Pakistan-Afghanistan truce violated with fresh deadly border clashes
Today's news: One of the world's most wanted tiger organ traffickers was arrested in India. Evidence links Hong Kong fire to contractors' poor safety record. Myanmar voters abroad are casting early ballots in the country’s sham elections. Saudi Arabia and its Arab partners reject Israel's proposal to open the Rafah crossing in one direction only.
PAKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN
New deadly clashes broke out overnight on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with both sides accusing each other of violating a fragile truce. A medical source in the city of Kandahar told the BBC that a local hospital received the bodies of four people. Three people were reportedly wounded in Pakistan. The talks held in Saudi Arabia last weekend were the latest in a series hosted by Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.
INDIA
A woman deemed one of the world's most wanted tiger part traffickers was arrested a week ago in India. Yangchen Lachungpa is accused of playing a key role in setting up trafficking corridors enabling tiger parts to be smuggled out of the country. Lachungpa was on Interpol's most wanted list and her bail plea was rejected during Thursday's court hearing.
HONG KONG
Homeowners at the complex destroyed in one of Hong Kong's most devastating fires (159 deaths) were led to believe that the contractor blamed for the blaze had an impeccable safety record, documents seen by Reuters show. Hong Kong's safety regulators had fined the contractor, Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., more than a dozen times in the seven years before it was hired by Will Power Architects, including for improper scaffolding installation and faulty electrical wiring. Meanwhile, as Hong Kongers are still reeling from shock, turnout is expected to be low tomorrow in local parliamentary elections, reserved exclusively for “patriots”.
MYANMAR – THAILAND
On Saturday, as polls opened for Myanmar citizens living abroad, a few dozen early voters in the country’s sham elections cast their ballots at the country’s embassy in Bangkok (Thailand), where half a million Myanmar citizens are registered. Myanmar's military junta, which plunged the country into civil war, is now promising that the elections will lead to peace and democracy. Elections are expected to begin in some parts of the country in late December, but early voting abroad is already underway in some Myanmar diplomatic offices, including in Hong Kong, Singapore, Chiang Mai, and Bangkok.
SAUDI ARABIA – ISRAEL – GAZA
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Qatar expressed deep concern over Israeli statements regarding the opening of the Rafah crossing in one direction only. They fear that such a move will facilitate the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt. They rejected any attempt to force Palestinians to abandon their land, emphasising the need to fully adhere to the Trump plan, including the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions and the guarantee of freedom of movement without coercion.
KYRGYZSTAN
Municipal inspectors in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, are cracking down on polluting facilities to curb the severe air pollution and smog that are constantly blanketing the city. To this end, 83 saunas and public baths were inspected, 49 of which were found to be using solid fuels such as wood and coal. Eight have switched to gas and electric heating, while the others have been closed for violations, such as the use of refined coal.
RUSSIA – INDIA
Bloomberg reported that India has agreed to lease a nuclear submarine from Russia for US$ 2 billion after a November visit to a Russian shipyard. Delivery is expected within two years, assuming there are no complications with the preparations. This is a sign of the new partnership discussed during President Vladimir Putin's visit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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19/04/2007
14/01/2025 15:50
07/12/2024 10:52
