Other news of the day: a Pakistani delegation traveled to Kabul to discuss the problem of terrorist attacks. Speculations about a metal sphere found in Japan. At least 4 dead in China after the collapse of a mine. A woman taken hostage is released on Sunday in Papua New Guinea. Shelling between Israel and the Gaza Strip after yesterday’s deaths in Nablus. The link between Russia and Belarus is getting closer and closer.
MYANMAR
The land mines and unexploded ordnance injured or killed more than one person a day in Myanmar last year, according to a United Nations report. There were 390 victims in 2022, an increase of 40% over the previous year. In 2020, before the coup, the UN had registered 254 victims. Most of the incidents occurred in the border areas where ethnic militias are concentrated and in the central region of Sagaing, where intense fighting has taken place after the military coup.
PAKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN
A high-ranking delegation led by Pakistan’s defense minister, visited Kabul yesterday for talks with some Taliban officials. Also present was Pakistan’s intelligence chief, General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum. According to the Foreign Ministry, the activities of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) were discussed, which in January alone killed 134 people and injured at least 254 in 44 attacks.
JAPAN
A buoy? An explosive device? A Godzilla egg? since one appeared huge metal sphere on the beach from Enshuhama, in the coastal city of Hamamatsu, all kinds of hypotheses about the nature and origin of the object have been triggered on social media. Some have even speculated that it is one of the seven spheres of Dragon Ball. A team of experts has already made it clear that there is no risk of explosion.
CHINA
At least four people died and about fifty are missing after the collapse of a coal mine in the Inner Mongolia region. Chinese authorities ordered an investigation into the causes of the collapse while rescue work continues. Coal is a major source of energy in China, but its mines are among the deadliest in the world due to poor enforcement of safety regulations. Chinese mines have also been trying to increase production in the past year at the request of the government. That particular field had been closed for three years before reopening in April 2021.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Was a woman released today who was part of a group of investigators captured by armed Papua New Guinean rebels on Sunday as efforts to free the other hostages continue, local police said. The archaeologists were working in the village of Fogoma’iu, in a remote mountainous region. The police explained that negotiations are underway to avoid an escalation of tension.
ISRAEL – PALESTINE
Israel bombed the Gaza Strip in response to rockets fired by Palestinian fighters to avenge 11 compatriots who were killed yesterday in the West Bank city of Nablus. Islamic Jihad and Hamas have condemned the attack in Nablus, during which the Israeli army closed the approaches to the city to arrest some Palestinian fighters. At least 100 people were injured in the clashes.
RUSSIA – BELARUS
The “Dosje” center has published excerpts from the project leaked by the Kremlin for the “progressive annexation” of Belarus, which is not limited to the official agreements of the unitary state with Russia. By 2030, the spheres of politics, defense, trade and social organization will be “harmonized” under the “determining influence” of Moscow.
ARMENIA – AZERBAIJAN
The 100 observers sent by the EU arrived at the Armenian base of Ekhegnadzor, half of them unarmed, together with a contingent of 8 French gendarmes and some German policemen. The objective is to “collaborate with stability on the border with Azerbaijan and reinforce mutual trust and the security of people in the areas most affected by the conflict.”
