Hrw, Qatar: on the eve of the World Cup, arrests and abuse of LGBT people

Today's headlines: Seoul fires warning shots at trspassing North Korean vessels; Asean foreign ministers' meet on Myanmar peace process; three children killed in Yemen landmine explosion; millions of Indians celebrate Diwali; in Russia unannounced anti-terrorism drill at a school terrorizes children. 

QATAR

Doha has arbitrarily arrested and abused LGBT people in the recent past; the latest incidents date back to last month, despite assurances of respect for World Cup rights. In the Sunni Muslim country, homosexuality is a crime. For Qatar, anyone can attend the competition, but public displays of affection are banned. 

KOREA

South Korea fired warning shots in response to a North Korean ship crossing the maritime border between the two countries. The incident took place in the early hours of today, as explained by army sources in Seoul, and risks triggering a further escalation in a tense phase over Pyongyang's missile tests. 

MYANMAR

The foreign ministers of the Asean countries will hold a special meeting in Indonesia on 27 October to discuss the peace process in Myanmar. The focus will be on the implementation of a five-point plan 'agreed' with the ruling coup junta in Naypyidaw. The summit will also be an opportunity to define the work towards next month's summit. 

YEMEN

Three children died in the central province of Bayda, Yemen, when a landmine exploded. The blast caught them while they were tending sheep in the pasture, as Yemeni Landmine Records explains that it does not attribute responsibility. According to UN sources, there are more than two million unexploded mines in the country, which is the scene of a war between government and Houthi rebels. 

INDIA

Millions of people in India celebrate the Hindu holiday of Diwali with prayers, fireworks and lighting up houses and streets with colourful lanterns and flaming lamps. Families gather for banquets and convivial moments, exchanging gifts and good wishes. However, the event raises more than one concern about environmental pollution, especially in large urban centres such as Delhi.

RUSSIA

In Gelendžik, on the Black Sea coast, the Russian Rosgvardija carried out an exercise consisting of rehearsing a terrorist attack on a school. They acted, however, without warning the staff and students, who were genuinely terrified by gunshots in the air from masked men with automatic weapons, who burst into the institute as if they wanted to occupy it.

UZBEKISTAN

The Uzbek capital Tashkent was ranked the seventh most polluted city in the world, according to data from IqAir, placing it between India's Calcutta and Canada's Vancouver, in a list headed by the US city of Seattle. In Uzbekistan, there has been no rain for a long time, and residents are asked to stay at home as much as possible and not go out without a mask.

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