Truce is over, Israel bombs Gaza and blames Hamas: hundreds dead

In today's news: The Indian authorities have imposed a curfew in Nagpur after an attack by Hindu radicals on the tomb of an ancient Muslim ruler; Jakarta repatriates - and interrogates - over 500 of its citizens returning from Myanmar who were victims of ‘cyberscam’; Beijing has put the publisher Li Yanhe on trial for ‘pro-Taiwan secessionism’; After 14 years, the leader of the Iranian opposition Karroubi has been released from house arrest.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE

Israel resumes bombing of the Gaza Strip: during the night the Israeli air force carried out a series of ‘extended raids’ on the Strip, hitting not only military ‘targets’ but also civilians. The government accused the extremist movement of not releasing hostages and launched a preventive action, because - according to statements - ‘another 7 October’ was being considered. From Gaza, Hamas leaders accused the Jewish state of having wrecked the fragile truce, causing over 300 deaths including at least 50 children and 28 women, and putting an end to two months of relative calm.

INDIA

The Indian authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew in some areas of Nagpur, in the western state of Maharashtra, after several policemen were injured in clashes with Hindu extremists who wanted to remove the tomb of a 17th-century Mughal ruler. The violence was triggered by several members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), who burned an effigy of Emperor Aurangzeb and his tomb. The situation escalated when Muslim groups marched near a police station and threw stones.

INDONESIA - MYANMAR

Jakarta has begun the repatriation of over 500 of its citizens who were freed from an illegal online scam in Myanmar, where they were subjected to violence and threats. The cyberscam operations, which have flourished in border areas (and in the absence of legality) for several years, attract foreign workers with promises of well-paid jobs and then hold them hostage and force them to commit online fraud. Upon their arrival they will be questioned by the police, to find out if there are Indonesians who have contributed to the illegal trafficking.

TAIWAN - CHINA

The Chinese military exercises near the island yesterday - with 54 war planes, including J-10 jets and drones - were a punishment for the continuous promotion of ‘separatism’ by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. This is according to the authorities in Beijing, who in the last few hours have confirmed the trial held in secret last month of the publisher Li Yanhe (known by the pseudonym Fucha), arrested for having published banned books and accused of ‘secession’.

IRAN

After 14 years the Iranian authorities have cancelled the house arrest of the opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, 87 years old, arrested for having asked for support for the demonstrations linked to the Arab Spring in 2011. Although under arrest, he repeatedly criticised the Ayatollah regime and showed solidarity with the pro-democracy uprisings together with former head of government Mirhossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard. None of them ever had a real trial.

THAILAND

The visa-free stay in Thailand will be reduced from 60 days to 30 days, in an attempt to curb the risk of illegal activities exploiting the visa-free regime. This was reported by the Minister of Tourism and Sport, Sorawong Thienthong, and will affect 93 countries that, from July 2024, could take advantage of an extended permit for tourism purposes that was, in fact, being exploited by foreigners to work illegally or conduct business in the country.

CENTRAL ASIA - SOUTH KOREA

A new wave of migrants from all over Central Asia, and in particular from Kyrgyzstan, is arriving in South Korea. In February the country introduced the e-Arrival Card system for all foreign citizens entering Seoul, so that documents can be prepared free of charge without the need for lengthy paperwork.

RUSSIA - ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS

Skhi-archimandrite Ilya (Nozdrin) of Optina Pustyn, spiritual father of the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill (Gundjaev), revered by the Russian political elite, has died at the age of 94. In 2022 he ‘blessed’ the invasion of Ukraine, with a text in which he stated that ‘Ukrainians can only be forgiven with great penance’, while ‘Russia will be helped by the Lord and His Most Pure Mother’.