WHO: 'Extreme' level of child malnutrition in the north of Gaza Strip

Today's news: Premier Li Qiang wants to focus on the consumption of Chinese internal migrants to boost the economy; In North Korea, forced labour in nuclear plants;  Philippine tour operators want direct flights from Mindanao to Mecca for the Hajj; In Russia 180 private companies nationalised in two years for the war in Ukraine.

GAZA-PALESTINE-ISRAEL

The World Health Organization said levels of child malnutrition in northern Gaza are "particularly extreme" and around three times higher than in the south of the Palestinian enclave. The new alarm comes as the stalemate between the parties continues over the truce negotiations. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu has announced that in the first week of the holy month of Ramadan, which opens on Sunday, Israel will not introduce reductions in the number of Muslim faithful authorized to pray on the Temple Mount, as instead aired in recent days by Internal Security Minister Ben Gvir.

CHINA

China is considering providing equal social benefits to its more than 300 million domestic migrant workers. Premier Li Qiang declared this yesterday in his speech to the National People's Congress. The move - which has been talked about for some time and which would guarantee this group the same level of coverage as urban residents - was motivated by Li Qiang as the key to activating a hitherto untapped pool of internal economic demand.

NORTH KOREA

A North Korean defector has for the first time denounced Pyongyang's application of forced labor at nuclear sites. Describing working conditions at the plants as "prison-like", a 40-year-old who escaped in 2019 said North Korea requires forced labor from its political prisoners at these sites. Few ordinary people want to work there for fear of radiation exposure, despite the many benefits offered to workers, the defector said, quoted by the Korea Institute for National Unification.

INDIA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated India's first sub-sea level metro route in Calcutta. The 4.8 kilometer stretch between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade goes 30 meters deep under the Hooghly River and is a vital segment of the East-West Metro Corridor.

PHILIPPINES-SAUDI ARABIA

Philippine travel agencies have banded together to try to improve air transportation and logistics for Muslims from Mindanao who will participate in the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in June. They are pushing, in particular, for direct flights to Saudi Arabia from Mindanao and localized processing of travel documents to reduce costs. The initiative follows protests in 2023, when thousands of Mindanao pilgrims experienced rationed food and sub-standard housing.

RUSSIA

According to investigations by Novaja Gazeta Evropa and Transparency International, in the last two years 180 large private companies have come under state control in Russia, with a total value of over one thousand billion rubles, especially in the military-industrial sector, in the of machinery, food and fish, ports and construction, all in favor of war.

UZBEKISTAN-UNITED STATES

A group of 35 migrants from Uzbekistan, who entered the US illegally from Mexico and were detained in reception centers, have sued the Washington government for a "discriminatory policy" against them. According to the Tras emigration analysis center, there are around 40 thousand migrants from Central Asia waiting for the court verdict to enter.

• Asia
• Today