Other news of the day: North Korea will not participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics. Cambodian Premier Hun Sen criticised for trip to Myanmar. Unvaccinated Filippinos who violate quarantine face jail. First woman to lead Pakistan's Supreme Court. Eight Palestinians killed in a car accident in the Occupied Territories.
KAZAKHSTAN
26 rioters and 18 officers have died so far in the ongoing clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces. The official bulletin of the Kazakh authorities speaks of over 3,000 people arrested and 748 policemen injured. Part of the 2,500 Russian-led troops of the Collective Security Treaty Organization have already arrived in the country to protect the Tokaev regime.
NORTH KOREA-CHINA
Pyongyang will not participate in next month's Beijing Winter Olympics. Kim Jong-un's regime justified the decision with risks to Covid-19 and the presence of "hostile forces." Due to non-participation in the Tokyo Games, North Korean athletes cannot compete until the end of the year anyway.
CAMBODIA-MYANMAR
Burmese opposition to the February 2020 military coup has lashed out at Cambodian Premier Hun Sen, who arrived in Myanmar this morning to meet with the top leadership of the ruling junta. Critics say the Phnom Penh-based leader is not an "honest broker," given his authoritarian rule and ties to China, a supporter of Naypyidaw's generals.
PHILIPPINES
Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte has declared unvaccinated people who violate home quarantine will be arrested. With the spread of the Omicron variant, infections in the country have risen to the highest in three months (over 17 thousand).
RUSSIA
According to Interfax, at the beginning of 2022 there were almost 4 thousand Russian physical and legal persons sanctioned by UN, USA, Canada, Great Britain, EU, Australia, Japan and Ukraine: 20% of those sanctioned in the world. In all, there are 1,554 companies and 2,281 individuals.
PAKISTAN
Islamabad is on the verge of appointing the first woman to lead the National Supreme Court. Fifty-five-year-old Ayesha Malik cleared the first hurdle with a favorable vote from the Judicial Commission. Now all she needs is the green light from the Parliament: the majority party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf has already declared its support.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
A collision between a bus and a truck caused the death of eight Palestinians yesterday. The accident occurred in the Occupied Territories. Among the victims are workers employed in Jewish settlements along Highway 90, which runs through the Jordan Valley.