ASIA TODAY NATO wants to open a representation in Japan, the first in Asia

Other news of the day: Israeli security forces killed three Palestinians in the Nablus operation. Delhi, along with Beijing, wants roadmaps rather than timetables for cutting carbon emissions. The Burmese Justice rejected the appeal of a Christian leader convicted of terrorism. Electoral seats in Hong Kong district councils are reduced to 20%, with strict controls on candidates. 10% growth forecast for Islamic finance.

JAPAN

NATO plans to open a liaison office in Tokyo, the first in Asia. According to Nikkei Asia, the office of the Atlantic Alliance will allow regular consultations with Japan and the main partners in the region, such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, in open opposition to China (and Russia). The plans have been confirmed by NATO and Japanese officials.

ISRAEL – PALESTINE

This morning the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), together with the internal security services of the Shin Bet, carried out raids on several cities in the West Bank. In Nablus, the military killed three PalestiniansTwo of them are accused of being involved in the attack that took place last month in Hamra, in the Jordan Valley, in which a mother and her two daughters were killed.

INDIAN-CHINESE

With the support of China, India is trying to build a consensus at the G20 to allow countries to choose a roadmap for reduce carbon emissions, without imposing a deadline to end the use of fossil fuels. Delhi, the group’s president, wants to introduce “multiple energy pathways” that allow choice of resources by working on zero emission plans.

MYANMAR

A Burmese court has rejected the appeal of one of Myanmar’s most prominent Protestant religious leaders, a month after he was first sentenced to six years in jail under the anti-terror law. Judges in Myitkyina, in Kachin state, rejected the request for Hkalam Samson, prosecuted for terrorismillicit association and incitement to oppose the military.

HONG KONG

The democratically elected seats by citizens in the local elections scheduled for November in Hong Kong will be reduced to 20% and to a maximum of 88, while another 179 will be appointed by the local leader. This was announced in recent days by the President of the Executive, John Lee, with a drastic cut compared to the 452 of the previous electoral round. They also announced strict controls on candidates.

SAUDI ARABIA – MIDDLE EAST

forecasts of growth for islamic finance they are around 10% for the 2023/24 biennium, despite the general crisis situation, after having registered a similar expansion in 2022 led mainly by the Gulf countries. According to the S&P Global Ratings report, however, “structural weaknesses” remain that limit “the geographic and market attractiveness of the sector.”

RUSSIA

The Rosstat Institute of Statistics published data showing that the number of Russian citizens below the poverty line fell to less than 10% of the population in 2022 – the lowest in 30 years – with 14.3 million people, 1 million less than in 2021. However, the decrease would also respond to the changes introduced in the way of surveying the poverty parameters in the country.

KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labor reported that since the beginning of 2023, 6,144 ethnic Kazakhs have been granted the status of kandas, citizens who “return” from other countries to their historic homeland. Of these, more than half come from Uzbekistan, 20% from China (Xinjiang) and others from Russia, Mongolia and other countries, the majority based in Almaty and Mangustau.