Cryptocurrencies: record thefts by North Korean hackers

Today's headlines: Death toll from quake in Turkey and Syria reaches 5,000; Taiwan will create a fleet of military drones to oppose China; The Philippines strengthens its naval presence in the South China Sea; Opposition in India calls for investigation into giant Adani's financial collapse; Russia: Orthodox priest suspended by Patriarch Kirill for calling for peace in Ukraine.

NORTH KOREA

Pyongyang registered a record number of cryptocurrency thefts in 2022, according to a UN report. Hackers linked to Kim Jong-un's regime allegedly seized virtual assets worth between 0 million and billion.

TURKEY-SYRIA

The death toll rises to almost 4,900 from the devastating earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria yesterday. For the time being, most of them are Turkish victims (3,380). The international aid machine is activated. Israel also willing to lend support to Syrian opponents.

TAIWAN-CHINA

Taipei is working on building a fleet of military drones by next year. The domestically produced unmanned aircraft will be used in defence against possible Chinese aggression. The effectiveness of their use in a conflict against a better armed adversary became apparent during the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

PHILIPPINES

The Philippine Coast Guard has strengthened its presence in the South China Sea by increasing the number of ships and aerial overflights. The vast stretch of sea is claimed almost 90% by China, a position rejected by Manila and other governments in the region.

INDIA

Opposition parties to the Modi government organised a protest in Delhi yesterday to demand an investigation into the financial collapse of the Adani group. Since 24 January, when a report was published accusing it of illegal practices, the Indian conglomerate has lost 0 billion in stock market value.

RUSSIA

Patriarch Kirill personally suspended a priest from the Church of Andrew Protoclitus in Ljublin, on the outskirts of Moscow, a divinis. Father Ioann Koval punished because in the recitation of the patriotic litanies' he replaced the word 'victory' with 'peace'.

KAZAKHSTAN-UKRAINE

Kazakh volunteers are collecting yurts (nomad tents), trunks, generators and other materials to send to Ukraine to those who have lost their homes or housing services. The gesture underlines the distancing of the entire Kazakh society from Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

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