ASIA TODAY Qatar to pay salaries of Lebanese troops

Other news of the day: Chinese Communist Party membership hits a record 96.7 million members. Myanmar military planes invade the territory of Thailand. Pakistan is preparing to block the Internet after a series of power outages. Turkey awaits answers from the Taliban regarding the management of the Kabul airport. In Russia, censorship deals a new blow to culture.

QATAR-LEBANON

With an allocation of 60 million dollars, Doha will finance the salary of the Lebanese Armed Forces. Lebanon’s economic crisis, marked by the collapse of the national currency, is causing discontent among soldiers in Beirut: on average, they earn less than $100 a month.

CHINA

At the end of 2021, the Chinese Communist Party reached the record figure of 96.7 million affiliates, according to official figures revealed today. This represents a growth of 3.7% compared to 2020. The new members are young and educated, less than a third are women and the segment of workers and agricultural workers is reduced.

THAILAND-BURMA

The Bangkok Air Force took off its fighter jets after Myanmar military planes violated Thai airspace. The incident took place on the border with Karen state, where the Burmese military junta’s air force is attacking local ethnic militias that support the anti-coup opposition.

PAKISTAN

Due to the energy crisis, the Pakistani government could disrupt internet and mobile phone services. The country is facing repeated blackouts as authorities have failed to import the necessary amount of liquefied natural gas for electricity production.

TURKEY-AFGHANISTAN

The Turkish government awaits a response from the Taliban on its offer to manage kabul airport, according to official statements. Istanbul is willing to operate the airport with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

RUSSIA

Moscow’s “Gogol-Centr”, the Taganka Square theater of director Kirill Serebrenikov, who bid farewell with a show titled “I Do Not Participate in War”, based on the poems of Soviet dissident Jurij Levitanskij, closed its doors.

KAZAKHSTAN-AZERBAIJAN-TURKEY

The foreign ministers of the three countries met in Baku to find alternative routes for transporting oil to Europe from the Caspian Sea area to the Black Sea. The goal is to circumvent Russia, which is lately blocking the pipelines, forcing the Kazakhs to reduce extraction activities, especially after the disagreements between Putin and Tokaev.