Today’s news: China cuts interest rates and bank reserves to breathe life into economy. Sri Lanka’s new president dissolves parliament, general elections in December. Singapore’s former transport minister pleads guilty in first corruption case involving government official. Half of Russians over 60 suffer from anxiety and depression.
LEBANON-ISRAEL
Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and rocket attacks by Shiite militias against northern Israel continued overnight as thousands of people fled their homes in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported last night that at least 492 people were killed and more than 1,645 wounded. on the deadliest day of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since 2006.
CHINA
The Central Bank of China released a series of measures to reactivate the economy China’s economy has yet to achieve the long-awaited post-pandemic recovery, plagued by a prolonged debt crisis in the property sector, continued deflationary pressure and high unemployment. Beijing has set a 5% growth target for 2025, which many analysts consider too optimistic.
SRI LANKA
As announced during the election campaign, Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, elected in the September 21 elections, is expected to dissolve Parliament today and call new elections for December. Following the resignation of Dinesh Gunawardena as prime minister yesterday, a senior source from the National People’s Power (NPP) said that the president will name today a caretaker cabinet of four ministers, including himself, in which 15 portfolios will be shared.
PHILIPPINES
The interim government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, in Muslim Mindanao, has rejected calls to extend its term beyond June 2025. The issue was raised after the Supreme Court in recent days excluded Sulu province from its jurisdiction, because the majority of voters in the province voted against ratifying the autonomous region in the 2019 referendum. Elections to elect the 80 members of the Bangsamoro Parliament are scheduled for 2025: 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives.
SINGAPORE
Former Singapore Transport Minister S. Iswaran, has pleaded guilty of receiving gifts while in office, in a rare corruption trial involving an official from the city-state. Iswaran admitted receiving favours from a local businessman, including tickets to English Premier League football matches and the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix. It is the first time a minister has been tried in the metropolis, which boasts a well-paid and efficient bureaucracy and strong governance.
RUSSIA
The Russian sociological research centre Rankhigs has published a survey on the health of the population, which shows that more than half of Russian citizens over 60 suffer from severe anxiety and depression, as “the elderly suffer from the stresses of war much more than others,” but all this will pass “soon after victory.”
UZBEKISTAN
The Senate of Uzbekistan, Olij Mažilis, has approved amendments to the law on the legal status of foreign and stateless citizens, which provide for denying entry as “undesirable” to those who “threaten the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country, incite hatred, offend the honour, dignity or history of our people.”
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