Kategori: NEWS

ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his country would support Syria’s transition process, and contribute to the country’s recovery and stability.

“We are supporting the Syrian people in managing the transition process smoothly, without any setbacks along the way,” the state-run TRT broadcaster quoted Erdogan as saying.

“Drafting a constitution is one critical step in rebuilding the state,” Erdogan told journalists on his return flight from Cairo, where he attended the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation.

“For this, we have initiated communication with key figures in Syria’s new administration.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to visit Syria soon to discuss creating a “collaborative framework” for Syria’s future, he said, adding, “If Syria establishes a truly stable structure with this new formation, in my view, it will hold a very strong position in the Islamic world.”

He noted that Türkiye and Syria would collaborate on multiple sectors, including defense, education, and energy.

“Currently, Syria is facing serious challenges in energy, but we aim to resolve these issues swiftly,” Erdogan said.

With years of conflict devastating Syria’s infrastructure and cities, Erdogan underscored the importance of reconstruction. “To mend the wounds, it is essential to rebuild cities and create sustainable livelihoods,” he said, pointing to plans for new housing, energy facilities, and initiatives in agriculture and livestock as priorities.

XINHUA

MOSCOW — Russia launched a group strike with long-range precision weapons on Friday morning in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on its chemical plant with Western-made missiles.

The strike targeted the Ukrainian Security Service command post, the state-run Kiev design bureau “Luch,” and positions of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It said the raid was in response to Ukraine’s Wednesday attack on a Russian chemical plant in the Rostov region with six U.S.-made ATACMS tactical missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.

Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said on Telegram that five Russian missiles targeted Kiev but were shot down by Ukrainian air defense at around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT).

The fragments of downed missiles resulted in deaths and injuries as well as damage in five districts of Kiev, it said.

In a major shift of policy on the Ukraine crisis, the United States in November authorized Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles to strike targets in Russia, triggering an escalation of tension around the conflict.

XINHUA

NEW DELHI — The death toll in Friday’s fire mishap involving several vehicles in India’s western state of Rajasthan rose to 9, confirmed local officials over the phone.

The identity of most of the deceased could not be done yet as they were burnt beyond recognition.

Nearly 40 people with burn injuries were undergoing treatment at a government hospital in the state capital Jaipur.

The death toll was feared to rise further as some of the injured persons were in serious condition.

The gory incident happened on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway when a tanker filled with inflammable substance collided with a heavy vehicle, resulting in a massive fire engulfing nearby vehicles, including trucks, a passenger bus, and private cars, among others.

According to eyewitnesses, repeated blasts could be heard amid the fire even as vehicles parked up to 300 meters from the site of the mishap were also burnt.

The fire was of such a magnitude that fire department officials faced a tough time in dousing it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences at the loss of human lives and announced a monetary compensation to the victims’ families.

XINHUA

KABUL — At least 14 people were killed due to carbon monoxide poisoning in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, during the past two months, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said Friday.

“The deadly gas poisoning incident caused the death of 14 Afghan people, including women and children, in different districts of Kabul city, the capital of Afghanistan, over the past two months,” Tolo quoted Zadran as saying.

Due to high prices for firewood and other necessities, many Afghans have turned to gas to heat their homes during the harsh winter months.

The tragedy has highlighted the unstable circumstances that many Afghan families face across the country, where they are especially vulnerable due to limited prospects and economic difficulties.

XINHUA

OSLO — Sweden will no longer fund the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) but instead provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza via other channels, the Nordic country’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, told Swedish broadcaster TV4 on Friday.

Israel, which will ban UNRWA’s operations in the country from late January, has repeatedly accused the agency of being involved in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.

Sweden’s decision to end funding for UNRWA was in response to the Israeli ban, as it will make channelling aid to the Palestinians via the agency more difficult, Dousa said.

Sweden plans to increase its overall humanitarian assistance to Gaza next year, he added.

“There are several other organizations in Gaza, I have just been there and met several of them,” the minister said, naming the UN World Food Programme as one potential recipient.

The United Nations General Assembly threw its support behind UNRWA this month, demanding that Israel respect the agency’s mandate and “enable its operations to proceed without impediment or restriction.”

AN-REUTERS

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv early Friday killed at least one person and injured nine others, officials said. Moscow claimed it was in response to a Ukrainian strike on Russian soil using American-made weapons.

At least three loud blasts were heard in Kyiv shortly before sunrise. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles fired at the city. The attack knocked out heating to 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities, and 30 schools and kindergartens, the city administration said, and falling missile debris caused damage and sparked fires in three districts.

“We ask citizens to immediately respond to reports of ballistic attack threats, because there is very little time to find shelter,” the air force said.

During the almost three years since the war began Russia has regularly bombarded civilian areas of Ukraine, often in an attempt to cripple the power grid and unnerve Ukrainians.

Meanwhile Ukraine, struggling to hold back Russia’s bigger army on the front line, has attempted to strike Russian infrastructure supporting the country’s war effort.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said the strike was in response to a Ukrainian missile attack on Russia’s Rostov border region two days earlier. That attack used six American-made Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched missiles provided by the United Kingdom, it said.

That day, Ukraine claimed to have targeted a Rostov oil refinery as part of its campaign to strike Russian infrastructure supporting the country’s war effort.

The use of Western-supplied weapons to strike Russia has angered the Kremlin. Ukraine fired several American-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia for the first time on Nov. 19 after Washington eased restrictions on their use.

That development prompted Russia to use a new hypersonic missile, called Oreshnik, for the first time. President Vladimir Putin suggested the missile could be used to target government buildings in Kyiv, though there have been no reports of an Oreshnik being used for a second time.

Answering the Ukrainian attack on Rostov on Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said it carried out a group strike with “high-precision, long-range weapons” on the command center of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and another location where it said Ukraine’s Neptune missile systems are designed and produced.

The attack also targeted Ukrainian ground-based cruise missile systems and US-made Patriot air defense systems, the Defense Ministry said.

“The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All objects are hit,” the defense ministry said in a Telegram post.

Its claims could not immediately be verified.

AN-AP

NEW DELHI — At least five persons died and over 35 were injured after a truck carrying a chemical substance hit other vehicles in India’s western state of Rajasthan early on Friday, confirmed a local police.

The mishap occurred on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway near the Bhankrota area. There were a couple of petrol pumps in the immediate vicinity of the site of the mishap, which were fortunately safe.

The injured, many of whom were in serious condition, were rushed to a government hospital in the state capital city of Jaipur. The death toll was feared to rise.

XINHUA

WASHINGTON — The United States said Thursday it disagreed with New York-based Human Rights Watch’s accusation that Israel was carrying out “acts of genocide” in the Gaza Strip by damaging water infrastructure.

“When it comes to a determination of something like genocide, the legal standard is just incredibly high, and so the finding in this scenario we just disagree with,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

“That does not take away from the fact that there is a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

The report released Thursday by the Human Rights Watch follows a similar accusation by London-based Amnesty International.

In a separate report on Thursday, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” in its 14-month war in Gaza launched after a massive Hamas attack.

The medical group said it documented 41 attacks on MSF staff including air strikes on health facilities and direct fire on humanitarian convoys.

Patel distanced the United States from the finding but, in contrast to Israel, stressed the value of non-governmental organizations.

“Even within their report, they make pretty clear that they don’t have the legal authority to determine intentionality” in the strikes on MSF, Patel said.

“But we continue to appreciate the important role that’s played by civil society organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, and we’re deeply concerned about the scale of civilian harm in this conflict,” he said.

AN-AFP

UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged Israel to stop violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Speaking at a press conference, Guterres condemned Israel’s extensive airstrikes on Syria aimed at destroying strategic weapons and military infrastructure and its troops’ entry into a demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

“They are violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and they must stop,” he said. “Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the area of separation other than UN peacekeepers. And those peacekeepers must have freedom of movement to undertake their important work.”

Guterres underscored that Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains fully in force.

“This is a decisive moment — a moment of hope and history, but also one of great uncertainty,” the UN chief told reporters.

“Some will try to exploit the situation for their own narrow ends. But it is the obligation of the international community to stand with the people of Syria who have suffered so much,” he said.

XINHUA

BOGOTA, Colombia — Chilean President Gabriel Boric branded Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu a war criminal for his actions in Gaza and other parts of Palestine.

Speaking at the “Palestinian Christmas: Light of Hope from Bethlehem to Chile” event, Boric on Wednesday criticized Netanyahu over Israel’s attacks on Gaza, now into their 14th straight month.

“There is no room for half-measures in the defense of humanity. We are gathered here today to defend humanity,” he said at the capital Santiago’s Palestinian Stadium.

“We are deeply pained and shaken not only by what is happening in Gaza but also by the events in the West Bank,” he added, referring to illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and Israeli soldiers attacking Palestinians there.

Boric stressed that Netanyahu’s actions constitute war crimes and “barbarity,” and added: “I choose humanity. What Benjamin Netanyahu has done is a war crime, a crime against humanity.”

Boric called for redoubling efforts toward peace.

Since October 2023, Israel’s attacks in Gaza have killed over 45,000 people and left most of the enclave an unlivable ruin, with survivors on the brink of starvation.

Chile’s Palestinian community has celebrated the “light of hope” tradition since 2021.

The country is home to some half a million people of Palestinian descent.

ANADOLU/Dec 19, 2024

MAPUTO — The death toll from Cyclone Chido in Mozambique has climbed to 73, with 543 individuals reported injured, the country’s disaster relief agency announced on Thursday.

The cyclone, which struck the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula, caused widespread devastation, displacing thousands and damaging critical infrastructure.

The government has opened two emergency accommodation centers, currently housing 1,349 people in need of immediate support, according to a report issued by the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD).

This update followed a statement by Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday, pledging government support for the victims of the cyclone.

The INGD said that the cyclone destroyed or partially damaged 36,207 houses, along with 48 healthcare facilities, 13 places of worship, 186 electricity poles, nine water systems and 171 fishing boats. Meanwhile, 149 schools were impacted, affecting 15,429 students and 224 teachers.

Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mecufi district in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado on Sunday, bringing storms and heavy rains.

Humanitarian organizations have begun providing emergency aid while issuing urgent appeals for additional funding to assist about 182,000 people affected.

Chido has left Mozambique and is no longer a threat to the country. High temperatures are predicted for Mozambique over the next few days, according to the National Institute of Meteorology.

XINHUA

TAIPEI — A large fire broke out on Thursday at an incomplete warehouse in the city of Taichung in central Taiwan, killing nine people and injuring seven others, according to local media.

The bodies of the last five victims were found by firefighters at approximately 7 p.m.

Construction work was underway when the fire erupted. A total of 19 people were rescued by firefighters, with five sent to hospital.

The city’s fire department has said it will undertake criminal identification work alongside local police to determine the cause of the fire.

XINHUA

SANAA — At least nine people were killed and several others wounded on early Thursday morning by Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s capital here and the Red Sea ports in the western province of Hodeidah, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

“Seven were killed in the port of As-Salif, and two others killed in the port of the Ras Issa oil facility,” said the TV broadcaster, adding that at least three others were wounded in the airstrikes.

Residents of Hodeidah posted videos on social media showing fires burning at several facilities in the ports of Ras Issa and As-Salif, adding that the fires were still burning.

In Sanaa, al-Masirah TV said the Israeli airstrikes had targeted the Hizyaz and Dhahban power stations, south and north of Sanaa, respectively.

The airstrikes on Sanaa shook the entire city and smashed the windows of houses near the power stations.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, uses the ports of Ras Issa and As-Salif to import fuel and cooking gas and sell them to the residents in the areas under their control.

According to al-Masirah TV reports, the Israeli airstrikes came a day after the U.S. navy launched an airstrike that targeted the Houthi-controlled defense ministry building in downtown Sanaa, causing extensive damage to the building, and a few hours after the Houthi group launched a long-range rocket toward Israel.

Accusing the Houthis of “forcing millions of (Israeli) civilians to take cover in bomb shelters” on Wednesday night, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari confirmed the airstrikes, saying that the Israeli army had conducted “precise strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned Houthi leaders in a statement that “Israel’s long arm will reach you as well” and his country “will not allow the continuation of missile fire and threats.”

Since October 2023, Houthi forces have been attacking Israel, including launching drones and surface-to-surface missiles, in support of Palestinians.

XINHUA

GUIYANG — A court in southwest China’s Guizhou Province upheld the death sentence for Yu Huaying, a woman convicted of abducting and trafficking 17 children, in a second trial on Thursday.

Yu was found to have abducted children from Guizhou, Chongqing and Yunnan along with her accomplices, and sold them for profit in the city of Handan in Hebei Province between 1993 and 2003.

Yu was initially sentenced to death by the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court in September 2023 after being found guilty of abducting and trafficking 11 children. Yu immediately appealed.

In November 2023, the Guizhou Provincial Higher People’s Court held a second trial and, in January 2024, ordered a retrial of the case after the police discovered that Yu was implicated in more child trafficking cases.

The retrial, conducted in October by the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court, revealed that the number of children involved in the case had risen from 11 to 17. Yu was once again sentenced to death and, as before, submitted another appeal.

On Thursday, the Guizhou Provincial Higher People’s Court rejected her appeal and reaffirmed the death sentence. The ruling will be submitted to the Supreme People’s Court for examination and approval.

Yu was also deprived of her political rights for life and all of her personal property will be confiscated.

XINHUA

GHAZNI, Afghanistan — At least 44 commuters have been confirmed dead and 76 others were injured in two separate road accidents in east Afghanistan’s Ghazni province on Wednesday night, a local official reported Thursday.

The mishaps took place on the outskirts of Ghazni city and in the Andar district of the province, along the highway linking the capital Kabul with the southern Kandahar province, said Mullah Hamidullah Nesar, provincial director of information and culture.

According to Nesar, all the injured have been shifted to health centers for treatment, but most of their conditions were reported as critical.

XINHUA

BUENOS AIRES — A pilot and copilot were killed Wednesday when a private business jet crashed after overshooting the runway at a small airport near Buenos Aires, local media reported.

The jet, owned by the family of Jorge Brito, president of football club River Plate and head of Banco Macro, one of the country’s largest banks, had only the two-man crew on board, said the country’s transportation safety authorities.

XINHUA

LONDON — Britain on Thursday unveiled a package of £225 million ($286 million) in new military aid to Ukraine for next year, including drones, boats and air defense systems.

The move came after the UK’s Defense Secretary John Healey visited Kyiv on Wednesday, holding talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov and vowing to step up British support to Ukraine in 2025.

Three years since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine “the depths of his miscalculation are clearer than ever, as the brave people of Ukraine continue to defy all expectations with their unbreakable spirit,” Healey said.

“But they cannot go it alone,” Healey added, vowing the UK’s support for Kyiv was “ironclad” and Britain would always stand “shoulder to shoulder to ensure Putin cannot win.”

In July, the new Labour government vowed to commit £3 billion a year in military aid to Ukraine until 2030-2031.

The new package will include £92 million for equipment to bolster Ukraine’s navy, including small boats, reconnaissance drones and uncrewed surface vessels, the defense ministry said in a statement.

A further £68 million will be used for air defense equipment including radars, and 1,000 counter-drone electronic warfare systems at a cost of £39 million would be supplied to the Ukrainian army.

Healey said the UK would also boost a training program for Ukrainian soldiers run with key allies on British soil known as Operation Interflex, under which 51,000 recruits have been trained since mid-2022.

“With Putin resorting to sending as many as 2,000 Russian soldiers to their deaths on the battlefield each day, it is critical that Ukraine is supported with a supply of properly trained and equipped soldiers,” the ministry statement said.

Umerov thanked the UK for its support and said in a statement that the “stable delivery of ammunition, especially for artillery, is critically important for our defense efforts.”

AN-AFP

DUBAI — A series of intense airstrikes shook Yemen’s Houthi-held capital early Thursday, shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel.

It wasn’t immediately clear who launched the strikes on Sanaa, which the Houthis have held for over a decade.

American forces have launched a series of strikes on the Houthis over nearly a year due to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor. US military officials did not acknowledge a request for comment.

The strikes happened just after the Israeli military said its air force intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered the country’s territory.

AN-AP