Qatar: explosion at oil refinery, at least 13 Indians and Pakistanis dead

Today’s headlines: Kim Jong-un announces to the Party his intention to expand North Korea’s nuclear arsenal; Investigation into the Tai Po fire in Hong Kong: most of the victims died from smoke inhalation; New US plan on customer service in companies puts call centres in India and the Philippines at risk. Amnesty in Tajikistan to mark 35 years of independence.

QATAR-IRAN-PAKISTAN

At least 13 people have died and 66 have been injured following an explosion on 21 June at Ras Laffan, Qatar’s main liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing plant. The victims are all Indian and Pakistani nationals. Among the injured are nationals of Qatar, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria and Nepal, the minister added. According to Energy Minister Saad Al Kaabi, the incident was caused by an operational fault during the restart of operations at the local Barzan gas supply centre, triggering a fire and a powerful explosion. Ras Laffan, the world’s largest LNG plant, had already been struck by Iranian missiles in March. The Ministry of Energy clarified that export capacity had not been compromised and that there were no environmental risks.

NORTH KOREA

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has called on the country to further expand its nuclear arsenal, with the stated aim of reaching and surpassing the levels of the world’s major powers. According to the state news agency KCNA, the Workers’ Party of Korea held the second plenary session of its Ninth Central Committee over three days, chaired by Kim: the meeting reaffirmed that nuclear forces are the cornerstone of national military sovereignty and of the deterrence and defence strategy.

HONG KONG

The inquiry into the Tai Po fire last November found that 91 of the 168 victims died from smoke inhalation. Experts cited foam panels fitted to the windows and deactivated fire alarms as aggravating factors. According to the commission’s chairman, Victor Dawes, the tragedy was “entirely preventable” and there was virtually no time available for evacuation.

PHILIPPINES–INDIA–UNITED STATES

In the United States, a proposal is under discussion that could make it more difficult or less cost-effective for American companies to outsource customer service operations abroad, particularly to the Philippines and India, which are among the world’s major hubs for call centres. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched a public consultation to assess proposals such as incentives to locate call centres on US soil, a requirement to inform customers of the centre’s geographical location, and stricter language requirements, including operators’ proficiency in standard American English. The initiative is raising concerns in India and the Philippines, where the business services sector employs millions of people and generates tens of billions of dollars. Critics regard it as a protectionist measure that could harm economies heavily dependent on the US market.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE

On the night of 22 June, Russian forces attacked civilian merchant ships heading for Ukrainian ports, causing casualties, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba. According to the Ukrainian Navy, the attack caused a fire on board the Victress, a Panamanian-flagged vessel owned by a Turkish shipowner, which had nine crew members on board – nationals of Egypt, Turkey and India – and one person died: the ship’s cook, a 58-year-old Egyptian national.

TAJIKISTAN

The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rakhmon, has signed an amnesty law to mark the 35th anniversary of the country’s independence. A total of 18,038 convicted prisoners will be pardoned, according to the presidential press office: 11,305 people will be released from places of detention, penal colonies and other forms of punishment not involving imprisonment, whilst a further 6,733 convicted prisoners are set to have their sentences reduced, with additional benefits for women and minors.