ASIA TODAY Myanmar blacklisted by FATF for ‘terrorism and financial crimes’

Today’s news: Sri Lanka’s parliament passed an amendment limiting the president’s powers; new energy and security agreements between Japan and Australia; former president Hu Jintao was escorted out of the hall during the closing ceremony of the Chinese Communist Party Congress; new Israeli air strikes in Syria; Russian oncology clinics will only provide treatment upon payment of all benefits.

MYANMAR

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) added Myanmar to the blacklist (along with Tehran and Pyongyang) for “terrorism and financial crimes”, which is a serious blow to the international image of the military regime that came to power through a coup in February 2021. Among the elements that motivated the decision are the dubious state of the casino business and illicit cross-border trade.

CHINA

In an unexpected event, the former president Hu Jintao -Xi Jinping’s predecessor, who is about to assume a third term-, was expelled from the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress. Hu, 79, was standing to Xi’s left when two officials escorted him out of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, without explanation. In recent days, he seemed physically exhausted.

SRI LANKA

Parliament yesterday approved an amendment limiting powers of the president. It was a partial political concession to the protest movement that culminated in the exile of the former head of state Gotabaya Rajapaksa, one of those responsible for the serious economic crisis that the country is going through, where food and fuel are scarce. The law reduces presidential control over the police, the judiciary, and the appointment of public officials.

JAPAN – AUSTRALIA

Defense and energy security These are the central issues that the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, and his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, will discuss at this weekend’s meeting in Perth. The Canberra government is a key strategic partner for Tokyo, supplying it with iron, coal and gas, as well as beef and grain. The leaders signed a new anti-China cooperation agreement.

SYRIA – ISRAEL

Last night there were new Israeli air strikes on Syria, in particular in the Damascus area. Air defense systems were activated against “hostile targets” in the sky over the capital, where several explosions were heard. Israeli forces bombed, among others, some Syrian and pro-Iranian military installations in the territory. According to the first information, there are no victims or injuries, only material damage.

RUSSIA

Some of Russia’s leading cancer clinics, such as Moscow’s Pirogov Hospital and Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Hospital, will stop providing chemotherapy to patients in the public health system or with private health insurance. The treatment will only be provided after the payment of each benefit, since the State will stop financing the therapies.

KAZAKHSTAN – TURKMENISTAN

The Parliament of Kazakhstan ratified the agreement with Turkmenistan for the delimitation of the borders between the two countries in the Caspian area, the definition of common fishing zones in the border waters and the realization of various projects for the exploitation of biological resources. The pact extols “the economic, social and cultural importance of the Caspian Sea.”