Iran-Afghanistan, Hong Kong, South Korea.
Today's three stories you should know.
Iran-Afghanistan
Iran and the Taliban have engaged in a heavy gun battle on the border between the Islamic Republic and Afghanistan, sharply escalating already simmering tensions between the two. Two Iranian border guards and at least one Taliban fighter were killed, according to a Taliban minister and Iranian state media. The two are at odds over water rights with Iran accusing the Taliban of restricting the flow of water from the Helmand river to Iran’s drought-stalked east. Both sides accused the other of opening fire first, and Iran closed an important border crossing after the incident.
More from Reuters here.
Hong Kong
One of Hong Kong’s last surviving pro-democracy parties today voted to disband as China’s efforts to snuff out dissent in the territory continue. Founded in 2006, the Civic Party was once the second-biggest party in the city’s Legislative Council, but it has seen members arrested or forced into exile after Beijing passed a restrictive national security law in response to pro-democracy protests. Under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong residents are supposed to have more freedoms than people in mainland China but those rights are being steadily choked off.
More from BBC here.
South Korea
A man who opened an emergency exit door on an Asiana Airlines flight as it came in to land in South Korea has said he was “uncomfortable” and wanted to get off the plane early. The door was opened when the plane was about 213 metres above the ground and footage showed passengers panicking as wind whipped through the cabin. Investigations are ongoing into how he managed to open the door mid-flight.
More from Al Jazeera here.