Today’s news: The Philippines has launched tourist trips to the disputed territories of the Spratly Islands. The Indonesian Constitutional Court rejected a petition to change the electoral system. The Japanese opposition is preparing to file a motion of no confidence against Kishida. The Indian religious detained for conversion allegations was released on bail. Last year almost 3,800 people died on the migratory routes that go from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe, the influx from Lebanon increased further. With school holidays, more children are begging in Turkmenistan.
CHINA – PALESTINE – ISRAEL
An independent Palestinian state; development assistance and humanitarian aid; fair peace talks regarding the holy sites of Jerusalem. These are the three points that Xi Jinping outlined during his meeting with his PNA counterpart, Mahmud Abbas, on an official visit to Beijing until tomorrow. Also on the table is a “strategic partnership” between Palestine and Chinaincreasingly active in the Middle East.
PHILIPPINES
For the first time, the Philippines authorized tourists visit the Spratly Islands, an area of the South China Sea where a bitter territorial dispute is raging with Beijing and other Asia-Pacific nations, famous for their fishing and strategic location for trade. The seven-day dive yacht trip is called the Great Kalayaan (Freedom Expedition) and costs more than $2,000.
JAPAN
The opposition is willing to present a motion of censure against the government of Fumio Kishida, which could lead to the dissolution of parliament and the call for early elections. The premier enjoys solid support, which grew after the recent G7 in Hiroshima and thanks to the strength of the stock market indices. However, there is no shortage of criticism regarding the national identity document and the party of his son at the official residence.
INDONESIA
The Constitutional Court rejected a petition that tried to change the electoral system of the country. Citizens will continue to vote for individual deputies in the coming rounds, particularly in the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for February next year. A part of Parliament, including the Democratic Fighting Party (PDI-P), wanted to return to the old system.
INDIA
On June 13, he stayed in bail a nun from Chhattisgarh who had just taken her vows and who had been imprisoned along with four other people accused of conversion. Sister Vibha Kerketta had been detained on June 6, after her family celebrated a mass at her home to thank God for her choice of consecrated life with the Daughters of Saint Anne of Ranchi.
LEBANON – MIDDLE EAST
almost 3,800 people died on migration routes from the Middle East and North Africa in 2022, the highest number recorded since 2017, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Compared to 2021, the number is up 11% and is well up from 4,255 six years ago. The greatest increase is registered from Lebanon towards the coasts of Greece and Italy.
RUSSIA
Two tankers, one of which was carrying gasoline, collided in the Lena River in the Irkutsk region of Siberia. The tests revealed that one of the two drivers was very drunk. The more than 800 tons of fuel was partially dumped into the water, leaving a huge stain potentially dangerous to aquatic life and birds.
TURKMENISTAN
With the start of school holidays, the number of children between the ages of 7 and 14 begging on the streets has increased. Young people wave large hollow eggplants, especially on the Ašgabat-Bakharden highway, saying they are local residents, sent by their families to supplement the family budget. They ask for bread and even water, complaining that the springs are dry.
