Thailand-Cambodia: talks in Malaysia for a truce

Today's headlines: The Israeli army ‘pauses’ aid delivery but continues attacks on exhausted Gazan population; A new round of meetings begins in Sweden between the United States and China to extend the tariff truce by 90 days; The abbot of the Shaolin Buddhist temple is under investigation and has been stripped of his ordination certificate; Regular flights begin between Moscow and Pyongyang .

THAILAND - CAMBODIA

Thailand and Cambodia are holding talks today in Malaysia, which holds the ASEAN presidency, in an attempt to end the conflict that has now lasted four days. Bangkok has said that a delegation led by interim Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will participate, after Trump called for a ceasefire. Malaysia has reportedly confirmed the participation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. Thirty-three soldiers and civilians have been killed, while more than 200,000 people have been displaced since fighting broke out on 24 July.

GAZA - ISRAEL

The Israeli army has announced ‘local tactical pauses in military activity’ for the delivery of humanitarian aid in densely populated areas of Gaza. The “pauses” will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. ‘until further notice’ in areas where the Israeli army has no troops on the ground. The announcement came as several Arab countries resumed aid deliveries to the exhausted population with Israel's permission: Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The decision was coordinated with the United Nations, which has been heavily criticised by Israel, and other organisations. Since the announcement, Israeli attacks have not stopped, with dozens killed in the Strip.

CHINA - UNITED STATES

The United States and China have begun a new round of talks aimed at extending the 90-day truce in the trade war between the two powers, which expires on 12 August. The meetings in Sweden, led by Washington's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Beijing's Deputy Prime Minister He Lifeng, come just hours after Trump announced a deal on tariffs with the European Union, ending a months-long dispute by agreeing to a 15% US tariff on all products from the EU.

CHINA

Shi Yongxin, the abbot of the famous Shaolin Buddhist temple, is being investigated by several Chinese state agencies for embezzlement, ‘inappropriate relationships with several women’ and ‘having illegitimate children’. The 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple, located in a mountain range in the central Chinese province of Henan, attracts thousands of disciples every year. Shi, abbot of the Shaolin Temple since 1999, earned the nickname ‘CEO monk’ for turning the institution into a global brand. He has been stripped of his ordination certificate as part of the investigation, the Chinese Buddhist association announced on Monday.

RUSSIA - NORTH KOREA

Direct flights from Moscow to Pyongyang have begun at a time of strengthening ties between the two nations and easier travel for Russian tourists abroad. The first Moscow-Pyongyang flight, operated by the Russian airline Nordwind Airlines, took off yesterday and landed in the North Korean capital about eight hours later. The route will initially operate only once a month, according to the Russian Transport Ministry, and the first return flight from Pyongyang to Moscow is scheduled for Tuesday.

ARMENIA - UNITED STATES

Armenia has rejected Donald Trump's proposal to ‘lease’ to the United States the 42 km road that crosses Syunik, on the border with Azerbaijan, according to the head of the parliamentary commission for European integration, Arman Egoyan, as ‘we see dangers to our sovereignty’, although we are in favour of unblocking communications in the Zangezur Corridor, already known as the ‘Trump bridge’.

KAZAKHSTAN

Five years have passed since Kazakhstan passed the ‘law on peaceful demonstrations’, presented as ‘a major democratic reform’, and according to Azattyk Asia's calculations, more than 500 requests to organise public gatherings have been denied with continuous pretextual justifications, ranging from public works to simultaneous sporting competitions, which in reality never took place.

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