Gaza: 10-month-old baby semi-paralyzed by polio, first case in 25 years

Today's news: eight Taiwanese soldiers jailed for pro-China espionage; Hundreds of migrants from Asia stranded at São Paulo airport in Brazil; At least 15 dead and 4.5 million affected by floods in Bangladesh; It is less dangerous for airlines to fly over Afghanistan than the Middle East, security and screening concerns remain; Delegation from Laos to Moscow for International Buddhist Forum visits Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

GAZA
In Gaza, in the 11th month of war between Israel and Hamas, a 10-month-old child has been semi-paralyzed after contracting polio, now in “stable” condition. For the UN, it is the first confirmed case in 25 years, although poliovirus type 2 was detected in sewage in June. The WHO director-general says he is “gravely concerned” and revives vaccination. Today, meanwhile, at least 12 Palestinians including two children and a woman were killed in Israeli raids east of Khan Younis.

TAIWAN - CHINA
A court jailed eight Taiwanese soldiers for pro-Beijing espionage in exchange for money. The leader of the group, key to recruiting the soldiers, is to serve 13 years, a lieutenant colonel nine years for attempting to defect to China aboard a helicopter. Last month, a sergeant was indicted for photographing and leaking classified defense data. Taipei has also raised concerns about the increasing frequency of Chinese fighter jets. Yesterday, President Ha William Lai recalled the duty to defend “national sovereignty” to “safeguard democracy.”

ASIA - BRAZIL.
Hundreds of migrants from India, Nepal and Vietnam have been stranded at São Paulo International Airport for weeks in alarming conditions, sleeping on the floor as they wait to enter Brazil. At least 666 without visas are waiting at Guarulhos airport as Brasilia plans to tighten entry rules to stem the flow of foreigners using the country to reach the United States and Canada.

BANGLADESH
At least 15 people have died and 4.5 million been affected by floods triggered by heavy rains in eastern Bangladesh, with rescuers busy evacuating large portions of flooded areas (11 out of 64 districts affected). About 190,000 people have been transported to emergency shelters. The South Asian nation of 170 million people, crossed by hundreds of rivers, has seen frequent flooding. Climate change is increasing the number of extreme weather events.

AFGHANISTAN - MIDDLE EAST
It is less dangerous for airlines to fly over the Taliban ruled Afghanistan than the Middle East, with its theaters of war from Gaza to Lebanon to the Houthis in the Red Sea mirroring the latent conflict between Israel and Iran. The number of flights in the second week of August was more than seven times higher than in the same period a year ago. Safety concerns remain over the small number of air traffic controllers and poor preparation in emergencies. In the background is Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, which was shot down over Ukraine, and the few international rules to determine which airspaces are safe (and at the discretion of individual carriers).

RUSSIA-LAOS.
A delegation from the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary People's Party, in Moscow to attend the 2nd International Buddhist Forum on “Traditional Buddhism and Contemporary Challenges,” visited the Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The representatives then discussed with patriarchate representatives the possibility of registering Orthodox communities in Laos.

KYRGYZSTAN - TURKEY
A scandal has broken out in Kyrgyzstan about the activities of the Yjman Foundation, which provides religious education, with financial audits and arrest of the administrator. There are also suspicions of illicit political initiatives by former director Nuržigit Kadyrbekov, who allegedly used more than five million dollars received from Turkey to bribe officials for his own benefit.

• Asia
• Today