Other news of the day: elections in Turkey, the contest between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu goes to the second round. In Thailand, clear affirmation of the opposition movements. Record CO2 emissions in China, in the first quarter of 2023. Manila has placed buoys in its EEZ around the Spratlys. First polio case of the year in Afghanistan. In Russia, psychosis is spreading due to possible drone attacks.
BANGLADESH- MYANMAR
A powerful cyclone, estimated to be near Nargis, which caused 140,000 deaths in 2008, hit the coasts of Myanmar and Bangladesh. mocha it brought rain and 250 km/h winds which flooded part of the Bay of Bengal and severely affected Sittwe. At least six people have died, hundreds have been injured, tens of thousands have been isolated and more than 800,000 have been evacuated, but the death toll is set to rise.
Türkiye
Türkiye on tenterhooks: in the parliamentary and presidential elections Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a majority but less than 50% of the vote, the number required to be elected in the first round. Pending the final results of the count, the second vote should take place on May 28. With 98.55% of the votes counted, the outgoing president has 49.34%, Kilicdaroglu 45% and the third contender, Sinan Ogan, 5.23%.
THAILAND
Heavy defeat for the Thai military, which has ruled for almost a decade, in the parliamentary elections from yesterday. Two opposition parties, different from each other, triumphed and must agree to form a government. At the head was Move Forward, an expression of the protests against the 2020 monarchy, and behind the Pheu Thai of Paetongtarn Shinawatra. The big loser is outgoing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha.
CHINA
China, the most “polluting” country in the world, issued record levels of carbon dioxide in the first quarter of 2023, with figures reaching an all-time high. Studies by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) report a 4% increase in CO2, equivalent to three billion tons. The post-Covid economic rebound, stimulus measures for the manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as low hydroelectric production due to the prolonged drought, drove the spike.
PHILIPPINES
Manila has placed navigation buoys in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea, to assert its sovereignty, disputed by Beijing. Between May 10 and 12, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) placed five under the national flag including the Whitsun Reef, where hundreds of Chinese ships had been stationed in 2021.
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan recorded this weekend the first polio case of 2023. A 4-year-old boy was diagnosed with this disease. Kamal Shah, from UNICEF, reported that the case was detected in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Last year there were two cases. Along with Pakistan, it is the only country in the world where polio is endemic and vaccination campaigns are under attack.
RUSSIA
After repeated drone attacks on the Kremlin and numerous other targets, “drone psychosis” is spreading in Russia. By order of the Ministry of the Interior, detailed “land” searches are carried out in means of transport, subways, airports and stations, and even in private cars. So far about ten have been found.
UZBEKISTAN
As reported by the Rbk agency, a smaller percentage of Russians have been transferred to Uzbekistan this year compared to other Central Asian countries. The relokanty (Russians abroad) themselves consider this to be very advantageous, because it positively influences the real estate market, the banking sector and the Uzbek economy as a whole.
