Asia

ASIA TODAY Incursions by the US, Türkiye and Israel in post-Assad Syria

News of the day: The tug of war between government and opposition in South Korea continues. Taiwan raises military alert level. Indian farmers suspend (again) their protest march. In the Philippines, Vice President Sara Duterte could face an impeachment motion.

SYRIA

After the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime, which has found refuge in Russia, the United States reported that it had hit more than 75 Islamic State targets in Syria. Türkiye attacked Kurdish positions, while Israel advanced into the buffer zone that divides both countries. For his part, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader who led the regime’s liberation, described Assad’s fall as an opportunity to turn Syria into a “beacon for the Islamic nation.”

SOUTH KOREA

The tug of war between President Yoon Suk Yeol and the opposition continues: the chief prosecutor of the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Bureau banned Yoon, who is being investigated for declaring martial law, from traveling, and the police declared that he is reviewing the decision. He Defense Minister is also being investigated for alleged treason, and the Democratic Party has also accused the Prime Minister of insurrection, while the People’s Power Party, from which the President comes, has called in recent days for an “orderly departure” of Yoon from the national political scene.

TAIWAN – CHINA

Taiwan’s military has raised alert level stating that China has created seven zones with restrictions on air navigation and has sent coast guard ships to the waters surrounding the island following contacts between President Lai Ching-te and US officials in the Pacific. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry announced that it had begun combat drills in response.

INDIA

Indian farmers protest march was suspended for the second time in two days after police used tear gas against protesters in Shambhu on the Punjab-Haryana border. Since February, groups of farmers have been camping between the two states and have repeatedly tried to march towards New Delhi to demand that the central government implement a series of reforms, including greater guarantees on the so-called minimum support prices, which protect the production of crops. agricultural products even in case of sharp declines.

TONGA

Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni resigned this morning “for the good of the country”, as he said, preceding a motion of censure against him for clashes with the monarch, King Tupou VI, over constitutional issues. Parliament will reconvene on December 24 to consider candidates for prime minister.

PHILIPPINES

Three out of five signatures of the receipts presented by the Ministry of Education to justify expenses They are non-existent. The Chairman of the Good Government Commission of the House of Representatives, Joel Chua, today made public this conclusion regarding the documents that were presented during the period when Vice President Sara Duterte headed the department. Embezzlement was cited in two impeachment motions against her.

TURKMENISTAN

With the national holiday of Neutrality Day approaching in Turkmenistan, President Serdar Berdymukhamedov ordered to “meet the needs of the population” by supplying markets with products and items that are currently in short supply, opening special markets in the main centers of the country, especially in Ashgabat and Arkadag.

RUSSIA

The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobjanin, has announced that this year there will be no fireworks for New Year’s Eve in the capital, a sensational choice given the great Moscow tradition of illuminations in the sky, without giving any explanation, but evidently to set an example for the other Russian cities saving funds that will only be used for defense.



Source link