Today's news: The US carried out a massive US strike against Islamic State targets in Syria in response to recent attacks. Taiwan police say 27-year-old Chang Wen acted "alone”, resulting in four people dead and 11 wounded. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife have been sentenced to another 17-year sentence for corruption. More than 200 arrests have been made in Myanmar under a new law targeting people who “undermine” elections.

 

JAPAN

Next year, Japan will reboot the world's largest nuclear power plant, marking a marked shift in nuclear policy since the Fukushima disaster in March 2011. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, colloquially known as KK, shares the same operator as Fukushima Daiichi, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The plant is certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest in net output at 8.2 gigawatts, enough to power more than 13 million homes.

SYRIA – UNITED STATES

The United States carried out a “massive strike” against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, in response to a recent deadly attack on US forces. Central Command (CENTCOM) reports that fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery “struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria.” Aircraft from Jordan were also involved, and the operation “employed more than 100 precision munitions” against known IS infrastructure and weapons sites.

TAIWAN

The man who yesterday carried out an attack in Taipei with a smoke grenade and a knife acted “alone”. Police said 27-year-old Chang Wen, from the northern city of Taoyuan, had no accomplices. The investigation is still ongoing to determine the motive behind the attack, which left four people dead, including the attacker, and wounded at least 11, one of them seriously. Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said the man had been the subject of an arrest warrant, for suspected evasion of compulsory military service.

VIETNAM

Vietnam plans to build the second-largest stadium in the world. Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Vingroup Chairman Phạm Nhật Vượng have officially given the green light to build the facility at the Olympic Sports Urban Area. The centrepiece of the US$ 35.2 billion project will be the spectacular Trống Đồng Stadium, which is meant to be a decisive landmark in Vietnam's "New Era" and a credible future site for the Asian Games and even the Olympics. Covering 73.3 hectares in Thượng Phúc, a municipality located south of the capital, it will be able to accommodate 135,000 spectators, second only to North Korea's Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, which has a capacity of 150,000.

PAKISTAN

A Pakistani court today sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison each in a corruption case involving the purchase of luxury items from the state at a heavily discounted price. The former prime minister and former cricket champion has denied all charges, claiming that they are politically motivated. Today's sentence follows a series of proceedings that have led to his detention in August 2023. At least a dozen cases have been opened since he was removed from office in 2022, including corruption, violations of anti-terrorism laws, and violations of state secrets.

MYANMAR

Myanmar’s military junta reported the arrest of more than 200 people under a recently adopted law (a major source of concern for human rights groups), whose aim is to punish people who allegedly undermine the elections scheduled for later this month. In total, at least 229 people have been charged with attempting to sabotage the electoral process, although no details are available on the charges they face and their potential sentences.

IRAQ – UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations General Assembly chose, without a vote, Barham Salih, a former president of Iraq who fled persecution under Saddam Hussein, as the next UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Secretary-General António  Guterres appointed him to succeed Italian Filippo Grandi, who has led the agency since 2016. Salih will begin a five-year term on 1 January 2026.

RUSSIA

New restrictions to ban "propaganda of prohibited content" will go into effect in Russia starting in March 2026, placing significant pressure on the book market, with publishers withdrawing thousands of titles for fear of censorship. Sergei Anurev, director of one of the leading publishing houses, LitRes, stated in an interview with Kommersant that “It's difficult to stimulate the development of creative industries through bans and restrictions.”

JAPAN – TAJIKISTAN

Various bilateral meetings and events took place in Tokyo during the first summit of heads of state and governments of the “Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue” (CA+JAD) initiative. This included meetings between Japanese and Tajik officials to boost bilateral relations, in particular, the Tajik-Japan Digital Business Connect, an initiative designed to showcase the development potential of the digital sector. Khurshed Mirzo, director of Tajikistan’s Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies, spoke at the summit.

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