MYANMAR
Chief meets Li in Kinmin
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強) on the civil war roiling his country, state media said yesterday, during his first visit to China since seizing power in a 2021 coup. Min Aung Hlaing told Li at a meeting in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming that the military was ready for peace if armed groups would engage, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported. The junta is reeling from a major rebel offensive last year that seized a large area of territory, much of it near the border with China. China has been a major arms supplier to the junta and provided Myanmar with political backing even as other countries shun the generals over their brutal crackdown on dissent. However, Beijing is concerned about the chaos unfolding on its doorstep, in particular the growth of online scam compounds in Myanmar, run by and targeting Chinese citizens. Last month, a blast targeted the Chinese consulate in Mandalay. There were no casualties, but Beijing issued a furious rebuke.
ISRAEL
Deportation law passed
The parliament yesterday passed a law that would allow it to deport family members of Palestinian attackers, including the country’s own citizens, to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip or other locations. The law, which was championed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and his far-right allies, passed with a 61 to 41 vote, but is likely to be challenged in court. It would apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of annexed east Jerusalem who knew about their family members’ attacks beforehand or who “express support or identification with the act of terrorism.” They would be deported, either to the Gaza Strip or another location, for a period of between 7 and 20 years.
JAPAN
US Steel deal done soon
Nippon Steel yesterday said that it still expects to close its takeover of US Steel this year, despite opposition from both US President Joe Biden and US president-elect Donald Trump. Ahead of the US election, Trump vowed to block the deal worth more than US$14 billion. A Nippon Steel earnings presentation yesterday said that “the transaction is expected to close in... calendar year 2024” pending a US national security review. “Now that the election is over, we believe that there can be constructive discussions about this deal,” vice chairman Takahiro Mori said. US Steel has said that the Nippon deal is needed to ensure sufficient investment in its Mon Valley plants in Pennsylvania, the earliest of which dates to 1875.
AUSTRALIA
PM vows social media ban
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday vowed to ban children aged 16 and younger from social media, saying the pervasive influence of platforms like Facebook and TikTok was “doing real harm to our kids.” The tech giants would be held responsible for enforcing the age limit and face hefty fines if regulators notice young users slipping through the cracks, Albanese said. Canberra is among the vanguard of nations trying to clean up social media, and the proposed age limit would be among the world’s strictest measures aimed at children. The new laws would be presented to state and territory leaders this week, before being introduced to parliament later this month. Once passed, the tech platforms would be given a one-year grace period to figure out how to implement and enforce the ban.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel