Afghanistan: At least 40 dead and 230 injured in heavy rain in east

Today's news: three civilians killed in an Israeli raid in southern Lebanon, in Gaza the attack on the UN school exceeds 20 dead; Talks between Palestinian factions on 20 and 21 July in China; High North Korean official in Cuba defects and flees to South Korea; Bangkok court postpones extradition hearing in Vietnam for activist Montagnard Y Quynh Bdap.

AFGHANISTAN
At least 40 people died and 230 others were injured in the heavy rains that have hit the eastern sector of the country in recent days. The victims were caused by a combination of heavy storms and water bombs that caused trees, walls and roofs of houses to collapse. The death and injury toll is still provisional and set to rise.

LEBANON - ISRAEL - GAZA
Three civilians were killed and three others wounded in an Israeli Air Force raid yesterday in Bint Jbeil and Kfarkela, southern Lebanon, in an operation against a Hezbollah depot and military facility. Meanwhile, the number of dead and more than 100 wounded rose to 22 in the July 14 IDF attack on a school (the fifth on educational institutions in eight days) in central Gaza, which houses displaced persons. For the Jewish State there were members of Hamas, witnesses speak of children among the victims.

CHINA - PALESTINE
The various Palestinian factions, including the two main rival groups Hamas and Fatah, will hold unity talks in China on 20 and 21 July. The news is confirmed by senior officials, in an attempt to iron out deep divisions that have separated them for 17 years and for greater strength in ceasefire talks in Gaza. This would be the second summit, following the one last April.

KOREA
A senior North Korean diplomat stationed in Cuba defected with his wife and son to South Korea, becoming the highest-ranking official to flee the Kim regime since 2016. The incident dates back to November but only emerged yesterday. The 52-year-old Ri Il Kyu was an adviser at the embassy in Pyongyang; duties included blocking nascent ties between Seoul and Havana.

PAKISTAN - AFGHANISTAN
The Peshawar High Court ruled, in a case brought by 95 Afghan and Pakistani citizens, that women married to Afghan citizens are entitled to dual citizenship, eliminating problems arising from administrative obstacles related to multiple registrations. Millions of Afghan citizens live in neighbouring Pakistan, many of them since the Afghan-Soviet war in the 1980s.

THAILAND - VIETNAM
A Bangkok court yesterday postponed a hearing on Vietnam's request to Thailand to extradite activist Montagnard Y Quynh Bdap. Pro-rights NGOs claim the man, an indigenous Ede, risks torture on his return. The judges agreed to the defence's request to provide the defendant with documents in an 'understandable' language. The next hearings will take place on 1 and 19 August.

RUSSIA
The Paris Olympic Games will not be broadcast by any television channel in Russia, something that has not happened for 40 years, when the 1984 Olympics in Atlanta (UAA) were boycotted by Moscow after tensions over the invasion of Afghanistan. The rejection is stated to be 'for political reasons related to the current situation', and streaming contracts have also been withdrawn.

KAZAKHSTAN
The Kazakh national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Žoly has announced that 'women's carriages' will also be added to the Astana-Semej, Aktobe-Almaty and Almaty-Šymkent routes. Only women with their children up to seven years of age will be allowed to travel in them, and only female conductors will be allowed. These are vehicles for which demand is constantly growing.

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