According to Agence France Presse, on April 25th, Bangladesh repatriated nearly 300 Burmese soldiers and civil servants. The authorities claim that these Burmese soldiers and civil servants fled to Bangladesh to avoid attacks from outposts near the Bangladesh Myanmar border. A senior official told the media that a total of 288 Burmese people were repatriated, most of whom were Burmese police, as well as some army and immigration officials.

It is reported that since the end of last year, ethnic minority armed groups have engaged in violent conflicts with the Burmese army, and a large number of Burmese soldiers have flooded into Bangladesh to avoid the war. At present, Bangladesh has strengthened security in the border areas with Myanmar to prevent another influx of refugees due to internal unrest in Myanmar.

02Nearly 90% of individuals applying for personal bankruptcy in Seoul, South Korea are over 50 years old

According to Yonhap News Agency, on April 24th, the Seoul Financial Welfare Consulting Center of the Seoul Welfare Foundation in South Korea analyzed the data of 1361 valid personal bankruptcy applications received last year, and found that 86% of Seoul citizens who applied for personal bankruptcy in 2023 were over 50 years old. Among them, 8 out of every 10 individual bankruptcy applicants receive basic living expenses, and 1 out of every 2 people is in debt due to inability to pay living expenses.

Specifically, the proportion of male applicants64.4%, with subsistence allowance households accounting for 83.5%. According to family type, single person households have the highest proportion at 63.5%. The main reasons for debt generation include insufficient living expenses, accounting for 48.8%, entrepreneurial failures, accounting for 21.5%, providing debt guarantees for others, and encountering fraud, accounting for 13.2%. Among applicants, unemployed individuals account for 89.1%, while formal workers and self-employed individuals only account for 5.3% and 1.1%. 91.3% of the total assets, including deposits, real estate, and insurance, do not exceed 10 million Korean won when applying for bankruptcy. 59.5% of applicants have a total debt of less than 100 million Korean won, while 23.4% have a debt of over 50 million Korean won but below 100 million Korean won.

military affairs

01Britain will significantly increase defense spending by 2030

Reuters reported that on April 23rd, British Prime Minister Sunak announced that the UK will significantly increase its defense spending. By 2030, the proportion of UK military spending to GDP will increase to 2.5%, making it NATO's second largest defense spending country. He emphasized that a core lesson of the Russo Ukrainian conflict is that countries must expand their ammunition inventories and improve their ability to replenish these inventories more quickly. The UK arms industry will enter a "state of war" to address global threats and will spend an additional £ 75 billion over the next six years to increase ammunition and drone production. Currently, defense spending in the UK accounts for approximately 2.32% of GDP.

Meanwhile, Sunak also announced that the UK will provide assistance to UkraineKran provides additionalThe military aid of £ 500 million has brought the total aid scale for this fiscal year to £ 3 billion. He promised that UK aid to Ukraine will remain at its current level until at least 2030, or until there is no need for it. Sunak said that the UK and its allies must continue to firmly support Ukraine, because if Russian President Putin wins in Ukraine, he will not stop there.

01Philippine courts question the safety of genetically modified rice

Manila comprehensive news: Recently, the Manila appellate court in the Philippines blocked the launch of genetically modified golden rice on the market, citing conflicting scientific views on golden rice and raising concerns that genetically modified rice may seriously harm human health and environmental safety.

It is understood that,Golden rice is a genetically modified rice variety, and the Philippines was the first country in the world to approve the marketing of golden rice. This type of rice has a bright yellow color and is rich inβ- Carotenoids can be converted into vitamin A in the human body, which helps prevent and treat night blindness in children. But before that,14 people reported to the Manila appellate court questioning the safety of golden rice. The appellate court announced last week that it revoked the biosafety license issued by regulatory authorities for commercial production of golden rice in 2021. The court also revoked the biosafety license for genetically modified BT eggplants.

In response to the appeal court's ruling, the Philippine Rice Research InstituteAssess the potential impact of the judgment. The International Rice Research Institute said it will continue to conduct rice research with the Philippine Rice Research Institute,Develop safe and effective nutritional intervention methods. It insists that golden rice has received "positive food safety evaluations" from regulatory agencies in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.