Today's headlines: at least three Alawites killed in protests in Latakia, Syria; Nepalese rapper-turned-mayor Balen joins the Rastriya Swatantra Party ahead of March parliamentary elections; Thailand and Cambodia meet to “consolidate” the ceasefire on their borders; Over 4,000 schools have closed in South Korea in recent years due to a lack of students.

TAIWAN - CHINA

Beijing has launched new military exercises around Taiwan, simulating the seizure and blockade of key areas of the island as a warning against the “separatist forces” in Taipei. The army, navy, air force and missile force are engaged in “war games” involving the use of “live fire”. The code name given by China is “Mission of Justice 2025”.

SYRIA

Three people were killed yesterday in Latakia, a stronghold of the Alawite minority, when street protests turned violent with shootings and gunfire. This is yet another chapter in the sectarian violence that has been ravaging the country since the ousting of former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Thousands of protesters gathered in Azhari Square to demand a decentralised political system and the release of thousands of prisoners.

NEPAL

Two popular leaders have formed an alliance ahead of Nepal's March parliamentary elections in an attempt to break the 30-year power of the more traditional parties that have dominated the Himalayan nation's political scene. Kathmandu's rapper-turned-mayor Balendra Shah, known as Balen, has joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) led by former television presenter-turned-politician Rabi Lamichhane. If victorious, 35-year-old Balen will become prime minister, while Lamichhane will remain party leader.

THAILAND - CAMBODIA

Beijing has congratulated Cambodia on reaching a ceasefire with Thailand after weeks of deadly fighting on the border, while officials from the three countries met yesterday and today for two days of talks in south-western China. Bangkok and Phnom Penh are seeking to ease tensions after weeks of fierce fighting on the border that has left more than 100 people dead and half a million displaced. The aim of the meetings is to “rebuild mutual trust and gradually consolidate a ceasefire”.

IRAQ

At Christmas, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani congratulated all Iraqis, especially Christians, during his participation in two Masses at the Syriac Catholic Church of Our Lady of Salvation and the Chaldean Church of St Joseph in central Baghdad. The head of government called for ‘protection’ for the country and remembered the “martyrs”, particularly the victims of the 2010 attack on the church. Finally, he announced the renaming of the street that houses the Chaldean Patriarchate in Mansour, which will become ‘Via Caldea’.

SOUTH KOREA

More than 4,000 schools nationwide - including primary, middle and high schools - have closed due to a lack of students, 82 of which have remained unused for the past 30 years. This was revealed yesterday by MP Jin Sun-mee of the Democratic Party of Korea, who obtained data from the Ministry of Education. Primary schools accounted for the majority, with 3,674, followed by 264 middle schools and 70 secondary schools. In the last five years, 158 schools have closed and another 107 are expected to close in the next five years.

INDONESIA

Sixteen people were killed and three injured after a fire broke out in a nursing home for the elderly in the north. The fire occurred in the city of Manado, capital of North Sulawesi province, yesterday evening at around 8:30 p.m. local time. Many of the victims were found inside their rooms, caught unawares by the flames and smoke while they were already asleep.

RUSSIA

One of the most talked-about figures in the public eye in recent days is Dmitry Kozak, former deputy head of the presidential administration who resigned last October; he is now openly speaking out against the war in Ukraine, urging Vladimir Putin to implement liberal reforms in the country. For this reason, he is called “the new Khrushchev”, who condemned Stalin, or even “the Prince Myshkin of the Third Reich”, inspired by Dostoevsky's character in The Idiot, who seeks to correct the false interpretation of the “Russian world”.

ARMENIA

For the eighth Sunday, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the liturgy, this time in the Church of the Mother of God in the village of Garni in the province of Kotayk, celebrated by priests in dissent with the hierarchy and the Catholicos of the Apostolic Church, Karekin II. The primate's name is not mentioned in the litanies of the Eucharistic celebrations, a violation of canonical rules that the head of government describes as ‘very appropriate’.

 

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