Today's headlines: After Jimmy Lai's conviction, Britain opens its doors to the children of British passport holders from the former governorate; Beijing renews its support for “pro-reunification forces” in Taiwan; Pakistan agrees to play India in the Cricket World Cup; Arab nations condemn Israel's renewed “expansionist” policies in the West Bank; Kuala Lumpur accelerates palm oil production.

IRAN - ISRAEL - USA

Two more Christian converts have been killed by Iranian security forces as part of the brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in recent weeks, while arrests continue in the “reformist” camp. Nader Mohammadi, 35, and Zahra Arjomandi, 51, were shot on 8 January during two separate protests in cities more than a thousand kilometres apart. The total number of Christian victims rises to 12, including recognised (Armenians and Chaldeans) and unrecognised (converts). Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is bringing forward his visit to the White House, where he will meet with US President Donald Trump tomorrow to discuss the US-Iran nuclear talks and the military escalation.

HONG KONG - UNITED KINGDOM

After Hong Kong judges sentenced Catholic media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison, London is opening its doors to thousands more residents of the former governorate to move to Great Britain. An estimated 26,000 people will arrive in the United Kingdom over the next five years. The change puts an end to situations where some children of British (overseas) passport holders have been able to resettle, while others have not.

CHINA - TAIWAN

Beijing will offer firm support to “patriotic pro-reunification forces” in Taiwan and will crack down hard on “separatists”. This was announced today by a Chinese official responsible for policy towards the rebellious island, which it considers part of its territory despite Taipei's pro-independence stance. China has long offered Taiwan a Hong Kong-style “one country, two systems” model of autonomy, but no major Taiwanese political party supports it.

PAKISTAN - INDIA

Pakistan has agreed to play India in the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup match scheduled for 15 February in Sri Lanka, reversing its previous decision to boycott the match due to geopolitical tensions. Last week, Islamabad ordered the team not to play the match in solidarity with Bangladesh, which was replaced in the tournament by Scotland after refusing to visit India due to security concerns.

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates are leading Arab nations in the region in condemning Israel's “expansionist” policies, whose government is promoting the growth of settlements and the escalation of attacks by settlers, expanding its powers over the West Bank. According to critics, this is a step towards the “de facto annexation” of the occupied land.

In recent days, the executive has approved regulations that make it easier for Jewish settlers to purchase land and for the armed forces to operate in areas under (on paper) full Palestinian control.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia's palm oil plantations will increase to around two million hectares by 2027, from the current level of 1.7 million hectares, accelerating production in the world's second largest producer in the sector. The problem of ageing remains, because by that date 35% will be 19 years or older, compared to about 30% this year, while 800,000 hectares are infected with fungi. Kuala Lumpur produced 20.3 million tonnes of crude palm oil in 2025.

RUSSIA

Russian President Vladimir Putin's plan to organise transport across the 5,600 kilometres of the Arctic Ocean has failed to materialise for the second consecutive year: in 2025, 37 million tonnes of cargo were transported, 2.3% less than the previous year.

This was revealed by an analysis by the Gekon centre, while according to the 2018 presidential decree, the target was 80 million by 2025 and 200 million by 2030.

TAJIKISTAN - ASIA

The Ministry of Labour has announced that it has reached agreements - and signed 40 documents - with 15 countries around the world to regulate migration routes in various sectors of agriculture, construction and healthcare. These include Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, as well as China, Turkey and Japan. In recent days, 500 citizens have found work in Qatar, while South Korea has offered 800 migrant work quotas.

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