SOUTH KOREA
In South Korea, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the main opposition party, has filed an impeachment motion against Prime Minister Han Duck-so, who according to the Constitution serves as head of state after the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol. The decision came shortly after Han said he would not appoint three justices to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court (which is due to rule on Yoon's impeachment) until rival parties reach a political compromise. The DPK plans to put the motion against Han to a vote in Friday's plenary session.
PAKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN
At least 46 people, including women and children, were killed in a Pakistani air strike on Tuesday in Paktika province, in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban government reported the incident, saying that it summoned the Pakistani head of mission to Kabul to deliver a formal note of protest to Pakistan. Pakistani sources claim that the air strike targeted a camp of the Islamist militant Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Pakistan (TTP), which is not part of Afghanistan’s ruling group but seeks to impose Islamic law in Pakistan as well.
KAZAKHSTAN – AZERBAIJAN
An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed yesterday in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board. The plane was supposed to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the city of Grozny in southern Russia, but instead crossed the Caspian Sea and crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. Kazakhstan's transport ministry said the plane was carrying 37 nationals of Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia. All scenarios remain open as to the possible caused disaster.
ISRAEL – YEMEN
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched a new drone at Israel yesterday that fell in an open area near the southern city of Ashkelon. No injuries or serious damage were reported in the attack, which came after Israeli leaders stepped up threats against the Yemeni group in a week of near-daily ballistic missile and drone launches into central Israel. The London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported that Houthi leaders have stopped attending regular meetings and are avoiding traditional media so as not to expose themselves as targets for possible Israeli raids.
TAIWAN
Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je was formally indicted for corruption. He won 26 per cent of the vote in last year’s presidential elections coming in third after the candidates of the ruling People's Democratic Party and the Kuomintang. He is accused of accepting half a million dollars in bribes for a real estate deal during his tenure as mayor of Taipei and violating the campaign finance law during his presidential run. The prosecution is asking for up to 28 and a half years in prison for him. Ko, who has denied the allegations, was arrested in September.
BELARUS
Catholic charity Caritas Belarus and its director, Anatoli Yaroshko, are on trial in Minsk, charged with violating the Administrative Code for “using foreign aid for purposes not legally approved". Sanctions can include fines against legal entities of up to 100 per cent of the aid, and the confiscation of all material and financial assets of the association.
KYRGYZSTAN
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov chaired the third People’s Congress (Narodniy Kurultay, Народный Курултай) with 700 delegates from all regions and Kyrgyz living abroad, as well as representatives of religious groups. He presented plans for the country’s future development and the opening of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway; he also criticised the European Parliament and the US Congress for passing resolutions critical of rights violations in his country.
