Japan prepares for North Korean spy satellite
The other news of the day: Schools funded by foreign organisations are shut down in Afghanistan while women are banned from participating in Eid celebrations. In Myanmar, more than 200 civilians have been killed in recent months. India wants to ink an agreement with Ghana for the development of a new malaria vaccine. Armenia will allow women to enlist in the military. One in four Siberians wants to learn Chinese.
JAPAN – NORTH KOREA
This morning, Japan's Defence Minister, Yasukazu Hamada, ordered the country’s Self-Defence Forces to prepare for a possible North Korean rocket falling on Japanese territory after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the country’s space agency to make final preparations for the launch of a reconnaissance satellite.
AFGHANISTAN
The Taliban's crackdown on the Afghan population continues. In two provinces, women were banned from Eid al-Fitr celebrations, which traditionally mark the end of Ramadan. Meanwhile, all educational facilities funded by foreign organisations, including UNICEF, have been closed in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.
INDIA
The Serum Institute of India, which manufactures vaccines, is holding talks with Ghana on fill-finishing the Oxford University malaria vaccine in Africa. Ghana and Nigeria recently approved the vaccine, even though data from the final trial have not yet been published.
MALAYSIA
Malaysia launched an investigation into how hundreds of migrants from Bangladesh and Nepal arrived in the country to work but were left without employment and passports. Most of them took out loans from intermediaries at high interests and now cannot pay them back. Allegations of worker exploitation have been made several times in Malaysia in recent years.
INDONESIA
Indonesia’s ruling Democratic Party of Struggle (PDP-P) yesterday picked its candidate for the February 2024 presidential election, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, famous for refusing to host Israel during the Youth Football World Cup. PDI-P President Megawati Soekarnoputri made the announcement. The choice was approved by incumbent Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
MYANMAR
According to independent news site The Irrawaddy, over the past month, 210 civilians have been killed and at least 60 wounded in airstrikes carried out by planes of Myanmar’s ruling junta, in attacks against resistance strongholds in six regions. In recent weeks, health clinics have also been targeted.
ARMENIA
Armenia has passed a bill allowing women to enlist in the country’s military on a voluntary basis, for a period of six months, after which they will receive compensation worth one million drams (US$ 2,575).
CHINA – RUSSIA
One in four Siberians wants to learn Chinese, this according to a poll commissioned by the Otkritie FC Bank. This is especially strong among residents of regions bordering China. The demand for workers at Chinese firms in Russia has grown by more than 40 per cent since the start of 2023, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
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12/02/2016 15:14
24/08/2016 09:42
