Three students from an exam preparation center drown

Today’s news: Thailand wants to cut taxes for expatriates returning from abroad. Mine collapse in Vietnam. Only 12 resident cardiologists in South Korea. China proposes new interventions in the economy. Fuel shortage in Turkmenistan.

INDIA

Three students drowned after being trapped in the basement of a test preparation center in New Delhi over the weekend when heavy rains fell. The institute, Rau’s IAS Study Circle, is one of many in the capital where thousands of students enroll to pass the national exams. But these facilities often have inadequate security measures. The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced the creation of a commission of inquiry.

VIETNAM

Five people died in a mine collapses in Quang Ninh provincea well-known mining area in northern Vietnam. The victims were all men aged between 23 and 47 employed by the state-owned Vinacomin company. Vietnam remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels for energy production, with around 60% of its electricity still generated by coal-fired power plants.

THAILAND

In an attempt to attract expatriates, the Thai government has announced a 17% cap on the tax income tax for those returning to their country to work. This measure will last a maximum of five years and will also include a tax deduction for entrepreneurs.

SOUTH KOREA

The Korean healthcare system continues to struggle due to the doctors’ strike: According to the Korean Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, only 12 of the 107 cardiology residents across the country are still in service. In South Korea, the Ministry of Health sets the annual quotas for trainees in each region, but cardiology has become unpopular due to its gruelling work schedules: cardiologists are estimated to work an average of 102.1 hours a week, 30% more than in other specialties.

CHINA

China wants intensify macroeconomic policies and stabilise market confidence to ensure it meets its 5% annual economic growth target even as the economy faces “growing negative influence” from abroad and insufficient domestic demand, according to a meeting today by the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo, the top decision-making body led by President Xi Jinping. The party leadership pledged more support for emerging sectors and boosting domestic demand.

TURKMENISTAN

Although Turkmenistan is increasing its export volumes of petroleum products, especially to Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, there is a shortage of car fuel in many regions, with endless queues at petrol stations that can last for days to buy low-quality products suitable only for very old cars.

RUSSIA

A Moscow court has sentenced Aleksej Soldatov, a terminally ill 72-year-old nuclear physicist, Russian Internet pioneer and founder of the first ISP, to two years in prison for “abuse of his prerogatives” by manipulating IP addresses with which he has no formal connection, in reality because of his positions in favour of Internet freedom.