Today's headlines: Border clashes between Indian and Chinese troops;  Jimmy Lai's trial postponed until September 2023; in Kabul an explosion at a hotel popular with the Chinese; Pakistan seeks a loan from the Saudis; in Russia a Christmas tree decorated with 'enemies of the people'; the Pope asks heads of state for a gesture of clemency in favour of prisoners at Christmas.

 

JAPAN

Japan has chosen 'war' (Japanese for 'sen') as the kanji character of the year. Each year, the Japanese vote on the word they think best represents the past year. In 2021, themes related to the Olympic Games had prevailed, while this year the public mood was more sombre, said the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, which organises the vote. The same character had been chosen in 2001, after the attack on the Twin Towers by al-Qaeda.

CHINA - INDIA

Indian and Chinese troops clashed on the border of a disputed area on the border of the state of Arunachal Pradesh, the eastern tip of India. This was announced yesterday by the Indian Army, adding that both sides immediately withdrew from the area and that no soldiers were seriously injured.

HONG KONG - CHINA

The trial against Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy tycoon and founder of the Apple Daily tabloid, has been postponed until late September next year. In the meantime, China will consider whether a foreign lawyer can defend him. Lai has been charged under the National Security Law imposed by Beijing in 2020. The trial is expected to last 40 days.

THAILAND

According to Thai tourism operators, there will be an increase in Russian visitors fleeing the war in the coming months: more than 55,000 visited Phuket in November, more than twice as many as Indian tourists, who numbered 26,525. In the absence of Chinese tourists, Russians are also investing in real estate by renting villas for long periods ranging from six months to a year.

AFGHANISTAN

Yesterday there was an explosion at a Kabul hotel popular with Chinese visitors. According to the Taliban, three gunmen entered and were killed after three hours by the local authorities. The Emergency hospital said it received more than 20 wounded and at least two foreigners died. In all likelihood, Islamic State (ISKP) militiamen were responsible.

PAKISTAN - SAUDI ARABIA

According to some administrative sources, Pakistan should be able to secure a financial support package of about 4 billion dollars from Saudi Arabia by the end of the month. Riyadh will thus replenish Islamabad's foreign currency and oil reserves after talks with the International Monetary Fund stalled in recent months.

UKRAINE

Ukrainian President Zelenskyj imposed an administrative freeze on seven Orthodox Church hierarchs most closely linked to Moscow, including the Metropolitans of Zaporozhje, Lugansk, Borispol, Chernovig, the Archbishop of Konstantinov, the superior of the monastery in Melitopol and the parish priest of Kherson Cathedral.

RUSSIA

In Tver, the local administration has set up a large Christmas tree in the central square with the denuded figures of Biden, Zelenskyj, Alla Pugacheva and other 'enemies of the people' hanging on it, proposing to the population to brand them with mocking inscriptions, following the lines on the paper where it says 'cut me some pieces.

VATICAN

On the occasion of Christmas, Pope Francis is sending a letter to all heads of state inviting them to make a gesture of clemency towards those detainees they deem fit to benefit from such a measure, "so that this time marked by tensions, injustices and conflicts, may be opened to the grace that comes from the Lord".

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