Lebanon: Israeli air force also strikes a church in Derdghaya

Today's news: At least 20 miners killed in a new attack in Beluchistan At Vientiane summit Marcos calls for support in South China Sea confrontation but Asean remains divided; The head of the Manipur government threatens to cut water and electricity to some Kuki villages; Investment in translators essential for Nobel Literature Prize to Han Kang.

LEBANON-GAZA

A church housing displaced people in the last few hours was also hit by an Israeli missile attack that killed at least eight people in Derdghaya, southern Lebanon. Local sources told the Catholic organisation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). On Wednesday 9, the church and two adjoining halls, used as a shelter in the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Tyre, collapsed as a result of the air attack, which the Israeli army said was directed against militiamen. The house of a priest and a three-storey building housing the parish offices were hit, completely destroying them.

PAKISTAN

At least 20 people died this morning in an attack by gunmen on a coal mine in the Belucistan province in south-western Pakistan. The assailants broke into the accommodation of mine workers of the Junaid Coal Company in the district of Duki. The police confirmed that four of the victims were Afghans, while the other men were from Pashto-speaking areas of Balochistan. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the separatist Belucistan Liberation Army (BLA) has carried out several deadly attacks in the province.

PHILIPPINES-CHINA

Tensions in the South China Sea are the focus today at the Asia-Pacific summit being held in Vientiane, Laos, attended by leaders of the Asean countries, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged other Asean leaders not to turn a blind eye to developments in the South China Sea. An internal Philippine government document reveals that Marcos on Wednesday called on member countries to unite, taking China's actions into account. ‘Silence in the face of these violations demeans Asean,’ Marcos reportedly said. However, some Asean states with strong economic ties to China are against the wording of the issue.

INDIA

Christians in Manipur, the Indian state torn apart by ethnic conflicts for the past year and a half, say they are concerned about the state government's threat to deny electricity, water and welfare programmes to ‘unregistered’ villages in the Kuki-majority area. On 8 October, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh gave this instruction. ‘This is yet another attempt to target Christians, mostly belonging to the Kuki-Zo community, who live in the five hill districts of the State,’ a local Church leader told UcaNews agency from Imphal.

SOUTH KOREA

Behind the Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Han Kang, the first ever awarded to a Korean author, there is also the very important role played in recent years by translators who have brought Korean culture out of the confines of national borders. This was emphasised by the Korean news agency Yonhap, recalling that since its establishment in 1996, the Literary Translation Institute (LTI) has played a key role in training translators in 44 different languages, while the Daesan Foundation has made a significant contribution in the private sector.

RUSSIA

On the birthday of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who was killed by Chechen gunmen in 2015, provocateurs tried to destroy the memorial plaque placed on the Moskvoretsky Bridge near the Kremlin, the site of his assassination, throwing flowers into the river and threatening activists gathered at the site, where police arrived very late.

KAZAKHSTAN

The Central Commission in Astana announced the results of the referendum on the construction of a new nuclear power plant, for which 5,561,937 citizens (71.12%) voted in favour, against 2,045,271 against, and over 130 void ballots. In all, 63.66 per cent of the eligible voters took part in the vote, a percentage considered rather high compared to expectations.

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