Seoul's Finance Minister new interim president amid political chaos

Today's news: Israeli army evacuated Kamal Adwan hospital, arresting the director; Azerbaijan claims ‘external interference’ the cause of plane crash in Chechnya skies, blocking flights to some Russian cities; Death sentence for man who ploughed through the crowd in Zhuhai killing 35 people; Thai influencer dies after drinking a whole bottle of whisky in a social challenge.

SOUTH KOREA

In a new and unprecedented chapter in the political crisis that has been shaking the country for weeks, Finance Minister and Vice-Premier Choi Sang-mok took over as interim president of the country after the National Assembly (with a simple majority in the opposition-controlled parliament) also voted to impeach the head of government Han Duck-soo, who had been acting as head of state after Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached for proclaiming martial law on 3 December. In a written statement addressed to the nation, Choi said that ‘the government will do its best to ensure national stability’. He also stated the importance of reassuring other countries that South Korea's foreign policy will remain unchanged and that international trade and commerce will not be disrupted. Meanwhile, protests from the two opposing sides are expected in Seoul today.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE-GAZA

After besieging the medical facility, Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan hospital, one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza, emptying its premises by force. Flames also broke out in some parts: the Israeli army denied setting fire to parts of the hospital, claiming that a small fire broke out and was later contained. The hospital director and dozens of staff members were sent to an interrogation centre after medical staff were stripped and forced to leave the hospital on foot. Israel claimed that the hospital was being used as a military stronghold by Hamas.

AZERBAIJAN-RUSSIA

Azerbaijan Airlines cancelled flights to seven Russian cities after the tragedy of its plane bound for Chechnya which caught fire in an attempted crash landing in Kazakhstan. The decision came as Baku's transport minister stated that the plane was subject to ‘external interference’. ‘All survivors, without exception, claimed to have heard three explosions when the plane was over Grozny,’ said Rashad Nabiyev, a statement consistent with the hypothesis that it might have been hit by mistake by Russian anti-aircraft fire in the middle of a Ukrainian drone battle.

CHINA

Fan Weiqiu, the man who killed 35 people in a car attack in the Chinese city of Zhuhai on 11 November, was sentenced to death on 27 December. State media reported that the verdict was delivered on the same day that the trial began, in front of relatives of the victims. According to the court, Fan had ‘decided to vent his anger’ over ‘a failed marriage, personal frustrations and dissatisfaction with the division of property after divorce’.

CHINA-TIBET

China will go ahead with plans to build the world's largest hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo, Tibet's longest river, which then flows into India and Bangladesh, where it is known as the Brahmaputra and Jamuna respectively. According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the Chinese government has approved the construction of the Medog hydroelectric power plant, which is expected to generate 300 billion kilowatt hours of energy per year, three times the power of China's massive Three Gorges Dam. Environmental, water safety and displacement concerns had been raised about the project by India, Bangladesh and Tibetan rights groups.

THAILAND

A young Thai influencer died shortly after agreeing to drink an entire 350 ml bottle of whisky for 30,000 baht (about 850 euro ed.). Thanakarn Kanthee, alias ‘Bank Leicester’, 21, was pronounced dead in hospital on 26 December after feeling ill at the end of the challenge. A wreath seller who performed impromptu rap songs to attract buyers, he had been seen in several videos accepting challenges for money. As a child he was raised by his grandmother in a Bangkok slum after his parents separated when he was two months old. Selling garlands at the Liab Duan market, he had started at the age of seven to provide for himself and his grandmother.

CENTRAL ASIA

Since 1 September, minimum pensions have been increased by 15% in Uzbekistan, and similar measures have been taken in the other Central Asian countries, but protests over their insufficiency continue everywhere. According to statistics, they amount to in Kyrgyzstan, in Uzbekistan, in Tajikistan, and 0 in Kazakhstan, insufficient to live on.