Afghanistan, UAE, North Korea.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jan 27, 2022

Afghanistan

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today said Afghanistan was “hanging by a thread” and that some families had resorted to selling their babies for food. As mentioned in previous newsletters, $9 billion in Afghan central bank reserves, which are held in the US, were frozen when the Taliban took control in August. The World Bank and the IMF have also withheld aid money. Many experts have accused Western nations of being so bent on punishing the Taliban that they are allowing Afghans to starve. Guterres also addressed the rights of women and girls, urging the Taliban to release a number of women’s rights activists who are reported to have been detained.

UAE

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have threatened to prosecute anyone sharing video on social media of missiles fired at the country by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. UAE’s missile defence systems have twice this week intercepted rockets fired from Yemen, and footage of explosions in the predawn sky quickly spread on social platforms. The UAE is part of a Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen’s civil war to support President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after he was toppled by the Iran-backed Houthis.

North Korea

North Korea has launched two ballistic missiles into the sea in the sixth such launch this month. The high number of test firings is likely a display of prowess carried out as part of the regular diplomatic brinkmanship that takes place between Pyongyang and its rivals in South Korea and the US. Nuclear talks between the three have been suspended for some time and all sides will want leverage should they restart.