ISRAEL - PALESTINE
At the conclusion of a summit lasting over 10 hours, at 3.30 a.m., the security cabinet led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the plan to occupy the Strip, with control of Gaza City to be established by October 7 (two years after the attack). The head of government says he “does not want to annex or govern” the Palestinian enclave, which, once ‘liberated’ from Hamas, will be handed over to “Arab forces” (but excludes a role for the Palestinian Authority). IDF chief Eyal Zamir confirmed his concerns about the possible humanitarian consequences and the lives of the hostages. For the opposition - from Yair Lapid to Avigdor Liberman - the decision represents a “disaster” that will weigh on the country “for generations,” while protests against Netanyahu are mounting in the streets.
INDIA
Indian authorities in Kashmir have banned 25 books, including a work by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, because the titles “foment secessionism” in the Muslim-majority disputed region. The government accuses the writers of spreading “false narratives” and “misleading young people, glorifying terrorism and inciting violence” against Delhi.
CAMBODIA - THAILAND
Defense officials from Cambodia and Thailand reached an agreement yesterday authorizing observers from the ASEAN bloc (an association of 10 Southeast Asian countries) to inspect disputed border areas. The aim, through third parties, is to prevent the resumption of hostilities after clashes in recent weeks that have left at least 43 people dead and displaced 300,000 on both sides. Meanwhile, Phnom Penh has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
ARMENIA - AZERBAIJAN
US President Donald Trump will host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan today for what he has called a “historic peace summit” aimed at ending a decade-long conflict. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “will join me at the White House for an official peace signing ceremony,” the White House leader said.
CHINA
China is on high alert for thousands of confirmed cases of Chikungunya, the worst epidemic ever to hit the country. Authorities have ordered preventive measures, from the use of mosquito nets to the widespread distribution of disinfectant, threatening fines for citizens who do not dispose of stagnant water and deploying drones to hunt down insect breeding grounds. Over 7,000 cases have been reported since August 6, concentrated in the manufacturing area of Foshan.
RUSSIA - VIETNAM
Russia has sent its first shipment of around 60,000 tons of naphtha from the Baltic port of Vysotsk to Khan Koa, Vietnam. Naphtha is the main raw material for petrochemical plants in the production of olefins and aromatics, used to make plastics and gasoline for cars, thus expanding the market limited by Western sanctions.
MYANMAR - UNITED STATES
A Washington lobbying firm has signed a deal worth $3 million a year with Myanmar's Ministry of Information to help the long-ruled military government rebuild relations with the United States. According to documents filed with the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the DCI Group signed the agreement on July 31, the day the military nominally transferred power to an interim government ahead of elections.
KYRGYZSTAN
The trial of four former employees of the independent media outlet Kloop began in Bishkek. The defendants are video operators Aleksandr Aleksandrov and Žomart Duulatov, along with two members of the administration, whom the Kyrgyz authorities hold responsible for inciting public unrest with the aim of organizing a coup d'état and “defaming the authorities.”
