USA – VIETNAM
A few days before US President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom stressed that Hanoi, despite being removed from the list of countries of "particular concern" in 2006, has not committed to guaranteeing greater freedoms on the contrary: "The recent crackdown on civil society, increased pressure on independent religious communities, alarming reports of forced renunciations of faith and other growing violations of religious freedom add up to a clear reversal of that once positive trend ”, reads the assessment of the organization.
PHILIPPINES
Despite the ban on weapons and the implementation of safety protocols, violence erupted in various parts of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), affecting the atmosphere during the registration of candidates for the local elections scheduled for October. One candidate, for example, had to be escorted by the Navy to present his candidacy.
JAPAN - CHINA
The value of Japan's seafood exports to China in July fell 23.2 percent from a year earlier and is likely to drop further due to an import ban imposed by Beijing in protest against the release of the radioactive waters (but diluted and treated) of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. In recent days Tokyo presented a document to the World Trade Organization against Beijing's decision explaining that most of the harmful elements have been removed.
MALDIVES
Presidential elections to be held in the Maldives on Saturday could be decisive in determining whether China or India win the race for influence over the Indian Ocean islands: Asian giants have invested billions of dollars in infrastructure in recent years years, but President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who promotes an "India-first" policy against rival Mohamed Muizzu's "India-out" slogan, appears to be ahead in the polls.
AFGHANISTAN
The United Nations World Food Program cut food rations for another two million Afghans this month due to lack of funds. The director of the agency expressed concern because a "catastrophic" winter is expected: according to forecasts, funds for food and cash assistance are expected to end by October, leaving 90% of the country's rural areas to face a possible famine.
INDIA
Police in the Indian state of Manipur have filed two lawsuits against responsible members of the Editors Guild of India, accusing them of inciting further unrest in the northeastern state, where ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki tribes have been raging since May. The cases were filed after the country's largest media outlet released a report condemning local media's "one-sided" reporting of the violence. Two days ago, UN experts condemned the Indian government's "slow and inadequate response" to alleged human rights violations in Manipur.
