Myanmar: UN puts landmine deaths at 390 in 2022

Today's headlines: a Pakistani delegation visits Kabul to discuss issue of terrorist attacks; Speculation about a metal ball found in Japan; At least 4 dead in China after a mine collapse; In Papua New Guinea a woman taken hostage on Sunday is released; Bombings between Israel and the Gaza Strip after yesterday's deaths in Nablus; Closer and closer ties between Russia and Belarus.

MYANMAR

Landmines and unexploded ordnance injured or killed more than one person per day in Myanmar last year, according to a UN report. There were 390 victims in 2022, a 40 per cent increase over the previous year. Prior to the coup, the UN had recorded 254 fatalities in 2020. Most of the incidents occurred in the border areas where ethnic militias are concentrated and in the central region of Sagaing, which has been affected by intense fighting following the army coup.

PAKISTAN - AFGHANISTAN

Yesterday, a high-ranking delegation led by the Pakistani Defence Minister visited Kabul to hold talks with Taliban officials. Also present was the head of Pakistani intelligence, General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum. According to the Foreign Ministry, they discussed the activities of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), which killed 134 people and wounded at least 254 in 44 different attacks in January alone.

JAPAN

A buoy? An explosive device? A Godzilla egg? Ever since a huge metal sphere appeared on the beach at Enshuhama in the coastal city of Hamamatsu, speculation about the nature and origin of the object has raged on social media. Some even speculated that it was one of the seven Dragon Ball spheres. Meanwhile, a team of experts has clarified that there is no risk of an explosion.

CHINA

At least four people are dead and about 50 are missing after a coal mine collapsed in Inner Mongolia. Chinese authorities have ordered an investigation into the cause of the landslide, while rescue efforts continue. Coal is a major source of energy in China, but its mines are among the deadliest in the world due to poor safety standards. Chinese mines have also tried to increase production over the past year under government demands. The site in question had been closed for three years before reopening in April 2021.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

A woman who was part of a group of researchers captured by armed rebels in Papua New Guinea on Sunday was released today, while efforts continue to free the other hostages, local police said. The archaeologists were in the village of Fogoma'iu in a remote mountainous region. The police stressed that negotiations are being conducted in an attempt to avoid an escalation of tension.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE

Israel shelled the Gaza Strip in response to rockets fired by Palestinian fighters in revenge for the deaths of 11 Palestinians killed yesterday in the West Bank city of Nablus. The Islamic Jihad group and Hamas condemned the attack in Nablus, during which the Israeli army closed the entrances to the city to arrest some Palestinian fighters. At least 100 people were injured in the clashes.

RUSSIA - BELARUS

The 'Dosje' centre has published excerpts of the Kremlin-filtered plan for the 'progressive annexation' of Belarus, which is not limited to the official one-state agreements with Russia, but by 2030 the spheres of politics, defence, trade and social organisation will be 'harmonised' under the 'decisive influence' of Moscow.

ARMENIA - AZERBAIJAN

The 100 observers sent by the EU, half of them unarmed, arrived at the Armenian base in Ekhegnadzor, together with a contingent of eight French gendarmes and some German policemen, with the aim of "helping stability in the border areas with Azerbaijan, strengthening mutual trust and the security of people in the areas most affected by the conflict".

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