IRAN – USA
The second round of talks between the United States and Iran has begun at the Omani embassy in Geneva, Switzerland, in an attempt to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear programme. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will speak with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, thanks to the mediation of Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi.
CHINA – PHILIPPINES
For several weeks, diplomatic tensions have continued between China and the Philippines over Beijing's incursions into the South China Sea. The Philippine Foreign Ministry yesterday expressed ‘strong disapproval’ of statements made by the Chinese embassy in Manila, according to which millions of jobs for Filipino citizens would be at risk in the event of further diplomatic retaliation. “We strongly object to the tone of the embassy, which seems to imply that such cooperation could be denied as a form of pressure or retaliation,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
MALAYSIA – JAPAN
Japan wants to implement a project in Malaysia to capture and store carbon dioxide, the effectiveness of which is questionable. According to environmental activists, this would be a costly distraction from the transition to renewable energies, which have a greater impact in the fight against climate change. Japan plans to transfer emissions from its polluting industries to Malaysia, which is becoming a hub for advanced technologies in Southeast Asia.
PAKISTAN
Yesterday, two explosions and a firefight between Pakistani Taliban and police in north-western Pakistan left several people dead and dozens injured. Explosives attached to a motorbike were detonated near the entrance to a police station in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on the border with Afghanistan. Subsequently, a vehicle was blown up as it was being driven towards a security checkpoint in the Bajaur district.
SOUTH KOREA
While South Korean influence is spreading in sectors such as music and cinema, the popularity of a traditional form of entertainment, Korean wrestling, called ssireum, is declining at home. This sport dates back 1,500 years, has been recognised as part of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage, and was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s, when South Korea had eight wrestling teams. Some young athletes will take part in the Lunar New Year tournament, which begins today.
RUSSIA
As documented in a report by Idel. Realii, Central Asian migrants are being recruited for war through fraudulent actions by the police, who, during checks, throw various quantities of drugs into the migrants' clothes and bags, then arrest them for drug trafficking and force them to go to the front in Ukraine as “cannon fodder”. Very few of them return alive from the fighting, as their relatives tell journalists.
CHINA – TAJIKISTAN
After two weeks of absence from the public scene, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon reappeared with a press room report showing his meeting with the president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China's Zou Jayi, to discuss the construction of the Rogun power plant and other “long-term financing” projects, as well as a video message wishing Chinese President Xi Jinping a happy Lunar New Year.
