North Korea prepares a nuclear test

Other news of the day: Japan promises to collaborate with the United States to achieve stability in the region. ASEAN condemns the scant progress in the peace plan in Myanmar. A Sri Lankan athlete goes missing at the Commonwealth Games. Tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh. Zelensky said that he would like to speak “directly” with Xi Jinping.

NORTH KOREA

According to a UN report, in the first six months of this year, North Korea made preparations for a nuclear test. The document reads that Pyongyang “continued to develop its fissile material production capacity at the Yongbyon site,” which houses the country’s main nuclear reactors.

JAPAN – USA

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed today to work together to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and a “free and open” Indo-Pacific. Yesterday, five Chinese ballistic missiles fell in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

ASEAN–MYANMAR

ASEAN foreign ministers expressed their disappointment for the failed attempt to restore peace in Myanmar. They criticized the coup generals for not having applied the five-point plan proposed by the organization. Despite its limited enforcement capacity, this is the second time the association has included Myanmar’s internal political issue in a joint statement.

SRI LANKA – UNITED KINGDOM

A Sri Lankan athlete disappeared from the Olympic village Birmingham, the site of the Commonwealth Games. Two more members of the judo team had also left the town but were found by the police. At the moment, according to the authorities, “it is difficult to reach a concrete conclusion about his escape.”

RUSSIA – IRAN – INDIA

Due to Western sanctions, Russia is increasingly looking to Asia: in July, 39 containers passed through Turkmenistan and Iran and are now on their way to India. This is the first large shipment through the International North-South Transport Corridor, a 7,200 km network of railways, highways and sea routes connecting Russia and Iran with India. Since the invasion of Ukraine, India’s imports from Russia have increased almost fivefold, exceeding $15 billion.

UKRAINE – CHINA

Ukrainian President Zelensky wants to speak directly with Xi Jinping. , as he believes that the Chinese president is the only one who can effectively influence Russia to end the war. The information was published by South China Morning Postwhich obtained the first interview of the Ukrainian leader with the Asian press.

ARMENIA – AZERBAIJAN

The leader of the unrecognized Armenian republic of Nagorno-Karabakh declared a state of partial military mobilization. The measure is intended as a response to the attacks by the Azerbaijani army in the territories controlled by the Armenians, which have already left two dead and 14 wounded among the military. The Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense reported the death of a soldier as a result of the shots fired from the Armenian side.