ISRAEL - IRAN - GAZA
Signals from Tehran to Washington: the response to Israel for the attack on the embassy in Syria will be there, but it should be "controlled" to avoid an "escalation" and calls for a truce in Gaza. Diplomatic sources revealed this, citing a letter from the Iranian Foreign Minister, sent via Oman. Meanwhile, the United States is limiting travel of its officials and employees to Israel in anticipation of the attack, while the Jewish state prepares for "war scenarios" beyond Gaza.
THAILAND - PHILIPPINES
More than 243 million children across East, Southeast Asia and the Pacific region are at risk of heatwave-related illness and death as the continent braces for a summer of record temperatures. Minors, UNICEF reminds us, are even more subject to extreme phenomena. Bangkok recently urged citizens to take precautions against heat stroke after recording its first deaths. In some parts of the Philippines, in-person classes have been suspended.
CHINA - TAIWAN
China has banned senior executives of two US defense companies from entering the country and frozen their properties in response to arms sales to Taiwan. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which announced the measures against General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems. For Beijing, arms sales "seriously interfere" with internal affairs and "damage" territorial sovereignty.
AFGHANISTAN
The Taliban in Afghanistan want to block access to Facebook and other social networks through. The plan, announced by Telecommunications Minister Najibullah Haqqani, risks worsening the isolation of millions of citizens who already suffer heavy restrictions in accessing telephones and the internet. For the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) it is "a further blow to information" due to the "role" played by social media in conveying news.
SINGAPORE - ASIA
Singapore is the fifth "smart" city in the world, having gained two positions last year as emerges from the Smart City Index 2024. And it confirms its absolute primacy with regards to the Asian continent, ranking well above leading realities such as Beijing , Taipei and Seoul. The ranking evaluates 142 cities on the use of technology to improve lives.
PAKISTAN
Islamabad is discussing with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) a follow-up to the three billion dollar agreement, of which a 1.1 billion tranche should be released soon. This was announced by the president of the fund Kristalina Georgieva, according to whom Pakistan is "successfully" completing the existing program and the effects are already visible on the economy.
RUSSIA - KAZAKHSTAN
The representative of the President of Russia for the Ural district, Vladimir Yakushev, blamed Astana for the floods in the last week, for "not having agreed" on the elimination of water through its reservoir system. Meanwhile in Kazakhstan over 98 thousand people have been evacuated due to floods and the situation risks worsening.
ARMENIA - TUREKY
Prime Minister Nikol Pašinyan declared to the Yerevan Parliament that "the opening of the border between Armenia and Turkey will be an epochal event for the entire region". In this regard, everyone must contribute to the success of this turning point, overcoming "the socio-psychological aspects" of the historical hostility between the two peoples because "it is a relationship between States, not between people".
