Category: NEWS

GAZA STRIP — Gaza’s civil defense agency said on Wednesday that Israeli strikes killed at least 27 people, as the military issued new evacuation calls in northern areas of the Palestinian territory.

The latest Israeli strikes come as truce mediator Qatar said negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza were in their “final stages.”

The civil defense agency said in a statement that 11 bodies were brought to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip, after Israel struck a family home in Deir el-Balah city during the night.

A seven-year-old boy and three teenagers were among the dead, the agency said.

A separate strike targeted a school building used as shelter for war-displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, killing seven people and injuring several others, the civil defense agency said.

A third strike at dawn hit a house in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, killing six people and injuring seven, the agency added.

Another three people were killed when the Israeli military targeted the Al-Shati camp in Gaza City, the agency said.

The Israeli military confirmed that its forces had carried out multiple strikes overnight in Gaza, saying in a statement that they were “precise” and targeted “terrorist operatives.”

In the past 24 hours, the military said it had struck more than 50 targets across the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military on Wednesday issued a new evacuation call in Arabic for the northern Gaza city of Jabalia, warning residents to move south to Gaza City before it attacks the area.

Jabalia and its surrounding areas have been the focus of an intense Israeli military operation since October 2023, causing thousands of displaced and shortages of everything for those remaining.

The army says it is fighting Hamas militants who have regrouped in the area.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israeli history, resulting in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 46,707 people, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory which the UN considers reliable.

AN-AFP

TEHRAN — A light trainer aircraft belonging to Iran’s Law Enforcement Command crashed on Wednesday in the northern province of Gilan, killing the pilot, copilot and flight engineer on board, the country’s IRIB news agency reported.

The incident, which was reported at 10:18 a.m. local time (0648 GMT), occurred near Kuchesfahan District in the provincial capital of Rasht, IRIB quoted Jamshid Mohammadi, head of Gilan’s emergency medical services organization, as saying.

Emergency medical teams were immediately sent to the scene following the incident, said Mohammadi, stressing that all three people on board the aircraft had died from their severe injuries when the teams arrived.

According to Gilan’s Police Chief Azizollah Maleki, the crash was caused by a technical defect.

Maleki noted that the plane was en route from Sardar Jangal Rasht International Airport to Mehrabad International Airport in the Iranian capital Tehran when it crashed.

XINHUA

ISTANBUL — The death toll from bootleg alcohol in Istanbul has risen to 19 in the past two days, up from 11 reported on Tuesday, with 43 people still hospitalized as of Wednesday, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV.

A total of 65 people have sought medical treatment for suspected alcohol poisoning, NTV added.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul announced on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that authorities had shut down 63 businesses suspected of selling illicit alcohol, revoking their licenses. Gul added that officials are working to identify and prosecute those responsible for the fatalities.

The Istanbul governor’s office reported on Tuesday that 48 people died from alcohol poisoning in 2024. In response, the city has pledged to implement stricter measures to combat the sale and consumption of illegal or counterfeit alcohol.

XINHUA

MANILA — Three girls aged five, 11, and 16 were killed after being trapped inside a burning two-story house in the Philippine capital, police said Wednesday.

Police officer Alejandro Ramos said the victims were asleep on the second floor when the fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon.

Ramos said their mother failed to save them as she was busy giving another child a bath on the ground floor.

Ramos said thick smoke and narrow alleyways prevented neighbors and firefighters from entering the house to extinguish the fire. It took firefighters an hour to put out the blaze.

The cause of the fire has been under investigation, police said.

XINHUA

SEOUL — An unidentified person burned self to death Wednesday in a parking lot near South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), according to Yonhap news agency.

XINHUA

JERUSALEM/GAZA — Israeli forces intensified their assault on Gaza, striking approximately 50 sites since early Wednesday, Israeli authorities said.

In a joint statement, the Israeli Shin Bet domestic security agency and the military reported that the airstrikes targeted militants, weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure, anti-tank fire positions, and Hamas military structures.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense Authority in Gaza, reported that the authority had retrieved the bodies of seven people and rescued dozens of wounded individuals after Israeli aircraft targeted the Al-Farabi School with at least one missile. The school, located in the Yarmouk area west of Gaza City, was housing displaced people.

The Israeli statement confirmed the strike, stating that it targeted a militant “holding a central position” who was hiding in the building, which they described as “a command and control center” for attacks on Israeli forces in Gaza.

Hussam Al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Hospital, said 15 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting two houses in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Three Palestinians were also killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential house in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Al-Daqran added.

Meanwhile, Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp reported in a press release that six people were killed and five others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the camp.

In the southern Gazan city of Rafah, Israeli aircraft targeted a house and two gatherings, according to local sources. Paramedics told Xinhua that medical teams recovered nine bodies, including a fetus and children, while several wounded individuals were transferred to a local hospital for treatment.

The airstrikes occurred as Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediators held talks with Israeli and Hamas officials in Doha to finalize a ceasefire-for-hostage agreement. The proposed deal aims to end more than 15 months of a deadly Israeli onslaught that has killed over 46,700 Palestinians and devastated Gaza, while securing the release of approximately 100 hostages held in the enclave.

XINHUA

KYIV — Russia launched more than 40 missiles and over 70 attack drones in an overnight barrage that targeted Ukraine’s energy sector, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday.

“More than 40 missiles were involved in this strike, including ballistic missiles. At least 30 were destroyed. There were also more than 70 Russian attack drones overnight,” Zelensky said in a statement on social media.

AN-AFP

SEOUL — South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said Wednesday that during the investigation conducted from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. local time, the impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol consistently refused to make any statements and declined to allow the questioning process to be recorded or videotaped.

Local media quoted the CIO as saying that it is currently negotiating with the presidential security service on whether to transfer Yoon to the Seoul Detention Center for custody. Additionally, it is considering applying for a detention warrant from the Seoul Western District Court, which issued the arrest warrant against Yoon.

If approved, the detention period could be extended to a maximum of 20 days. The CIO plans to transfer Yoon to the prosecution after 10 days of detention.

In response, Yoon’s legal team issued a statement emphasizing that the CIO does not have the authority to investigate the president and the arrest warrant is “illegal.”

The team vowed to hold the CIO and the police legally accountable for the unlawful execution of the arrest warrant, according to the statement.

XINHUA

KIEV — Russia launched cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine on Wednesday morning in a new massive attack, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

A series of explosions were heard in the eastern city of Kharkiv, while air defense systems were active near the city of Cherkasy in central Ukraine, public broadcaster Suspilne reported.

The missile attack followed overnight drone strikes by Ukraine.

XINHUA

KIEV/MOSCOW — The Ukrainian army carried out its “largest strike” on Russian military targets, 200 to 1,100 kilometers deep into the Russian territory, early Tuesday morning, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed on Facebook.

Targets of the strike included oil storage facilities, military plants and other locations in such areas as Bryansk, Saratov, Tula regions and the Republic of Tatarstan, according to a statement.

Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attack on Tuesday, accusing Ukraine of using U.S.- and British-made long-range missiles and drones.

The Ukranian actions “supported by Western handlers will trigger retaliation,” the ministry said in a statement.

Dozens of drones were shot down overnight across multiple regions in Russia, with damage reported at industrial plants and residential buildings, TASS news agency reported, citing local officials.

No casualties were recorded, it added.

XINHUA

Dense fog and cold weather delayed train and flight departures in several parts of northern India, including its capital New Delhi, on Wednesday.

India’s weather office issued an orange alert for Delhi, the second highest warning level, forecasting dense to very dense fog in many areas.

Visibility at Delhi’s main airport was between zero to 100 meters (328.08 ft), the weather office said, and more than 40 trains across northern India were delayed because of fog, local media reported.

Some aircraft departures from Delhi were delayed, airport authorities said on social media platform X, warning that flights lacking the CAT III navigation system that enables landing despite low visibility would face difficulties. Delhi’s main airport handles about 1,400 flights every day.

“Low visibility and fog over Delhi may lead to some delays,” the country’s largest airline IndiGo said in a social media post.

Local media showed images of vehicles crawling along highways through the fog, and people huddled indoors as the temperature dipped to 7 degrees Celsius (44.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

AN-REUTERS

LIMA — At least five people, including three children, lost their lives in a large fire that broke out Monday night in a community in the southern Peruvian region of Arequipa, local authorities said Tuesday.

The fire started around 11:00 p.m. local time Monday (0400 GMT Tuesday) in the Carlos Portocarrero Dongo settlement in Secocha, Camana province. It was brought under control by early Tuesday morning, leaving at least 10 homes damaged and over 100 people homeless.

Jose Barrezueta, head of the Regional Emergency Operations Center of Arequipa, told the private broadcaster Radio Programas del Peru that five fatalities had been confirmed so far.

“Another person injured in the fire is being treated at a local hospital,” according to the National Emergency Operations Center.

According to La Republica newspaper, initial investigations indicate the fire was caused by a short circuit in a prefabricated house, triggering the explosion of domestic gas tanks, which intensified the blaze.

“The flames spread rapidly, consuming multiple homes and leaving families with no time to react,” the outlet reported.

XINHUA

SYDNEY — Hundreds of train services across Sydney, the capital city of Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW), have been delayed or cancelled as workers struck on Wednesday.

Commuters into the city were told to expect major delays on Wednesday as work bans put in place by the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) took effect.

Australia’s 9News network reported that 200 train services had been cancelled across the network by 8 a.m. local time while hundreds more trains were delayed.

Every line has been impacted by the disruption, with waits of almost 50 minutes between trains at some stations.

The work bans represented an escalation in a long-running pay dispute between the combined rail unions and the NSW state government.

The RTBU has asked for a 32-percent pay increase over four years for Sydney Trains employees.

During negotiations on Tuesday, the government offered a 15-percent pay rise over four years and gave the union until Thursday to respond to the proposal.

Under the work bans, train drivers have reduced speeds by 23 km per hour on sections of track where trains can usually travel faster than 80 km per hour.

“We always try and do things that ensure that people can still get from A to B, but have at least some impact to open the government’s eyes up,” RTBU secretary Toby Warnes told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

Additionally, the ETU refused to carry out critical maintenance work overnight.

Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said that the lack of maintenance work had caused the worst of the delays.

Government agency Transport for NSW said that some buses were being organized to replace trains but asked commuters to avoid travel and stay home if possible.

It said it expected the disruptions to get worse as the week goes on.

The unions previously threatened a major industrial action in December, which culminated in threats to cancel Sydney’s iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks display.

XINHUA

SEOUL — South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was arrested in presidential residence Wednesday, becoming the country’s first sitting president to be kept in custody over his short-lived martial law imposition.

A joint investigation unit, composed of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), the National Office of Investigation (NOI), and the defense ministry’s investigative headquarters, said in a short notice that Yoon was arrested at 10:33 a.m. local time (0133 GMT).

TV footage showed vehicles carrying arrested Yoon moved out of the residence in central Seoul for questioning at the CIO office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, before being detained at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, just 5 km away from the office.

The CIO will be required to decide within 48 hours whether to seek a separate warrant to detain Yoon for up to 20 days for further questioning or release him.

Yoon became the first incumbent president to be arrested in the country’s modern history.

XINHUA

JOHANNESBURG — A total of 118 illegal miners were brought to the surface during rescue operations at an abandoned gold mine on Monday and Tuesday in Stilfontein in South Africa’s North West Province, with 36 confirmed dead, according to the police.

As rescue operations entered the second day, “a total of 118 illegal miners have been extracted as of 4:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Tuesday,” said South African Police Service national spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.

Mathe said that the first day of operations, which began on Monday, saw 35 illegal miners rescued, with nine confirmed dead. And on the second day, “a total of 83 illegal miners have been extracted: 56 alive and 27 certified dead.”

“All 82 individuals arrested are facing charges of illegal mining, trespassing and contravention of the Immigration Act,” she said.

Also on Tuesday, South African Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu visited the mine to assess the progress of the rescue operations. Mantashe described the situation in Stilfontein as criminal, calling it “an attack by foreigners.”

The crisis at Stilfontein has been ongoing for months, with more than 1,500 illegal miners surfacing so far. In late 2024, at least eight bodies were retrieved. Many of the illegal miners are believed to be from neighboring countries.

XINHUA

MADRID, Jan 14 — Spanish police said on Tuesday they had apprehended a gang suspected of smuggling more than 40,000 tons a year of untreated urban waste from Italy to Spain.

In a statement, police said Italian waste treatment companies, which were not named, had paid smugglers over 19 million euros ($19.5 million) since 2021 to dispose of the waste, including hazardous and toxic materials.

The waste was mainly urban rubbish generated by Italian citizens, although it was mixed with other kinds of materials.

Fifteen people and seven companies are under investigation on suspicion of belonging to a criminal organisation, crimes against natural resources and the environment, and forgery.

“Even though the Italian companies had been contracted to manage the urban waste, they would divert its disposal to Spain in order to save costs, resulting in millions of euros in revenue at the expense of the Italian treasury,” police said.

The gang set up a series of front companies, falsifying documents to make it look as though the waste had undergone treatments that were never carried out.

REUTERS