Court issues formal arrest warrant for South Korean President
On January 19, the Seoul Western District Court issued a formal arrest warrant for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of "abuse of power" and directing a rebellion.
The arrest warrant relates to his controversial declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, and the deployment of troops to Congress to prevent a vote to repeal the law.
The arrest warrant allows Yoon to be held for up to 20 days while the investigation is ongoing. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Level Officials is expected to forward the case to prosecutors within 10 days. The decision could have a major impact on Yoon’s impeachment, which is currently under review by the Constitutional Court.
US President Donald Trump takes office
At noon on January 20 (US time), Mr. Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. At the last rally before the inauguration, he pledged to issue an executive order to delay the ban on TikTok and affirmed his role in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Washington has tightened security with 25,000 law enforcement officers, while the inauguration is being held inside the Capitol building due to the cold weather. It marks the start of an ambitious new term with more than 200 executive orders expected to be issued.
TikTok briefly shuts down in the US
On January 18 (local time), TikTok officially stopped operating in the US due to the ban requiring ByteDance to divest. Users could not access the application, while Google and Apple removed TikTok from the app store.
However, on January 19, TikTok's service was restored after President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would suspend the ban via executive order upon taking office. TikTok thanked Mr. Trump for giving ByteDance time to find a buyer, opening up the opportunity to continue operating in the US.
Russia sets record with world's only floating nuclear plant
The Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant in Chukotka, Russia, has just reached a milestone of producing more than 1 billion kWh of electricity, enough to make coffee for the entire world population. It is the largest power complex in the far north, supplying more than 60% of the region’s electricity needs and supporting the operation of mineral mines.
With enough capacity to power 100,000 people, the plant also desalinates seawater, meeting the needs of areas with a shortage of fresh water. Russia plans to build four more floating nuclear plants, strengthening its global energy position.
China's artificial sun sets new super record
China's EAST fusion reactor has broken a record by maintaining a superheated plasma loop for 1,066 seconds, surpassing the previous mark of 403 seconds. The event on January 20, 2025 marks a major step forward in the journey to develop virtually limitless clean energy.
EAST simulates the fusion process like the Sun, with the potential to provide energy with zero greenhouse gas emissions and little radioactive waste. Data from EAST supports international projects, paving the way for future commercialization of fusion energy.
