Tehran attacks in Iran and Syria: Isis and Mossad 'targets' (but hits Kurds)

Today's news: Two of the three hostages featured in the Hamas video dead; North Korean hackers share clandestine money laundering networks with fraudsters and traffickers in Southeast Asia; An Iranian court handed down an additional 15-month sentence to Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi; Tajikistan and Uzbekistan 'do not recognise' the outcome of the vote in Taiwan.

IRAQ - IRAN - SYRIA
Overnight, Tehran launched a series of ballistic missile attacks in Iraq and Syria, provoking a reaction from the Baghdad government. The area of Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, and an unspecified location in Syria are affected, with the objective of "anti-Iranian terrorist groups". Also in the crosshairs is an Israeli Mossad espionage center; Kurdish authorities report at least four deaths including a well-known businessman and six injured in the raid.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE
Two of the three hostages who appeared in the video released by Hamas "died under Israeli army bombs" as announced by the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the movement. The deaths of Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky are announced in a new video. The third hostage also appears, the young Noa Argamani, the only one of the trio left alive, who explains how they were killed in a bombing "by our IDF" with reference to the army with the Star of David. Israel's denial was immediate, saying it had struck in "nearby" places.

NORTH KOREA - MYANMAR
A group of North Korean hackers linked to the  Lazarus Group share clandestine banking and money laundering networks with scammers and drug traffickers in Southeast Asia. This was revealed by a United Nations report, according to which casinos and cryptocurrency exchanges are key places for organized crime. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) speaks of "several cases" in the Mekong area which includes Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

IRAN
An Iranian revolutionary court has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi to another 15 months in prison, having already served 12 years in prison having to serve different sentences. The woman is accused of spreading propaganda material against the Islamic Republic while she was in prison. This is the fifth guilty verdict since March 2021.

TAJIKISTAN - UZBEKISTAN - TAIWAN
The Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan did not recognize the outcome of the "so-called elections" in Taiwan and the victory of William Lai of the Democratic Party, considering the island "an inseparable part of the territory of China". Dušanbe declares himself against any interference in the internal affairs of the country considered "a friend of Tajikistan". Uzbekistan also issued a similar note.

CHINA
A thousand tourists are stranded in a tourist village in a remote area, due to the avalanches that hit the north-western region of Xinjiang, in China, with snow meters high and critical weather that hinders the evacuation work. Road access to Hemu, near the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia, is cut off. Heavy snowfall has been ongoing for at least 10 days.

INDIA
Lack of snowfall has caused emptying of ski resorts and cancellations of holidays in the Indian Himalayas, with scientists linking an "unusual" winter to El Nino. The prolonged drought in Kashmir pushes people to avoid the popular resort of Gulmarg, abandoning hotels. For scientists it is an anomalous winter, with cold and thick fog.

RUSSIA
In several concentration camps in Russia the heating began to be turned off, justifying the choice with malfunctions in various regions. However, Olga Romanova's Rus association behind bars accuses the prison management of wanting to force prisoners to enlist for the war in Ukraine, making it impossible to remain in cells in freezing temperatures.

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