Imran Khan wins Punjab election and calls for early vote for national parliament

Today's headlines: Israel shoots down Hezbollah drone; China increases sale of raw materials to Russia for military use; Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan in August; 50 members of the National League for Democracy have died since coup; Ukraine war led to closure of 113,500 Russian companies; Tajik prosecutor's office opens investigation into death of demonstrators in Gorno-Badakšan.

PAKISTAN

The PTI of former premier Imran Khan won 15 of the 20 seats up for grabs in the by-election for the Punjab legislative chamber, gaining a majority in coalition with the Pml-Q. The province was the stronghold of the Pml-N, the formation of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Khan is now calling for early nationwide elections.

ISRAELI-LEBANESE

The Israeli army claimed to have shot down a small drone that had trespassed from Lebanon yesterday. According to the Armed Forces of the Jewish State, the drone was launched by Hezbollah, the pro-Iran Shia party.

CHINA-RUSSIA

Despite Beijing's denial data from its customs bureau show that in the first five months of the year Chinese companies increased their exports of raw materials for military use to Russia. The US has already sanctioned some of these Chinese companies for violating its sanctions on Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine.

UNITED STATES-TAIWAN

Nancy Pelosi will visit Taipei in August, a move that will provoke the inevitable negative reaction from Beijing. The trip was originally scheduled for April, but was cancelled after the speaker of the US House of Representatives tested positive for Covid-19

MYANMAR

Since the military coup in February 2021, at least 50 members of the National League for Democracy have lost their lives, killed by coup plotters or died in prison. The party of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the civilian government deposed by the generals, also has 900 former MPs arrested.

RUSSIA

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, as a result of Western sanctions and the slump in consumption, 113,500 companies have closed down in Russia, experts from the FinExpertiza network calculated on the basis of data from the Russian Revenue Agency. Russian business loses an average of 930 firms per day, approaching the negative records of the pandemic.

TAJIKISTAN

The Tajik General Prosecutor's Office accepted the public's request, deciding to check the videos of the security forces during the anti-terrorist operation in Rušan province, the place where the independence demonstrations in the Gorno-Badakšan autonomous region had taken place, in order to clarify the circumstances of the death of several people among the demonstrators.

• asia
• today