A video showing three hostages was released yesterday, fuelling expectations about their fate. Thailand and Nepal are seeking to get information about their own citizens held in Gaza. The terminally ill mother of an Israeli-Chinese woman seen on a video at the time of the abductions attended a rally in Tel Aviv.
Officially emigrating for work, Nepalis have been recruited into the Russian army to fight. At least 10 Nepalis have already fallen in Russian regiments. For migrants, the promise of Russian citizenship is an incentive to join up. The Nepali government has decided to block permits and is asking Russia to repatriate its citizens sent to war.
The 12 parishes of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal have been asked to take additional security measures during Christmas due to possible attacks by Hindu extremists. "Christmas is a time of joyful celebration and we should celebrate it with joy and not with fear," said Father Silas Bogati, vicar general of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal.
Today's news: the Hong Kong government wants to prosecute activist Agnes Chow in Canada too. Israel accuses Hamas of using sexual violence as a weapon of war. After the death of 6 Nepalese soldiers in the Russian army, the Himalayan country has asked Moscow to no longer recruit its citizens. A cyclone in India has caused at least 9 deaths and displaced 8,000 people.
Police harshly cracked down against the unauthorised demonstration led by businessman Durga Pasai. By exploiting widespread poverty, the anti-system activist wants to restore a Hindu state to “Protect the Nation, Nationalism, Religion and Culture”. Deposed in 2008, the last king, Gyanendra, lives in the capital as an ordinary citizen.
Today's news: In Nepal, the most violent earthquake since 2015 causes hundreds of deaths, but the toll could rise as whole areas are unreachable; In China and Mongolia, the effects of climate change are being felt: from 30 degrees to 0 in a few days; Scam allowing Russian businessmen and officials to circumvent Western sanctions uncovered.
