Israel: hundreds of thousands rally to stop the war
Today's news: Zelensky meets with Trump and European leaders. North Korea is set to send more troops to Russia. The search continues for hundreds of people missing following floods in Pakistan, with victims also reported in Indian Kashmir. Coca-Cola faces a storm in Cambodia after a local celebrity endorser was fired for supporting the war with Thailand. A Nagasaki hospital has digitised the medical records of 50,000 hibakusha.
ISRAEL-GAZA
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered last night in downtown Tel Aviv, concluding the general strike called by the Missing Families Forum to demand the Netanyahu government end the war in Gaza and secure the release of relatives held by Hamas. It was one of the largest demonstrations since the war began nearly two years ago: the Forum estimated that a total of one million people participated in protests across the country against the Israeli government's plans to seize Gaza City. Netanyahu responded by arguing that the demonstrations strengthen Hamas and delay the release of the hostages. Meanwhile, Israeli raids in Gaza City again hit al-Ahli Hospital, a hospital supported by the Anglican Church, killing seven people.
RUSSIA – UKRAINE – NORTH KOREA
While Trump is discussing with Zelensky and his Western allies in Washington today the outcome of talks with Putin on ways to stop the war in Ukraine, North Korea is reportedly about to send additional troops of approximately 6,000 soldiers to Russia. The director of intelligence at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, General Kirill Budanov, confirmed the information in an interview with The Japan Times. Pyongyang is also reportedly preparing to send between 50 and 100 Cheonma-D tanks and BTP-80 armoured personnel carriers for engineering and mine clearance work.
PAKISTAN-INDIA
In the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, searches are still underway for hundreds of people missing in floods that have already claimed the lives of more than 300 people in recent days. A dozen villages have been partially swept away by the monsoons. Torrential rains – particularly heavy this year – have also hit the Indian-controlled Kashmir region, killing at least 60 people there as well.
CAMBODIA-THAILAND
Coca-Cola has reportedly ended its brand ambassador contract with Cambodian rap star VannDa due to comments he posted on social media regarding the Thai-Cambodian border conflict. The posts allegedly violated the terms of the contract between the two parties and created a negative image. The move sparked online outrage in Cambodia, where netizens flooded Coca-Cola Cambodia's Facebook page with angry comments and calls to boycott the company's products. Hun Sen personally intervened in the matter this morning, calling for calm and arguing that a boycott that forced the company to withdraw from Cambodia would ultimately penalise the country with job losses.
CHINA
Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologetically withdrawn an ad showing an Asian model pulling the corners of her eyes up and back in a pose reminiscent of "slanted eyes". The images were widely condemned online in China, where many comments labelled them as a racist insult about Asian eyes. Swatch – which also produces Omega, Longines, and Tissot watches – is heavily exposed to China in terms of revenue, with approximately 27 per cent of the group's sales last year coming from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
JAPAN
Nagasaki's Genbaku Hospital has completed the digitisation of 50,000 medical records of hibakusha, survivors of the 1945 American atomic bombing admitted to the facility between 1958 and 2009. The large quantity of data, project leaders explain, represents not only an important part of the memory of the great tragedy, but also an important tool for research into the long-term consequences of radiation exposure.
KYRGYZSTAN
A scandal has hit the Kyrgyz parliament. In June, before the start of the summer holidays, lawmakers approved amendments to the Criminal Code that removed the ban on polygamy, without officially communicating their decision. Now, after the bill was sent back by President Sadyr Japarov with a negative opinion, many MPs deny having voted for it, even though their signatures appear on the document.
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