Deaths reported in Iran’s protests; fire in Switzerland kills dozens, and more
The World in Brief from The Economist
The Economist
4.1 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 2 January 2026
⏱️ 5 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, you're listening to the free edition of the world in brief from The Economist. |
| 0:11.2 | As a reminder, if you subscribe to The Economist, you'll get access to a deeper look at the day ahead, updated three times a day. |
| 0:20.1 | If you're already an Economist subscriber, |
| 0:22.6 | visit Economist.com slash espresso or visit our espresso app to start listening. Here's today's |
| 0:29.5 | free edition. |
| 0:35.2 | This is the world in brief from The Economist. |
| 0:41.8 | Our top stories, Iranian media reported that several people had died in clashes between protesters and security forces. |
| 0:52.4 | Anger over living standards and the country's ailing economy sparked the |
| 0:57.0 | demonstrations which began on Sunday. Human rights groups said that protesters had died in |
| 1:04.0 | Nordegun, a western city and in Isfahan, a central region. Officials also confirmed the death of one person in the city of Kudoshed. |
| 1:14.6 | A fire at a bar in Switzerland killed around 40 people and injured roughly 100 more, according to local officials. |
| 1:23.6 | Crowds had gathered at the venue in Cronmontanar, a popular tourist destination for New Year's Eve. |
| 1:31.8 | An explosion occurred in the early hours of the morning. |
| 1:35.2 | Police said there was no evidence of a terrorist attack and that the cause of the blast was being investigated. |
| 1:42.6 | Ukraine's president, Volodymy Zelensky, said that Russia launched more than 200 drones |
| 1:48.2 | at his country on the night of New Year's Eve, with many targeting energy infrastructure. |
| 1:55.4 | Officials said Ukrainian air defenses shot down most of them. |
| 2:00.2 | Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of launching a strike on |
| 2:04.1 | occupied parts of the Kursan region, killing 24 people. Ukraine's armed forces have yet to comment. |
| 2:14.0 | China criticized the EU's carbon border attacks, saying the bloc was using climate policy as a, quote, pretext to promote new trade protectionism. |
| 2:24.8 | The EU's new rules, which come into effect on Thursday, aim to protect European companies by requiring foreign firms in high-polluting industries to comply with the environmental |
| 2:36.2 | standards or pay a levy. China suggested it could retaliate. Zoran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor |
... |
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