Russia and Central Asia
- Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has been re-elected, securing another six year term with 88% of the vote. The outcome was a foregone conclusion: having been president or prime minister since 1999, Mr. Putin is now Russia’s longest-ruling leader since Stalin.
- Four Tajik gunmen broke into a concert hall in suburban Moscow, and killed 139 people in an hour-long rampage, before setting fire to the building and escaping. Their capture the next day was televised: one of the men was made to eat his severed ear by Russian security forces. Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), an Afghan branch of the terrorist group ISIS, has claimed responsibility, but the Russian government has blamed Ukraine and the Western alliance instead.
Middle East
- Houthi rebels in Yemen are continuing their campaign against international shipping in the Red Sea. In a surprising development, the Houthi struck the Chinese tanker MV Huang Pu with five cruise missiles, despite having previously assured Beijing that the Chinese merchant fleet could have safe passage through the region. There were no casualties.
India and South Asia
- The Ukrainian foreign minister Dymtro Kuleba has visited New Delhi, where he is seeking to improve ties and find opportunities for collaboration. India has been a steadfast Russian ally since the Cold War.
- Thousands of Nepali men have been recruited by Russia for the war in Ukraine. Promised jobs as support staff far behind the lines, the contractors have instead been thrown onto the frontlines as combat troops. Russia has relied heavily on minorities, mercenaries, convicts and foreigners to stave off mass mobilisation of the ethnic Russian majority.
Southeast Asia
- Thailand is stepping up border security with Laos after an outbreak of anthrax was reported among Lao livestock herders. All animals crossing the border for import must be quarantined.
East Asia
- March saw two encouraging high-profile foreign visits to China. A group of top American businessmen and academics visited Beijing, led by the billionaire investor Stephen Schwarzman and the Harvard political scientist Graham Allison, where they held meetings with senior officials, including President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In an era of escalating tensions, the mission struck a positive tone, with speeches on both sides emphasising the need for mutual co-operation, rather than antagonism.
- Shortly after, Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, also met President Xi. The two discussed opportunities for trade and development in agricultural science and microchip manufacturing. A Dutch company, ASML, is the world’s only manufacturer of extreme ultraviolet photolithography machines, without which no advanced microchips could be made. It has recently been under pressure from the US Biden administration to cease trading with China amid a new global ‘chip war’; PM Rutte and his foreign trade minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen’s comments during their visit made clear that they prefer to co-operate on their own terms.
- China has lifted tariffs on Australian wine, in a sign of improving relations. The tariffs, first imposed in 2020 during a diplomatic squabble, peaked at 200%, gutting the Australian wine industry. The repeal was announced after the visit of China’s top diplomat Wang Yi to Australia and New Zealand, where he held discussions with NZ deputy PM Winston Peters and Australian foreign minister Penny Wong.
- Macau has held its last horse race, as the Jockey Club ended its contract with the city’s government, citing massive losses during Covid. The Macau Canidrome closed in 2018, meaning that there are now neither horses nor hounds to bet on in the gambling capital of the world. Racing will continue as normal at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
- Japan is dealing with a surge in streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, a potentially fatal complication of the Strep A throat infection. In Tokyo and the southern cities, cases are running at five times the normal rate. Although highly infectious, Strep A cannot spread through the air, so a pandemic is improbable. The news caused North Korea to abruptly cancel a friendly football match against Japan in Pyongyang; games against Syria and Myanmar will go ahead as planned.
- Fans of the English gardening personality Alan Titchmarsh were puzzled to discover that he is currently starring on North Korean TV. Hour long episodes of the decade-old show Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Secrets have been cut down to 10 minutes, with music and Korean commentary dubbed over. Bizarrely, Mr. Titchmarsh is blurred from the waist down to cover his jeans, which are banned in North Korea.