Pakistani Kashmir: Total lockdown and 24 deaths in two weeks of protests
Today's news: Cambodia has launched a four-month visa-free trial for Chinese visitors. According to the World Bank, fuel subsidies in Indonesia benefit well-off families. A Nepali climber survived a week trapped alone on Mount Everest. Witkoff and Kushner will be in Switzerland for Iranian nuclear talks.
PAKISTAN
A total lockdown with roads closed, and Internet and media ban, has paralysed daily life in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir after the region's bloodiest unrest in recent years left at least 24 people dead in nearly two weeks of protests. The clash between local authorities and supporters of the recently banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) represents a tricky challenge for Islamabad. At least 20 civilians have reportedly been killed and dozens more wounded. The unrest began on the eve of a strike called for 9 June by the JAAC to protest the reservation of 12 seats for refugees displaced from Indian Kashmir in the 27 July elections for the 45-seat regional legislative assembly.
CAMBODIA – CHINA
Cambodia has initiated a four-month trial period for visa-free travel for Chinese visitors, the last Southeast Asian country to do so. The goal is to compete for a larger share of the Chinese outbound travel market. The pilot programme, set to run from 15 June to 15 October, will allow Chinese passport holders in the country without a visa, for up to 14 days with multiple entries. The Cambodian government hopes this will draw at least 600,000 Chinese visitors and bring annual arrivals above 1.2 million this year. Tourism is a major pillar of the Cambodian economy.
INDONESIA
According to the World Bank, Indonesia should gradually scrap fuel subsidies and replace them with cash transfers to the poorest families to limit fiscal risks and improve equity. Currently, more than half of subsidies benefit the richest 20 per cent of families. Furthermore, spending on energy subsidies remains a “significant and volatile” component of public spending, accounting for 1.6 per cent of gross domestic product.
NEPAL
Dawa Sherpa survived a week alone on Mount Everest before managing to get to safety. For three days, the Nepali climber was trapped in a crevasse, surviving on biscuits, chocolate, and chunks of ice, while his family at home had already begun mourning his death. Eventually, an avalanche struck the 8-metre-deep ice crevasse, filling it with snow, thus creating a path for Dewa to climb to freedom.
ISRAEL – LEBANON – IRAN – UNITED STATES
Yesterday, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire following the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon; despite this, Israeli attacks have been reported in southern Lebanon with at least five people reportedly died. Meanwhile, US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has announced he is leaving for Switzerland for talks on the Iranian nuclear programme, while Jared Kushner, US special envoy for peace, is already there.
UKRAINE
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Ukraine's military spending has reached a record high, US$ 84.1 billion, or about 40 per cent of the country's GDP. Defence currently accounts for 63 per cent of all Ukrainian public spending, but Professor Konstantin Sonin of the University of Chicago stated: “I see a country alive and well, even growing in some sectors," especially in the military-industrial complex, which has become an important testing ground for several new technologies.
GEORGIA – SERBIA
Serbian President Aleksandr Vučić's visited Georgia last week. In addition to clarifying the text of the free trade agreement and developing trade and economic relations, Tbilisi and Belgrade have agreed to develop a common position "against European bureaucracies" during negotiations with the EU on the parameters for both countries' accession to the Union. The agreements were discussed with Georgian Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivišvili, who until recently headed the Georgian National Tourist Board.
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20/02/2021 13:24
