KOREA
North Korea this morning fired several missiles into the sea off its east coast, the South Korean Ministry of Defence said. This is the fourth such weapons launch by Pyongyang in the last 30 days. The ministry stated that the South Korean military had detected the missiles launched from the Sondok area, a coastal region in eastern North Korea. A few hours earlier, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, had ruled out any dialogue with Washington until the United States abandoned what she described as its hostile policy.
CHINA – PAPUA NEW GUINEA
The Chinese embassy in Papua New Guinea claimed that what appears to be clearly a Chinese-made artillery shell is a “shell-shaped wine bottle” and “poses no danger”, as it is “practically impossible” for military equipment to be smuggled out of China. However, this response has been met with scepticism. Last week, following the discovery of the 32 kg object, the Port Moresby police arrested four Chinese nationals.
TAIWAN
Taiwan’s main airlines, China Airlines and EVA Air, are continuing to fly over Russian airspace after Pakistan revoked – albeit briefly – overflight rights for the Taiwanese carriers, in support of Beijing’s “One China” policy. Using the route over Russia to reach Taiwan from Europe saves two hours’ flying time and around 15 tonnes of fuel, but human rights experts and passengers are concerned about the safety implications.
VIETNAM
Vietnam has withdrawn a draft law that would have allowed minors aged between 15 and 17 to donate their organs after death. To gather views on the draft submitted to the National Assembly last month, the authorities had conducted surveys among school-age children, some as young as seven or eight. Widespread online criticism from the public led to the proposal being withdrawn.
INDIA
The Ladakh administration has ordered a school founded by activist Sonam Wangchuk not to commence lessons or other activities until proceedings regarding the allocation of a plot of land in Leh for the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives – also founded by Wangchuk – have been concluded. In August 2025, the administration had revoked the allocation of a plot of land to Wangchuk for his institute after the land had been allocated to him in 2018. The matter is still pending before the court.
RUSSIA
In the Russian region of Nizhny Novgorod, limits have been introduced on the sale of petrol: motorists may fill up with a maximum of 40 litres of petrol at a time. The sale of petrol in jerry cans is prohibited, but the restrictions do not apply to diesel. Petrol stations in the region are operating an alternate number plate system: on even-numbered days, cars with number plates beginning with even numbers are allowed to fill up, whilst on odd-numbered days the opposite applies; furthermore, petrol stations located near regional borders do not serve cars with number plates from other regions. The police and the National Guard are responsible for enforcing the restrictions.
TURKMENISTAN
In the Akhal province of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of National Security is asking citizens to delete videos in which they appeal to social media users for financial help to buy medicines. Among those seeking help are people with disabilities and pensioners, as reported by a Turkmen service of Radio Azatlyk, citing local residents; one of them said that after posting a video on TikTok, police officers turned up at her home and ordered her to delete the post. She explained that following her husband’s death, she had left her job to care for her disabled son, and that her state benefits were not enough to cover rent, food and medicines.
