rejections in Malaysia, new landings in Indonesia

Today’s news: skirmishes over the list of hostages to be released, as deaths continue in Gaza and the West Bank. North Korea missile test during Blinken’s trip (and political crisis) to Seoul. An Indian journalist who exposed corruption is found dead in Chhattisgarh. The Japanese chain Lawson hires workers in Europe to manage the night shifts of its minimarkets in Japan through an avatar.

MALAYSIA-INDONESIA

The Malaysian Coast Guard escorted out of its waters to two boats carrying almost 300 undocumented immigrants from Myanmar, who were exhausted due to lack of food and water. Authorities provided supplies to the migrants after the boats were discovered on Friday, January 3, two nautical miles southwest of the coast of the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi. The coast guard did not specify whether the migrants were Rohingya. Meanwhile, more than 200 Rohingya disembarked in the Indonesian province of Aceh over the weekend, in the context of a growing number of arrivals by sea of ​​the stateless population to the countries of Southeast Asia.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE

While the Israeli government and Hamas they keep blaming each other In the ceasefire negotiations, people continue to die in Gaza and the West Bank. Hamas told Reuters that it had accepted a list of 34 hostages to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire, but Netanyahu’s government claims that it is an old list and that the Islamist group has not provided information on Which of those hostages are still alive. Meanwhile, also tonight, at least 13 Palestinians were killed in bombings in Gaza, while three Israelis lost their lives in an armed attack against a bus and several cars that were traveling on a road near the Kedumim settlement.

NORTH KOREA-SOUTH KOREA

North Korea launched today from an area near Pyongyang a supposed hypersonic missile that sank into the sea after traveling about 1,100 kilometers. The test – unveiled by the South Korean military – is the first in 2025 and took place while the North American Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, visits Seoul and while South Korea deals with the serious political crisis opened by President Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law in the country

INDIA

The corpse of a indian journalist who had denounced corruption in public works contracts was found in a septic tank in the state of Chhattisgarh. Mukesh Chandrakar, 32, had gone missing on New Year’s Day and his family had lodged a police complaint. His body was found yesterday at the compound of a road construction contractor in the city’s Bijapur area after officers tracked his mobile phone.

JAPAN

The Japanese chain Lawson begins hiring remote workers from Europe due to a shortage of staff for night shifts in its 24/7 minimarkets. New employees will virtually serve customers in Japan: Interactions through the new system work similarly to a video call, except customers will interact with cartoon avatars instead of seeing the actual clerk.

RUSSIA

The 25 richest Russians in 2024 have become even richer by $18.5 billion, Bloomberg reports in its list of the 500 richest men in the world. The first of the Russians is Vladimir Potanin, a financial investor, with 31.8 billion in assets, followed by Vladimir Lisin, owner of Novolipets Steel, with 29 billion, five more in 2024.

MOLDOVA-RUSSIA-UKRAINE

The Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria has been going through a serious crisis since January 1, when the flow of Russian gas through Ukraine was interrupted. Work has been paralyzed in all factories, many towns have been left completely without electricity or heating, to the point that residents are hoarding firewood to keep warm, and a true humanitarian catastrophe is looming.