ASIA TODAY Ukraine’s foreign minister traveled to Pakistan to limit his cooperation with Russia

Today’s news: Protests in Stepanakert over the situation in Nagorno Karabakh. A ferry sank in Indonesia. The Thai government wants to attract foreign film directors and producers. In China, the roof of a school collapsed. Floods in Afghanistan and throughout the region cause dozens of victims. In Manipur, more details about sexual assaults are discovered. Amman and Damascus meet to stop drug trafficking.

UKRAINE – PAKISTAN

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba traveled to Pakistan to meet his counterpart Bilaval Bhutto-Zardari and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the first meeting at this level since 1993. The purpose of the visit was to discourage Islamabad from collaborating with Moscow, from which it buys oil at a discount, and to initiate a closer relationship with Kiev, on the basis of neutrality regarding the ongoing conflict.

NAGORNO – KARABAKH

The inhabitants of Stepanakert, together with the Armenian politicians of Nagorno Karabagh, continue the “unlimited” protest action with sit-ins in the streets to demand the independence of the region. The recent meeting of Presidents Aliev and Pashinián has not had any results, as well as the discussion in Brussels between the EU ministers on the subject, since Baku continues to refuse to consider the Armenians of Artsakh as a qualified interlocutor.

INDONESIA

Shortly after midnight, off the island of Sulawesi, a ferry with 40 passengers sank. The causes of the accident are not yet known. Rescuers have so far recovered the bodies of 15 victims and picked up 19 people. Despite low security standards, Indonesians resort to small boats to move between the thousands of islands in the archipelago.

THAILAND – SOUTH KOREA

The Thai government is introducing more concessions for foreign actors and producers after an episode of a Korean series, “King The Land,” popularized the kingdom and its tourist attractions. Based on the new rules, filmmakers can receive a 20% discount for every 100 million baht they spend filming in Thailand. In addition, they can receive an additional 10% discount if they hire Thai staff, promote Thai culture, and film outside of major tourist destinations.

CLIMATE CHANGE – SOUTH ASIA

At least 30 people have died in Afghanistan from the monsoons and another 13 in Pakistan due to landslides in recent days. In India, about 20 bodies have been recovered, but according to rescue services, at least 50 are still missing. Unforeseen floods have occurred throughout the region in the last three days, also killing hundreds of cattle.

INDIA

After the dissemination of the video in which two women, mother and daughter, of the Kuki ethnic group are harassed and forced to parade naked, they have transcended new evidence Over the sexual assault perpetrated in the north-eastern state of Manipur, where intense sectarian fighting has been taking place since early May. Meitei women have also been victims of violence, but have more difficulty filing complaints for reasons of honor. However, spokespersons for both communities said they did not trust the Indian government to resolve the conflict.

CHINA

At least eleven people, most underage girls died when the roof of a school gym collapsed in the industrial Heilongjiang province of northeast China. At the time she was coaching a women’s volleyball team. A preliminary investigation found that perlite, a form of volcanic glass, had been illegally piled up on the roof, soaking up rainwater and causing the accident.

SYRIA – JORDAN

The heads of the Syrian and Jordanian armies met yesterday to coordinate measures to stop the growing drug trade at the border between the two countries, mostly run by pro-Iranian militias in southern Syria. In May, Amman attacked a drug production center and asked for Damascus’ cooperation, promising in return an end to the isolation of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.