ASIA TODAY Xi’an considers strict isolation as a measure (also) against influenza

Today’s news: A 23-year-old Palestinian injured three people in Tel Aviv and was shot dead by police. The Taliban governor of the Afghan province of Balkh was killed in an ISIS attack; Cambodian authorities detained and reduced to lay status a monk for alleged links to the opposition. Tokyo awaits the South Korean president, the first visit by a head of state from Seoul in 12 years.

CHINA

Not just Covid. To counteract the influenza epidemic affecting the area, Xi’an administrators raised the possibility of decreeing a strict isolation “when necessary”. The idea is to seal off entire areas and suspend classes if the outbreak poses a “serious threat.” There was an immediate reaction from Chinese netizens, who spoke of an “excessive” measure.

ISRAEL – PALESTINE

A 23-year-old Palestinian opened fire last night in Tel Aviv, wounding three people – one seriously – before he was killed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of a “terrorist attack” amid growing unrest in the West Bank. Hamas claimed responsibility for the act, in response to the killing of three Islamic Jihad members at the hands of the Israeli army.

AFGHANISTAN

The Taliban governor of the northern province of Balkh was killed in a suicide attack claimed by Islamic State. Mohammad Dawood Muzamil he died yesterday in his office in Mazar-e Sharif. He is the highest-ranking official to be assassinated since the rise of Quranic students in August 2021. A spokesman speaks of an “explosion” caused by “enemies of Islam.”

CAMBODIA

The authorities arrested and reduced to a lay state a Buddhist monk (an unusual decision). He would be guilty of promoting a march in which the government was asked to restore ethical and moral values. According to the official indictment, the venerable Soy Sat, 72, had established links with opposition politicians. The matter supposes a new escalation of tension before the elections.

SOUTH KOREA – JAPAN

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife will visit Japan on March 16 and 17 at the invitation of Tokyo. This is the first trip in 12 years and comes after Seoul introduced a forced labor compensation plan. A meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida is planned: a meeting considered a milestone in reconciliation between the countries.

RUSSIA

Russian museum employees told the BBC that during the war year all traveling exhibitions were blocked, with various institutions left with collections and archives in boxes that were effectively inaccessible to the public. Exchanges with the East cannot in any way replace those with the West, apart from the fact that many artists and curators emigrated from the country.

TURKMENISTAN

In the car markets of the Lebap velayat, in eastern Turkmenistan, a real boom in used car sales is taking place, especially in the capital, Turkmenabad. Indeed, many owners are forced to sell their vehicles to support their families and, above all, pay the large bribes necessary to enroll their children in secondary school.