ASIA TODAY Bangladesh bans single-use plastics in mangrove forest, a UNESCO heritage site

Today’s News: Iraq Pulls Ramadan TV Series From Air For Being Offensive To Tribal Leaders; A Vietnamese activist was sentenced to six years in prison for “anti-state propaganda”; Israel launched an improved version of the spy satellite; territorial tensions between Moscow and Beijing in the South China Sea; Kyrgyz police stormed a church and fined a nun.

BANGLADESH

Dhaka has banned disposable plastic items in the world’s largest mangrove forest. Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, is the habitat of some of the most endangered species, such as the Bengal tiger and the Irrawaddy dolphin. Every year, tourists throw 200,000 plastic objects into the forest, endangering its fragile balance and damaging its ecosystem.

IRAQ

The Iraqi media watchdog pulled a TV series broadcast on the occasion of Ramadan from the air. The series was accused of giving a negative image of the tribal leaders (who still enjoy power) as despots. Al Kasser (The Predator), broadcast by the UTV network, was canceled after three episodes, due to a wave of indignation and anger among some politicians and local leaders.

VIETNAM

A Vietnamese land rights activist was sentenced to six years in prison under Article 88 of the Criminal Code for giving interviews to a program (Saigon Dallas Radio) broadcast from the United States between 2015 and 2022. According to the indictment , Truong Van Dung he would also have clandestinely kept printed books and carried out “propaganda against the State”.

ISRAEL – IRAN

Israel this morning presented a new version of the Ofek spy satellite, which improves surveillance of the entire region (h24) compared to its predecessor, amid growing tension with Iran. The satellite was launched aboard a Shavit missile from the Mediterranean Sea, heading west, to prevent “sensitive” technologies from falling into the hands of the “enemy” in case of failure.

RUSSIA – CHINA

Beijing sent a division to control the area of ​​the South China Sea where the extraction plants of the Russian companies Zarubežneft and Gazprom are located. With this gesture, he intends to remember that these are “areas under Chinese jurisdiction”, despite the fact that they are located on disputed maritime lines since the 1940s.

Türkiye – ARMENIA

The Armenia-Turkey match on March 25, valid for the Euro 2024 qualifying phase and which the Turks won 2-1, was of historical importance for both countries. Both countries kept their borders closed for more than 30 years, dominated by historical rancor over the Armenian genocide and fear of ongoing conflicts. However, today they are even closer thanks to the help given to the victims of the earthquake.

KYRGYZSTAN

The police of the Kyrgyz security services carried out a raid in the Catholic parish of Saint Nicholas, in the town of Talas, to carry out checks and searches. The agents also fined the Slovak Franciscan sister Daniela Cincilova: the religious will have to pay almost 100 euros for “violating the law on religious organizations” by proselytizing without authorization.