TOP NEWS

Xi Jinping's China
Analysis: Missing number two is no mystery

In 2022, Chinese leader Xi Jinping purged the military leadership and filled the ranks with his own men. In the past year, they have also started to disappear, and one who has not been seen for a long time is He Weidong.

The fact that China's second-highest-ranking general, who is also a member of the Politburo, did not attend an annual tree-planting ceremony has caused many to "read the tea leaves" and try to figure out what is going on, writes Nectar Gan in an analysis for CNN.

Nikkei Asian Reviews' Katsuji Nakazawa has fewer doubts about what is going on.

"What is happening in China is not an Agatha Christie mystery but an act of power by Xi Jinping," writes Nakazawa.

Nakazawa reads a recent statement from the Politburo that it is now not enough to be unwaveringly loyal to Xi, but that his subordinates must also demonstrate this loyalty through action.

Political situation in South Korea
Thousands demonstrate for ousted Yoon: “Concerned”

Thousands of people demonstrated in the South Korean capital on Saturday for ousted President Yoon Suk-Yeol, AFP reports.

Yesterday, Yoon was removed from his post as president after the impeachment court ruled that his declaration of a national state of emergency and martial law did not meet the requirements for a national crisis.

During the trial, the far-right movement in the country has grown strong and Yoon’s supporters have protested weekly against the impeachment. On Sunday, they took to the streets of Seoul again.

“The Constitutional Court’s decision destroyed our country’s free democracy,” 26-year-old protester Yang Joo-young told AFP.

“I am deeply concerned about my future,” she continues.

Russian invasion  Negotiations
Zelenskyj searches for leaks with polygraph

The first draft of the mineral agreement between Ukraine and the US was leaked to the British press, and so was the second. Now President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has ordered Ukraine's security service to investigate the leaks and in the investigation, civil servants are being questioned with polygraphs, Ukrainian sources tell the Financial Times.

The scientific validity of polygraph tests is widely questioned, but in Ukraine the tests are common and are used in criminal investigations, among other things, the newspaper writes.

Middle East crisis  Gaza war
New video shows how 15 aid workers are killed in Gaza – contradicts Israel's version

A video is said to show how Israeli soldiers attack several rescue vehicles, even though they were clearly marked, reports the New York Times.

In March, a mass grave with 15 aid workers was found in Gaza. A video was also discovered on the phone of one of the paramedics showing the ambulance he was travelling in had clear markings and sirens on when it was attacked by Israeli forces.

This contradicts the picture previously presented by the Israeli Defense Forces, IDF. Spokesperson Nadav Shoshani has said that several vehicles were “identified as they moved mysteriously” towards Israeli soldiers without lights and sirens. This prompted them to start shooting, he says.

The Red Cross says it has shown the nearly seven-minute video to the UN Security Council. The video has been verified and geolocated by the New York Times to Rafah on March 23.