THAILAND
A Bangkok court has acquitted billionaire and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of insulting the monarchy, a crime often used in Thailand to silence political opponents. The lèse-majesté charge was linked to an interview Thaksin had given ten years ago to a South Korean newspaper. Had he been convicted, he could have faced up to 15 years in prison. The verdict comes as Thaksin's daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is still embroiled in legal proceedings that could lead to her removal from office next week after she was suspended as prime minister. Today's verdict brings some relief to the Shinawatra clan and supporters of their Pheu Thai (For Thais) party.
CHINA – AFGHANISTAN
China has called for greater counterterrorism cooperation with Afghanistan, including joint patrols along the Wakhan Corridor, the narrow strip of land that constitutes the only shared border between the two countries. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the statement in Kabul during a meeting with Afghan Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Sirajuddin Haqqani. Beijing has repeatedly expressed concern about the risk that Uyghur militants could cross that route from Afghanistan to Xinjiang.
SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia announced Thursday that it had executed a 30-year-old Shia man for crimes he was accused of when he was 15. Held in Dammam Central Prison, Jalal al-Labbad was charged in July 2019 of endangering national security, spreading terror, and supporting armed groups under the Anti-Terrorism Crimes and Financing Law. “We know that these charges are not, at any level, fair,” said Duaa Dhainy, Labbad's representative and researcher at the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR). “Jalal was forced to sign confessions under torture.”
PAKISTAN
Pakistan's Supreme Court has granted bail requests by former Prime Minister Imran Khan in eight cases related to the 9 May 2023 unrest, when supporters of his party, protesting his detention, staged violent demonstrations across the country, vandalising military installations and government buildings. Following the disturbances, thousands of protesters, including party leaders, were taken into custody. Appellate courts had previously denied bail to Imran Khan, who remains in Adiala Prison following his corruption conviction.
INDIA
The Rajya Sabha (upper house) of the Indian parliament has approved a government bill regulating online gaming. The measure seeks to ban all forms of online gambling, while promoting eSports and online social gaming. The legislation prohibits banks from transferring funds for such activities. Promoting or supporting online gambling will become punishable by up to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to 10 million rupees (US$ 115,000).
SOUTH KOREA
The South Korean government announced Thursday that all foreign individuals, companies, and government entities will be required to obtain local government approval before they can buy real estate in Seoul, seven districts in Incheon, and 23 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province. The measure is aimed at curbing real estate speculation and protecting market stability.
UZBEKISTAN
The launch of a project to use cutting-edge drought monitoring technology through remote satellite probes was announced in Tashkent. The project, backed by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Office, has an initial funding of US$ 300,000 and will bring benefits amounting to millions of dollars, starting in Uzbekistan, and subsequently in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
RUSSIA
Built in the late 19th century, the original Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church in Nizhny Novgorod, central Russia’s big city, has been returned to the local Catholic community, which was not allowed to reopen it in 1994. At that time, it was given a cramped space near an old stable. The church will now be available on 28 August (15 in the Julian calendar) as the "new Assumption," parish priest Father Georgy Kromkin said.
