Activist Agnes Chow risks a price on her head if she does not return to Hong Kong

Today's news: Muslim prisoners in Siberian jails went on hunger strike against religious discrimination. In Seoul over 1,000 military personnel carried out a series of defence drills, simulating an attack by North Korea. The Philippines will open four new medical departments in universities in as many provinces of the country.

HONG KONG

Hong Kong rights activist Agnes Chow, 27, flew to Toronto in early December to continue her studies, announcing on social media that she would never return to the city, thus violating "national security law." The police have ordered her to return to her by today, December 28, otherwise  "a price" will be placed on her head, as has already happened to several exiles - among others - former parliamentarians Ted Hui and Dennis Kwok and activists Nathan Law and Anna Kwok. In this context today 3 activists were convicted of "conspiracy to commit terrorism" under the National Security Act and jailed for up to six years. They are Ho Yu-wang, 20 years old, Kwok Man-hei, 21 years old, and Cheung Ho-yeung, 23 years old.

INDIA

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has promised justice to the families of three civilians tortured to death while in army custody in Indian-administered Kashmir. The men were detained for questioning last week after four soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack. The video of their deaths has sparked tensions in the region. The inhabitants of Kashmir, one of the most militarized areas in the world, have long accused the security forces of excesses, including beatings and torture. Both India and Pakistan claim the entire territory, but control only parts of it.

IRAN

Iran's supreme leader led prayers this morning at the funeral of Sayyed Razi Moussavi, a senior Pasdaran (IRGC) advisor killed in what Tehran said was an Israeli air strike in Syria. Ali Khamenei paid tribute to "the tireless struggle of this martyr". He was among the most experienced and efficient commanders on the front.

JAPAN

Japan, South Korea and China are planning a trilateral summit in February 2024, an initiative that Seoul and Tokyo see as an opportunity to send a "unified warning" to North Korea and curb its nuclear ambitions. This was reported by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, which specifies: "Tokyo would like to use the dialogue between the three nations also to understand how to curb North Korea, which has carried out repeated launches of ballistic missiles towards the Pacific".

RUSSIA

Some prisoners in the Siberian concentration camp of Irkutsk have held a hunger strike in recent days, led by the prisoner of Chechen origin Khumajd Khajdaev, to protest against discrimination against them on a religious basis, as they are Muslims, including the closure of the heating in their cells in a period of great frosts.

SOUTH KOREA

More than 1,000 military, police officers and emergency personnel carried out a series of defense drills on Wednesday, simulating a North Korean attack on Seoul. The exercise comes amid growing tension after Pyongyang tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, launched its first military spy satellite, and last month reinstated some military measures eased after a 2018 pact.

PHILIPPINES

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed a series of laws establishing medical programs at four state universities that will help advance medical education in the country. The four institutions are: Benguet State University, Southern Luzon State University, University of the Eastern Philippines and Visayas State University. “The regulations introduced aim to respond to the needs of development of human and scientific resources in the medical field in the respective provinces,” the presidential office said.

KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakhstan took first place this year in GDP growth among the countries of Central Asia and the post-Soviet CIS, according to the report of the International Currency Fund, for a total value of 259 billion dollars, 15% in more (33.8 billion) compared to the previous year, and forecasts give the country continuous growth for the next 5 years.

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