Iraq marks nine years since the Islamic State’s genocide against the Yazidis
Today's news: Three Christians seized by soldiers in Myanmar’s Chin State are dead; a pastor taken with them escaped. In Seongnam, South Korea, a young man drives a car into people and stabs passers-by, injuring 14 people. Mongolia wants greater cooperation with the US in rare earth mining. Afghanistan and Pakistan accuse each other of poor border controls. Politically motivated executions increase in Iran. Russia’s Baltic fleet began Ocean Shield 2023 naval drill.
IRAQ
Yesterday Iraq marked the ninth anniversary since the Islamic State group began its siege of Sinjar on 3 August 2014, followed by atrocities and massacres against the country’s Yazidi minority. The jihadi group carried out a veritable genocide against Yazidis with killings, kidnappings, rapes, and enslavement. Even today, more than 2,000 women and girls are still missing, believed to be captive.
MYANMAR
Three Presbyterian deacons kidnapped in mid-July in Chin State by soldiers with the Khalaya 274 Battalion, based in Mindat, are presumed dead. A pastor taken with them managed to escape and is now receiving medical treatment. The Christians were targeted by the military for their alleged support of rebel and anti-regime groups.
SOUTH KOREA
A man drove his car into passers-by yesterday in Seongnam, a commuter town near Seoul, then got out and stabbed several more, injuring 14 people. So far, no motive has been given. Police arrested the assailant, described as a man in his 20s with possible mental issues.
MONGOLIA – UNITED STATES – CHINA
Mongolia wants to boost cooperation with the United States in rare earths mining, said Mongolian Prime Minister L. Oyun-Erdene during a visit to Washington. The Asian country has vast deposits of these metals as well as copper, However, he warned that a “new cold war" between the United States and China would harm the global economy.
AFGHANISTAN – PAKISTAN
Tensions are rising between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Taliban reject Pakistan’s criticism over their seeming failure to control the border where the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TPP) is very active. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid urged Pakistan to share its concerns over terrorism directly.
IRAN
Politically motivated executions are rising at a fast pace in Iran. According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), Iranian authorities are increasingly resorting to capital punishment as a "tactic of intimidation and retribution." The authorities have executed 17 people, mostly young, in the last 10 months following "blatantly unlawful" prosecutions.
RUSSIA
Russia’s Baltic fleet has started Ocean Shield 2023 naval exercises, involving 30 warships and patrol boats, 20 support vessels, 30 Navy aircraft, and some 6,000 troops. The aim is the check the preparedness of Russia’s maritime forces to "defend national interests" in a "sensitive operational area", the Ministry of Defence in Moscow said in a statement.
UZBEKISTAN
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed an order granting the country’s tour operators subsidies ranging from US$ 20 to US$ 100 per foreign visitor, starting on 1 January 2024. The authorities want to increase the number of visitors from certain countries. They will also provide aid to airliners offering charter flights. The goal is to boost foreign tourism, which is currently in a s slump.
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