From Myanmar to Syria, anti-personnel mines claim record number of victims

Today's headlines: Hong Kong leader orders creation of independent committee to investigate causes of fire. Delhi imposes “state” app on smartphones for users' “cyber security”. Over 60% of companies in Japan run by people over 80 have no successor. South Korean President Lee wants to reopen channels of communication with Pyongyang.

MYANMAR - SYRIA

In 2024, deaths and injuries from landmines and unexploded ordnance reached their highest level in four years, driven by conflicts in Syria and Myanmar, according to the new Landmine Monitor 2025 report published yesterday. Last year, there were over 6,000 incidents, resulting in a total of 1,945 deaths and 4,325 injuries. Nearly 90% of the victims were civilians, with about half of them women and children. Meanwhile, several European countries are ready to withdraw from the treaty that banned their use, in response - at least according to the official version - to the “Russian threat”.

HONG KONG

Hong Kong leader John Lee has ordered the creation of an independent committee to investigate the causes of the devastating fire in the Wang Fuk Court residential complex - which had undergone extensive renovation work - in which 151 people died. The rules governing government supervision of building renovations will also be reviewed. The police have made 13 arrests on charges of manslaughter and another 12 for corruption. Meanwhile, the authorities have banned two pro-democracy groups - Hong Kong Parliament and Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union - and their members, who operate mainly online, face up to 14 years in prison and a £166,000 fine.

INDIA

Delhi has instructed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a state-developed cybersecurity app on all new devices in an effort to combat online fraud and cybercrime. The order, issued on 28 November but only revealed yesterday after notification to companies, gives them 90 days to install Sanchar Saathi or “communication companion” on all new smartphones, with no option to disable it. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directive also requires telephone companies to offer a software update to install the app on devices already in circulation for 1.2 billion users.

JAPAN

Most Japanese companies do not have a successor to take over the reins, and in some cases this is the case even though the current leaders – presidents or chief executive officers – are over 80 years old. This is according to a study by Tokyo Shōkō Research on 170,000 companies, which found that 62.60% do not have a successor to take over operations, an increase of 0.45% on the previous year and a figure that has been growing steadily since 2019 when the first survey was conducted.

KOREA

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung today proposed restoring channels of communication with the North, specifying that this will serve as a starting point for “peaceful coexistence” between Seoul and Pyongyang. The head of state also stressed that South Korea has no intention of pursuing the unification of the peninsula through “absorption”.

IRAN - TURKEY

Tehran and Ankara have finalised an agreement for the construction of a new railway link, which will constitute a “strategic gateway” between Asia and Europe, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pointed out. The planned route, known in Iran as the Marand-Cheshmeh Soraya railway transit line, which runs towards the Turkish border region of Aralik, will cover approximately 200 kilometres, cost around .6 billion and be ready in four years.

RUSSIA - CHINA

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing Chinese citizens to enter Russia without a visa until 14 September 2026, with a maximum stay of 30 days. Personal or business visits will be possible, as tourists or participants in scientific, cultural, political-social, economic and sporting events, or even for transit to other countries, while it does not apply to study and work contracts, or journalism.

TAJIKISTAN - UZBEKISTAN

In the mosques of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, a day of namaz-istisk was held, a collective prayer for rain, bringing domestic animals for sacrifice to various places of pilgrimage and then distributing the meat to the needy and orphans. The initiative was prompted by increasingly dramatic drought and water shortages in various regions throughout Central Asia.