CHINA
Scientist protests eviction
The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in the nation was staging a sit-in protest after authorities locked him out of his lab. Virologist Zhang Yongzhen (張永振) wrote in a post on Weibo on Monday that he and his team were suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since he first published the sequence in early January 2020. The post was later deleted. Zhang wrote that he had been sitting outside his lab since Sunday despite pouring rain. When reached by phone yesterday, Zhang said it was “inconvenient” for him to speak, but a collaborator confirmed to the Associated Press on Monday the protest was taking place.
YEMEN
Houthi attack damages ship
A missile attack by Houthi rebels on Monday damaged a ship in the Red Sea, authorities said, the latest assault in their campaign against shipping in the crucial maritime route. The attack happened off the coast of Mokha, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said. The ship was damaged in the attack, but its crew was safe and heading to its next port of call, it said, urging vessels to exercise caution in the area. The US military’s Central Command identified the ship damaged as the Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier. It added that it had shot down a drone on a flight path toward the USS Philippine Sea and USS Laboon. Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree in a statement early yesterday claimed the attack on the Cyclades and targeting the US warships. Meanwhile, the Italian Ministry of Defense said its frigate Virgino Fasan shot down a Houthi drone on Monday morning near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
ESTONIA
Russia violating airspace
Accusing Russia of violating international airspace regulations by interfering with GPS signals, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna said it would take up the matter with its NATO and EU partners. Finnair on Monday announced a temporary suspension of its flights to Tartu for a month due to ongoing GPS disturbances that prevented two aircraft from landing. The Finnish airline said it did not know where the interference originated, but in the past had reported similar problems near Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and Finland’s eastern border with Russia. “GPS interference in Estonian airspace by RF [Russian Federation]) has affected civil aviation in our region. In doing so Russia violates international regulations,” Tsahkna wrote on X, without providing evidence to support the claim. Neither the Kremlin nor the Russian defense ministry immediately replied to requests for comment.
INDONESIA
Ruang volcano alert raised
Ruang volcano early yesterday spewed explosive incandescent lava into the night sky as lightning flashes lit up its crater, prompting authorities to raise the alert status and warn of a possible tsunami. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation warned residents living on Tagulandang Island, the island closest to the volcano, that a tsunami could be triggered by volcanic material collapsing into the ocean. The warning was issued yesterday morning, with center official Hetty Triastuty saying it remained in placed as of the afternoon. The agency raised the alert status of Ruang to the highest level, urging residents not to go near the volcano.
A beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country. Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and was runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjar Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night. The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition in August, saying that she needed to protect herself and her family after the government alleged that her mother had stolen the identity of a South
BELT-TIGHTENING: Chinese investments in Cambodia are projected to drop to US$35 million in 2026 from more than US$420 million in 2021 At a ceremony in August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet knelt to receive blessings from saffron-robed monks as fireworks and balloons heralded the breaking of ground for a canal he hoped would transform his country’s economic fortunes. Addressing hundreds of people waving the Cambodian flag, Hun Manet said China would contribute 49 percent to the funding of the Funan Techo Canal that would link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand and reduce Cambodia’s shipping reliance on Vietnam. Cambodia’s government estimates the strategic, if contentious, infrastructure project would cost US$1.7 billion, nearly 4 percent of the nation’s annual GDP. However, months later,
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
Ireland, the UK and France faced travel chaos on Saturday and one person died as a winter storm battered northwest Europe with strong winds, heavy rain, snow and ice. Hampshire Police in southern England said a man died after a tree fell onto a car on a major road near Winchester early in the day. Police in West Yorkshire said they were probing whether a second death from a traffic incident was linked to the storm. It is understood the road was not icy at the time of the incident. Storm Bert left at least 60,000 properties in Ireland without power, and closed
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