US sanctions Chinese individuals and companies for supporting Pyongyang

Today's news: Netanyahu call for Israel's military presence in Gaza after the war; Philippine ship capsizes, extensive oil spill off Bataan; Cambodian court fines Candlelight Party chairman for criticism of state of democracy under Hun Manet; Japan will introduce 30 km/h zones in many population centres in 2026.

CHINA-UNITED-STATES-NORTH-KOREA

The US announced sanctions against six individuals and five entities based in China for their alleged involvement in the procurement of items in support of North Korea's ballistic missile and space programmes. The five entities named by the Treasury Department include Beijing Sanshunda Electronics Science and Technology Co. Ltd. and Shenzhen City Mean Well Electronics Co. Ltd, while the six individuals include Chen Tianxin and Du Jiaxin. The new sanctions come amid concerns that the disbanding of a UN sanctions monitoring group could weaken international efforts to identify and prevent sanctions violations by Pyongyang.

ISRAEL-ZAZA-UNITED STATES

In his address to Congress in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his vision for the post-war Gaza includes a continued Israeli military presence. ‘Israel does not want to resettle the Strip,’ he said. ‘But for the foreseeable future, we must maintain security control to prevent the resurgence of terror. Netanyahu also said he supports a negotiated security alliance between the US and Israel in the region, based on the Abrahamic Accords. The visit to Capitol Hill comes amid months of ceasefire negotiations and hostage releases. Dozens of Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, boycotted the speech.

PHILIPPINES

A Philippine-flagged ship carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off Bataan waters. The Philippine Coast Guard reported that 16 crew members of the MT Terra Nova were rescued, but one is still missing. Aerial reconnaissance monitored an oil spill 5.6 nautical miles east of Lamao Point, with an estimated length of two nautical miles, carried by a strong current in an east-northeast direction.

CAMBODIA

A Cambodian court sentenced Teav Vannol, president of the opposition Candlelight Party, to pay a fine of 6 billion riel (about .5 million) for comments he made in February to the Nikkei news agency about the state of the country's democracy allegedly deteriorating under the Hun Manet administration. The Candlelight Party was barred from participating in last year's general elections, which saw a landslide victory for the Cambodian People's Party led by Hun Sen's son.

JAPAN

Japan will introduce a 30 km/h speed limit to traffic in many residential districts from September 2026 to reduce accidents. The new speed limit - which lowers the existing 60 km/h - will apply to municipal roads that do not have a centre line, traffic island or similar signs. According to the National Police Agency, many of the roads that will be subject to the 30 km/h speed limit are less than 5.5 metres wide.

RUSSIA-IRAN

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrej Rudenko announced that the drafting of the new all-encompassing strategic partnership agreement between Russia and Iran, which has been in preparation since 2022 and was suspended due to the death of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Abdollahian, has been completed. The document will soon be signed, in what Moscow calls an ‘international historic event’.

INDONESIA-RUSSIA

According to information gathered by Reuters, Indonesia's state oil company Pertamina has added Russian Urals and other oil to its trade list, after a decade in which the Indonesians had stopped buying oil from Russia. Moscow thus adds an important customer to its now all-oriented export to the East.

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