Today's headlines: Clashes erupt again in Syria in the Druze city of Sweida, with at least 30 dead;. Israeli missile strikes water distribution point in Gaza; 300 Chinese engineers leave Foxconn factories producing iPhones in India; Medical students in South Korea suspend  their strike after 17 months; Trade agreement between Indonesia and the European Union

CAMBODIA

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has announced that starting next year, the country's army will begin compulsory conscription, arguing that increased tensions with Thailand require the activation of a long-dormant law to this effect. In 2006, the Cambodian parliament passed a law requiring all Cambodian citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, but this law has never been enforced until now.

GAZA-ISRAEL

While negotiations remain stalled, Israeli forces continued to strike Gaza yesterday, killing at least 95 Palestinians, according to Palestinian sources. In the central refugee camp of Nuseirat, an Israeli missile strike hit a water collection point, killing at least 10 people, including six children. The Israeli army spoke of a missile malfunction.

SYRIA

In southern Syria, new clashes have broken out between Bedouin tribes and local fighters in the predominantly Druze town of Sweida. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least eight people were killed: six Druze and two Bedouins. This is the first episode of deadly violence in the area since violent clashes between members of the Druze community and security forces left dozens dead between April and May.

INDIA-CHINA

More than 300 Chinese workers have left Foxconn factories in southern India that manufacture Apple iPhones. Although the reasons for the recall have not been made explicit, they appear to be linked to Beijing's broader strategy to limit technology transfers and equipment exports to India and Southeast Asia. ‘The Indian government is monitoring the situation,’ sources in Delhi said. ‘Apple has alternatives and will be able to cope with the situation.’

SOUTH KOREA

In South Korea, medical students have announced that they will end their 17-month boycott of classes in protest against the previous government's healthcare reform plan, which sought to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 places, a proposal that was later withdrawn. ‘This is a big step forward and a relief,’ commented Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. The Ministry of Education had previously announced that 8,305 students from 40 medical schools across the country would be required to repeat the academic year, attending the same year as younger students.

INDONESIA-EUROPEAN UNION

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced yesterday in Brussels that they had reached a “political agreement” on the conclusion of a trade agreement that had been under negotiation since 2016 and aims to increase trade and investment. The European Union is Indonesia's fifth largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching US.1 billion last year. Relations had soured over an EU bill that would ban imports of products linked to deforestation, a measure that angered Indonesia, a major exporter of palm oil. The entry into force of this legislation has been postponed until the end of this year.

RUSSIA

At the request of his daughter, the story of 42-year-old Vitalij Anisimov, who died in Ukraine in early May, has been made public. He was forced to go to the front despite a chronic leg disease and other genetic malformations. As soon as he arrived in Ukraine, he began to suffer internal bleeding, which revealed lung cancer, but he was not sent home for treatment.

UZBEKISTAN

The Uzbek parliament has approved legislation to combat gambling, a widespread scourge in the country, tightening the rules for bookmakers and lottery licences, which will be banned for state employees, people declared mentally incapacitated or semi-incapacitated by the courts, and those on the social welfare register.

 

 

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