While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 28, 2024
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Dec 27 of throwing North Korean soldiers into battle with “minimal protection”.
PHOTO: AFP
Wounded North Korean soldiers died after being captured
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec 27 that “several” wounded North Korean soldiers died after being captured by Ukrainian forces, as he accused Russia of throwing them into battle with “minimal protection”.
Ukraine and its western allies say North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to support Russia’s army, in what is seen as a major escalation in the nearly three-year war following Moscow’s 2022 invasion.
“Today, there were reports about several soldiers from North Korea. Our soldiers managed to take them prisoner. But they were very seriously wounded and could not be resuscitated,” Mr Zelensky said, in an evening address posted on social media.
South Korea’s spy agency said earlier on Dec 27 that a North Korean soldier who was captured while fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine had died of his wounds.
7 days of mourning, state funeral for India’s Manmohan Singh
AFP
India on Dec 27 announced seven days of state mourning till Jan 1 for former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who died in Delhi on Dec 26, aged 92.
He will be accorded a state funeral in Delhi on Dec 28.
Tributes have poured in for Dr Singh, who is acknowledged as the key architect of economic reforms which opened up India’s economy in the 1990s and steered it out of a crippling balance of payments crisis.
New US bird flu mutation, cat infections cause alarm
REUTERS
The ongoing spread of bird flu in the United States has alarmed experts - not just because of human cases causing severe illness, but also due to troubling new instances of infections in cats.
A sample of the virus found in a critically ill patient in the United States has shown signs of mutating to better suit human airways, although there is no indication it has spread beyond that individual, authorities report.
Researchers are also keeping a close eye on the mounting cases of bird flu infections in cats. A cat in Oregon died after consuming raw pet food confirmed to be contaminated with H5N1, prompting a recall of Northwest Naturals’ Feline Turkey Recipe raw and frozen pet food.
US sanctions key Georgia oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili
AFP
The United States imposed sanctions on Dec 27 on Georgia’s former prime minister and key powerbroker Bidzina Ivanishvili, saying he is undermining the country’s democratic future for Russia’s benefit.
Mr Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, holds no official post but is widely believed to pull the strings of power.
The billionaire is honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, which is now facing mass protests over its attempt to pull the Caucasus country from its pro-Western path.
Montenegro orders extradition of crypto’s Do Kwon to US
REUTERS
Montenegrin Justice Minister Bojan Bozovic has ordered the extradition of Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon, also wanted by South Korea, to the United States, the ministry said on Dec 27.
A South Korean national, Kwon is the former chief executive officer of South Korea-based Terraform Labs, the company behind the TerraUSD, a “stablecoin” designed to maintain a constant US$1 price, which collapsed in May 2022, roiling cryptocurrency markets.
He was arrested in March 2023 while attempting to leave Montenegro.
