Japan

Taiwanese authorities arrested Lin Hsien-Yuan, an online journalist, who worked for a media outlet called Fingermedia, a few weeks ago over a poll showing pro-China parties on course to win the upcoming January 13 election.

Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mariya Gabriel, alongside 46 foreign ministers, have collectively denounced the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) export of ballistic missiles to Russia.

The UN Security Council has asked Yemen's Houthi rebels to immediately stop attacks on vessels in the Red Sea that began in November.

The United States, alongside allied nations including Bulgaria, has issued a resounding condemnation of arms transfers between North Korea and Russia. This statement, undersigned by major European Union countries excluding Hungary and Slovakia, castigates the acquisition of North Korean ballistic missiles by Russia, allegedly utilized against Ukraine on December 30 and January 2.

January 10 marks the 80th anniversary of one of the most sinister and bloodiest bombings of Sofia during the Second World War. Then the first combined one was performed, i.e. day-night attack on the capital.

Japanese authorities sharply revised downwards on Tuesday the number of people unaccounted for following a major Jan. 1 quake, while announcing a new death toll of 180.

The 7.5-magnitude quake flattened buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure on the Noto Peninsula on Japan's main island Honshu just as families were celebrating New Year's Day.

The New Year's Day earthquake demolished wooden buildings all across Japan's Noto Peninsula but thanks to decades-old smart architecture, one small fishing village stood strong.

Japan is at the forefront of seismic technology but contrary to public perceptions, Greece is not dramatically behind, according to seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos, who stressed, however, that it is lacking in adequate earthquake warning systems. 

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa visited Ukraine on Sunday to meet with her counterpart Dmytro Kuleba to show Tokyo's continued support, a ministry official said.

The unannounced visit was a change to her original two-week tour plan of visiting Poland, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Germany and Türkiye from Friday.

Rescuers sifted through rubble Saturday as focus turned to recovering bodies rather than finding survivors five days after a huge earthquake struck central Japan, with 98 people now confirmed killed.