Myanmar junta extends state of emergency for another six months
The other news of the day: Philippine clergy oppose mining. Asian factories show signs of weakness. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s approval rate plummets. Iranian and Afghan border forces clash.
MYANMAR
The head of Myanmar’s military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, announced that the state of emergency will be extended by another six months. The military had promised new elections by August 2023, but the timeline slipped before. Even if they were to be held, they would hardly be free and fair. Japanese film director Toru Kubota was arrested recently for shooting a video about protests in Yangon.
PHILIPPINES
Catholic priests in Davao province are campaigning against mining by Asiaticus Management Corporation (Amcor), whose operations were shut down in 2017 for violating environmental laws. Amcor offered a donation to the Diocese of Mati, which the local bishop, Mgr Abel Cahiles Apigo, refused to accept, treating it as an attempted bribe.
EAST ASIA
According to the latest data, factories in the region are still struggling as a result of the pandemic. South Korea's industrial output has declined for the first time in almost two years, while Japan has experienced slower growth in the last 10 months due to persistent supply chain disruptions. Chinese growth has also been sluggish despite an easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
JAPAN
The approval rate of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dropped by 12 percentage points falling to its lowest since taking office last October, primarily due to his handling of the pandemic. Currently, Japan has the highest number of new weekly cases. The prime minister has also been criticised over plans to hold a state funeral for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
IRAN – AFGHANISTAN
Yesterday Taliban security forces clashed with Iranian border guards along the border between the two countries, but what happened is not yet clear. According to Iran, the Taliban tried to hoist a flag of the Islamic Emirate on “non-Afghan” territory. The Taliban reported one dead. Over the past year, the Iranian-Afghan border was the scene of several incidents.
RUSSIA
The Russian Ministry of Agriculture released harvest figures for the first half of 2022, showing a major drop in output: 39.9 million tonnes of grain, 11 million less than last year, threshed wheat was 34 million, down from 40 million a year ago, and so for the whole sector.
KAZAKHSTAN
Some 717 people were convicted in connection with last January’s riots, Kazakh authorities announced, but no details about the sentences are available. Earlier reports indicated that 83 were jailed for serious offences, while another 512 were released from pre-trial detention.
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15/01/2007
10/08/2004
