Expo2030: the day to choose between Busan, Riyadh and Rome
Today's news: truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza extended by two days; Chinese families seek compensation for victims of flight MH370 that crashed in the Indian Ocean in 2014; Students arrested in Kashmir for cheering after India's defeat in the Cricket World Cup; Stangaya in Uzbekistan over water tariffs, families in crisis.
SOUTH KOREA-SAUDI ARABIA-ITALY
In Paris it is voting day for the assignment of Expo2030. Among the three cities in the running, alongside Rome and the Saudi capital Riyadh - which would like to make the Universal Exhibition coincide with the turning point year indicated some time ago by Mohammad bin Salman with his "Vision 2030" - the prices of Busan, South Korea, which has also significantly received official support from Japan. Delegates from the 182 BIE member countries will be called to vote. If none of the three candidates reaches the necessary 122 votes in the first instance, a run-off will take place between the two most voted candidates.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to extend the truce that would have expired this evening in the Gaza Strip by another two days. Yesterday evening the parties completed the release of another group of 11 additional kidnapped Israeli and 6 Thai hostages and 33 detained Palestinians. In total, 69 out of 240 Israeli hostages and foreign workers have been freed so far by Hamas since the truce came into force on Friday. However, Israeli Defense Minister Gallant reiterated that once the truce ends, the Israeli army will resume its actions.
CHINA-MALAYSIA
A Beijing court has begun hearings on compensation for Chinese relatives of passengers aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which mysteriously disappeared in the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014. Over 150 Chinese passengers were on board the flight that disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The relatives of around forty passengers have requested compensation from Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, the engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and the insurance group Allianz for amounts between 10 and 80 million yuan (1.4 and 11.2 million dollars) each.
CHINA
China's Ministry of Public Security said authorities can arrest or fine people who edit others' photos, spread sexual gossip or harass others with abusive text messages and phone calls, addressing 10 typical cases of cyberbullying. Beijing's push to crack down on cyberbullying came after some cases attracted national attention. The ministry said cyberbullying has become widespread in recent years and that in some cases victims have committed suicide or suffered from mental illness.
INDIA-PAKISTAN
Police in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir have arrested seven Kashmiri students under the anti-terrorism law for allegedly shouting pro-Pakistan slogans after India's defeat against Australia in the final of the recently held Cricket World Cup.
UKRAINE-RUSSIA
In the latest attacks by Russian kamikaze drones in Kiev, the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, where the Major Archbishop Svjatoslav Ševchuk also resides, was also damaged, destroying doors and windows and ruining the facade, and has an adjacent twelve-story apartment building almost razed to the ground.
UZBEKISTAN
The inhabitants of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, are in crisis due to the decision of the kengaš (city council) to increase drinking water tariffs from 400 to 1400 som (10 euro cents) per cubic meter for natural persons , and from 1000 to 3000 som for legal ones, with increases also for all other water and canalization systems.
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15/07/2023
