CHINA
Rescuers engaged in a fight against time, and against frost with temperatures of minus 13 degrees, in an attempt to recover survivors under the rubble of houses that collapsed due to a devastating 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the province of Guansu . The victims confirmed so far are 105, over 250 injured but the toll is destined to increase. Another 13 victims in the nearby province of Qinghai, 182 injured. More than 5 thousand houses were damaged.
ISRAEL - PALESTINE
The Israeli prison system is bursting at the seams, as reported by the leaders of the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to Parliament. An increase linked to mass arrests since the beginning of the war with Hamas in Gaza and the numerous raids in the West Bank. Last week the number of prisoners amounted to approximately 19,372, 3 thousand more than in October, compared to a total capacity of 14,500 foreseen by law.
KOREA
International troops stationed on the South Korean side of the village of Panmunjom, on the border with North Korea, will return to arming themselves as reported today by the US-led United Nations Command (UNC). The multinational force that oversees affairs in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has long operated without weapons, but Pyongyang's growing military activism across the border has led to a change of direction.
PAKISTAN
Artificial intelligence was used for the first time to "disseminate" a speech by former prime minister Imran Khan, now in prison, to supporters. A choice that could help the party win the next elections. During a virtual event on social media, the figure of the former cricket champion, who wrote the text from his cell, was replicated, with over a million viewers connected.
MYANMAR
The civil war in Myanmar has caused over 2.6 million new internally displaced people, including 660,000 who have recently fled their homes due to the intensification of fighting, as Unocha reports. Armed clashes, air strikes, landmines, arbitrary arrests and road blockades have also caused a surge in civilian casualties.
YEMEN - GULF
The growing attacks by the Houthi militias, linked to Tehran, are redrawing the maps of international maritime trade, particularly in the Gulf area and the Red Sea. Major freight companies are falling back on the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal, with costs and delays likely to increase in the coming weeks. Approximately 15% of global maritime traffic passes through the Suez Canal, the shortest sea route between Europe and Asia.
RUSSIA
A group of residents of the Irkutsk region in Siberia sent a video appeal to President Vladimir Putin to complain about frequent interruptions in heating and electricity. In a period where the temperature drops below 30 degrees below zero and in homes remains close to zero, citizens are asking themselves "why are we freezing, and not Europe?".
TURKMENISTAN
The selection of the "most beautiful children" for the New Year celebrations has begun in Ashgabat schools. There are 4-5 for each primary school class, with protests from many parents who fear psychological trauma for their children and the fear of additional compulsory expenses to dress up the winners, lined up under the large tree in the central square to dance and act as a crown to the president.
