Pakistan extends documents for 1.5 million Afghan refugees for a year
Today's news: Bangladesh suspends government job applications aafollowing student protests; Rights groups ask Thailand not to extradite degar activist to Vietnam, torture feared; Scandal in China over edible oil in tanks used to transport toxic substances; In 2024 Israel took more land in the West Bank than in the last 20 years.
PAKISTAN
Pakistan will extend the expired registration cards given to nearly 1.5 million Afghans for one year , the prime minister said Wednesday, after the UN refugee commissioner called for a pause in the country's refugee repatriation plan. It is unclear whether the extension of the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, which expired in June, will exempt holders from any future repatriation.
BANGLADESH
On 10 July, the Bangladesh Supreme Court temporarily suspended quotas for coveted government jobs, after thousands of students nationwide protested against what they called a discriminatory system. The quota system in fact reserves places for specific groups, including the children of liberation heroes. The students are demanding a merit-based system.
THAILAND - VIETNAM
Two rights groups called on Thailand to abandon its intention to extradite a Montagnard activist to Vietnam. Amnesty International stated that Y Quynh Bdap, an indigenous Ede, risks being tortured on his return. The extradition hearing is scheduled for next week. The Vietnamese authorities have a long history of violent and racist persecution of indigenous peoples.
CHINA
The Chinese government said it will investigate allegations that tankers were used to transport cooking oil and syrup after carrying toxic chemicals without being properly cleaned between loads. This would be a widespread practice in the industry. It is yet another case that demonstrates the Chinese government's inability to enforce food safety standards.
ISRAEL
In 2024, Israel officially acquired 23.7 square kilometres of new Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank as it continues its offensive on Gaza. This is more land than has been taken in the last 20 years combined. It was the latest in a series of land confiscations announced this year by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who oversees settlement planning.
ARMENIA
A protest action was organised in front of the UN representation in Yerevan by Artsakh refugees, who demand "guarantees for the return to their homes" in Nagorno Karabakh occupied by Azerbaijan "after three terrible wars in the 21st century, which carried out violent genocide with all kinds of heavy weapons".
RUSSIA - IRAN
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow (Gundjaev) sent his congratulations to the new Iranian President Masud Pezeshkyan, noting that "the peoples of Iran and Russia are united by the desire to preserve historical religious and cultural traditions, and to remain faithful to moral principles", in the ongoing dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Islamic community.
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15/07/2023
