context in which the new tariffs imposed by Trump on the People's Republic of China come into force today.

BANGLADESH

Assaults, robberies and thefts are on the increase in Bangladesh after the fall of the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India due to anti-government protests: in January, the police recorded 242 cases of assault and robbery, the highest number in the last six years. In the same month, 294 murders were reported, compared to 231 the previous year. Robberies increased from 114 to 171 and kidnappings more than doubled. ‘The nation is drowning in crime, and no one seems to care,’ said some students who had participated in the demonstrations.

PAKISTAN

The game ‘Scrabble’ is extremely popular among young people in Pakistan: the nation has won the most titles since 2006 and the current youth champions are Pakistani. In the port city of Karachi there are several schools that provide scholarships for the best players. This issue brings to mind the colonial past, when English was imposed as the official language, even though 70 different languages are spoken in Pakistan and Urdu is used as a lingua franca.

JAPAN

During a meeting of the signatory states of the UN convention on the banning of nuclear weapons, the son of a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor reiterated his appeal for the elimination of such arsenals. Jiro Hamasumi, 79, from Tokyo, was born in 1945, six months after his mother was exposed to radiation from the bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima. The session in New York was not attended by Japanese delegates or those from countries that possess nuclear weapons.

THAILAND

In an attempt to attract even more tourists, Thailand will allow the sale of alcohol during Buddhist holidays, Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong explained today. The law could already be implemented for 11 May on the occasion of Vesak, which commemorates the birth of Buddha.

UZBEKISTAN – CHINA

As confirmed by various media sources, China is the number one foreign investor in Uzbekistan, having overtaken Russia last year in terms of number of loans and joint ventures started. In recent days an online auction was held on the E-Auktsion platform with the sale of 31 gold mining sites in the Navoijsk region for almost 2 million dollars, mostly to Chinese companies.

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