North Korea tests H-bomb, fears mount over camouflaged sovereign debt and why global economic disaster is unlikely

This article is published in collaboration with The Financial Times.

North Korea this morning claimed it succesfully tested its first hydrogen bomb ahead of the birthday of leader Kim Jong-Un next week. The announcement of the bomb’s detonation — generally considered more powerful than a nuclear bomb — comes after scientists detected a 5.1-magnitude earthquake next to the country’s main atomic test site.

North Korea’s last nuclear test was in 2013. Mr Kim last month claimed for the first time that Pyongyang had developed a hydrogen bomb, in defiance of UN sanctions, drawing a sceptical response from analysts. (FT)

In the news

Sex assaults spark migration outcry Scores of alleged sexual assaults against German women during New Year’s celebrations in Cologne have added another dimension to the country’s increasingly fraught debate over migration. According to police, nearly 100 women were allegedly molested or robbed by attackers who emerged from a crowd of “Arab or north African” men. (FT)

Fears mount over camouflaged sovereign debt More than $800bn of emerging market sovereign debt is being camouflaged by the growing use of bonds that offer implicit state backing without always appearing on government balance sheets, according to new research.

The ‘King of Tuna’ strikes again Kiyoshi Kimura, owner of Japan’s Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain, has splashed out nearly $120,000 for a 200kg bluefin tuna at Tokyo’s legendary Tsukiji fish market. The price was well above the $37,500 paid last year but the self-proclaimed “King of Tuna” only had good things to say: “It’s a fine tuna. A magnificent tuna. Superb”. (FT)

Missing bookseller is British The case of the missing Hong Kong publishers who sold books critical of China’s top leadership has taken on an international dimension after authorities in the UK confirmed one of the men is a British citizen. (FT)

Toyota poaches Google exec Toyota has hired Google’s former head of robotics, as it predicted that robots could become as important to its future as cars have since the 1930s. (FT)

It’s a big day for

Europe’s open borders The EU will host emergency talks with Denmark, Sweden and Germany about new migrant border checks that have sparked fresh concerns about Europe’s Schengen passport-free zone. (EurActiv)

Food for thought

The cricket prodigy Cricketers around the world hailed a 15-year-old Indian schoolboy on Tuesday after he became the first player to score more than 1,000 runs in an innings in an officially recorded match. Pranav Dhanawade, the son of a rickshaw driver, spent more than six-and-a-half hours at the crease over two days, and broke his bat, in scoring 1,009 not out off 323 balls. (FT)

Why global economic disaster is an unlikely event That the world economy won’t be well managed is of secondary importance, argues the FT’s Martin Wolf. What matters is that a disaster is avoided, and the chances are high that it will. (FT)

Twitter unchained Brevity may be the soul of wit but it is not the basis for growth. Well, at least for Twitter, which is considering abandoning its 140-character limit on the length of tweets in a bid to revive user growth. (FT)

The benefits of drinking tea New research has found that habitual tea consumption can help improve heart health. The findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, show that drinking tea can prevent arterial stiffness, an important component of cardiovascular health. (Quartz)

Throw away your CV Among a select group of companies, so-called “blind hiring” is now in vogue. These businesses don’t want to know your name or alma mater, they just want to see whether you can perform the task at hand. (WSJ)

Video of the day

Sterling for a fight John Authers analyses the sterling’s recent fall, as investors bet on divergence in monetary policy, while the Brexit referendum comes on to their radar. (FT)

Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Author: FirstFT is the Financial Times’ editors curated free daily email of the top global stories from the FT and the best of the rest of the web.

Image: A man walks past buildings at the central business district of Singapore. REUTERS/Nicky Loh.