Rohingya refugees: Push backs from Malaysia, new landings in Indonesia

Today's news: Skirmishes over the list of hostages to be freed, while deaths continue in Gaza and the West Bank; North Korea's missile test during Blinken's trip (and political crisis) to Seoul; Indian journalist exposing corruption found dead in Chhattisgarh; Japanese chain Lawson hires workers in Europe to manage night shifts in its convenience stores in Japan through an avatar.

MALAYSIA-INDONESIA

Malaysia's coast guard escorted out of its waters two boats carrying nearly 300 undocumented migrants from Myanmar, who were found to be exhausted from lack of food and water. Authorities provided the migrants with supplies after the boats were discovered on Friday, 3 January, two nautical miles southwest of the coast of the Malaysian tourist island of Langkawi. The coast guard did not specify whether the migrants were Rohingya. Meanwhile, more than 200 Rohingya landed in the Indonesian province of Aceh over the weekend in the context of a growing number of arrivals by sea of the stateless population in Southeast Asian countries.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE

While the Israeli government and Hamas continue to blame each other in the ceasefire negotiations, people continue to die in Gaza and the West Bank. Hamas told the Reuters news agency that it had accepted a list of 34 hostages to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire, but the Netanyahu 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 died in shelling in Gaza, while three Israelis were killed in an armed attack on a bus and several cars passing on a road near the settlement of Kedumim.

NORTH KOREA-SOUTH KOREA

North Korea today launched from an area near Pyongyang an alleged hypersonic missile that sank into the sea after travelling about 1,100 kilometres. The test - disclosed by the South Korean military - is the first in 2025 and took place while US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is visiting Seoul and while South Korea is grappling with the serious political crisis opened by President Yoon's failed attempt to impose martial law in the country

INDIA

The body of an Indian journalist who had exposed corruption in public works contracts was found in a septic tank in the state of Chhattisgarh. Mukesh Chandrakar, 32, had disappeared on New Year's Day and his family had filed a complaint with the police. His body was found yesterday in the compound of a road construction contractor in the Bijapur area of the city after officers had traced his mobile phone.

JAPAN

The Japanese chain Lawson is starting to hire remote workers from Europe in response to a shortage of staff for night shifts at its 24/7 convenience stores. The new hires will virtually assist customers in Japan: interactions through the new system work similar to a video call, except that customers will interact with cartoon avatars instead of seeing the actual salesperson.

RUSSIA

The 25 richest Russians in 2024 have become even richer by .5 billion, as Bloomberg reports on 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 in serious crisis since 1 January, when Russian gas flows through Ukraine were interrupted. Work in all factories has stopped, many villages have been totally without electricity and heating, so much so that the inhabitants are hoarding wood for heating, and a real humanitarian catastrophe is near.