Other news of the day: Delhi and Canberra sign a pact on migration. In two years, 380 new animal and plant species have been discovered in the Mekong basin. In Marawi, they begin to deliver compensation to residents affected by the 2017 fighting. In Afghanistan, a US aid program for war victims closes.
KOREA
seoul today launched the Nuri rocket to put 8 satellites into orbit, while Pyongyang announced last month that it had completed its first military reconnaissance satellite aimed at monitoring US forces and their allies in Asia. “There is certainly a rivalry between the two Koreas in terms of what they are trying to create in space,” explained military historian David Silbey.
INDIA – AUSTRALIA
Delhi and Canberra have announced a new agreement on migration after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese discussed a number of issues related to economic cooperation between the two countries, including mining. According to the most recent reports, more than a million people have settled in Australia since 2016, of whom almost a quarter are from India.
MEKONG RIVER
WWF reported that between 2021 and 2022, 380 new species of animals and plants in the Greater Mekong Basin. The region that crosses one of the most important rivers in Asia has always been known for its biodiversity and since 1997 3,300 new species have been registered, although many are in danger of extinction.
PHILIPPINES
The Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) yesterday signed the decrees for the payment of compensation residents who in 2017 were involved in clashes between the army and Islamist militants. The city was besieged for five months. The compensation, which will be tax-free with the approval of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., will be awarded to those who have lost their homes or family members.
AFGHANISTAN
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will close a program of 49 million dollars intended to help victims of the war in Afghanistan. The project, called COMAC, began in 2018 and in the last five years has provided assistance to more than 40,000 people. Although it was scheduled to end in 2023, staff reported several instances of Taliban interference.
KAZAKHSTAN
The CentralAsia website revealed that there are three training camps currently active on the territory of Kazakhstan, on a total area of 8.6 million hectares that Astana leases from Russia, where about 1,000 Russian soldiers are constantly stationed. In early May, a Mazhilis deputy, Serik Egizbaev, proposed allocating that land for agricultural use.
ARMENIA – AZERBAIJAN
Armenian Prime Minister Passinyan stated that “Armenia will make a formal decision to leave the CSTO (Eurasian Military Alliance) when it has definitively ascertained that the CSTO has left Armenia.” A control visit from the Alliance is expected to monitor the situation of the conflict with Azerbaijan, and “later we will make the final balance.”
