Ten environmentalists arrested for “conspiracy against the government”

Today’s news: Coal use in Indonesia and the Philippines has reached record levels. The Pakistani government plans to begin a new phase of expulsion of Afghan refugees, while the Taliban meet with UN officials in Doha. North Korea has switched its television broadcasts from a Chinese satellite to a Russian one. Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Central Asia from today.

CAMBODIA

Ten activists from Cambodian environmental group Mother Nature have been arrested for allegedly plotting against the government and insulting the king under the lese majeste law, the group’s founder Alejandro Gonzales-Davidson said, adding that three members were arrested after documenting pollution practices in the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh in 2021, while the lese majeste charges relate to the group’s (internal) dissemination of political cartoons.

INDONESIA – PHILIPPINES

The use of coal for electricity generation has reached a record level of 62% in 2023 in the two most populous countries in Southeast Asiaeven surpassing China in percentage terms, according to a report published by the think tank Ember. The analysis points out that the region is extremely vulnerable to climate change and both Indonesia and the Philippines could increase the use of solar and wind energy to reduce emissions. However, these technologies need greater political support to attract investment, experts say.

PAKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN

The Pakistani government plans expel another 800,000 Afghan refugees from its territoryafter having returned almost 600,000 in November last year. Islamabad justifies these actions by citing the increase in terrorist attacks by armed groups from Afghanistan. If they do not leave voluntarily, the refugees risk being arrested. Meanwhile, at a meeting in Doha with the Taliban, the UN expressed his concern for the exclusion of girls from higher education.

NORTH KOREA

North Korea, which used a Chinese satellite to broadcast its television programs, moved to a Russian satelliteSouth Korea’s Unification Ministry said. Although the South Korean public is banned from accessing Pyongyang’s state media, Seoul authorities and media need the satellite service to follow the North’s propaganda and announcements, such as those regarding the missile tests.

CHINA – CENTRAL ASIA

CHINA’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces the program of the President Xi Jinping visits Kazakhstan and Tajikistan from today until July 6, when he will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, which will focus on economic and energy issues, as well as international political issues, including the war situation in Ukraine.

RUSSIA

The smaller peoples of Siberia and the Russian Far East continue to protest against the new “gold rush” that is pushing for the opening of new mining sites in their places of origin, provoking a reaction from the inhabitants who gather in flocks and herds around the geologists who are studying the territory, led by the alkyšy, the chiefs in charge of the “custody of the land”.

IRAQ

The Iraqi government announced that it had Three people linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party arrested (PKK), accused of planning a series of attacks across the country, including one against the “Ceyhan oil pipeline linking Kirkuk, Erbil and Duhok with Turkey,” said an Interior Ministry spokesman in Baghdad. Iraqi authorities, who stepped up their activities following the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, claim that PKK cells active in Kurdistan are trying to attack Turkey’s commercial interests. The PKK has rejected the accusations and denied involvement.