Today’s news: Skirmish over list of hostages to be released as deaths continue in Gaza and West Bank. During Blinken’s visit to Seoul (and political crisis), North Korea’s missile test. Indian journalist exposing corruption found dead in Chhattisgarh. Japanese chain Lawson is hiring workers in Europe to manage night shifts at Japanese convenience stores through Avatar.
Malaysia-Indonesia
Malaysia’s coast guard escorted two boats carrying about 300 illegal migrants from Myanmar from the area, but they were found to be exhausted due to lack of food and water. On Friday, January 3, authorities provided supplies to the migrants after the boat was spotted two nautical miles southwest of the coast of the Malaysian tourist island of Langkawi. The Coast Guard did not say whether the migrants were Rohingya. Meanwhile, more than 200 Rohingya landed in Indonesia’s Aceh province over the weekend, amid an increase in stateless people entering Southeast Asian countries by sea.
Israel/Palestine
While the Israeli government and Hamas continue to accuse each other of negotiating a ceasefire, deaths continue in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Hamas told Reuters it had accepted a list of 34 hostages to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire, but Netanyahu’s government said it was an old list and the Islamist group would not provide information on who was on the list. claims not to have done so. The hostage is still alive. Meanwhile, at least 13 Palestinians were killed in shelling in the Gaza Strip this evening, and three Israelis were killed in an armed attack on a bus and several cars passing on a road near the Kedumim settlement.
North Korea-South Korea
North Korea launched what appears to be a hypersonic missile from near Pyongyang today, and it sank into the sea after flying approximately 1,100 kilometers. The test, revealed by South Korea’s military and the first of its kind in 2025, comes during U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to Seoul, as South Korea grapples with a deep political crisis caused by President Yoon Yoon’s failure to impose martial law. It was done while country
India
The body of an Indian journalist who exposed corruption in public works contracts has been found in a septic tank in Chhattisgarh. Mukesh Chandrakar (32) went missing on New Year’s Day and his family had filed a police report. His body was found yesterday at the premises of a road construction contractor in the city’s Bijapur area after cops traced his mobile phone.
Japan
Japanese chain store Lawson has begun hiring remote workers from Europe in response to a shortage of night shift staff at its 24/7 convenience stores. New employees will support Japanese customers virtually. Interactions through the new system work similarly to video calls, except instead of meeting a real salesperson, customers interact with a cartoon avatar.
Russia
Russia’s 25 richest people in 2024 will be 500 million yen richer, as Bloomberg reports in its list of the world’s 500 richest men. The first Russian person on the list is financial investor Vladimir Potanin, with a fortune of 31.8 billion, followed by Vladimir Lisin, owner of Novolipets Steel, with a fortune of 29 billion, and five more will be added in 2024.
Moldova-Russia-Ukraine
The Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria has been in deep crisis since January 1, when the flow of Russian gas through Ukraine was cut off. With all factories shutting down, many villages without electricity and heating, and residents stocking up on wood for heating, a true humanitarian catastrophe is on the horizon.
