78 arrested in clashes between police and Islamic fundamentalists

Other news of the day: Wang Huning, an ally of Xi Jinping, could lead the National People’s Congress. North Korea responds with artillery attacks on South Korean exercises. The majority of Singaporeans are in favor of the death penalty. Iran sells new weapons to the Russians.

PAKISTAN

Clashes with the police in the Abbottabad area culminated in the arrest of 78 Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan militants, an Islamist organization that was banned in April 2021. The detainees are accused of terrorism and arson attacks. According to the fundamentalist group, security forces killed 10 of its members.

CHINA

Wang Huning, an ally of Xi Jinping in the Politburo Standing Committee, is emerging as the favorite to lead the National People’s Congress. This would make him rise to third place in the hierarchy of power. Wang is considered Xi’s ideologue: his appointment would mark a clear victory for the supreme leader at the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

KOREA

The Korean peninsula lives a tense day. North Korea made artillery strikes on its western and eastern coasts in response to the firing of more than 10 rockets by the South Koreans during exercises near the border. About 100 North Korean bursts fell in the maritime “buffer” zone between the two countries.

SINGAPORE

More than 7 out of 10 respondents support the death penalty for serious crimes such as homicide, the use of firearms and drug trafficking. The data comes from a survey published today by the Ministry of the Interior. singapore registered a sharp spike in executions in 2022.

IRAN-RUSSIA

Tehran would have approved the sale of more kamikaze drones to Russia, to be used in the conflict with Ukraine. The new supply would also include Fateh and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles. The purchase of weapons from the Iranians is seen as a sign that Moscow is having ammunition problems.

RUSSIA

The head of the Roskomnadzor watchdog agency, Andrej Lipov, spoke in the Duma to support the bill against LGBT propaganda at all levels. The new law could be approved in November. The agency has shut down more than 7,200 websites that contained propaganda “for non-traditional sexual behavior.” The Moscow Patriarchate equated the move with a “great military victory”.

ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN

Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan announced via Twitter that his government is awaiting a response from Baku on the proposal to set up three border checkpoints and transit posts. They would serve to allow communication between East Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan.