Kim Jong-un makes surprise visit to China; President Putin once commanded an artillery platoon

Vietnamese oil tanker catches fire off Hong Kong, 1 dead

At least one person died and two others were missing after the Vietnamese oil and chemical tanker Aulac Fortune caught fire on Lamma Island, off Hong Kong. The fire broke out after an explosion at around 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 8, according to a police official.

Crew members jumped into the sea as the fire engulfed the ship. Twenty-three of the 26 crew members were rescued by fire boats and helicopters, while two others are still missing. The body of one victim has also been brought ashore.

President Putin once commanded an artillery platoon.

President Putin fires a howitzer. Photo: Sputnik

Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the festivities at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St Petersburg, and shared some details about his military career. “It turns out we were all artillerymen. I was promoted to lieutenant, served as a platoon leader in a 122 mm artillery division,” the leader said after firing a 122 mm D-30 howitzer.

It is unclear when President Putin joined the military and was promoted to the rank of artillery officer. According to his biography, he was recruited into the Soviet Union's Security Committee (KGB) after graduating from St. Petersburg State University in 1975. He then spent time in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), where he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel before turning to politics.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes surprise visit to China

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) and his wife Ri Sol-ju inspect an honor guard in Pyongyang before departing for a visit to China. Photo:KCNA.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a surprise visit to China on January 7 to hold his fourth summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Korean media reported. South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh reported that leader Kim Jong-un was traveling on a special train across the North Korea-China border on the evening of January 7.

Security was tightened in the Chinese border city of Dandong, Kyodo reported, suggesting a top foreign official was in China. Dozens of official vehicles and security personnel blocked roads around the Dandong train station before the train passed. The roads were later reopened. Officials from North Korea and China have not officially confirmed the visit. Previous visits have been kept top secret and usually only announced after the North Korean leader has returned home.

UK does not extend Brexit deadline of Article 50 of Lisbon Treaty

Britain does not extend the Brexit deadline of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Photo: Reuters

The UK will leave the European Union on March 29 and the UK does not intend to extend the “divorce” period stipulated in Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. This was affirmed by the Secretary of State in charge of the UK’s exit from the European Union (abbreviated as Brexit) Stephen Barclay to the press today (January 8).

According to Mr. Barclay, the British Government's policy on this issue is very clear, the British Prime Minister has repeatedly emphasized that the UK will leave the European Union on March 29, 2019 and the UK will not extend this time. When asked whether any Conservative MPs have changed their decision to oppose the Brexit deal, Mr. Barclay said that some people have left open the possibility of passing the deal but there are still many who oppose it.

Abandoned by the US, Kurdish militia plans to join the Syrian army

Redur Khalil, a senior commander in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), revealed that Kurdish militia groups are negotiating with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to hand over control of many areas to the government army, to deal with the threat from Türkiye after the US withdrawal,AFPreport

Syrian army units entered the city of Manbij late last month after Kurdish militia agreed to cede control of the area to the government to avoid a Turkish military offensive. It was the first time the Syrian army raised its flag in Manbij in years since the strategic city was under Kurdish control. The move came after the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) issued a statement urging government forces to regain control of the areas they had withdrawn from, in order to protect the country's territorial integrity from the threat of a "Turkish occupation".

Millions of Indian workers strike across the country demanding reforms

Protesters block a railway line. Source: News18

On January 8, the Central Trade Unions (CTU) called for a two-day nationwide strike to protest the government’s anti-workers’ policies and labor reforms. The CTU said that 10 member unions and more than 200 million workers had responded to the strike. Only two unions, the Bhashiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, did not support the protest.

Strikers in the eastern state of West Bengal blocked railway and road routes in several places, despite the local government deploying security forces to deal with the strike.

Border crossing between Gaza Strip and Egypt closed one way

The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on January 7, 2019. Photo: THX/TTXVN

On January 8, Middle Eastern media quoted Hamas as saying that the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt had been closed one-way to Palestinians trying to leave Gaza, after Hamas regained control of the crossing from the Palestinian Authority (PA). Wael Abu Omar, a Hamas spokesman in charge of the crossing, said that the Rafah crossing would be closed by Egypt on January 8 and it was unclear whether it would be extended. Those in Gaza who want to return to Palestine from Egypt can still use the crossing, but are not allowed to do so in the opposite direction.

The PA had taken control of the Rafah crossing in November 2017 as part of an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation deal between Palestinian factions, which saw Egypt agree to reopen the crossing. However, on January 6, the PA announced that it was withdrawing its personnel from the Rafah crossing in protest at “violent actions” by Hamas. The PA accused Hamas security forces of recently “summoning, arresting and mistreating” PA personnel working at the Rafah crossing.