ASIA TODAY After 10 years, Malala returns to Pakistan to help flood victims

Other news of the day: Lebanon and Israel reached an agreement on maritime borders; Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to an additional 3 years in prison; gasoline shortage in Ho Chi Minh City; missile launch fails in Japan; Turkmenistan blocks the access of millions of IP addresses.

PAKISTAN

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai landed yesterday in pakistan to visit flood victims, 10 years after the Pakistani Taliban tried to assassinate her for her campaign for girls’ education. The aim of the visit is “to keep international attention focused on the impact of the floods in Pakistan and to strengthen the supply of humanitarian aid.”

LEBANON – ISRAEL

Yesterday, Lebanon and Israel reached what has been described as a “historic” agreement to end a long quarrel over the maritime borders between the two countries – which are technically still at war. No date has yet been set for the signing, but both parties said their demands had been met. The region is rich in gas deposits.

JAPAN

This morning failed missile launch by the Japanese space agency: the Epsilon rocket, which was to put some satellites into orbit, was ordered to self-destruct 7 minutes after liftoff. This is the first failure since 2003.

CHINESE – RUSSIA

Freight delays from China to Russia already exceed 90 days on average, and the situation is even worse than in the acute phases of the Covid-19 pandemic. The demand on the Russian side is growing, and the restrictions on the Chinese side are increasing, both for sea and rail routes.

VIETNAM

Gas stations in Ho Chi Minh City have run out of fuel or are rationing what they have left: Motorcyclists and drivers have had to stand in long lines to buy fuel, which costs more than 90 cents a liter. Some local residents have accused the Finance and Transport Ministries of miscalculating prices, forcing gas stations to run at a loss.

MYANMAR

Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced by the Burmese military regime to another three years in prison. So far, the former leader of the country has sentenced for 26 years in prison, but five charges remain to be examined. The trial is being held behind closed doors in the capital, Naypyidaw. Meanwhile, Toyota has set up an assembly plant near Rangoon.

AFGHANISTAN

The Chargé d’Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations, Naseer Ahmad Faiq, said that Afghanistan is a candidate to join the UN Human Rights Council (OHCHR) along with 14 other countries. The Taliban continue to seek international recognition, but the Emirate is unlikely to find a place on the Council.

TURKMENISTAN

The authorities in Turkmenistan implemented draconian measures to control the Internet: they blocked access to more than 1.2 billion IP addresses, a figure that is equivalent to a third of the world total.