Other news of the day: India demolished two skyscrapers after a long legal dispute; the Taliban accused Pakistan of allowing US drones to invade its airspace; Japan promised investments in Africa; after the protests, Uzbekistan grants subsidies to the Karakalpakistan region.
TAIWAN
Two US Navy warships crossed the international waters of the Taiwan Strait yesterday., always under the watchful eye of Beijing. It is the first such operation since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit earlier this month. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the passage of the ships was “very consistent” with the “one China” policy for “a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
INDIA
India demolished two 100-meter-tall skyscrapers on the outskirts of the capital, New Delhi. The legal dispute over the towers went all the way to India’s Supreme Court and last year, the highest court ruled that the buildings violated safety regulations. In the last two decades there has been a boom of construction in India, but many projects that break the law remain unfinished.
AFGHANISTAN – PAKISTAN
Taliban defense minister accused Pakistan of allowing US drones to violate Afghanistan’s airspace. The Pakistani foreign minister denied the allegations, and US intelligence declined to comment. In July, al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri was assassinated while in Kabul.
INDONESIA
Umar Patek, an extremist sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 for his role in the 2002 Bali attacks, expressed regret and admitted his mistakes. He will soon be released on bail: the Ministry of Justice will determine the date of his release in the coming days. More than 200 people died in the attack.
MYANMAR
Kim Aris, son of Aung San Suu Kyi -the leader imprisoned after last year’s military coup- auctioned a wooden sculpture of his authorship. The funds will be donated entirely to the pro-democracy forces in Myanmar, which have been fighting against army troops for more than a year.
JAPAN – AFRICA
Japan has decided donate 30,000 million dollars to support the development of several African countries. This was announced two days ago by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a summit in Tunis. The Japanese prime minister said that he wants to guarantee grain shipments to the mainland, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
RUSSIA
The Russian federal budget cut funds for scientific research: 569 billion rubles will be allocated, almost 60 less than the previous year. A negative record, considering the last ten years, which will hardly help achieve “technological sovereignty” to free itself from foreign dependence, as the Russian government promised after the sanctions.
UZBEKISTAN
Uzbek President Mirziyoyev granted a series of tax exemptions and subsidies to the autonomous region of Karakalpakistan. where protests recently took place following the replacement of Governor Murat Kamalov (“due to illness”) by a man more loyal to the government, Amanbay Ordynbaev. Income tax went from 15% to 7.5% and 60 million dollars were allocated to family businesses, in addition to other facilities.
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