Myanmar regime authorises private Chinese security companies

Today's news: flights between Baghdad and Beirut double for Nasrallah's funeral scheduled for 23 February; Afghan Taliban accuse Islamabad of ‘arrests and harassment’ of refugees in Pakistan; Four bodies of Israeli hostages of Hamas are due to be handed over today; Train runs over family of elephants in Sri Lanka, killing six in the island's worst wildlife accident.

MYANMAR - CHINA

The Burmese military regime has enacted the Private Security Services Law, which allows private Chinese security companies to set up in Myanmar to protect Beijing's interests, including projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative. Although the law allows foreign companies to apply for licences, it is specifically designed to accommodate China, one of the few allies of the junta.

IRAQ - LEBANON

From today, the number of daily flights between Baghdad and Beirut has doubled, due to the numerous requests from Iraqis who intend to attend the funeral services for Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, on 23 February. The Shiite leader was assassinated at the end of September during an Israeli raid on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital. At least 79 countries are said to be involved in the commemoration, either officially or through ‘popular’ support.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE

Hamas is expected to hand over the bodies of four Israeli hostages today, including three members of the Bibas family: mother Shiri and sons Kfir and Ariel, aged nine months and four years at the time of the kidnapping. This is the first release of prisoners who have died since the ceasefire in Gaza last month; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that ‘the heart of the entire nation is torn apart’. Hamas claims that the three members of the Bibas family were killed in an Israeli attack in November 2023, but Israel has not confirmed this. The fourth body is believed to be that of 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz, a veteran peace activist.

AFGHANISTAN - PAKISTAN

Afghan refugees are being subjected to arrests and harassment in Pakistan, as part of a mass deportation campaign. This is the accusation made by the Kabul embassy in Islamabad, following the complaint of the UN refugee agency that spoke of the ‘expulsion of hundreds of people’. The Pakistani government rejects the criticism, while insisting on the repatriation plan for four million Afghans who have crossed the border during decades of war and violence (including Taliban violence).

NORTH KOREA

Pyongyang celebrated the ‘Shining Star’, as the birthday of Kim Jong Il, father and predecessor of Kim Jong Un, is known, in a minor and unassuming way. In the past the day (16th February) was celebrated with gymnastics displays, military parades and fireworks displays, as well as extra food rations, but this year the streets were empty. Experts see this as a sign that the current dictator wants to ‘minimise’ the value of his father in order to strengthen his own reputation.

SRI LANKA

A passenger train derailed today after crashing into a family of elephants. There were no injuries among the people on board the train, which was travelling near the Habarana Reserve, about 180 km east of Colombo, but six elephants were killed in the worst wildlife accident on the island. It is a criminal offence to kill or injure elephants, of which there are about 7,000 in the wild.

RUSSIA

To cope with the labour shortage, Russian entrepreneurs have hired twice as many workers over the age of 40 in the past year, as shown by statistics published by hh.ru. This category of workers wasn't particularly interesting before the military operation, as they are less involved due to their age. Many are also hired in the 51-60 age group.

AZERBAIJAN - IRAN

The Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Ali Asadov, has made an official visit to Teheran, where he met the Vice-President Mohammad Reza Arefi. The various possibilities for collaboration were the main topic of discussion, above all the projects for the construction of transport infrastructures from Iran to Nakhičevan, the ‘eastern corridor of Zangezur’, and other similar projects.

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