ASIA TODAY At UN, Lapid supports two-state solution for Israel and Palestine

Today’s news: A Burmese MP from the NLD has died from torture during interrogation. Singapore surpasses Hong Kong and becomes the first financial center in Asia. In Macau, the pandemic and unemployment are aggravating the food crisis and Caritas is at the forefront of providing aid. According to FAO and WFO, 19 million people could starve to death in Afghanistan. Queues of cars at the borders of Russia: citizens want to flee from Putin’s call to arms.

ISRAEL – PALESTINE

“The right thing to do” is to reach an agreement with the Palestinians “based on two states for two peoples”, even for the “security of Israel”. Prime Minister Yair Lapid expressed this wish in his speech before the UN assembly. It was a historic speech, though it is unlikely to stand when the country is called to urns the first of November. He was criticized by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the nationalist and religious right.

MYANMAR

Myo Kyaw, MP from the National League for Democracy (NLD), died from torture suffered during an interrogation. He had been arrested on August 24 in Myitkyina. His date of death is unknown and the body has not been released to the family. When he was arrested, images of the government in exile (NUG) and his armed wing in Myanmar appeared on his mobile phone (PDFs).

SINGAPORE – HONG KONG

Singapore has become the Asia’s first financial center, surpassing Hong Kong – which is dealing with the severe measures to contain the Covid and with a brain drain. In this way, the city-state is ranked third in the world, after New York and London; it expects to receive more than four million visitors by the end of 2022 and is ready to host a series of high-level events.

MACAU

Caritas Macao foresees a peak in orders for food aid and essential items for the year the course. The Catholic organization’s food bank, run in collaboration with the government, fears an escalation as China’s Special Administrative Region suffers from severe economic fallout from the Covid pandemic, especially a sudden rise in unemployment.

AFGHANISTAN

According to the World Food Program (WFPA) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the food insecurity promises to increase in 19 countries of the world. One of the most critical situations is that of Afghanistan, where 19 million people “suffer an acute crisis.” For Kabul, the drought, asset freeze and banking restrictions are the main causes of the economic crisis.

RUSSIA

Endless queues line the borders with Georgia, a country that can be reached by car from Russia. Similar traffic congestion is reported on the borders of Mongolia (from Buryatia) and Kazakhstan, destinations that can be reached by Siberian highways. As plane tickets are sold out, the car has become the most widely used means of fleeing Russia.

AZERBAIJAN – MOLDOVA

Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilitsa will visit Azerbaijan to discuss conditions for gas supply. The trip is part of a meeting of the intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation between the two countries, which will be held in Baku from October 10 to 12. Moldova has not renewed its gas contracts with Russia.