North Korea launches new missile, most advanced ever

Today's news: at UN Security Council new vote on Gaza truce, with over 20,000 dead; Beijing prepares to test first "made in China" ocean drilling ship; Hanoi indicts dozens of people for bribery in 12 billion euro scam; Pakistan uses artificial rain for the first time to combat smog in Lahore;  In Kuwait, the funeral of Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah was held yesterday.

KOREA - JAPAN

This morning North Korea fired a long-range missile, the most advanced ever tested by the Kim regime so far. The carrier landed west of Hokkaido, Japan, traveling for 73 minutes and covering a distance of approximately one thousand kilometers. Meanwhile, Pyongyang has condemned the military exercises led by the United States, calling them a "preview of a nuclear war".

ISRAEL - PALESTINE
New vote scheduled today at the United Nations Security Council on an "urgent and sustainable ceasefire" to guarantee humanitarian aid in the Strip and the "immediate and unconditional" release of the hostages in the hands of Hamas. A previous - and similar - resolution 10 days ago was rejected by Washington. The draft also affirms the two-state solution in the region. More Israeli attacks in Gaza during the night, Palestinian victims exceed 20 thousand.

CHINA

Beijing is preparing to carry out tests on the first "made in China" ocean research drilling ship (the Mengxiang) on December 22, capable of reaching a depth of over 10 thousand meters underground. A key step for experts in the direction of strengthening deep-sea oil and gas exploration capabilities for the Dragon Country.

VIETNAM
Hanoi has indicted the president of the Van Thinh Phat Group Truong My Lan and 85 collaborators for corruption, violation of banking regulations and embezzlement, in a matter concerning the Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank. From February 2018 to October 2022 he allegedly created almost 920 fake loan applications, embezzling over 12 billion euros.

PAKISTAN
Artificial rain was used for the first time in Pakistan on December 16 in an attempt to combat dangerous levels of smog in the megacity of Lahore. In the first experiment of its kind in the country, planes equipped with cloud-flooding equipment donated by the United Arab Emirates flew over 10 areas of the Punjab city, among the worst in the world for air quality.

KUWAIT

The funeral of Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah took place yesterday, having held positions in domestic politics for 60 years and the last three as emir of Kuwait, a relatively short period characterized by health problems. He is succeeded at the helm by the 83-year-old Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, de facto leader of the nation since 2021 when Sheikh Nawaf entrusted most of the powers to him.

RUSSIA
The president of the Russian central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, noted that the economy is progressing faster than all forecasts, something Vladimir Putin boasted about in recent days. However, it is "like a car that travels faster than the engine's capacity, and by pressing on the accelerator, sooner or later it overheats, and you never go anywhere".

ASIA
According to the annual report of "Journalists Without Borders", in 2023, 45 journalists were killed around the world, and 521 were arrested and detained. 23 of them died in war zones (Ukraine, Gaza, Israel and Lebanon). At least 121 are detained in China, 68 in Myanmar, 39 in Belarus and 28 in Russia, 84 journalists from around the world are still missing.

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