Displaying items by tag: Asia

UN peacekeepers on the Israeli-Lebanese border are now more crucial than ever, according to their chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah has increased, raising fears of a broader regional conflict. This concern grew following the recent killings of a top Hamas leader in Iran and a Hezbollah commander in Beirut. Lacroix emphasised UNIFIL's vital role as the only liaison between Israeli and Lebanese sides, helping to prevent misunderstandings and unintended escalations. UNIFIL, with 10,000 troops in southern Lebanon, conducts regular patrols and facilitates humanitarian efforts. Lacroix stated that peacekeepers would remain unless their mission becomes untenable or security threats become severe. He said a Gaza ceasefire is key to de-escalation on the Israeli-Lebanon border, to prevent further casualties and destruction. Meanwhile, several European countries have urged their nationals to leave Lebanon because of the increased threat of war: see

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has been asked by Bangladesh’s president to lead an interim government. This decision came after prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted on 5 August, after violent student-led protests which resulted in over 100 deaths on that day and more than 400 in total. Hundreds of police stations have also been torched. The unrest, which began in early July with students demanding the abolition of civil service job quotas, had escalated into a broader anti-government movement. Hasina fled to India, ending nearly fifteen years of rule. In response, Bangladesh's army chief pledged to form an interim administration. Ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, a key opposition leader, was released from house arrest, and her Bangladesh Nationalist Party now wants free and fair elections. Yunus, who has accepted the invitation to lead the government, is returning from Paris after a minor medical procedure.

The constitutional court has ordered the dissolution of the Move Forward Party, which won the most parliamentary seats in the 2023 election on an anti-establishment reform agenda. The court ruled that Move Forward was undermining the country’s powerful monarchy through its campaign to amend the lèse-majesté law. It has disbanded the party and banned its executives from politics for ten years. This verdict, which disenfranchises 14 million voters, raises concerns about the erosion of democratic rights in Thailand. Move Forward's leaders vowed to continue their movement despite the dissolution. This decision reflects an ongoing power struggle with the military-backed establishment, which has a history of toppling elected governments. The court's ruling comes amid political turbulence, with another high-profile case pending against the prime minister. Move Forward's dissolution follows the pattern of its predecessor, the Future Forward Party, which was also dissolved by the court, sparking nationwide protests in 2020.

Atheist businesswoman Akane Fujimoto had achieved success in her career and personal life, but she felt a deep sense of emptiness. As a nominal Buddhist, she decided to pray to the God her mother had embraced a decade earlier: 'If you exist, if you love me, if you have a purpose for my life, please reveal yourself to me.' 'I felt God hugging me deeply,' she said. 'I repented for the first time and couldn’t stop weeping. Everything I was searching for was found in God’s love.' Now she is passionate about bringing revival to Japan, a nation often considered resistant to the gospel. Despite these challenges, she remains optimistic. 'I heard sharing the gospel is hard in Japan, but it’s actually quite fun’, she says. 'Material comforts can't compare to the fullness of Christ.' She believes Japan's resistance - rooted in pride, social pressure, competitiveness, and suspicion - can be overcome through genuine relationships and sharing the pure gospel. She experienced a personal breakthrough when she forgave her father and led him to Christ. 'For the first time, I saw him weeping like a child’, she recalls. 'The Holy Spirit told me it was time.' Now he attends church, and Akane is confident that revival is unfolding in Japan.

On 31 July Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, along with his bodyguard, was killed in an airstrike in Iran, an act labelled a ‘severe escalation’ by the Palestinian terror group. His death came hours after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for new president Masoud Pezeshkian. Pezeshkian vowed to defend Iran's integrity and retaliate against the perpetrators. This assassination, attributed to Israel, follows the killing of Hezbollah’s top military leader in Beirut; Israel claimed that he was responsible for a rocket attack on 27 July which killed twelve people, mainly children. Haniyeh, based in Qatar and the face of Hamas’ international diplomacy, was the highest-ranking official killed since the conflict began; his three sons have also been killed.

Hopes of finding over 180 missing people alive in India's Kerala state are dwindling as rescue workers search through mud and debris after landslides, triggered by torrential rains, killed at least 194 people. This disaster is the worst since 2018. More than 5,500 people have been rescued from hillside villages, but rescue operations are hampered by ongoing rains. Nearly forty bodies were found 30 km downstream from the landslide site in Wayanad district. Most victims were tea estate workers. About 1,100 rescue personnel, helicopters, and heavy equipment are involved in the efforts. Current reports indicate up to 276 deaths from the heavy rains and flooding. Over 8,300 people are in 82 relief camps. Kerala, prone to heavy rains and landslides, received 572 mm of rain over 48 hours, far exceeding forecasts. India has witnessed extreme weather in recent years, from torrential rain and floods to droughts and cyclones, blamed by some experts on climate change.

North Korea has sent approximately 500 balloons filled with trash into South Korea's airspace over the past 24 hours, South Korean officials reported on Thursday (Jul 25). These balloons have disrupted flights and even ignited a fire on a residential building's roof. This act is part of an ongoing propaganda campaign by Pyongyang against North Korean defectors and activists in the South, who often send balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets, medicine, money, and USB sticks loaded with K-pop videos and dramas. A suspected balloon led to a two-hour suspension of take-offs and landings at Seoul's Gimpo Airport on Wednesday evening, according to an official at the Korea Airports Corporation. Similar disruptions have occurred at Incheon International Airport in recent weeks. In Gyeonggi province, near Seoul, a balloon caused a fire on a residential building, which firefighters quickly extinguished. South Korea's military reported that some trash balloons were equipped with timed poppers designed to spread trash and potentially cause fires. Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that 480 balloons had landed, mostly carrying paper and plastic trash. Some balloons even landed near the heavily guarded presidential office in Seoul on Wednesday.

The Foreign Secretary has announced the UK-India Technology Security Initiative in New Delhi during his first visit to India. Meeting with senior officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the initiative aims to reset relations with the global south. Key points of the initiative: Telecoms Security and Emerging Technologies: This initiative focuses on collaboration in telecoms security and investment in emerging technologies, refreshing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and boosting economic growth in both countries. Climate Change Collaboration: The UK and India have agreed to enhance cooperation on climate change, accelerating partnerships in offshore wind, green hydrogen, and unlocking green growth opportunities. Strategic Technology Collaboration: Led by National Security Advisors from both nations, the initiative targets critical technologies like AI, quantum computing, health/biotech, advanced materials, and semiconductors. A new £7-million funding call for Future Telecoms research was announced under the India-UK science, technology, and innovation partnership. This initiative is part of a broader effort to refresh the UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, enhancing cooperation in trade, technology, education, culture, and climate, while mobilizing finance and unlocking clean growth opportunities.

At least 150 people have died in clashes between student protesters and authorities in Bangladesh, amid violent demonstrations against the government's job quota system. Students at universities and colleges claim they were "brutally attacked" while innocent bystanders were killed. The unrest began over government job quotas that reserve 30% of jobs for relatives of veterans from Bangladesh's 1971 independence war. The violence escalated as the military was deployed to control the situation, leading to a communication blackout and curfew. Despite a recent court order to reduce the veterans' quota to 5%, tensions remain high. Students accuse the government-backed Chhatra League of attacking and injuring protesters. Some claim the media is downplaying the severity of the situation. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has blamed the opposition for inciting violence, while protesters demand government accountability and the resignation of university leaders. Bangladeshi students abroad, including in Australia, are organizing protests to draw attention to the violence. They criticize the quota system for limiting job opportunities and express solidarity with their peers in Bangladesh. The government is expected to comply with the court's ruling to reduce the quota.

At least fifty Palestinians have been killed and many wounded in a series of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The strikes targeted areas in south and central Gaza, including the humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi and a UN-run school in a refugee camp. The Israeli military (IDF) claimed the strikes targeted Hamas fighters, and it accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields. It also says that half of Hamas’s military leaders and approximately 14,000 ‘terrorists’ have been killed in the last nine months. Since October, over 38,000 people have died in Gaza, with 14,680 identified as children, women, and elderly. The violence has resulted in significant civilian suffering and displacement, with both sides continuing hostilities. In a recent BBC interview, a mother in Gaza has described how her adult son with Down’s Syndrome died after being attacked by an IDF dog: see