As Typhoon Yagi devastates Myanmar, military junta asks for help

Today's headlines: Rain water seeps into the dome of the Taj Mahal. Dozens of journalists from different Hong Kong newspapers get threatening messages. Japan grants citizenship to the daughter of two Afghan refugees. Wave of arrests in Malaysia over alleged paedophilia in a network of care homes run by an Islamic organisation. Turkmenistan runs out of petrol.

MYANMAR

Myanmar's military junta has asked the international community for help in dealing with the damage caused by Typhoon Yagi, which is sowing death and destruction across the country after striking Vietnam and Thailand. The capital Naypyidaw is among the most affected areas. According to official sources, floods have killed 33 people so far, but Radio Free Asia is reporting at least 160 victims.

INDIA

The main dome of the Taj Mahal in Agra (Uttar Pradesh), one of India's best-known monuments, is experiencing water leakage after three days of heavy rains, which have flooded a garden in the compound. A senior official with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) confirmed the news in a video that went viral, but assured that there is no damage.

HONG KONG

Dozens of reporters from at least 13 Hong Kong media outlets have been harassed in what appears to be a "systematic and organised attack," said Selina Cheng, chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA). Fifteen journalists have seen complaints sent to family members, landlords, and employers, with threats that if they continued to collaborate with journalists, they could be violating national security laws. The harassment also involves death threats.

JAPAN

In a groundbreaking ruling, the Nagoya High Court granted Japanese citizenship to a girl born in Japan to Afghan refugees on the grounds that her parents were essentially "stateless" at the time of her birth in November 2022. The girl's parents fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover and were granted refugee status in Japan in August 2023. Japanese law grants citizenship to children born to stateless parents.

MALAYSIA

Malaysian police are investigating Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB), a major Islamic trade organisation with links to the Al-Arqam sect, after hundreds of children were rescued from alleged abuse in care homes believed to be run by the group. Investigators raided 20 homes in two Malaysian states, arresting 171 suspects, including Islamic teachers and caregivers, and rescuing 400 children and teenagers.

RUSSIA – IRAN

Russian President Vladimir Putin received Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, in St Petersburg. In a statement, the Russian leader said that “in recent years, friendly Russian-Iranian relations have gained additional momentum. This is largely due to the support of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. [. . .] We appreciate that the new President Masoud Pezeshkian’s team still considers Iran’s relationship with Russia a priority and we will be expecting him in Kazan on October 22–24 for the BRICS summit.”

TURKMENISTAN

Petrol is again in short supply in Turkmenistan, with long queues in the velâyats (provinces) of Mari and Lebap and across the south-eastern part of the country. Like in early August, motorists are allowed a maximum of 20 litres of petrol of very poor quality (A-80) at some service stations. Further restrictions are expected shortly.

• myanmar
• india
• hong kong
• japan
• malaysia
• russia
• iran
• turkmenistan