Thaksin will also be prosecuted for contempt of the monarchy

Today’s news: The Taiwanese government will reject the controversial Parliamentary Powers Law approved yesterday by the opposition. The floating dock that was supposed to bring aid to Gaza, damaged by the storm. Pyongyang sends 200 balloons loaded with garbage to the South. Phnom Penh names one of its main roads after Xi Jinping.

THAILAND

Thailand’s attorney general will charge former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for alleged insults to the monarchy. The measure is related to a complaint filed by forces close to the Army that overthrew the Government of his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, following an interview that the influential tycoon gave to foreign media in 2015. Thaksin – who returned a few months ago from his self-exile after receive guarantees not to go to jail for corruption convictions – remains a central figure in Pheu Thai, the party he founded and which is represented by current Premier Srettha Thavisin. However, there are many signs in recent weeks that point to growing tensions between Pheu Thai and parties close to the military, the former enemy allies of Move Forward, the progressive party that won the last elections.

TAIWAN

Taiwan government will reject and return for review legislation the opposition passed Tuesday on parliamentary reforms that brought tens of thousands of people to the streets to protest amid accusations of Chinese interference. The reforms give legislators the power to ask the military, private companies or individuals to reveal information that parliamentarians consider relevant. It also criminalizes contempt of parliament by government officials and forces the president to answer questions from deputies.

GAZA-ISRAEL

He floating dock Built by the US military to deliver aid to Gaza and put into operation just a few days ago, it has already been damaged by storm surges and will take at least a week to repair. Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that the amount of aid reaching Palestinians in Gaza is only a fraction of what is needed to meet the population’s needs and even this solution is proving ineffective.

CAMBODIA-CHINA

Phnom Penh has renamed one of its main streets with the name of “Xi Jinping Boulevard” in honor of the Chinese president for his “historic contribution to the development of Cambodia.” The ceremony was held on Tuesday at the Peace Palace, in the presence of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and outgoing Chinese ambassador Wang Wentian. The boulevard, formerly known as the Third Ring Road, was built at a cost of $273 million, with concessional financing from the Chinese government and contributions from the Cambodian government.

NORTH KOREA-SOUTH KOREA

North Korea launched more than 200 balloons with garbage across the inter-Korean border, Seoul’s military reported. The North announced “retaliatory actions” against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by South Korean activists. The balloons fell in various parts of the country, reaching the southeastern province of South Gyeongsang. This is the largest number of balloons sent to the South, compared to previous cases between 2016 and 2018.

RUSSIA-AFGHANISTAN

The Russian Foreign and Justice Ministries have proposed removing the Afghan Taliban from the list of extremist associations, on which they have been registered for more than 20 years, so that the Kabul Government can proceed to recognize them, as suggested by the director of the department for Asia, Zamir Kabulov, according to which “it is time.”

TAJIKISTAN

Tajikistan is also looking for drones, but not for military operations: there have recently been invasions of grasshoppers that are very damaging to agriculture, and a young Tajik academic, Boburdžon Nadžodov, who works at the Moscow Agricultural Academy, has proposed to the Ministry of Agriculture of Dushanbe “open to innovative technologies against natural threats.”