INDIA
During protests in New Delhi calling for the resignation of the Chief Commissioner of the Election Commission, Gyanesh Kumar, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was detained and three complaints were filed against him on charges of assaulting police officers and obstructing their work. His sister, MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has also been charged. The protest movements have stated that
JAPAN
Japanese chemist Kenso Soai, who yesterday won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside French researcher Henri Kagan, said it was “the most exciting day of my life”. Soai, a 76-year-old professor emeritus at the Tokyo University of Science, also said he was delighted that his field of research with Kagan – the discovery of “non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis” – had been “recognised”.
CHINA – LAOS
Light attack aircraft and military vehicles have arrived at the new joint China-Laos training centre, according to satellite images gathered by Reuters. The rapid development of the facility (built on a site that the United States used secretly at the height of the Vietnam War) is being closely monitored by experts, who believe the construction could represent China’s first genuine overseas military base in South-East Asia since gaining access to Ream Port in Cambodia.
MALAYSIA
All schools in the state of Johor will remain closed on 8 and 9 October due to deteriorating air quality, a consequence of the fires in Indonesia over recent weeks, local authorities have announced, urging a switch to online learning. “Although this decision may require some adjustment from everyone, under the current circumstances, the safety and health of Johor’s children must be our shared priority,” commented the state government. Several flights have also been cancelled due to the haze.
INDONESIA
Indonesia’s former anti-corruption prosecutor is on trial for corruption. Febrie Adriansyah is accused of misconduct in the management of public funds. Arrested after $19 million in cash and 74 kg of gold bars were found at his home, he appeared in court yesterday. In August, Febrie had submitted a request for the police to return the money and gold seized from his properties.
RUSSIA
According to Konstantin Troitsky, a researcher in the field of digital surveillance technologies, Russian schools monitor every pupil both in real life and online, compiling detailed profiles and sharing the data with law enforcement agencies. The Memorial Centre has published its analytical report, entitled ‘Four Dimensions of Digital Surveillance of Children in Russian Schools’, in which Troitskij examines in detail how schools are building a comprehensive surveillance system for pupils, parents and teachers.
KYRGYZSTAN
According to Kubanyčbek Abakirov, deputy director of the Centre for the Study of the Religious Situation at the State Commission for Religious Affairs, over 80 per cent of the population of Kyrgyzstan assess the religious situation in the country as “calm”. Činara Sabyrova, a specialist at the Centre, emphasised that “it is essential to understand the views of young and old people, of those working in both the public and private sectors, as well as those employed in agriculture. The survey was conducted door-to-door, and the questionnaire contained over 50 questions”.
