According to Agence France Presse, on June 24th, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali met with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif during the Tehran Asia Cooperation Dialogue Summit. During the meeting, both sides agreed to establish necessary mechanisms to initiate talks between the two countries and study how to restore themInterrupted diplomatic relations for nearly eight years.

It is reported that in January 2016, after Saudi Arabia executed Shia leader Nim, the country's embassy in Iran was vandalized and burned down by protesters, and Saudi Arabia subsequently announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran. Due to Iran's long-term interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain and other Arab countries, and its violation of international conventions, the Saudi Embassy in Iran has been damaged, and Bahrain has also announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran. Under the mediation of China,Saudi Arabia and IranNormalize relations by March 2023. However, diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Iran have not yet been restored.

02Russia blocks 81 EU media outlets

According to Agence France Presse,On June 25th,The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement stating that,RussiaRestricting access to broadcasting resources in Russia for media from EU member states, including Agence France Presse, France's Le Monde, Germany's Der Spiegel, and Spain's Le Monde81 media outlets.The statement also accuses the European UnionRestrictions imposed on Russian media in May.

It is reported that,The EU previously decided to block four media outlets controlled by the Kremlin, accusing them ofPromote and support the offensive against Ukraine. Russia condemns the EU's sanctions as "politically motivated" and claims that the EU's decision "forces Moscow to take corresponding and proportionate countermeasures"，Russia says if sanctions on Russian media are lifted, Russia willModify these restrictions，Since the outbreak of the Russo Ukrainian War, Russia has blocked access to most Western media and social media giants.

military

01North Korea throws 350 more garbage balloons at South Korea

According to Yonhap News Agency, on June 25th, the South Korean Joint Staff Headquarters stated that North Korea launched about 350 balloons, with about 100 balloons landing in South Korea, mainly in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province and the capital Seoul. The bags hanging on the balloons are mainly made of waste paper. These bags do not pose a safety risk to the public, but they are a provocation to South Korea.

The South Korean General Staff also stated that the South Korean military is ready to immediately carry out psychological warfare, and added that this is entirely caused by North Korea's actions. Previously, South Korean President Yoon Suk yeol,On June 6th, during a ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea in Seoul, he said, "North Korea has been provoking in a despicable way recently, and any normal country would feel ashamed." He said, "The government will never tolerate any provocation from North Korea.

01Thailand Considers Relaxing Property Purchase Restrictions for Foreigners

Bangkok News: On June 25th, Thai Prime Minister Sata revealed that the Ministry of Finance has recently proposed two policy recommendations to stimulate the economy, and he has instructed the Ministry of Interior to study the possibility of revising the Land Law and the Shared Apartment Law accordingly. It is intended to consider increasing the proportion of apartment units held by foreigners to 75%, and extending the title deed of foreigners to 99 years.

It is understood that the current laws of Thailand stipulate that foreigners can lease land in Thailand for 50 years and can extend it for another 50 years. In addition, foreigners can not own more than 49% of the units in any apartment project. Now the government is considering relaxing these two regulations, which has caused some Thais to worry that these adjustments will push up land prices and make it more difficult for Thais to buy apartments and land. But Saita stressed that this is to stimulate the domestic economy and attract foreign investment, not to benefit foreigners, and the extension of the lease term does not mean foreigners have land ownership.

Overall, Thailand's economic growth has performed poorly, with only growth in the first quarter of this year1.5%, a month on month decrease of 0.2 percentage points, and a year-on-year decrease of 1.1 percentage points. In order to revitalize the economy and attract investment, the Thai government has announced a number of measures, and relaxing the restrictions on foreigners' property purchase is just one of them. In order to attract and retain funds, the Secretary General of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand, Bonanon, previously announced an increase in tax exemptions for holders of environmental, social, and corporate governance concept funds, raising the tax exemption limit from 100000 baht to 300000 baht and shortening the holding period requirement from eight years to five years.

02Barcelona plans to ban tourism homestay rentals from 2029 onwards

Bloomberg reported that on June 21st, Barcelona Mayor Colborne announced at a press conference that Barcelona will stop issuing new tourist accommodation rental permits and will no longer renew existing permits. Therefore, by 2029, all houses in the city will be prohibited from being rented out as tourist accommodation. Colborne said that there are currently about 10000 registered tourist rental properties in Barcelona, and citizens need more housing supply. The above measures are aimed at meeting this demand, so that middle-class workers will not be forced to leave Barcelona because they cannot afford housing.

According to the numbers on the tourism observation website,16 million tourists will visit Barcelona in 2023. In order to strike a balance between the thriving tourism industry and addressing the issue of residents lacking affordable housing, many cities, including Barcelona, have taken action to restrict the expansion of short-term rental apartments. The city has previously cracked down on unlicensed rentals, but housing prices continue to rise. According to Idelista, the largest real estate information website in Spain, the rental price per square meter in Barcelona has increased by 14% in the past year up to April this year, the highest increase among all cities in the country.