Cambodia arrests and extradites online fraud magnate to China

Today's headlines: Trump ready to further raise tariffs on India for Russian oil imports; Iranian protests against the high cost of living in 111 cities, death toll rises to 34; Japan to launch plan to reduce textile waste from disposable clothing; China is studying rules for virtual “boyfriends” generated by artificial intelligence.

CAMBODIA-CHINA

Chinese-born tycoon Chen Zhi has been arrested in the country and extradited to China. He is accused of running online fraud centres in Cambodia that employed workers who were victims of human trafficking. The operation was carried out on 6 January “as part of cooperation in the fight against transnational crime” and following a request from the Chinese authorities, the Phnom Penh Interior Ministry said. In October last year, the US government also accused Chen, founder of Prince Holding Group, one of Cambodia's largest conglomerates, of masterminding a massive cryptocurrency scam involving forced labour camps.

UNITED STATES-INDIA-RUSSIA

Alongside operations against the ghost fleet's oil tankers, US President Donald Trump yesterday gave the ‘green light’ to a congressional bill that would increase sanctions not only against Moscow, but also against its trading partners, including India, China and Brazil. Speaking to reporters, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham added that he was confident that the vote on the measure could take place as early as next week. Among the measures provided for in the bill are a ban on the issuance of visas and customs duties of up to 500% (which for India are already currently at 50%).

IRAN

New violent clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces occurred yesterday in several locations across Iran, in the wave of unrest triggered by the country's economic crisis, which has now been going on for eleven days. According to the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), the protests have so far spread to 111 cities and towns in all 31 provinces. The organisation claims that at least 34 protesters and four members of the security forces have been killed during the unrest, and that 2,200 protesters have been arrested.

JAPAN

The Japanese Ministry of the Environment will draw up an action plan by March aimed at reducing the large amounts of textile waste generated by households. The plan will include measures to be taken by consumers, local authorities and businesses, in a context where a high percentage of used clothing in households is often disposed of as waste. According to a ministry estimate based on 2024 data, Japanese households purchased a total of 770,000 tonnes of clothing during the year, while approximately 480,000 tonnes were disposed of as waste. Of this amount, approximately 510,000 tonnes of clothing were incinerated or sent to landfill.

CHINA

As China continues to tighten its control over artificial intelligence, the cyberspace regulator has decided to take action on AI-based virtual “boyfriends” and “girlfriends”, proposing rules that would require platforms to intervene when users show suicidal or self-harming tendencies. The draft regulation published on 27 December requires chatbot providers to strengthen the protection of minors and restrict obscene or harmful content, while encouraging similar services designed for elderly users.

RUSSIA

For the third year in a row, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended Christmas celebrations with the military, although this time the Kremlin did not disclose which church he attended. According to some sources, it was the one located on the grounds of a barracks in the province of Moscow, as shown in videos depicting him alongside Commander Aleksey Galkin, a “hero of Russia” since the war in Chechnya, giving a speech at the end of the service in which he stated that soldiers are “saviours acting on God's will”.

GEORGIA

The 93-year-old Patriarch of the Georgian Church, Katholikos Ilia II, published a letter to all the faithful on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas on 7 January, explaining the role of Christianity in the history and future of the country, and contemporary spiritual and social challenges, particularly with regard to human freedom and responsibility, warning against ‘replacing freedom with permissiveness’ and seeking to avoid abusing freedom of speech.

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