Hong Kong: Lawyers call for sentence reduction for Joshua Wong and other pro-democracy activists

Today's news: the Philippines and Japan are about to finalise a mutual security agreement; In Myanmar thousands displaced by heavy rains; Israel approves new illegal settlements in the West Bank; Niqab banned In Dagestan.

HONG KONG

At the trial of the 47 members of the pro-democracy movement already convicted for organising the primary elections on charges of 'subversion', the lawyer of Joshua Wong - one of the most notorious activists in prison since 2021 under the security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 - asked for his sentence to be mitigated. Under the draconian rules it ranges from three to 10 years in prison for those found to be active participants in the conspiracy, but could go up to life imprisonment for 'major offenders'.

PHILIPPINES - JAPAN

Negotiations between Tokyo and Manila on a mutual defence agreement are close to conclusion, diplomatic sources said. Under the pact, which will be finally signed on 8 July, the armed forces of the two countries will have access to each other's territories. The Philippines has intensified ties with countries in the region to counter China's aggression in the South China Sea.

MYANMAR

In Myanmar, the civilian population is forced to evacuate not only because of the fighting but also because of the increasing intensity of the monsoons: this week, 23,000 people fled their homes following heavy rains that caused the Irrawaddy River to overflow and several landslides, which in turn killed at least 35 people, aid workers reported.

INDIA

Guru Bhole Baba, who led a religious ceremony in which more than 120 people died from the stampede, denied any responsibility, pledging to cooperate with the police in the investigation. The guru's lawyer stated that the stampede occurred 'because of some anti-social elements' who were organising a 'criminal conspiracy'. In India, the incident, during which mainly women and children died, raised questions about the lack of security measures.

RUSSIA - PAKISTAN

Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shebhaz Sharif proposed overcoming the current difficulties in bank payments by returning to relations based on barter as in the days of the USSR in the 1960s, when Pakistan imported machinery from Russia, delivering textiles and hides in exchange.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE

The Israeli government has approved 5,295 new housing units among the settlements (illegal under international law) in the West Bank, said the Israeli NGO Peace Now, according to which the new approvals will further fuel tensions. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in 100 settlements in the West Bank and this year alone Israel has declared about 23.7 square kilometres of territory as its own, an unprecedented figure, the NGO stressed.

RUSSIA

The administration of the Mufti of Dagestan has decided on a fatwa against the niqab, which until now had been considered unnecessary on a general level, while now a "new theological concept" linked to the "exclusion of any possible threat" has been approved by the civil authorities and also by representatives of the Orthodox Patriarchate.

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