Tokyo: Premier Kishida's popularity hits all time high

Today's headlines: A plane with 22 passengers crashes in Nepal; South Korean cinema continues to sweep awards; the Turkmen president's mother is 'Turkmenistan's supreme carpet weaver'; UN claims Taliban still harbouring al-Qaeda;Maronite patriarch Bechara Rai undergoes heart surgery.

CHINA - PACIFIC

Talks were held today between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (currently in Fiji) and diplomats from ten Pacific islands that have diplomatic ties with Beijing. According to rumours, China would like to propose a comprehensive regional security agreement. Analysts claim that after the tensions over the Solomon Islands it is unlikely that the proposal will be unanimously accepted immediately.

NEPAL

A plane belonging to the Nepalese airline Tara Air crashed yesterday with 22 passengers on board. It is not known if there are any survivors. The aircraft had departed from the city of Pokhara and was heading for Jomsom, a popular tourist destination. Previous accidents in Nepal have occurred due to uncertain weather or difficult landing strips.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korean cinema continues to grow: on Saturday in Cannes Park Chan-wook was awarded best director for the film 'Decision to Leave', while Song Kang-ho, who had already starred in 'Parasite', won best actor in the film 'Broker'.

JAPAN

Approval for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida rose to 66% according to a Nikkei poll conducted over the weekend after talks with US President Joe Biden. This is the highest percentage since the premier took office last October. Should Kishida and the Liberal Democratic Party prevail in July's upper house elections, the government would get the green light to implement its programmes over the next three years.

AFGHANISTAN

'The relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaeda remains close'. This is stated in a document published by the UN Security Council and according to which there are still "between 180 and 400 fighters affiliated with al-Qaeda" from "Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan" in Afghanistan. The Taliban government, which had previously denied hosting terrorist groups on its territory, has not yet commented.

LEBANON

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai underwent heart surgery and is currently recovering, the patriarchate's press office reported. The operation, necessary to replace an aortic valve, was successfully performed at the Hôtel Dieu de France hospital.

RUSSIA

The Metropolitan of Simferopoli Lazar (Švets) said that the Crimean diocese, which remained linked to the Kiev Metropolis even after its annexation to Russia, voted against the synod resolution to detach itself from the Moscow Patriarchate and condemn Kirill for supporting the war in Ukraine, and will remain "an autonomous eparchy within the Russian Church".

TURKMENISTAN

The mother of the Turkmen president, Ogulgerek Berdymuhamedova, was awarded the honorary title of "Supreme Carpet Weaver of Turkmenistan", with the motivations of "strengthening the independence and sovereignty of the country, development of the national art of carpet weaving, its decoration with superb embroidery and for the indefatigable and passionate work of many years, at a high professional level".

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