After India and Russia, Japan also sets its sights on the moon

Today's headlines: Hanoi records a surge in rice price and demand;On return from India, papal delegate reports to pope on the situation of the Syro-Malabars; Druze protest continues for fifth day in southern Syrian town of Swida; Taipei reopens to Chinese tourists, "peace" signal to Beijing; UN report accuses Taliban of more than 200 extrajudicial killings; Flowers and tributes at St. Petersburg's Wagner Center after Prigožin's death.

JAPAN
After India, whose Chandraayan-3 probe is sending images from the Earth's satellite, and Russia (which failed its mission), Japan is also aiming for the moon. In fact, the launch of the H2-A rocket of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa), already recovering from several failures, is scheduled for the weekend, carrying an advanced imaging satellite and a light lander, which should land on the terrestrial satellite by February.

VIETNAM
Hanoi sees a surge in rice demand and prices after India, the world's biggest supplier, imposed export caps last month. For operators it is an opportunity to increase production and trade, but at the same time fears have emerged about unfavorable weather patterns linked to climate change, which affect future harvests.

INDIA - VATICAN
Jesuit Archbishop Cyril Vasil, papal delegate for the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, met Pope Francis on his return to the Vatican after 18 days in the Indian state of Kerala, briefing him on the crisis situation in the archaepachy of Ernakulam-Angamaly . The delegate discussed with the various groups and provided the necessary guidelines; the pontiff invited him to be firm in implementing the decisions taken by the Syro-Malabar Synod.

SYRIA
Hundreds of Syrians in the Druze-majority town of Swida, in the south-west of the country, took to the streets for the fifth consecutive day to protest against the worsening economic situation. The demonstrators also called for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. Community leaders, meeting yesterday, supported the right to protest, as long as it is peaceful.

TAIWAN - CHINA
Taipei opens (partially) to the Chinese, allowing tourists and businessmen to enter in an attempt to resume trade interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and sending a soothing signal to Beijing. China, which is gradually returning to issuing visas for its citizens to popular destinations including Japan, has yet to add Taiwan to its list.

AFGHANISTAN
In a report, the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) accuses the Taliban of having carried out more than 200 extrajudicial executions since their return to power in August 2021. Added to these are also 800 cases of violations of the human rights of former officials or affiliates of the previous government in Kabul, including arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and ill-treatment, and enforced disappearances.

RUSSIA
Since the announcement of Yevgeny Prigozhin's death, a continuous procession has been going on since the night of the mysterious accident towards the Wagner Center in St. Petersburg, where people bring flowers, candles and company stripes. The conspiratorial versions are rampant, many explain Prigozhin's hasty return to Russia to prevent the transfer of all his mercenaries to Africa.

TURKMENISTAN
In the city of Turkmenbaši, and in several other places in Turkmenistan, the authorities have ordered carpet searches in the homes of citizens suspected of "observing the traditions of Islam with excessive zeal". The police have confiscated all religious literature except the Koran, with any publication that calls for submission to Sharia laws being prohibited.