China, cross-border travel for Golden Week nears pre-pandemic levels

Today's news: at least 42 people have died in floods in the Indian Himalayas. The Myanmar High Court dismissed appeals of six corruption convictions against Aung San Suu Kyi. Over 43 million children internally displaced in Asian nations due to climate change. Islamabad wants to expel all illegal immigrants, primarily Afghans, by 1 November. Aiea task force will visit the Fukushima plant at the end of the month, the first time since the start of spill operations. Russian coal export prices increased by 14% in September.

CHINA
Travel in and out of China saw a surge during the eight-day Golden Week holiday, when the national holiday coincided with the autumn holiday, approaching pre-Covid-19 levels. The average number of trips reached 1.477 million, which is 85.1% of the average number of trips recorded in 2019 and four times higher than in 2022. The government expected an average of 1.58 million trips per day.

INDIA
At least 42 people have been killed as water leaked from a glacial lake, triggering flash floods in the Indian Himalayas. Rescuers are busy searching for the missing, at least 150 but the number could increase. Lhonak Lake in the north-eastern state of Sikkim overflowed on October 4 due to torrential rains and an avalanche, causing the Teesta River to overflow its banks. It was one of the region's worst disasters in more than 50 years.

MYANMAR
Myanmar's High Court yesterday rejected the appeals against the six corruption convictions of former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Four cases are related to the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation and two linked to businessman Maung Weik. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, jailed following the military coup in February 2021, is serving a 33-year sentence for convictions in 19 trials.

ASIA
According to a United Nations report, over 43 million children in Asia are internally displaced due to climate change. At the top of the list of the most affected nations are China, India and the Philippines. Between 2016 and 2021 there will be 20 thousand new minors displaced per day due to events linked to extreme natural events including floods, storms, droughts and fires.

PAKISTAN - AFGHANISTAN
Islamabad has issued a provision ordering all people living illegally and without title to leave the country by November 1st. Acting Interior Minister Sarfarz Bugti added that assets or properties of "illegal" foreigners will be confiscated. The provision applies to immigrants of all nationalities, but mostly affects Afghans.

JAPAN
A task force from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit the Fukushima nuclear power plant, scene of the 2011 atomic accident, from 24 to 27 October. Experts will see the plant for the first time since operations began in August of release of treated radioactive water. A choice that has pushed other nations, such as China, to ban the import of fish.

RUSSIA
Russian coal export prices increased by 14% in September, on the eve of the October holidays in China and in light of the reductions in domestic extraction decided by Beijing, in addition to the growth in demand from India. According to Gazprombank, the increases will continue in view of the winter, while the metallurgical sector could decrease due to the limitation of steel production in China.

KAZAKHSTAN
The Astana Parliament denounces the spread of radical Islamic tendencies, calling on the government to take adequate measures to eradicate the Salafist and Wahhabi movements. Under consideration are bans on extremist literature and limitations on religious clothing in public (hijab at school) and defense of the dombra, a traditional stringed instrument that Islamic radicals consider "sinful".

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