IRAN
The official toll provided by the Iranian authorities of the two explosions that occurred yesterday during the ceremony to commemorate commander Qassem Soleimani, killed by a US drone in 2020, is 95 dead and over 200 injured. Iranian officials speak generically of a "terrorist" massacre due to the which there has been no claim at the moment. Iranian state television reported a first and then a second explosion 20 minutes later during a crowded event at the cemetery where Soleimani is buried in the southeastern city of Kerman. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the "heinous and inhumane crime" and Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, vowed revenge for the bloody attack.
INDIA
The head of the local government of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal - leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), considered one of Narendra Modi's possible antagonists - refused to appear yesterday for questioning by the federal agency on financial crimes. The probe is into a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in Delhi's excise policy between 2021-22. The Delhi chief minister cited that the federal agency could arrest him. The investigating body has asked the court for permission to investigate AAP as a beneficiary of the "proceeds of crime".
CHINA
The Chinese company BYD surpassed the American Tesla for the first time in the number of electric cars sold worldwide in the last quarter of 2023. According to data provided to investors, the largest Chinese manufacturer sold a record 525,409 battery-electric vehicles in the three-month period to December 31, versus 484,507 delivered by Tesla (also an all-time high for the company).
CHINA-JAPAN
Authorities in China's southern Hainan province have suspended a local news anchor after he used the word "punishment" in relation to the recent earthquake on Japan's Noto Peninsula. The provincial state broadcaster said in a statement that Xiao Chenghao is currently under investigation. The incident comes after a wave of anti-Japanese sentiment swept China in August, when Beijing criticized the release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.
SOUTH KOREA
The South Korean antitrust authority has fined Nexon Korea Corp. - one of the largest companies in the online gaming sector - 11.6 billion won (about 8 million euros) for alleged deceptive commercial activities of video game users. Nexon was accused of changing the winning odds for its hit titles "MapleStory" and "Bubble Fighter" several times to the detriment of users from 2010 to 2021 and of failing to warn customers, in violation of the Privacy Protection Act. e-commerce consumers. This is the largest fine ever imposed by the Korean regulator so far.
RUSSIA-ASIA
The World Bank has published the data of the debtor countries towards Russia, for a total amount of 28.9 billion dollars, 2.3 billion more than the previous year. Above all, the debt of Belarus stands out (8.24 billion), followed by Bangladesh (5.86), India (3.75), Egypt (1.82), Vietnam (1.39), Afghanistan (1.2 ), Yemen (1.18) and Serbia (0.92).
RUSSIA
18-year-old Russian Stas Silchenkov, a native of Smolensk, who had signed the contract with the Ministry of Defense only three months ago, has died on the front in Ukraine. He is the first born in 2005 to lose his life in combat, according to the calculations of the Russian section of the BBC, after the Moscow Duma lowered the age of voluntary conscription in April 2023.
