“neutral” in the confrontation between Israel and Iran

Today’s news: Delhi approves 1.2 billion program to double edible oil production. One in five residents in Hong Kong lives in poverty. Ankara and Baghdad sign a memorandum of understanding on the voluntary return of Iraqi emigrants. A Cambodian citizen deported in Malaysia for criticizing the Phnom Penh government on social media.

GULF – IRAN – ISRAEL

At meetings this week in Doha, the Gulf Arab states assured Iran of their neutrality in the conflict between Tehran and Israel. The common fear is that further extension of the conflict could threaten oil facilities. A source present at the meetings revealed that the urgency of regional détente figured prominently in all the talks. In the morning, an Israeli airstrike near the Lebanese Masnaa border crossing with Syria interrupted a road used by hundreds of thousands of people to flee. In Beirut there have been intense bombing for hours, even the international airport was hit.

INDIA

Delhi yesterday approved a $1.2 billion program to double production of table oil in seven years and reduce dependence on exports. The goal is to go from the current 12.7 million metric tons to 25.45 in 2030-31, or about 72% of national needs. India covers almost two-thirds of its demand with purchases of palm, soybean and sunflower oil from Indonesia, Malaysia and Russia.

HONG KONG

One in five Hong Kong residents lives in the povertyalso affected by the weakness of the Chinese economy. An Oxfam report reveals that one million people are below the minimum threshold. The rate exceeded 20% in the first quarter of 2024, which represents an increase of 42.9% compared to the same period in 2019. The number of poor households increased by 22.7%.

Türkiye – IRAQ

Ankara and Baghdad sign memorandum of understanding on the voluntary return of Iraqis to their country to resolve the issue migratory after decades of instability. The objective is to strengthen cooperation to manage migration in a more sustainable and secure way. The history of Iraqi migration to Türkiye dates back to the 1980s, the last wave in 2014 with the rise of Isis.

MALAYSIA – CAMBODIA

Nuon Toeun, a 36-year-old Cambodian who had been working as a waitress in Malaysia for years, was deported to his country for comments published on social networks in which he criticized the leaders of Phnom Penh. Activists and experts say the issue is just the latest example of a Southeast Asian government maneuvering to help a neighboring country in its crackdown on dissent.

KAZAKHSTAN – MONGOLIA – RUSSIA

The Ministry of Transport in Astana has announced that Kazakhstan and Mongolia have started the process of building a new highway between the two countries. The route will cross the territory of Russia, for which they have requested its approval, starting from the existing 189-kilometer section between the Kazakh city of Ust-Kamenogorsk and the Russian border, along another 837 kilometers.

ASIA

The third summit of the “Dialogue for Cooperation in Asia” is currently being held in Qatar. This is an initiative first proposed in 2002 by Thailand to “create new tools for interregional cooperation” and brings together representatives from 31 Asian nations, including China, Russia, Iran, India, Japan and Central Asian countries.