United States and Russia begin talks on Ukraine war in Riyadh

Today's news: Turkish police have arrested 282 alleged PKK members, the ousting of pro-Kurdish mayors in the southeast continues; Fr Donald killed by Sagaing militiamen from an anti-military junta rebel group; Indian university expels hundreds of Nepalese students protesting the suicide of a fellow student who was the victim of harassment on campus; The most authoritative polling institute in Hong Kong interrupts its surveys due to the clampdown by the authorities.

SAUDI ARABIA - RUSSIA - USA

In Riyadh, the talks between the United States and Russia on the war in Ukraine have begun. This mediation, which is causing a great deal of controversy, effectively excludes Europe and relegates Kiev itself to the sidelines, so much so that President Volodymyr Zelensky himself said that he would not consider them without direct involvement. It is the first face-to-face meeting between the two powers since the invasion began on 24 February 2022. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were present.

TURKEY

The police have arrested 282 alleged members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in a series of raids over the past five days. This was reported by the Turkish Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, while Ankara continues to expel pro-Kurdish mayors - particularly in the south-east - for ‘links’ with the militants. At the same time, negotiations are continuing to put an end to the conflict with the PKK that has been going on for over 40 years, with the imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan expected to intervene.

MYANMAR

Fr Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, the 44 year old priest killed on the evening of 14 February in the Sagaing region, was stabbed to death in his church by an anti-junta rebel group. He was allegedly stabbed to death by 10 men of the ‘People's Defence Force’ (PDF), as admitted by an anonymous official of the guerrilla movement of the village of Kangyitaw, where the murder took place. The perpetrators of the murder have been arrested.

NEPAL - INDIA

The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (Kiitt) in Odisha, India, has expelled the more than 400 Nepalese students in response to the protests sparked by the death of Prakriti Lamsal, a fellow student from Butwal who was in her third year of studies. The young woman allegedly committed suicide after suffering harassment from an Indian student, which she reported to the university's management to no avail. In response to the demonstrations, and the demand for justice, the university administration ordered the Nepalese students to leave the hostels. Now they find themselves stranded at the railway stations in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, because the first train to Nepal leaves on 20 February.

HONG KONG - CHINA

Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (HKPORI), the most authoritative polling institute in the autonomous territory now under the thumb of Beijing, will no longer carry out opinion polls due to the further tightening of the authorities' grip. Security departments have questioned the family members of the former director and searched the offices. For decades he had monitored moods and opinions, showing the perception of the disappearance of freedom of the press and low popularity ratings of the leaders.

VIETNAM

The National Assembly is voting today on the approval of a plan for bureaucratic reforms, which aims to cut up to a fifth of government bodies with the objective of reducing costs and improving administrative efficiency. The package of laws paves the way for the closure of 15 to 20% of state organisations, including five ministries, four agencies and five state television channels.

JAPAN - TAIWAN

Tokyo will allow Taiwanese citizens to list the island as their place of origin in the Japanese family register. This was reported by an official from the Ministry of Justice, and the law will come into force in May. When a Japanese person marries a foreigner, their name and nationality are entered into the registration system. At the moment, people from Taiwan are described as ‘Chinese’.

ORTHODOX

According to parishioners, the Orthodox priest of Moscow, Father Aleksej Shljapin, has been subjected to a search of his family home and church premises. He had previously addressed the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill, during the assembly of the Moscow clergy, stating that ‘faith is superior to patriotism’.