South Korea: Catholic priests also targeted on night of martial law
Today's news: 26,000 Palestinians displaced by Israeli army operations in the West Bank; US Postal Service revokes parcel blockade from China, shipping companies protest over duty chaos; Archdiocese of Mumbai calls for immediate action against fires in Uttan landfill; Tax hike in Kyrgyzstan
SOUTH KOREA
Some notes found by investigators in the residence of Roh Sang-won, the then head of the Defence Intelligence Command, indicated that the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice (CPAJ) was among the civilian targets targeted on 3 December during the hours of President Yoon Suk-yeol's attempt to institute martial law in South Korea. The notes, published by the Korea Herald, said that the people ‘picked up’ were to be taken to specific areas, possibly military detention centres.
PALESTINE-ISRAEL
A total of 26,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in Jenin and Tulkarem since the Israeli army began operations in the northern West Bank a month ago. Farha Abu al-Haija, a member of the Popular Committee of the Jenin camp, said that 17,000 people were forcibly expelled from the camp from Jenin alone, which is home to more than 24,000 registered Palestinian refugees.
CHINA-INDONESIA
Chinese companies control about 75 per cent of Indonesia's nickel refining capacity, raising concerns about supply chain control and environmental risks related to a key component of electric car batteries. This was argued in a report by C4ADS, a Washington-based non-profit global security organisation. Indonesia is the world's largest nickel producer.
UNITED STATES-CHINA
The United States Postal Service (USPS) said it will return to accepting parcels from China and Hong Kong, reversing a suspension it adopted after President Donald Trump lifted an exemption used by retailers such as Temu, Shein and Amazon to ship low-value packages to the US duty-free. Retailers and shipping companies denounce the growing confusion around the 10% tariffs on imports from China and the closure of the exemption for parcels worth less than 0, with the stated aim of stopping the flow of fentanyl and its chemical components.
INDIA
The Catholic Archdiocese of Mumbai called on the government and the relevant authorities to take immediate action to relocate the Uttan landfill site after yet another large-scale fire broke out on 1 February. The Church emphasised that the health, safety and welfare of local residents must take priority, as the situation has become untenable. In 2024 alone, eight major fires occurred at the dump, worsening air quality and creating an unlivable environment for residents.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-TURKEY
The son of Viktor Janukovič, the Ukrainian president deposed in the 2014 Euromaidan, Aleksandr Janukovič, has taken over the coal business in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, earning billions in profits from the remaining open mines, with a Rostov-on-Don company exporting around half a million tonnes of coal to Turkey.
KYRGYZSTAN
The government of Kyrgyzstan has decided on a wide-ranging tax amnesty, writing off debts unpaid before 1 January 2022, amnestiing 217,000 taxpayers in excess of 8.5 billion som (around 100 million dollars) and eliminating the transport tax, limiting it to a levy of one som per litre of petrol and diesel sold, to be used for necessary road maintenance.
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15/07/2023
