News In Asia
- A leaked report from the American investigation into the Chinese ‘spy balloon’ incident suggests that the craft was not actually gathering or transmitting data as it flew over the US in February.
- The ‘618’ online shopping festival, one of China’s e-commerce extravaganzas, has disappointed retailers, as consumers tighten their belts and reduce consumption in response to economic headwinds.
- Chinese social media was filled with pictures of university graduates throwing their degrees into bins. Students face the toughest job market in decades. Youth unemployment in China is officially 20%, and thought to be higher among graduates. More below.
- Northern China, from Xinjiang to Beijing, baked in 40C heat, putting strain on the energy grid as people turned on air conditioners. Intense summer heatwaves are fast becoming the norm; campaigners hope they will encourage action on climate change. China remains the world’s largest consumer of coal, but is ramping up the use of renewables.
- AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical conglomerate, is considering spinning off its Chinese operations to protect the company from geostrategic risks.
- Thailand’s new government is struggling to take power, as its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, faces sudden investigations from the military-controlled Senate, preventing him from holding office.
- The ringleader of the ‘Luffy Ring’, a Japanese gang that organised violent robberies from a base in the Philippines, was arrested in Kyoto. The Luffy Ring have shocked Japan with their carefully-organised sprees.
- 13,000 people fled their homes when the Philippines’ most active volcano began spewing lava. A violent eruption is feared.
- Forest fires in Kazakhstan killed at least 14 people, and burned 60,000 hectares. There are concerns that responses were hampered because money earmarked for firefighting had been siphoned off. A senior government official was sacked.
- Russia appears to be looting Ukrainian crops for illegal export. Russian-owned ships, with their transponders turned off to prevent tracking, have been photographed loading grain in Crimea. It is thought the cargos are being sent to Syria and Lebanon, in defiance of international sanctions.
- Russia faced down an internal crisis after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former hot-dog seller-turned-mercenary, marched his private army, the Wagner Group, towards Moscow. Tensions were suddenly defused when Prigozhin agreed to go into exile, and disarm Wagner.
- Indian president Narendra Modi visited the US, where he held talks with Joe Biden, and addressed the Congress. The visit is a remarkable turnaround for a man who was once banned from the US for nearly a decade.
- Pakistan will receive a $3 billion bail-out from the IMF. Its economy has been in near constant crisis since last year’s catastrophic floods.
Institute News
- Alex Ellis, the British High Commissioner to India, joined the Institute for a webinar on UK-India relations. Watch here.
- Board member Russell Dalgleish was back in Seoul, building links between Scotland and South Korea.
- ASI was honoured to be invited to a dinner hosted by the Association of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Scotland (ACES), welcoming the new Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Zhang Biao, to his post.
- Steven Turner joins the team as a Senior Advisor
- Kaleem Hussain joined the Institute for a podcast to discuss his book, Peace and Reconciliation in International and Islamic Law. Listen here.
Behind The Headlines
Does China have too many graduates?
Upcoming Events
