RUSSIA – UKRAINE
Today, a massive Russian attack against Ukraine killed at least 10 people, six in Dnipro and four in the capital, Kyiv, marking one of Russia’s largest operations in recent months. Meanwhile, in Crimea, the authorities are introducing vouchers to address fuel shortages. Since yesterday, AI-95 (premium grade) petrol has been sold only with vouchers at ATAN and TES stations, while AI-92 (regular) is limited to 20 litres per vehicle. In Sevastopol, both are now available with vouchers. Supply problems began after Ukrainian raids hit logistics routes connecting the peninsula with mainland Russia.
CAMBODIA – THAILAND
Cambodia today announced that it had informed the United Nations and Thailand that it was initiating a mandatory conciliation process under the International Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), aimed at settling a long-standing maritime border dispute with Thailand. The move follows a decision by the Thai government last month to unilaterally terminate a 2001 agreement with Cambodia that provided a framework for negotiations over the disputed area in the Gulf of Thailand, where the two countries' maritime claims overlap.
CHINA – UNITED STATES
Over the weekend, someone broke into the June Fourth Memorial Museum in Los Angeles, which showcases the horrors of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, destroying surveillance cameras before thrashing the exhibits. The museum's founder, Wang Dan, is a former student leader who survived the crackdown of 4 June 1989, when Chinese authorities used an iron fist to end months of protests. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people were killed when the People's Liberation Army attacked demonstrators.
PHILIPPINES
Police yesterday arrested veteran Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada in connection with a corruption scandal worth billions that sparked mass protests across the country, making him the highest-ranking elected official to be detained. The arrest comes nearly a year after revelations of massive corruption in flood control projects, an issue with serious consequences for the Philippines, which is hit by powerful typhoons every year.
INDIA
Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Boston University graduate and creator of the online satirical movement Cockroach Janta Party, yesterday vowed to lead a massive protest in New Delhi, moving dissatisfaction from the web to the streets. The activist plans to return to India and lead a “peaceful protest” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the target of his movement’s ironic name, CJP. A parody of the BJP, it has amassed millions of followers on social media since its launch in early May. Established after Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly called young people who criticised the government "cockroaches" and "parasites" during a hearing, the movement is tapping into the concerns of those under 30, who represent more than half of the country's 1.42 billion people.
SOUTH KOREA
Fearing negative consequences, South Korea has shelved a bill that would have ended mandatory gender segregation in hospital inpatient rooms, a health ministry official reported today, citing protests and public discontent. Several countries, including Japan and Canada, have introduced gender-neutral facilities, a move that has sparked debate and criticism from opponents, who fear privacy repercussions as well as security risks, including sexual misconduct in shared spaces. South Korea is a global technological and cultural powerhouse, but remains socially conservative.
IRAN
Iranian authorities continue to deny medical care to Mahshar Parandin. The Christian woman convert from Islam, who is in Evin prison purging a two-year sentence with eligibility for parole (but always denied), is at risk of partial blindness, heart problems, and two active tumours. Taken to hospital last week for tests after complaining of problems with balance, speech, and movement, she was returned to her cell without treatment. Meanwhile, another convert and former prisoner of conscience has been sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison: Ghazal Marzban, a Catholic, will serve nine years and eight months for “propaganda against the state” and threatening “national security”.
TURKMENISTAN
Turkmenistan continues to invite children to state events, despite risks to their health. Recently, in the western part of the country, schoolchildren and preschoolers, mostly girls, were taken early in the morning to a racetrack and forced to stand in the cold for hours for television filming. Many fell ill as a result, but attendance was mandatory, to honour the Akhal-Teke Horse Festival.
