North Korea tests spy satellite

Today's headlines: Islamist radicals occupy a counter-terrorism centre in Pakistan; Thai corvette sinks: 33 sailors missing; Australian foreign minister goes to Beijing; Three policemen die in Jordan during an anti-protest raid; Moscow Theological Academy hosts a theoretical and practical conference on 'Patriotic and Moral-Spiritual Education of the Military'.

NORTH KOREA

Pyongyang reportedly tested a spy satellite, according to its official media. Kim Jong-un's regime claims it will be put into orbit by April. Thus, the North Korean military build-up continues, despite international sanctions.

PAKISTAN

Islamist radicals took control of an anti-terrorist detention centre in Bannu, in the border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They overpowered the officers present in the facility, which is now surrounded by security forces. The militants demand safe passage to Afghanistan.

THAILAND

Thai naval units and areas are searching for 33 sailors missing after a corvette sank in the Gulf of Thailand. The incident occurred south of Bangkok, 20 miles off the coast. The other 73 crew members were rescued.

AUSTRALIA-CHINA

Australian Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, will meet her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing this week. The visit is a further sign of the attempts at détente between the two sides, carried out by the Labour government of Anthony Albanese.

JORDAN 

Three policemen died in a raid in Maan against people accused of killing an officer in recent days. The incident occurred on 16 December during protests over high fuel prices in the southern city.

RUSSIA 

At the Lavra of St. Sergius, in the main hall of the Moscow Theological Academy, a theoretical and practical conference was held on 'Patriotic and Moral-Spiritual Education of the Military', dedicated to the 600th anniversary of the discovery of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonež. It was attended by some generals together with the rector of the Academy, Bishop Kirill of Zvenigorod, and the superior of the Lavra, Bishop Foma of Sergiev-Posad.

ARMENIA-AZERBAIGIAN

Armenian Prime Minister Pašinyan sounded the alarm over the "increasingly dramatic humanitarian situation" in Nagorno Karabakh due to Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lačinsk corridor. For Yerevan, this is a violation of the November 2020 agreements.