Chengdu, police arrest one and book 50 in raid on Protestant community

Today's headlines: a Burmese court sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to six more years in prison; climate change puts Tibet's plateau reserves at risk; joint military exercises between Seoul and Tokyo (with the U.S.); a year after the rise of the Taliban, millions of Afghans risk starvation; Vietnam to lauch new tourist itinerary for Russians from late September, in Vietnam; "Islamic Games" underway in Turkey. 

CHINA

Police in Chengdu, Sichuan, raided a Sunday meeting of worshippers from the Early Rain Covenant Church, a community banned by Chinese authorities. In the raid, officers arrested Christian writer and translator Xing Hongwei and laid charges of attending an "illegal meeting" against 50 other people. 

MYANMAR

A Burmese military court has sentenced pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to six more years in jail on corruption charges. The 77-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner must serve - so far - a total of 17 years in prison. Meanwhile, the U.N. special envoy for Myanmar has entered the country for the first time since his appointment and reports a "deteriorating" situation. 

AFGHANISTAN

Millions of Afghans are on the brink of starvation and the situation risks turning into a "catastrophe" with the coming winter and the drying up of international aid, frozen with the rise of the Taliban in August 2021. According to the UN, 19 million people experience food insecurity and 6.6 million are in a state of emergency. 

KOREA-JAPAN

Japan and South Korea, along with the United States, have held joint exercises using a ballistic missile defense system. The military tests took place last week off the coast of Hawaii, a Pentagon memo explained. In the crosshairs of the exercises Pyongyang and Beijing, rivals in the area.

INDIA - CHINA

Tibet's plateau reserves are threatened by global warming and climate change. According to one study, there is a risk of substantial loss this century that would jeopardize the region's supply. Fed by monsoons, it provides the needs of two billion people. It has already lost more than 10 billion tons of water since 2002. 

TURKEY

In the Turkish city of Kone, the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games, known as the "Islamic Games," are being held, which also involve athletes from Central Asian countries. After Turkey with 89 medals, it is followed by Iran with 39 and Uzbekistan also with 39. At the foot of the podium Azerbaijan has overtaken Kazakhstan, with 28 medals to 27, including seven golds.

RUSSIA - VIETNAM

From the end of September a new tourist route will be available for Russians to travel to Vietnam via Kazakhstan. Launching the initiative is the low-cost airline Vietjet Air, which has secured the Kamran-NurSultan and Kamran-Almaty route with the frequency of three flights per week at relatively affordable prices.

• AsiaToday