China and Afghanistan sign oil extraction deal

Today's headlines: India detects 11 subvariants of Covid-19; Millions hired to administer Covid tests in China now out of work; Moving Indonesia's capital risks being a "huge ecological disaster"; Renunciation of Belarusian citizenship will cost nearly twice as much; Iran closes French institute; Russian dissident Viktor Feinberg dies at 92.

CHINA-AFGHANISTAN.

The Taliban government has signed a contract with a Chinese company to extract oil in northern Afghanistan. The 25-year deal is the first major one since the "Koranic students" returned to power. A Chinese state-owned company is also in negotiations for copper mining in the east of the country.

INDIA

India has detected 11 subvariants of Covid-19 in international travelers who entered the country between Dec. 24 and Jan. 3, Health Ministry sources said yesterday, adding that these are new and existing divarsities. Of 19,227 passengers tested during the period, 124 tested positive. Testing is currently mandatory for arrivals from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.

CHINA

Millions of people who had been hired to administer swabs to people in China are now out of work. These are pharmacists, health workers, laboratory technicians, or temporary staff who are now mainly involved in selling quick swabs or other drugs used to treat flu symptoms.

INDONESIA

Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, is expected to rise in eastern Borneo and replace increasingly waterlogged Jakarta by the end of 2024. But the city is likely to have a severe impact on the region's biodiversity. Environmentalists fear it will be "a huge ecological disaster."

BELARUS

As of Jan. 1, Belarus has increased consular fees for services regarding passports, expatriates, and identity, which compatriots can receive at offices abroad; in particular, renouncing Belarusian citizenship will now cost 400 euros instead of 250, passport renewal will cost over 100 euros, and divorce decree 200 euros.

RUSSIA

Russian dissident Viktor Feinberg, who organized the demonstration on Moscow's Red Square in August 1968 to protest the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, has died at 92. He was arrested after five minutes with his comrades, had his teeth knocked out in his cell, and was convicted of "spreading false information and discrediting the authorities."

IRAN - FRANCE.

Iran shut down the Tehran-based French institute after Charlie Hebdo published cartoons mocking Ayatollah Khamenei that were submitted by readers in support of anti-government protests by Iranian youth. The French weekly published a special edition on the anniversary of the attack on its offices in Paris.

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