Today's headlines: Three Chinese teachers killed in terror attack in Pakistan; Hong Kong Catholic tycoon Jimmy Lai dismisses allegations of property fraud; Beijing will send soldiers to the Solomons; Australia says Bejing will send soldiers to Solomon Islands; Alleged missile attack by Israel against Syria: Russians want to send their own students to rebuild Ukraine's Donbass.
MYANMAR
A court controlled by the coup junta has handed down a new sentence to Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the civilian government overthrown by the military on Feb. 1, 2021. It is the first sentence in 11 corruption cases pending against her. In the closed-door trial, without the presence of journalists, judges sentenced the democratic icon to five years in prison.
CHINA-PAKISTAN
The Liberation Army of Balucistan claimed responsibility for the attack (most likely a suicide attack) that yesterday killed three Chinese teachers and their driver in Karachi. The minibus hit by the explosion had just left the premises of the Confucius Institute of a local university. The separatist group has long opposed Chinese investment in their province.
HONG KONG
Catholic media tycoon Jimmy Lai has dismissed fraud charges against him for managing the property that housed Next Digital's offices. His holding company, now in liquidation, owned the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, which was shut down after police investigations. Lai has been in jail for more than a year.
AUSTRALIA-CHINA
China will send military personnel to the Solomon Islands, part of the controversial security agreement concluded between the South Pacific archipelago and Beijing, according to Australia's home minister. The Solomon Islands premier has not revealed details of the arrangement, and so have the Chinese, raising concerns from Australia, New Zealand and the US.
SYRIA-ISRAEL
Four soldiers dead and three wounded: this is the bulletin of an alleged Israeli missile attack that took place this morning against military positions near Damascus. According to the Syrian government, Israel launched the missiles from the Tiberias area.
UKRAINE
Putin's "United Russia" party has proposed sending high school students to Ukraine's Donbass in the coming months for "compulsory work" in aid of the region's reconstruction. The brigades of "reconstructionists" will thus obtain several school credits, as stated by the deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Youth Policy, Vladimir Kiselev.
RUSSIA
In the Church of the Holy Trinity in St. Petersburg, and in several other places of prayer, a pamphlet with special litanies for obtaining indulgences was distributed, with the (ironic) intention of supporting the "Furher Putin" and his military actions.