ASIA TODAY Government reshuffle in Laos, three ministers dismissed

Other news of the day: US sanctions Myanmar junta but invites generals to military exercises; criticism of Malaysia’s prime minister for appointing his daughter as economic adviser; in India, protests over sexual harassment within the wrestling federation continue; Through the Red Cross, some wounded were allowed to pass from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

LAOS

The Laotian National Assembly dismissed three ministers from their posts and replaced them with officials closely associated with the new Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, including some sons of former presidents. The dismissed ministers were demoted to the role of provincial governors. The shakeup came a month after Siphandone’s appointment as prime minister, replacing Phankham Viphavanh.

MYANMAR

On the second anniversary of the Burmese military junta coup, the United States has imposed on Myanmar new sanctions that affect mining and energy companies and the electoral commission headed by the generals. At the same time, however, Washington invited the Burmese Defense Ministry to participate in military exercises on maritime security to be held at the end of the month together with the Thai Navy.

MALAYSIA

After receiving much criticism for the daughter’s naming As an economic and financial adviser, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has made it known that her duties will be limited. Nurul Izzah Anwar will not have the opportunity to get rich because she will not receive any financial compensation and “will not have the power to directly assume or manage any project or contract on her own,” said the prime minister, who has chosen his daughter to “guarantee the transparency of its administration.

INDIA

In January they were verified unprecedented protests in India against Brij Bhushan Singh, president of the national wrestling federation and representative for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accused by several athletes of sexual harassment. In recent days some of the most famous wrestlers in the country have gathered near the offices of the Wrestling Federation of India in Delhi, and despite the fact that a special commission of inquiry has been created, the matter continues to have media relevance and is unlikely come to a quick conclusion.

USA – CHINA

According to the US Trade Representative’s office, China is world leader in counterfeit goods and hacked, and the well-known WeChat app is “one of the biggest platforms for counterfeit goods.” According to a report released yesterday, the US government identified 39 Internet marketplaces and 33 physical marketplaces that engage in or facilitate significant trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.

UNITED KINGDOM – SAUDI ARABIA

The UK Supreme Court began yesterday to consider a case brought by the Campaign Against Arms Trade on the arms export to saudi arabia which are then used in Yemen. The group already won a similar legal battle in 2019, when Appeals Court judges ruled that continuing to license certain military equipment was illegal because the weapons could have been used to commit war crimes.

RUSSIA

Officials at a College of Medical Studies in Novocherkassk, in Russia’s Rostov province, expelled five native Caucasian students who refused to remove their hijab head coverings, and they plan to sue the college. Chechen President Kadyrov claimed that these impositions are “forms of Ukrainian fascism.”

NAGORNO – KARABAKH

Thanks to the mediation of the International Red Cross, 19 people were transferred through the Lachin corridor from Karabakh to Armenia to receive the necessary treatment and be reunited with their families, as reported by the head of the IRC in Nagorno Karabakh, Eteri Musaelyan. Of these, 15 are children, victims of a traffic accident.