Pakistan floods drag up to nine million people into poverty

The other news of the day: Afghanistan stops issuing passports; in Myanmar children are becoming the main victims of war; Ferdinand Marcos Jr enjoys a high approval rate, except in the fight against poverty; Chinese families are sending their children to get an education in South-East Asia, Russia grants mobilised soldiers holiday credits.

PAKISTAN

According to a World Bank report, six to nine million Pakistanis will be “dragged into poverty” as a result of the violent floods that swept over a third of the country, with the rate rising between 2.5 and 4 percentage points. Over 8 million people are still displaced.

AFGHANISTAN

The Taliban have stopped issuing passports until further notice, and not for the first time. After 14 months of government, Afghanistan’s masters cannot cope with the high number of applications as thousands of Afghans seek to leave the country.

MYANMAR

In the past two months (1 August-30 September) children are among the main victims of fighting in Myanmar. Mines and shelling have killed at least 51 people wounding another 122, including 20 children, in the regions of Magway, Sagaing, and Bago and the states of Kayin, Kayah, Chin, and Rakhine.

PHILIPPINES

A poll by Manila Pulse Asia Research reports a high approval rating among Filipinos for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his administration, now in its hundredth day in office, except in two areas: poverty and rising prices of consumer goods.

CHINA – SOUTH-EAST ASIA

More and more Chinese parents are placing their children in Southeast Asian schools to avoid the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as the gaokao, the ruthless a standardised college entrance exam held annually in mainland China. The goal is to ensure that their children can get into Western universities. Southeast Asian high schools offer quality education at low tuition fees for international students.

IRAN

According to Iran’s Forensic Organisation, Mahsa Amini died from cerebral hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain, not “blows to the head, and vital organs and limbs of the body”. The lawyer for the Amini family said that “respectable doctors” believe the 22-year-old was beaten to death while in custody.

RUSSIA

President Putin signed a law that contractually grants holiday credits to mobilised soldiers, volunteers, and their families. This includes a month of paid vacation, which can be extended for injuries sustained during combat, making military service financially more attractive.

TAJIKISTAN

A senior Muslim cleric in Tajikistan, an imam khatib in the city of Kulab, was attacked with a stun gun during a funeral service. Local law enforcement reported the attackers suffer from a “mental disorder", allaying fears that religious fanaticism might lead to clashes.

• pakistan
• afghanistan
• myanmar
• philippines
• china
• southeast asia
• iran
• russia
• tajikistan