THAILAND - CAMBODIA
Artillery exchanges continued this morning on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. The Thai army reported clashes before dawn in the provinces of Ubon Ratchathani and Surin and claimed that Cambodia used artillery and Russian-made BM-21 missile systems. Thai authorities also reported 16 deaths and said that 100,000 people had been evacuated from the conflict zones on the Thai side, while Meth Meas Pheakdey, spokesman for the provincial administration of Oddar Meanchey in Cambodia, said that one civilian had been killed and five wounded, while 1,500 families had been evacuated.
MYANMAR
The United States yesterday removed a series of sanctions against companies close to Myanmar's military coup leaders. The move comes two weeks after junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing praised President Donald Trump and called for an easing of sanctions in a letter responding to the notification of the imposition of tariffs. Human Rights Watch called the decision “extremely worrying”. The Treasury Department did not explain the reason for this decision and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
INDIA – UK
Britain and India signed a free trade agreement during a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after three years of negotiations that saw ups and downs. This is the largest trade agreement signed by the UK since it left the European Union in 2020, and for India it is the most important strategic partnership signed so far with an advanced economy, which could open the way for a similar agreement with the EU.
CHINA
Storms in northern China have dumped a year's worth of rain on the city of Baoding, forcing more than 19,000 people to evacuate the area. According to the China Meteorological Administration's climate bulletin, 640.3 mm of rainfall was recorded in Hebei province in 2024, 26.6% more than the average for the last 10 years, a trend that began in 2020.
GAZA – ISRAEL
While Washington and Tel Aviv withdraw their delegations from ceasefire talks with Hamas, accused of not acting in good faith, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will recognise the Palestinian state under the auspices of the Palestinian National Authority in September at the United Nations General Assembly. Israel and the United States have expressed their opposition to this decision.
RUSSIA – UKRAINE
The head of the Russian delegation in Istanbul for negotiations with Ukraine, Vladimir Medinsky, said that “all previous humanitarian agreements have been respected” and proposed new exchanges for 1,200 prisoners and short ceasefires of 24/48 hours to recover the wounded and the bodies of the fallen, but the positions of the two sides on the memoranda remain far apart.
KYRGYZSTAN
Kyrgyzstan has decided to open the online school Tunguč in September for tens of thousands of children of migrants living in Russia who are struggling to enrol in state schools, especially after the numerous restrictions of recent years and the xenophobic tendencies of Russian society. The service will also be available to Kyrgyz students with physical or mental disabilities who are struggling to find places in conventional schools.
