Russia and Ukraine continue to retaliate against each other with missiles and artillery, the situation in the Middle East becomes more tense with the assassination of the deputy leader of Hamas and two catastrophic explosions in Iran, new developments in the East Sea... are some of the outstanding international events of the past 24 hours.
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| The death toll could rise sharply in the explosion at the memorial service for Iranian General Soleimani, on January 3. (Source: IRNA) |
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights:
* Ukraine announced that it had intercepted all of Russia's Kinzhal missiles: On January 2, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) Valeriy Zaluzhny said that the VSU Air Force had shot down 10/10 of Russia's Kh-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missiles with the Patriot missile system, emphasizing that this was "a record".
He also said that Ukraine needed more air defense systems and ammunition because there was no reason to believe that attacks would not increase.
However, when announcing the Kinzhal hypersonic missile attacks, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the possibility of Ukraine shooting down at least one of them was very small, not to mention that a 100% result was completely impossible to achieve. (Business Insider)
* The Crimean peninsula and two Russian border regions were attacked by Ukraine on January 3, a day after Ukraine suffered a large-scale bombing.
The governor of Russia's Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the situation in the region remained tense and that two attacks had occurred on the morning of January 3. Russian air defense forces intercepted six missiles in the sky over Belgorod.
The governor of the Kursk region in northern Belgordo Roman Starovoit also confirmed that a Ukrainian airstrike damaged infrastructure and caused a power outage in the area.
In addition, the mayor of Sevastopol also announced that another missile had fallen near the city on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, but did not mention any damage. (AFP)
* Poland called on the West to respond to Russia's latest shelling of Ukraine by providing long-range missiles to Kiev, as well as tightening sanctions.
On social network X , Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated: "We should respond... in a language that Russian President Vladimir Putin understands...". (Bloomberg)
* The US allows Ukrainian commanders to determine the range of HIMARS missile attacks themselves, the Ukrainian website Strana.ua quoted US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink as saying on January 2.
According to Ms. Brink, the US government plans to transfer missiles of the high-mobility multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) HIMARS to Kiev in the near future. However, there is no information yet indicating that Ukraine will be provided with HIMARS missiles with a range of more than 160 km.
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Europe
* EU sanctions Russia's largest diamond producer: On January 3, the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borrell confirmed that the EU has added Russia's largest diamond producer, Alrosa, and its CEO to the sanctions list.
According to the above sanctions, from January 1, the transportation of non-industrial diamonds mined, processed or produced in Russia to EU markets is prohibited.
Alrosa has not yet made any official response to this decision. (Reuters)
* Sweden will join NATO by July this year at the latest, according to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with German news agency DPA .
Sweden is expected to become a full member of NATO before the alliance's next summit, which will be held in Washington from July 9-11.
According to Mr. Stoltenberg's statement, Stockholm has fulfilled its obligations to Ankara, which could speed up the process of Sweden joining NATO.
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Asia
* Earthquakes continue to occur in Japan, China is ready to assist: The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) confirmed that an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale occurred in the area near the west coast of Japan's main island of Honshu on the afternoon of January 3.
According to GFZ, the epicenter of the earthquake was located at a depth of 10 km, initially determined to have coordinates 37.29 degrees North latitude and 136.78 degrees East longitude.
On the same day, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that the country is ready to provide necessary assistance to Japan in the aftermath of the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Ishikawa on January 1.
The death toll from the Ishikawa earthquake has risen to 64, Japanese officials said, making it the deadliest earthquake in Japan since 2016. (Reuters)
* Pakistan Elections: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has planned to set up more than 92,500 polling stations across the country.
The official voting schedule will be announced 15 days before the general election, scheduled for February 8.
Meanwhile, on January 3, on social network X, Lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha representing former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan confirmed that the ECP accused the 71-year-old politician of disregarding the election monitoring agency without the presence of lawyers.
The ECP has initiated contempt proceedings against former Prime Minister Khan and other former leaders of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Last week, a Pakistani high court rejected Mr Khan’s request to suspend his previous conviction, further disqualifying the former prime minister from running for office. (Reuters)
* South Korea held its first live-fire military drills in 2024 on January 3 to boost readiness against potential North Korean actions.
The exercise took place off the east, west and south coasts of South Korea, involving 13 warships and three aircraft from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd fleets. (Yonhap)
* South Korea's diplomatic white paper released on January 3 affirmed that the country has stepped up diplomatic activities in 2022 to upgrade relations with the US to the "highest level" and restore relations with Japan.
For the third consecutive year, South Korea's diplomatic white paper described Japan as its "closest neighbor" and added the phrase "cooperative partner" to refer to Tokyo, according to Yonhap news agency.
The document also describes China as South Korea's "neighbor" and largest trading partner, as well as a "key cooperative partner" in resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
In addition, the White Paper stated that South Korea has made efforts to promote the denuclearization process of the Korean Peninsula.
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East Sea
* US-Philippines conduct second joint patrol in the East Sea: Reuters reported that Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces Romeo Brawner confirmed that the Philippine and US militaries began a two-day joint patrol in the East Sea on January 3.
This joint patrol involved four ships from the Philippine Navy and four ships from the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) - including one aircraft carrier, one cruiser and two destroyers.
According to General Brawner, the second joint military activity marks a “significant leap forward” in the alliance between Manila and Washington, as well as enhancing interoperability between the two militaries.
“Our alliance is stronger than ever, sending a message to the world. We are promoting a rules-based international order and a free and open Indo-Pacific region in the face of regional challenges,” General Brawner affirmed.
According to Reuters , this patrol is likely to anger China amid escalating tensions in the East Sea.
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Middle East
* Hamas Deputy Leader Saleh al-Arouri was killed along with several aides in an Israeli drone strike on the movement's office in the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital Beirut on January 2.
Following the incident, Hamas announced the suspension of all ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip. Iran, Lebanon and Palestine have condemned Israel's actions, while Israel has not commented.
The United Nations warned of the risk of conflict spreading to the region following the incident.
TASS reported that the Hezbollah movement announced that it would retaliate against Israel's attack.
* Disaster at General Soleimani Memorial Ceremony in Iran: Reuters reported that on January 3, two explosions occurred in the area near the cemetery in the Iranian city of Kerman when hundreds of people gathered for a memorial service on the death anniversary of General Qassem Soleimani, the senior commander of the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in 2020.
Several gas cylinders exploded on the road leading to the cemetery and Iranian authorities are monitoring the situation, according to Iran's Nournews news agency.
Iran's Emergency Situations Agency spokesman Babak Yektaparast said at least 73 people were killed and 170 others injured in the two explosions.
“This incident is a terrorist attack,” said Kerman Deputy Governor Rahman Jalali. (AFP, Reuters)
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Africa
* Niger launches “inclusive national dialogue” process, starting with regional consultations in Agadez.
Speaking on national television, Niger Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine stressed the importance of reaching “consensus and inclusiveness” in these regional discussions.
The first round of consultations involved about 300 representatives, including elected officials, traditional leaders, youth organizations, trade unions and non-governmental organizations.
The discussion revolved around proposals related to key topics expected to be debated in the upcoming national dialogue, including the “timing” of the transition, the “fundamental principles” and “priorities” guiding this phase.
In addition, the talks in Niger also delved into pressing issues, such as the involvement of foreign companies in uranium mining, the presence of a US military base in Niger, challenges related to illegal immigration and security concerns in an area rich in artisanal gold mines. (Africa News)
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America
* Cuba affirms that solidarity is a strategic weapon: On January 3, former Cuban President Raul Castro said that the Cuban Revolution is becoming stronger thanks to the strategic weapon of solidarity, emphasizing: "The greater the danger, the higher the demands, the higher the discipline and solidarity must be, but not solidarity at all costs but based on principles."
The Cuban leader called for finding “realistic” solutions using internal resources to face the country’s economic challenges, noting that the “excessive” embargo is the main cause of Cuba’s economic difficulties.
“Our only way is to continue the fight with optimism,” stressed the leader of Cuba's “historic generation.”
For his part, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel reiterated the government's commitment to "change everything that needs to be changed," but without abandoning patriotic principles, and expressed confidence in the commitment of the younger generation to the country and that today's young people will be faithful to history. (THX)
* The United Nations Security Council has five new non-permanent members for two-year terms, including Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia.
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