Other news of the day: Ayatollah al-Sistani called not to forget the suffering of Afghans, especially women; in Vietnam, the authorities of Dong Thap declare the death of the boy who fell into a 35-meter well, the attempts to rescue him were futile; the Taliban claim responsibility for the murder of two senior Pakistani officials; in the Ukraine, the Wagner company cemetery is rapidly filling up with new burials; the Armenian airline opens new connections with Moscow.
HONG KONG – CHINA
After three years of closure due to Covid-19, Beijing today formalized the opening of its borders with Hong Kong from January 8. One more step towards the normalization of China, after the sudden cancellation on December 7 of the strict zero tolerance rules imposed by the Communist Party. Restrictions on entry from Macao were also removed.
KOREA
A North Korean drone invaded the no-fly zone near the presidential office in Seoul last month. A South Korean army officer admitted as much today, after weeks of denials and silence. The Pyongyang vehicle briefly entered the 3.7-kilometer area surrounding Yoon Suk Yeol’s offices, though it did not threaten major security structures.
IRAQ – AFGHANISTAN
The highest Iraqi Shiite authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has launched an appeal to Muslims and the international community, urging them not to “abandon” Afghanistan. At the end of a meeting with a delegation of Afghan Shiites, he expressed “deep regret” for the suffering of the population, “especially women” and urged to preserve unity, solidarity and peaceful coexistence.
VIETNAM
The story that kept the Asian country in suspense has ended in a dramatic way. Authorities in the southern province of Dong Thap announced the death of the 10-year-old boy, who fell into a 25cm-wide and 35m-deep concrete pit on New Year’s Eve while looking for scrap metal. Now they will try to recover the body so they can bury it.
PAKISTAN
The Pakistani Tehreek-e-Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing of a senior intelligence officer with ties to the prime minister’s entourage and another security official. A sample of the growing activism of the group, which has increased jihadist attacks in the country. Both were shot dead on January 3 outside a hotel in Punjab.
RUSSIA – UKRAINE
The Wagner company cemetery in Ukraine, located in the village of Bakinsk near the Kuban in southern Russia, is rapidly filling up with new burials, which have doubled in the past two weeks and already exceed the hundred. The bodies correspond to mercenaries recruited from prisons that have not been claimed by any family.
ARMENIA
Armenia’s Fly Arna airline announced that direct flights from Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport to Moscow’s Sheremetevo airport will begin four times a week from January 21. In addition there will be flights to Domodedovo and Sochi, to “allow our passengers to visit Moscow and Russia comfortably and at a good price.”
