Other news of the day: Clashes continue between Israeli police and Palestinians in Al Aqsa; Vietnam will monitor TikTok’s actions; Xi Jinping changed his position on the Kuril Islands, in India, thousands of cattle were run over by trains.
THAILAND
Two generals implicated in coups, a pro-cannabis health minister and a businesswoman whose father fled into exile after being forced to leave the country’s government: These are some of the candidates for prime minister presented yesterday by the Thai parties ahead of the May 14 elections.. The opposition party, Pheu Thai, has chosen Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as its leading candidate; she currently leads the polls.
VIETNAM
The Vietnamese government stated that will oversee TikTok operations starting in May, in order to guarantee that the platform complies with the country’s regulations regarding content management, payment of taxes and commercial policy. According to a statement by a government representative, the Chinese application would allow the circulation of “toxic, offensive, false and superficial” content.
CHINA – RUSSIA – JAPAN
During his recent visit to Moscow, Chinese President Xi Jinping changed Beijing’s position on the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan over the Kuril Islands. China had supported Tokyo since the time of Mao Tse Tung in 1964, but has now declared that it “does not support either side”, despite expressing its “defense of territorial integrity”.
ISRAEL – PALESTINE
Israeli police clashed yesterday for the second time with Palestinians at the Al Aqsa Mosque, after arresting and dispersing some 350 people. According to the Jordanian Islamic organization that runs the site, Israeli security forces stormed the site before the end of Ramadan prayers and tried to evacuate worshipers using rubber bullets. In response, the Palestinians threw objects at the police.
INDIA
According to government data published yesterday, Indian trains ran over 13,000 head of cattle in 2022which is an increase of 24% compared to 2019. The Indian railway network is not fenced and allows animals to graze freely, but the situation damages the trains and increases the probability of derailments.
RUSSIA
Aleksej Moskalev, the father of Maria, the girl who had shown anti-war drawings, was arrested in Minsk while on the run. His lawyers do not know his whereabouts. Meanwhile, the Moscow court decided to withdraw parental rights from him and the girl’s mother, Olga, who separated from her husband and has not seen her daughter for more than seven years.
KAZAKHSTAN – TURKMENISTAN
Kazakhstan’s brand new Mažilis (parliament) ratified border agreements with Turkmenistan. The document had been signed on October 25, 2021 in Ashgabat, to lay the legal foundations for any conflict resolution, and can now “guarantee the strengthening of national security.”
