GERMANY
Afghan deportations start
The government yesterday deported Afghan nationals for the first time since August 2021, when the Taliban returned to power. Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit described the Afghan nationals as convicted criminals, but did not immediately respond to a request for comment to clarify their offenses. Berlin does not have diplomatic relations with the Taliban, requiring the government to work through other channels. The deportations occurred a week after a deadly knife attack in Solingen, where the suspect is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in the country. The suspect was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria last year, but reportedly disappeared for a time and avoided deportation. He was ordered held on Sunday on suspicion of murder and membership in a terrorist organization pending further investigation and a possible indictment. The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence.
JAPAN
Defense budget to hit record
The Ministry of Defense is requesting a record budget allocation for next fiscal year, as it aims to ramp up its military capabilities at a time of heightened regional tensions. The ministry plans to seek about ￥8.5 trillion (US$59 billion) for the fiscal year starting in April, a 10.5 percent increase from the current year’s initial budget. The record request includes funds to build a new satellite intelligence-gathering system to improve missile detection capabilities. The budget increase is in line with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s pledge to boost the nation’s military spending to ￥43 trillion over the five-year period that runs through March 2028. Separately, the military is requesting about ￥113 billion to develop next-generation fighter aircraft in a joint effort between Japan, UK and Italy.The bulk of the remainder would go toward maintaining equipment, as well as acquiring and making fighter jets and submarines.
TURKEY
100 IS suspects arrested
The government this week arrested more than 100 suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group, authorities said yesterday, the latest mass detention targeting the terror organization. The nation has been hit by several major attacks claimed by IS, including a 2017 nightclub shooting that killed dozens of people. The fresh raids took place across the country, including in Ankara and Istanbul, Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya posted on X. The arrest of 119 people this week follows other announced mass detentions, including 99 early this month.
THAILAND
Democrats to join Pheu Thai
The nation’s oldest political party will join the ruling coalition led by former rival Pheu Thai Party, as new Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra finalizes her Cabinet lineup. The Democrat Party is to nominate its leader, Chalermchai Sri-On, and secretary-general, Dej-Is Khaothong, as ministers in Paetongtarn’s yet-to-be announced Cabinet, Chalermchai told reporters late on Thursday. Twenty-five Democrat lawmakers in the House of Representatives would help Pheu Thai cushion the loss of the support of 40 members of the pro-military Palang Pracharath party that was excluded earlier this week from the ruling bloc. With the addition of Democrat Party, the coalition would command the support of about 300 lawmakers in the 500-member elected chamber.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
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