Hamas accuses Israel of hitting Gaza ‘safe zone’ killing 14

Another merchant vessel has been attacked in the Red Sea.

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) the unnamed vessel has been boarded by 5 or 6 “unauthorised armed persons”.

It happened 460 nautical miles east of Eyl in Somalia.

The crew are reported to be taking refuge in the ship’s secure space known as a citadel.

This would be the 25th attack on commercial shipping in the area since mid-November.

UKMTO is a body of the UK’s Ministry of Defence which coordinates between commercial shipping and the military.

The attack comes after the US, UK and 10 other states warned Houthi rebels in Yemen that they will face consequences if they continue to attack commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

1. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza told Reuters 14 people were killed in a blast at al-Mawasi near Khan Younis
2. Al-Mawasi, an area of about 8.5 sq km (5.2 sq miles), has been designated a safe zone in Gaza by Israeli forces

 

Bangladesh: Mongla town offers new life for climate migrants

Mahima Begum moved to the port town of Mongla in southwestern Bangladesh after a natural disaster struck her village and destroyed the home her father had built.

The 32-year-old is one of the millions of people in the South Asian country who have been forced to relocate due to climate-related disasters.

Historically, migrants have made their way to the country’s capital, Dhaka. But the city is already one of the most overcrowded places on Earth and it’s poorly equipped to accommodate the waves of people moving from climate-impacted areas of the country into urban centers, seeking residence and employment.

Islamic State (IS) group claims responsibility for deadly Iran bombings

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Thursday for two explosions that killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a ceremony in Iran to commemorate commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone in 2020.

The group posted a statement on its affiliate Telegram channels.

The blasts came as Iran observed a day of mourning Thursday for at least 84 people killed when two bombs ripped through a crowd commemorating the slain Revolutionary Guards general.

The death toll was revised down from around 100 the day after what Iranian authorities labelled a “terrorist attack” that also wounded hundreds near Soleimani’s tomb in the southern city of Kerman.

The blasts ripped through crowds who had come to honour Soleimani, four years after a targeted US drone strike in Baghdad killed the veteran senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

JAL crew lauded for getting all passengers off of burning plane

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

January 4, 2024 at 18:13 JST

Crew members of Japan Airlines Flight 516 are being commended for their prompt actions and calm decisions that saved hundreds of lives on Jan. 2.

The JAL passenger jet collided with a Japan Coast Guard plane on a runway at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, and both aircraft went up in flames.

All 379 passengers and crew members of the JAL plane escaped, although 15 of them suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

Ambiguous Ethiopia port deal fuels uncertainty over Somaliland statehood

The agreement accentuates historical ties between Ethiopia and Somaliland – and historical hostility with Somalia.

On Monday, an agreement signed in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Muse Bihi Abdi of the breakaway republic of Somaliland preceded a shocking announcement that has already set the tone for interstate relations in the Horn of Africa this year.

The memorandum of understanding was for the leasing of 20km (12 miles) of Somaliland’s sea coast to landlocked Ethiopia. In exchange, Somaliland will receive shares in its neighbour’s flagship carrier, Ethiopian Airlines – and receive formal recognition as a sovereign state.

International recognition has been a long-sought goal for Somaliland, a region in northern Somalia that has enjoyed de facto independence since 1991. But the groundbreaking agreement has created shockwaves in the region and fury in Somalia, which views it as a hostile violation of Somalia’s sovereignty.

At least 103 dead in bomb blasts near Iran general Qasem Soleimani’s tomb – state TV

By David Gritten BBC News

At least 103 people have been killed by two bomb explosions near the tomb of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his assassination by the US, Iran’s state media report.

State broadcaster Irib said dozens more people were wounded when the blasts hit a procession near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in the southern city of Kerman.

It cited Kerman’s deputy governor as saying it was a “terrorist attack”.
Videos showed bodies on a road and ambulances rushing to the scene.

Five dead after Japan Airlines jet collides with coast guard plane at Haneda Airport

BY KATHLEEN BENOZA, KAZUAKI NAGATA AND JOEL TANSEY
STAFF WRITERS

A Japan Airlines jet burst into flames on a runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday after a runway collision with a Japan Coast Guard plane.

The Airbus A350’s 367 passengers and 12 crew members were all able to evacuate safely via an emergency slide. According to NHK, at least 17 people sustained injuries.

Five of the six people on the coast guard plane died, with the captain surviving but sustaining severe injuries.

The JAL plane was landing on Haneda’s runway C from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido when the collision occurred.

Somalia rejects Ethiopia deal with breakaway Somaliland

Ethiopia has pledged to recognize Somaliland in exchange for access to the Red Sea. The government of Somalia has called the deal a “violation” of its sovereignty.

The Somali government on Tuesday condemned a deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland.

The deal, agreed on Monday, would see Ethiopia gain access to the Red Sea and its major trade routes in exchange for formal recognition of Somaliland — a region across the northern strip of the Horn of Africa that is seeking independence from Somalia.

Somali authorities said Somaliland remained a part of Somalia under the constitution. Therefore, “Somalia finds this step to be a clear violation against its sovereignty and unity,” the government said in a statement.

Israel maintains onslaught as Gaza death toll tops 22,000

Gaza’s health ministry says 22,185 Palestinians have now been killed in Gaza since October 7.

Israeli attacks have continued across the Gaza Strip with little let-up, as the death toll in the enclave rose above the latest milestone of 22,000.

The total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 7 now stands at 22,185, while at least 57,000 have been injured, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday. Meanwhile, air and ground attacks continued across the Strip, including in the south, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have been directed to seek safety.

South Korean opposition leader recovering from surgery after being stabbed in the neck

A long list of people associated with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is expected to be made public in the coming days.

The disclosures may throw new light on the sex trafficking network directed by Epstein, who died in 2019, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The disgraced millionaire mixed with high-profile figures from the worlds of politics, business and royalty.

A judge ordered the court documents in a lawsuit linked to Maxwell must be unsealed.

There are 187 mentions of “J Doe” in the court papers, and many of these will now be given their real names.

Powerful quake rocks western Japan on quiet New Year’s Day

January 1, 2024 at 20:36 JST

Here’s the latest on earthquake activity, from the Japan Meteorological Agency.

A powerful earthquake rocked the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture at around 4:10 p.m. on Jan. 1, forcing families celebrating New Year’s Day to take cover and many to evacuate amid urgent tsunami warnings in western Japan.

The intensity of the quake was estimated at 7.6 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7, with the epicenter at a very shallow depth.

The earthquake registered a maximum 7 in Shiga, Ishikawa Prefecture. Quakes with an intensity of upper 6 were reported in Nanao, Wajima, Suzu and Anamizu in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Quakes registering a lower 6 were reported in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Nakanoto and Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has called for the return of Jewish settlers to the Gaza Strip after the war and said Gaza’s Palestinian population should be encouraged to emigrate, according to AFP.

“To have security, we must control the territory,” Smotrich told Israel’s Army Radio in response to a question about the prospect of re-establishing settlements in Gaza.

“In order to control the territory militarily for a long time, we need a civilian presence.”

The Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu has not officially suggested plans to evict Gazans or to send Jewish settlers back to the territory since the war broke out on 7 October.

Israel unilaterally withdrew the last of its troops and settlers in 2005, ending a presence inside Gaza that began in 1967, but maintained near complete control over the territory’s borders.

All settlements on occupied Palestinian land are regarded as illegal under international law, regardless of whether they were approved by Israel.

Taiwan: Presidential candidates debate in shadow of China

Amid fierce military and political pressure from Beijing, presidential candidates in Taiwan clashed over the island’s ties to mainland China in a televised debate.

Taiwan‘s presidential candidates argued over ways to handle the island’s relationship with Beijing during a TV debate on Saturday, two weeks ahead of the election set for January 13.

Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory, had previously halted high-level communications with the administration of outgoing Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen amid the rising threat of conflict.

What happened during the debate?

Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has campaigned for the election on a ticket of sovereignty separate from China.

During Saturday’s often testy debate, the DPP’s candidate Lai Ching-te described himself as a “pragmatic worker of Taiwan independence.”

DR Congo’s President Tshisekedi wins second term with 73% of the vote

Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi won reelection with more than 70% of the vote, the country’s election commission said Sunday. The preliminary results of the Dec. 20 election were announced in the capital, Kinshasa, amid demands from the opposition and some civil society groups for the vote to be rerun due to massive logistical problems that put the validity of the outcome into question.

Tshisekedi was followed by businessman Moise Katumbi, who received 18% of the vote, and Martin Fayulu, who received 5%. Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, a physician renowned for treating women brutalized by sexual violence in eastern Congo, got less than 1%.

The election had more than a 40% turnout with some 18 million people voting. The results will be sent to the constitutional court for confirmation, election chief Denis Kadima said.

Opposition candidates opposing the results have two days to submit their claims, and the constitutional court then has seven days to decide. The final results are expected on January 10, and the president is scheduled to be sworn in at the end of that month.

Renowned Australian journalist John Pilger passes away at 84

From Palestine to Cambodia, Pilger worked extensively to expose human suffering caused by imperialist governments.

John Pilger, the renowned Australia-born investigative journalist who was a trenchant critic of the West’s “imperialist” foreign policy, has died at age 84.

His family released a short statement on his social media accounts on Sunday to confirm his passing in London, the British capital, a day earlier.

“His journalism and documentaries were celebrated around the world, but to his family he was simply the most amazing and loved Dad, Grandad and partner. Rest in peace,” the statement read.

He is survived by long-time partner, journalist Yvonne Roberts, and his two children, Sam and Zoe.

Navalny sends ‘Arctic hugs and polar greetings’ from Siberian prison in New Year’s Eve message

Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny says he doesn’t feel lonely and is in a “great” mood despite serving a lengthy prison sentence in Siberia, but he still misses interacting directly with his family and friends.

In a New Year’s Eve message shared by Navalny’s team on social media, Navalny is quoted as saying that this will be the third time “I have taken the traditional family New Year’s Eve photo with Photoshop.”

“I am trying to keep up with the times, and this time I asked an artificial intelligence to draw me. I hope it turned out something fantastic – I will not see the picture myself until the letter with it arrives on Yamal,” he joked.

‘They told us – you are slaves’: survivors give harrowing testimony of Darfur’s year of hell

     G amar al-Deen was visiting a friend when gunmen poured into his neighbourhood on 27 April 2023. “I came back to find they were all dead,” he says. “My mother, my father, uncles, brothers, sisters. I wanted to die myself in that moment.”

Deen, a teacher, lost a dozen members of his family that day. Several of his neighbours were killed too. At his friend’s during the carnage, he saw a group of fighters strip a woman naked and then rape her in the street. “They told us, ‘This area belongs to us, not you, you are slaves,’” he says.

The attack was one of many by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary organisation, and allied Arab militiamen in El Geneina, capital of Sudan’s West Darfur region, between mid-April and mid-June. Their fighters carried out almost daily raids against areas of the city populated by the Masalit, an African ethnic group, according to former residents.

Serbian students block roads to protest Vucic party victory