According to reports from Xinhua News Agency and Agence France Presse, on March 30th, thousands of Israeli citizens held marches in cities such as Tel Aviv, Belsheba, and Caesarea, demanding the dissolution of the government and holding parliamentary elections. They called on the government to reach an agreement with Hamas as soon as possible to release the detained Israeli hostages.

In Tel Aviv, protesters light bonfires and block the main roadOn the main road, police used high-pressure water guns to disperse the crowd, causing clashes between the two sides. In Jerusalem, protesters broke through obstacles set up by the police and held demonstrations near the Prime Minister's residence. The police pointed out that the demonstration was illegal and claimed that the protesters wereThe mob caused over an hour of traffic congestion due to their influx into the circular road. It is reported that on October 7th last year, Hamas militants detained about 250 hostages. Israel believes that 130 hostages are still being held in Gaza, of which 33 are presumed dead.

02Thai Prime Minister Supports Legalization of Casino

Bangkok Comprehensive News,On March 29th, Thai Prime Minister Saita stated on social media that he supports the legalization of casinos as it helps regulate gambling that currently belongs to the grey economy and allows the government to tax it. It is understood that casinos are currently operating illegally in Thailand, and the only legal gambling activities are horse racing and gambling businesses under state control. But illegal gambling, ball games, underground casinos and other activities are quite common in the community.

Local media reported that the Thai parliament recently passed a report drafted by a special committee, which mainly explores the economic value and potential issues of legalizing casinos. The report proposes that comprehensive entertainment venues with casinos will hire local people after opening to ensure that local residents obtain employmentOpportunities. The report also proposes the imposition of gambling and gambling taxes. Although no specific number of such comprehensive entertainment venues have been designated, the report suggests that comprehensive entertainment venues should be located near the airportWithin a range of 100 kilometers. Gamblers believe that legalizing casinos will attract more tourists to Thailand and may form strong competition with Macau, China.

military affairs

01Multiple areas in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia have been attacked by drones

According to Xinhua News Agency, on April 2nd, the Chief Executive of the Republic of Tatarstan, Minihanov, posted on his social media account stating that in the morning of that day, drones attacked the cities of Yelabuga and Lower Kamsk in the Republic, causing damage to houses and injuries to personnel. TASS, citing local authorities, reported that the attack resulted in 7 injuries, all of whom were students from a technical college. Another person familiar with the matter said that another drone attempted to launch an attack on a local refinery, but was intercepted by the Russian side.

It is reported that the Republic of Tatarstan is located inTo the east of Moscow, the capital of Russia, and to the west of the Ural Mountains, it belongs to the inland region of Russia, far from the border between Russia and Ukraine. This is also the first time a drone has launched an attack on a company within the Republic of Tatarstan.

01Indonesian rupiah fell to its lowest point in four years

According to Agence France Presse, on the morning of April 2nd, the Indonesian rupiah fell nearly 0.5% to 15963 Indonesian rupiah per dollar, the lowest level since April 2020. Eddie Susianto, Executive Director of Monetary and Securities Asset Management at the Bank of Indonesia, pointed out that the decline in the renminbi, strong demand for the US dollar from foreign investors when repatriating dividends, and foreign outflows from the bond market have had a significant impact on the Indonesian rupiah. He also stated that high food prices and higher than expected inflation data in Indonesia in March have contributed to the weakness of the Indonesian rupiah.

Chen Guangsheng, economist at Barclays BankAnalysis shows that if the Indonesian rupiah remains atNear a psychological level of 16000, the Bank of Indonesia may consider raising the benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 6.25% at its meeting on April 24th. The possibility of taking action outside of regular meetings is unlikely, but it is not impossible. Last October, after a prolonged weakness in the Indonesian rupiah, the central bank unexpectedly raised interest rates.

02Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports exceeded 1 billion US dollars in the first quarter of 2024

According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports reached 325.8 million US dollars in February 2024, a decrease of 33.6% compared to January 2024, but an increase of 1.4% compared to February 2023. In March,Fruits and vegetablesThe export volume is expected to reach 433 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of nearly 4%. The cumulative export value of fruits and vegetables in the first three months reached 1.25 billion US dollars, an increase of 27% compared to the same period in 2023. This is the first time that Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports reached and exceeded the $1 billion mark in the first quarter.

It is understood that important export markets for fruits and vegetables in Vietnam include China, South Korea, the United States, Thailand, Japan, and others. In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam's exports of fruits and vegetables to markets such as the United States and Japan saw good growth. Among them, for the United StatesExport volumeReaching 39.6 million US dollars, an increase of 27.7%; Exports to the Japanese market amounted to 27 million US dollars, an increase of 17.7% compared to 2023. Especially as of the end of February, among the top ten fruit and vegetable export markets in Vietnam, Thailand's growth was very high, with a year-on-year increase of 125.9%, reaching 28.6 million US dollars, increasing Vietnam's market share of exports to Thailand from 2% to nearly 4%.

Experts predict that although the Red Sea incident has caused many difficulties for Vietnam to export fruits and vegetables to Europe and the United States, it will promote exports to China and surrounding regions, especially Durian, coconut, pitaya, jackfruit, banana, mango, etc. In 2024, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports, including durian, are expected to further increase, with exports reaching $6.2-6.5 billion.