China halts cooperation with the United States over Taiwan
The other news of the day: In India Congress leaders are held in custody for six hours. In the Philippines an indigenous tribe is threatened by development. At least eight die in an explosion in Kabul claimed by the Islamic State. In Iraq Al-Sadr followers occupy the Green Zone. Uzbekistan is less and less democratic.
CHINA – UNITED STATES
China has halted cooperation with the United States in several areas, including climate change, military talks, and international crime. This follows the ongoing confrontation over Taiwan. Beijing has also announced plans to impose sanctions on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her family.
PHILIPPINES
A road that allows access to Dumagat land north of the capital Manila is raising several questions about the relationship between development and cultural preservation. The Dumagat’s symbiotic rapport with nature is in danger of disappearing, CNA reports. Already in the 1970s the tribe was driven into the interior of the island to make room for tourism.
INDIA
For six hours Delhi police detained various leaders of the Indian National Congress, including Rahul Gandhi, during anti-government protests against rising prices and unemployment. Although announced in advance, the rally did not receive government authorisation. "What we are witnessing is the death of democracy in India,” Rahul Gandhi told reporters.
AFGHANISTAN
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for yesterday’s explosion in a Shia residential area of the capital Kabul. According to local police, at least eight people were killed and 18 were wounded. According to an Afghan security official, the death toll is likely to rise.
IRAQ
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr have occupied and prayed in Baghdad's Green Zone, the area in the heart of the capital that houses parliament and foreign embassies. Iraq is in political crisis after the country’s parties failed to form a government. Yesterday Al-Sadr called again for fresh elections, while the United Nations warned that there is a risk that tensions will escalate with pro-Iranian parties.
UZBEKISTAN
In Uzbekistan, public servants are required to back constitutional changes, which will extend the presidential term from five to seven years, following a pattern established by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some are forced to sign a petition demanding that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev remain in power for life.
RUSSIA
A court has decided to keep Yakut shaman Alexander Gabyshev under involuntary confinement in a mental hospital. Two years ago, he set out for Moscow to cast a death curse on Putin. His followers are convinced that the authorities fear his opposition to the war, which he foresaw years ago.
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