MONTH IN BRIEF – March & April 2026
MONTH IN BRIEF
Energy for reunification
China has offered Taiwan what it claims would be ‘energy stability’ if the island agrees to Beijing’s rule. This is part of a campaign by China to convince Taiwan of the benefits of ‘reunification’, which Taiwan has long rejected.Global governments are seeking alternative energy supplies as the Iran war rages on, withvital shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz closed. But Taiwan, which sourced a third of its liquefied natural gas from Qatar and no energy from China, says it has secured alternative supplies for the months ahead, including from the US, its chief international backer.
Lights out
Bangladesh has ordered civil servants to switch off lights and turn down air-conditioning to save power as the Middle East war exacerbates an energy crunch, officials have said.The South Asian nation, home to 170 million people, imports 95 per cent of its oil and gas needs and is seeking loans of around US$2 billion from multilateral donors to tackle energy concerns.The government has already taken several measures to curb fuel consumption, including setting limits on fuel purchases, halting production at most fertiliser factories, and deploying police to patrol filling stations.
Jail for non-compliance
People in Hong Kong now face a year in jail if they refuse to give police their phone or computer passwords in investigations involving the city’s strict national security law, the government has said.The new rules apply to the implementation of the law, which was imposed by Beijing in 2020 after mass, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests across Hong Kong.One of the amendments that came into effect on March 23 requires people to provide ‘any password or other decryption method’ necessary to allow police to access electronic equipment that is believed to hold evidence.
Fuel alternative
Thailand’s government has accelerated the expansion of B20 biodiesel distribution points across the country, a strategic move aimed at slashing overheads for the transport and industrial sectors as war in the Middle East continues.By promoting a higher blend of domestic palm oil, ministers hope to stabilise consumer goods prices while providing a critical financial lifeline to the nation’s agricultural heartland.Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office Ratchada Thanadirek confirmed that B20 – a diesel blend containing 20 per cent domestically produced palm-based methyl ester – is now being positioned as a primary alternative to standard fuel.
Head count
More than 3 million Indian officials are poised to count every single person in the world’s most populous nation, a huge, year-long task delayed in part by the Covid-19 pandemic.The once-in-a-decade population survey, originally due in 2021, will start on April 1 with a short window for citizens who wish to registeronline.There will then be two phases of physical door-to-door surveys,the first listing houses and housing conditions, the second noting inhabitants and their economic and social parameters.
Mao sculptor tried
Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen, famous for making provocative satirical sculptures of the PRC’s founding leader Mao Zedong, has been triedover accusations of ‘defaming national heroes and martyrs’, a rights group said.Mr Gao, 69, who was detained in 2024 during a visit from the US, faces a maximum three-year prison sentence, said Ms Shane Yi, a researcher at the Chinese Human Rights Defenders group which operates outside the country.The closed-door, one-day trial took place on March 30 at Sanhe City People’s Court in Hebei province, neighbouring the capital Beijing, and ended without a verdict.
Air crash claims life of Maharashtra CM and others
The deputy chief minister of India’s wealthiest state of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, has been killed along with four others on board his charter aircraft after it went down in flames.Mr Pawar, who hailed from a top political family, was travelling to his home region to canvass in local elections, media said.Two members of his staff and two crew members were also aboard the VSR Ventures-operated Learjet 45 aircraft, which crashed on Jan. 28 during its approach to the city of Baramati. The cause is not yet clear.