Some 7,000 journalists have lost their job in Afghanistan in a year
The other news of the day: Heavy floods hit Japan. In Thailand a hotel offers rooms for less than 30 cents US a night. Malaysia owes billions of dollars to the descendants of a sultan. Sanctions against Russia are starting to bite.
AFGHANISTAN
According to the Afghanistan Federation of Journalists and Media, more than 200 media outlets have gone out of business in the past year, throwing about 7,000 people out of work. Economic challenges and Taliban repression are the main causes. Many journalists have left the country or looked for another job.
JAPAN
Heavy rains hit northern Japan, forcing the evacuation of 200,000 residents. Two people are missing. Train service was interrupted after the government issued a landslide risk alert.
MALAYSIA
Descendants of the last sultan of Sulu in the Philippines are seeking US billion from Malaysia, which a court of arbitration awarded them last month. The affair dates back to 1878, when two European colonists leased part of the sultan’s territory in exchange for the payment of US$ 1,000 a year.
THAILAND
In an effort to attract more tourists, a hotel in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai is offering rooms at one baht per night (US$ 0.27) until 7 August, sparking a wave of interest. Thailand’s tourism industry stalled during the pandemic and is now slowly recovering, with eight million visitors expected this year, far from the 40 million of 2019.
TURKEY
Inflation in Turkey is now running at almost 80 per cent, its highest level in 24 years, following the decline of lira and the rise in energy prices. According to some analysts, we could be close to the maximum peak, with a gradual improvement in the coming months.
ARMENIA – AZERBAIJAN
Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan remain high. Yerevan has filed a formal lawsuit against Baku at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg for violating the rights of the civilian population of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) after the villages of Khramort and Parukh were attacked.
RUSSIA
As expected, the economic crisis caused by sanctions is now beginning to bite into Russians’ pockets. Aeroflot wants to cut salaries by 30-40 per cent starting with senior managers, who will lose the use company cars. For its part, Lada manufacturer AvtoVaz in Izhevsk is offering incentives for voluntary retirement.
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15/10/2020 09:27
28/09/2023 16:23
10/10/2020 09:54
