Kuwait deported more than 25 thousand economic migrants in 2023

Today's headlines: Terry Gou to run in upcoming Taiwanese presidential elections; Taliban bans women from entering the most famous and oldest national park for non-compliance with hijab regulations; China still addicted to cigarettes, smokers one-third of world total; At least four killed in Vietnam quarry collapse; Pyongyang approves return of expats unable to return since 2020 Covid closures; in Novosibirsk new anti-migrant raid.

KUWAIT
Kuwait expelled and deported over 25,000 economic migrants (10,000 women) between January 1 and August 19, 2023, with an average of 108 per day. According to Arabian Business, the mass deportations are part of efforts to crack down on residence and labor law violations. The government is reportedly planning further expulsions, assessing the position of about 100,000 people.

TAIWAN
Terry Gou, billionaire founder of Foxconn, Apple's main supplier, said today that he wanted to participate in the race for the next president of Taiwan as an independent in the 2024 elections. He had already presented himself in 2019, only to abandon the candidacy after failing to win the nomination of the main opposition party, the Kuomintang, pro-China.

AFGHANISTAN
The Taliban have banned women from entering and visiting Band-e-Amir National Park in Bamiyan province for failing to comply with hijab (Muslim headscarf) rules, urging religious leaders and agencies to security to enforce the provision. The area is a major tourist attraction, Afghanistan's first, and is a popular destination for families.

CHINA
20 years after the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), China is still addicted to cigarettes. The world's largest producer and consumer has an estimated 300 million smokers, nearly a third of the world's total. Despite years of anti-smoking campaigns, Xi Jinping himself quit in his 40s, many continue to do so because of cheap products, lack of education and the policies of large companies in the sector.

VIETNAM
The death toll from a collapse in a coal mine in the Quang Ninh area is at least four dead. The incident dates back to the late evening of August 26 in a quarry managed by the Vang Danh Coal Company, a unit of the state-owned Vinacomin. The cause of the collapse is still unknown. A similar incident occurred in March at a mine operated by Vang Danh, but there were no casualties.

NORTH KOREA
North Korea has approved the return of citizens abroad, after years of strict restrictions and border blocks to try to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, with similar openings to travel for tourism. In recent days, an Air Koryo flight from Pyongyang landed in Beijing for the first time since the beginning of the global health emergency, as part of a slow reopening.

RUSSIA
A new "anti-migrant raid" has taken place in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. Early in the morning, teams of policemen broke into the houses of the suburb of Kirov, stopping about a hundred people, almost all from Central Asian countries, in search of those in possession of Russian passports, in order to be included in the military conscription lists. .

KAZAKHSTAN - KYRGYZSTAN
Kazakhstan has blocked commercial shipments from Kyrgyzstan, much of it in circumvention of sanctions in favor of Russia, at four border crossings; more than 600 vehicles are stationary in Aktilek, and a similar situation also occurs in other places. Bishkek accuses Astana of "violating the agreements of the Eurasian Economic Union" (Eaes).

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