Vietnam issues alert over African Swine Fever with 100,000 animals infected

Today's headlines: Netanyahu orders occupation of the entire Gaza Strip; Maximum weather alert in Hong Kong for heavy rain, over 82,000 people evacuated in Beijing; Preliminary talks begin between Cambodia and Thailand after border clashes; Australia buys military ships from Japan for billion.

VIETNAM

There is an escalating outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in Vietnam, with the number of infected pigs more than tripling in just two weeks. There have been 972 outbreaks this year, a sudden increase from the 514 reported in mid-July. The number of infected animals has risen to more than 100,000 from 30,000 in the same period, the vast majority of which have died or been slaughtered.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE

The Israeli army has received orders to conquer the entire Strip, where the military is already operating, opening fire in more than 75% of the territory, further accelerating the plan to control Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light despite fears from the head of the Defense Forces (IDF), while the government assures it has the support of the White House. Meanwhile, about 600 retired senior Israeli security officials, including former heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence agencies, have written to US President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to immediately end the war in Gaza.

HONG KONG

Local authorities have issued the highest level of weather alert, while torrential rains have led to the closure of schools, courts, and hospital wards. About 10,000 lightning bolts lit up the skies between 6 and 7 a.m., hitting the city and the nearby province of Guangdong. The storms follow deadly flash floods in southern China last weekend, killing at least five people. Also due to bad weather in Beijing, more than 82,000 people were evacuated after dozens died in floods in the suburbs of the capital.

THAILAND - CAMBODIA

“Preliminary” talks between Thai and Cambodian defense officials began yesterday in Malaysia, ahead of a key ministerial meeting scheduled for August 7. Meanwhile, the fragile truce reached last week seems to be holding, following a ceasefire agreed by the parties after five days of border clashes and rising tensions.

JAPAN - AUSTRALIA

Australia has finalized the purchase of 11 Mogami-class frigates built by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), worth a total of billion. Despite official statements, analysts and experts believe that behind the move by Canberra (and Tokyo) lies a “shared concern” about Chinese expansionism in the Asia-Pacific seas.

INDIA

The Indian Supreme Court has raised concerns about delays in the delivery of the new forensic report on the authenticity of audio messages linking former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to recent ethnic violence. In May, judges expressed “dissatisfaction” with the Central Forensic Science Laboratory's analysis of the recordings and requested a new report.

KAZAKHSTAN - CHINA - RUSSIA

Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Roman Skljar has stated that the country's third nuclear power plant will be built, like the second, by a Chinese company. The first was awarded to a Russian company, with a rather uncertain completion date: the construction sites have not yet been identified and will be sought near water sources within the current year using “transparent procedures.”

TURKEY - TURKMENISTAN

Two well-known Turkmen bloggers, Ališer Sakhatov and Abdulla Orusov, who openly criticized the Ashgabat regime, have disappeared in Turkey. Human rights activists are concerned about their fate, believing that they may have been kidnapped by Turkmenistan's special services to be returned to their homeland, where they face torture and long imprisonment.

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