Bangladesh: Websites back online after a 5-day blockade

Today's news: Plane crashes on take-off in Kathmandu; Ukrainian foreign minister in Beijing in the first visit of a Kiev government memebro since the Russian invasion; 150,000 Palestinians have fled Khan Younis since Monday; One of Pyongyang's rubbish-laden balloons lands in front of Seoul's presidential palace.

BANGLADESH

After five days of complete blackouts across the country, in Bangladesh shaken by protests against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina - which left more than 150 people dead - broadband internet connections have been partially restored. The authorities stated that the restoration will take place on an experimental basis, with initial priority given to the banking, trade, technology, export, outsourcing service providers and media sectors. The leading English-language news site The Daily Star went back online last night and denied that the blockade was due to data centre fires during the protests.

NEPAL

A Saurya Airlines plane crashed at Kathmandu International Airport while it was taking off towards Pokhara for maintenance operations. On board were 19 people, all technical staff of the airline, with no passengers. The captain was rescued from the wreckage and hospitalised.

CHINA-UCRAINE

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arrived in Beijing for what is the first visit to the People's Republic of China by a senior representative of the Kiev government since the Russian invasion in February 2022. Kuleba said that until Friday he will have ‘broad, detailed and substantive talks’ with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to reach a ‘just peace’. For its part, Beijing said that on the Ukrainian crisis, China ‘remains convinced that a rapid ceasefire and a political solution serve the common interests of all parties’.

GAZA-ISRAEL

According to two UN agencies, more than 150,000 people have fled the city of Khan Younis in Gaza since Israel's new military offensive in the south of the Strip began on Monday. According to Israel, the operation aims to counter ‘the efforts of Hamas to gather its forces there’.

INDIA

Huge investments in job creation - which continues to be in short supply despite a GDP growth rate of 8.2% - are the main pledge of the new Narendra Modi government's budget, presented to the Indian parliament yesterday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The budget will also allocate more funds to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, two states governed by regional parties whose votes after the last elections have become decisive in the Modi government's coalition.

SOUTH KOREA

One of the balloons loaded with rubbish that have been launched from North Korea towards the South for months landed yesterday in the garden of the presidential office in Seoul. The Security Service said it was discovered while monitoring the latest wave of launches earlier in the day. Since May, North Korea has sent thousands of garbage-filled balloons towards South Korea to protest anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent by South Korean activists across the border.

GEORGIA-CHINA

China's ambassador to Georgia, Chow Jang, stated during the TV programme Business-partner that Beijing is interested in the project to build the new Vaziani International Airport on the outskirts of Tbilisi, approved by the local government at a cost of USD 1 billion and to be built within four years, supporting ‘the industrialisation of the country’.

AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA

As The National informs, the head of foreign policy in the presidential administration of Azerbaijan, Khikmet Gadžiev, has informed that an official invitation has been extended to Armenia to attend Cop29 in Baku, by the organiser Mukhtar Babaev, as a sign of friendship despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

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