100 Rohingya remain stranded at sea off the Andaman Islands

Other news of the day: the Taliban prohibit women from attending university. The Covid crisis forces the Japanese foreign minister’s visit to Beijing to be postponed. Philippines concerned about Chinese occupation in the South China Sea. Syria: second US offensive against ISIS in just one week. Tensions continue between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the territory of Karabakh.

INDIA-MYANMAR

At least 100 Rohingya They remain trapped at sea, aboard a boat, off the coast of the Andaman Islands in India. Some humanitarian organizations report that around twenty people have already died of hunger and thirst, or drowned. Every year, members of this ethnic minority of the Islamic faith flee Myanmar, where they are persecuted by the authorities.

AFGHANISTAN

The Taliban prohibit women’s access to universities. This is the latest restriction on rights imposed by the fundamentalist group in the name of Islamic law. The ban takes immediate effect and is in addition to a ban preventing young Afghan girls from attending secondary school. Today, several women’s groups protested in Kabul against the new measure.

JAPAN CHINA

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi, has called off his visit to Beijing this month, postponing the trip until the end of January or even later. The decision is due to the health crisis in China, where the coronavirus has spread rapidly since the government decided to end the draconian measures to eradicate Covid.

PHILIPPINES

Manila expressed concern over reports that China is occupying and expanding its presence on the coral reefs and shoals of the Spratly Islands, an archipelago located in the South China Sea and currently the center of a dispute. Beijing has militarized several islets in the region in recent years, despite protests from the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia.

SYRIA

For the second time in a week, US troops launched an offensive against the ISIS militiamen in eastern Syria. In the latest operation, US forces captured six members of the terrorist group, including a high command.

RUSSIA

In the square located in front of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, they installed two hearts with the inscription “Mariupol and Saint Petersburg” to symbolize the “fraternal ties” between the two cities. At night, unknown subjects covered the work with inscriptions that read “Murderers, they bombarded it. Judas!”. The captions were immediately deleted before the installation was removed.

ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN

The Azerbaijanis continue to blockade the Lacinsk corridor, which connects Karabakh with Armenia. The situation is such that a 62-year-old Armenian man died when an ambulance did not arrive on time. In retaliation, Armenians from the breakaway region blocked Azerbaijan’s access to the town of Karvachar, with the support of Russian peacekeeping troops.