By Francesca Hangeior

Iran’s government has proposed to triple its military budget, its spokeswoman said Tuesday, as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent tit-for-tat missile strikes.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani outlined the move that would see “a significant increase of more than 200 per cent in the country’s military budget” at a news conference in Tehran.

She did not elaborate and Tehran has not disclosed any figures, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank, Iran’s military spending in 2023 was about $10.3 billion.

The proposed budget will be debated, with lawmakers expected to finalise it in March.

Iran and Israel on Monday accused each other of endangering Middle East peace in a heated exchange at a UN meeting.

It came days after Israel carried out strikes on Iran in response to an October 1 missile barrage that the Islamic Republic launched against Israel.
Iran’s October 1 strike, involving 200 missiles, was in retaliation for attacks that killed the leaders of the Iran-backed groups Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as one of its own commanders.

“All efforts have been made to meet the country’s defence needs and special attention has been paid to this issue,” the government spokeswoman Mohajerani said.

The regional tensions flared after Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in response to the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

Since last month, Israel has also been battling Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.

By Francesca Hangeior

A government report on Tuesday showed that the number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students in Japan remained high in 2023.

According to the country’s 2024 Suicide Prevention White Paper, the number of elementary to high school students, who committed suicide in Japan, stood at 513 in 2023, against the record high of 514 in the previous year.

The data breakdown shows that 347 high school students, 153 junior high students, and 13 elementary students died by suicide in 2023.

I sold wristwatch, did okada, keke work; now I have fame but no money — Angel Babaorobo, Skit Maker0:00 / 0:00

The white paper stated that common causes of elementary students’ suicides included “discipline and reprimands” from family.

Junior high and high school boys cited school-related issues such as “academic struggles” and “career concerns”, according to the report.

Japan’s total number of suicides in 2023 reached 21,837, a decrease of 44 from the previous year.

The suicide rate, indicating deaths per 100,000 people, held steady at 17.6.

Since 2020, suicide rates have increased across most age groups in Japan.

The highest suicide rates were among the unemployed, although the number of suicides among working individuals also increased, the data showed.

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales (2006-2019) denounced on Sunday that the vehicle that was taking him to the radio station where he usually hosts his weekend program received 14 gunshots from unknown persons who wounded the politician’s driver.

The former president told the coca-growing radio station Kawsachun Coca that the chase of his vehicle by two others in which the attackers were traveling took place at 6:25 local time (10:25 GMT) on the road between the town of Villa Tunari and Lauca Ñ, in the Cochabamba Tropics.

“Get down, Mr. President!”

The former president of Bolivia was close to not telling what, according to him, was an operation to attempt on his life. In fact, Evo Morales has related that two or three vans followed his car. “I was surprised, finally we saved our lives,” he reflected.

The driver of Evo Morales was forced to alter his route to try to throw off his pursuers. Although his life is not in danger, the driver of the vehicle in which the former president was traveling did suffer a head wound.

Tension in Bolivia

Bolivia is experiencing tense days following clashes between supporters of Evo Morales, who have been organising roadblocks in various parts of the country for the past two weeks. “These are destabilising actions led by Morales that seek to disrupt democratic order, which constitutes a serious threat not only to Bolivia, but also to stability and security in our region,” the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained.

Followers of Evo Morales are protesting against food prices and fuel shortages. They are also asking the government to withdraw the legal proceedings against the former president of Bolivia for human trafficking. They consider the pedophilia accusations to be political persecution.