Category: News

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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BANGKOK — A Saudi tourist swam for more than five hours to reach shore and find help for his wife after their jet ski capsized in Pattaya Bay, Thailand, local authorities said on Thursday.

On Saturday, Abdulrahman Mahdi M. Al-Amri and his wife, Atheer Saeed A. Al-Amri, were reported missing at 6:30 p.m., prompting an immediate search and rescue operation by Pattaya City authorities.

“We received a call at 6:30 p.m. from a jet ski operator that one of their jet skis and the clients were missing. So, we set out on a search operation,” Pattaya City Sea Rescue’s Nattanon Chamnankul, who led the search and rescue mission, told Arab News (AN).

The rescue team had been searching for more than five hours and was navigating the dark seas, strong winds and drizzle to no avail. But as their boat returned to Pattaya’s Jomtien beach, authorities found Abdulrahman swimming toward the shore.

“The husband had swum for five hours to reach the shore and was worried about his wife. He used the lights on the beach as a guide,” Chamnankul said, adding that the 26-year-old man was in a state of extreme fatigue when he was rescued.

The rescue boat then took him on board and continued the search for his wife.

“We found his wife at 2 a.m., six hours after the search began,” Chamnankul said. “At first the sea was dark, but we heard a small voice in the sea and it was her.”

Their jet ski had capsized in the middle of the ocean and its engine was damaged by seawater, according to Nipon, an officer at the Pattaya Tourist Police.

After the jet ski ran out of fuel, Abdulrahman decided to swim to shore to get help.

Although Atheer had a minor injury to her left leg, Nipon said the couple had no serious medical issues and had since returned to their home country after settling a damage cost with the jet ski operator for 50,000 Thai baht ($1,400).

Thailand has become an increasingly popular destination for Saudi travelers since the normalization of ties between the Southeast Asian country and Saudi Arabia in 2022.

The Gulf state is considered a high-potential market by Thai tourism experts, with about 178,000 Saudi tourists visiting in 2023, and another 188,000 between January and October this year, the highest number among visitors from that region.

The latest data shows that the number of Saudi tourists has almost doubled compared with 2022, when the number was about 96,000.

AN

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.

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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.

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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.

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