Asia

ASIA TODAY Yangon, military junta to install Chinese-made facial recognition cameras

Other news of the day: The mother of Abe’s killer was confirmed to be a member of the Unification Church; new massive tests in Shanghai; Rajapaksa is due to step down on July 13 but has yet to make a statement; devaluation of the Lebanese lira continues; Russian prisoners are sent to fight even though they have not yet been tried for their crimes.

MYANMAR

In several cities in Myanmar, the coup military junta is installing Chinese-made security cameras with facial recognition capabilities. The new project adds to the video surveillance cameras previously installed in five other cities by the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and ousted by the military in February 2021. Several sources fear that the new video surveillance systems will be used to intensify repression. against activists.

SRI LANKA

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa confirmed that he will step down, the prime minister’s office announced. Meanwhile, protesters still occupy the presidential palace and the prime minister’s residence. Parliament’s spokesman had said that Rajapaksa would resign on July 13. Nevertheless, there has been no direct statement from the president, who was allegedly on board a Navy ship.

CHINA

After revealing the new Omicron subvariant of Covid-19, Shanghai prepares for another mass testing campaign. Local authorities invite all 25 million citizens to undergo swab tests in the coming days. The central government said the closures or lockdowns they should be circumscribed as much as possible to reduce the damage to the economy.

JAPAN

The mother of Shinzo Abe’s killer belonged to the unification churchas confirmed Tomihiro Tanaka, president of the Japanese branch of the religious sect. Tanaka declined to comment on the murderer’s mother’s donations, which would have bankrupted her. Tanaka also added that Abe was not a member of the congregation.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol suspend briefings with the media, which until now have been held almost daily since he took office in May. The presidential office alluded to the growing number of Covid-19 infections; however, it is also likely that the government wants to avoid awkward questions about the scandals that have recently emerged in the party. Yoon’s approval rating dropped from 52% to 37%

LEBANON

In Lebanon, public administration employees go on strike indefinitely to protest low wages. The measure of force will paralyze the activity in schools, airports and courts. The problem is the devaluation of the Lebanese lira: a monthly salary that in 2019 was equivalent to 450 dollars today is worth 24 dollars.

IRAN

Iran remains one of Moscow’s staunchest allies. However, Russia’s war in Ukraine complicates the Islamic Republic’s situation due to disruptions in the supply of wheat, which was mainly imported from Ukraine and Russia. The rise in food prices is causing various disturbances in Iranian cities, and Russia does not seem very willing to meet the needs of the allied country.

RUSSIA

In various locations in Russia, stories are multiplying that people are taken by force to unknown destinations, only to later discover that they are sent to fight in the war in Ukraine. These are prisoners who are still awaiting trial for the crimes committed. Information about these cases comes from the Nizhny Novgorod region in Mordovia and from Krasnoyarsk in Siberia, among others.



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