IRAN
Guard’s death probed
Tehran yesterday said it has launched an investigation into the death of a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and denied reports that he had been assassinated. “A member of the revolutionary guards died in recent days in an accident in his home,” the Islamic Republic News Agency said, citing what it called an informed source. It rejected “allegations” by foreign-based opposition media that Colonel Ali Esmailzadeh, a commander of the guards’ external operations unit, had been killed in recent days in Karaj. The denial comes days after the corps accused Israel of shooting dead Colonel Sayyad Khodai on May 22. Tehran on Monday vowed to avenge the death of Khodai, 50, who was gunned down by assailants on motorcycles outside his home.
UNITED STATES
China fishing ban slammed
The Department of State on Thursday backed the Philippines in criticizing a unilateral seasonal ban on fishing declared by Beijing in the dispute-rife South China Sea. The department pointed to a 2016 ruling by a court in The Hague that rejected Beijing’s claims, as well as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, ratified by China although not by the US. “The PRC’s unilateral fishing moratorium in the South China Sea is inconsistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling and international law,” department spokesman Ned Price wrote on Twitter, referring to the People’s Republic of China. “We call upon the PRC to abide by its obligations under international law.” Manila on Tuesday summoned a Chinese diplomat over the announcement of a unilateral fishing ban, as well as alleged harassment of a marine research vessel by a Chinese coast guard ship.
NORTH KOREA
Kim congratulates queen
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday sent a congratulatory message to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II as London started celebrations to mark her 70 years on the throne, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. London and Pyongyang established diplomatic relations in 2000 and have maintained their respective embassies. “I send my congratulations to you and your people on the occasion of the national day of your country, the official anniversary of your Majesty’s birthday,” Kim said in the message to the queen, according to the ministry. The British embassy in Pyongyang is closed due to the rigid entry and exit restrictions imposed by the nation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the Korean Central News Agency reported that the queen had sent Kim a congratulatory message on the anniversary of the country’s founding on Sept. 9.
UNITED STATES
Stormy lawyer sent to jail
Michael Avenatti on Thursday was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing book proceeds from Stormy Daniels, the porn actor who catapulted him to fame as he represented her in courtrooms and cable news programs during her legal battles with then-president Donald Trump. The California lawyer, currently incarcerated, learned his fate in Manhattan federal court, where Judge Jesse Furman said the sentence means Avenatti would spend another two-and-a-half years in prison on top of the two-and-a-half years he is already serving after another fraud conviction. Avenatti choked up several times as he delivered a lengthy statement before the sentence was announced, saying he had “disappointed scores of people and failed in a cataclysmic way.” Avenatti, shackled at the feet, hugged his lawyers and then shuffled out of court.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
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