Category: TOP STORIES

Beirut, Dec 12 (IANS) An Israeli airstrike targeted a neighbourhood in the town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon killing three people, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, three others were killed and one more injured in Israeli airstrikes on the town of Khiam and the villages of Aainata and Beit Lif, reports Xinhua news agency quoting Lebanon’s official National News Agency.

Also on Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the five-member monitoring committee to work to stop Israel’s violations of a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

“It is also required to ensure Israel’s complete withdrawal from all the areas it occupies and its actual commitment to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” Mikati said in a statement released by his office.

Noting the army units’ deployment to Khiam and Marjeyoun towns, Mikati said the reinforcement represents a fundamental step in implementing the ceasefire deal.

The Lebanese army said in a statement on Wednesday that its units, in coordination with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, were stationed in five locations surrounding Khiam in the border area of southern Lebanon.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, brokered by the US and France, went into effect on November 27, aiming to halt over 14 months of fighting between the two sides.

Under the agreement, Israel will withdraw from Lebanese territory within 60 days, the Lebanese army will be deployed on the border, and Hezbollah will retreat north of the Litani River.

Despite the truce, tensions remain as both sides exchange accusations of ceasefire violations, raising concerns about the agreement’s durability.

–IANS

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Los Angeles, Dec 11 (IANS) NASA engineers have completed investigations on the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter which was permanently grounded on the Red Planet since its last flight in January this year.

Ingenuity was the first aircraft to fly on another world, designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days.

It had operated for almost three years, performed 72 flights, and flew more than 30 times farther than planned while accumulating over two hours of flight time, NASA said on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

During its final flight on January 18, 2024, Ingenuity climbed to 12 metres, hovering, and capturing images. It initiated its descent and was back on the surface and had halted communications.

The following day, the mission reestablished communications, and images that came down six days after the flight revealed Ingenuity had sustained severe damage to its rotor blades, according to NASA.

The investigation concludes that the inability of Ingenuity’s navigation system to provide accurate data during the flight likely caused a chain of events that ended the mission.

The helicopter arrived at Mars’ Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021, attached to the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover.

Although Flight 72 permanently grounded Ingenuity, the helicopter still beams weather and avionics test data to the Perseverance rover about once a week. The weather information could benefit future explorers of the Red Planet, said NASA.

The findings are expected to benefit future Mars helicopters, as well as other aircraft destined to operate on other worlds, said NASA.

The chopper weighing 1.8 kilogram was tasked with demonstrating that powered flight is indeed possible on Mars despite the planet’s thin atmosphere.

During its extended mission, the rotorcraft served as a scout for the life-hunting, sample-collecting Perseverance.

–IANS

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Canberra, Dec 12 (IANS) Australia’s unemployment rate fell in November, defying the expectations of economists, official data has revealed.

According to monthly labour force figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday, the official unemployment rate was 3.9 per cent in November, down from 4.1 per cent in October and the lowest figure since March, reports Xinhua news agency.

News Corp Australia newspapers reported that economists had expected unemployment to rise to 4.2 per cent.

Australia’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), in November, said it expected unemployment to rise to 4.3 per cent by the end of 2024.

However, the ABS said on Thursday that the number of employed Australians rose by 35,600 between October and November, while the number of unemployed people fell by 27,000 in the same period.

The economy added 52,600 full-time jobs between October and November, the ABS said, which was partially offset by a fall in part-time employment of 17,000.

“In November, we saw a higher than usual number of people moving into employment who were unemployed and waiting to start work in October. This contributed to the rise in employment and fall in unemployment,” David Taylor, head of labour statistics at the ABS, said in a statement.

Responding to the data, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in a statement posted on social media that the government’s policies are helping achieve a soft landing in the economy.

The participation rate, which measures the proportion of the working-age population who are either employed or actively looking for work, fell slightly from 67.1 per cent in October to 67.0 per cent in November.

–IANS

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United Nations, Dec 12 (IANS) The United Nations and humanitarian partners launched a $4.1-billion-flash appeal for 2025 to aid 3.3 million Palestinian people.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said almost 90 per cent of the funds needed are for the humanitarian response in Gaza, with the remaining sought for the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The speed and scale of the killing and destruction are unlike anything seen in the (Gaza) Strip in recent history,” OCHA said. “This latest appeal targets the entire population of Gaza — some 2.1 million people — all of whom need humanitarian assistance after 14 months of brutal hostilities.”

However, humanitarians said more than the 4.1 billion dollars sought is needed. A full-scale humanitarian response would require 6.6 billion dollars.

The flash appeal reflects the expectation that aid organisations will continue to face unacceptable constraints on their operations in 2025, severely limiting the amount that humanitarians can provide.

OCHA said Israel must take immediate and effective measures to ensure that the essential needs of civilians are met to implement the full scale of what is urgently needed, including lifting all impediments to aid and fully facilitating humanitarian operations, including the distribution of essential goods to Palestinians in need.

The humanitarians said Israeli authorities issued another evacuation order for several parts of Deir al Balah governorate in Gaza, the third time this year the population was ordered to move.

“The affected area covers an estimated 3 square kilometres and hosts about 10,000 people, according to an initial assessment by humanitarian partners,” OCHA said. “Part of the area under evacuation falls within the Al Mawasi zone, where Israeli forces have been ordering civilians to relocate.”

Israeli large-scale evacuation orders leave civilians exposed to hostilities and deprived of access to essential services.

The office said its partners report some families moving west. They are closely following the situation and attending to the needs of the newly displaced with the limited resources available.

–IANS

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Mexico, Dec 12 (IANS) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration will defend the country’s sovereignty regardless of who the United States picks as ambassador to Mexico, following the latest appointment by US President-elect Donald Trump.

“With this ambassador or any other, we will defend our sovereignty and equal status,” the President said during her usual press conference at the National Palace on Wednesday.

Sheinbaum added she was “convinced there is going to be agreement, and they should know that we are always going to defend Mexico and make it proud without subordinating ourselves to the needs of the United States alone.”

She reiterated the importance of making progress in the bilateral agenda, including combating arms trafficking from the United States into Mexico, reports Xinhua news agency.

Trump announced on Tuesday evening through his Truth Social network that his ambassador to Mexico will be retired colonel Ronald Johnson, a former CIA officer and Army Special Forces officer who served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump’s first term.

According to Trump, Johnson “will work closely with our great Secretary of State Nominee, Marco Rubio, to promote our Nation’s security and prosperity through strong America First Foreign Policies.”

–IANS

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Sydney, Dec 12 (IANS) Being overweight has become the leading risk factor contributing to disease in Australia for the first time, according to government data.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on Thursday published its annual Australian Burden of Disease Study for 2024. It is estimated that Australians lost a combined 5.8 million years of healthy life due to living with disease and dying prematurely in 2024, reports Xinhua news agency.

It found that 36 per cent of the loss of healthy life, called the burden of disease, could have been avoided or reduced due to modifiable risk factors.

Being overweight, including obesity, was identified by the AIHW as the leading modifiable risk factor.

Tobacco use was previously the leading risk factor, but the AIHW said its burden of disease has declined 41 per cent since 2003.

“This fall is likely due to declines in smoking prevalence,” AIHW spokesperson Michelle Gourley said in a statement.

The study attributed 8.3 per cent of Australia’s total disease burden in 2024 to the risk factor of being overweight, with tobacco use responsible for 7.6 per cent and all dietary risks for 4.8 per cent.

A separate report published by the AIHW in June found that 66 per cent of Australian adults and 26 per cent of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in 2022.

Thursday’s report found that cancer remained the leading group of diseases causing burden in 2024, accounting for 16.4 per cent of the national loss of healthy life.

For young Australians, mental health conditions, suicide and self-inflicted injuries were the leading contributors of disease burden.

–IANS

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Washington, Dec 12 (IANS) US President-elect Donald Trump has called the resignation announcement of FBI Director Christopher Wray “a great day for America.”

Wray, on Wednesday, informed FBI employees of his intention to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s tenure, paving the way for a smooth transition to Kashyap “Kash” Patel, should he be confirmed as Trump’s nominee to head the agency.

Reacting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponisation of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice.” He added, “We will now restore the Rule of Law for all Americans.”

Trump accused Wray of abusing his authority during his tenure, stating, “Under the leadership of Christopher Wray, the FBI illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me, and has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America.”

The president-elect further alleged that Wray had used his powers to “threaten and destroy many innocent Americans” and praised his nominee Kash Patel as “the most qualified nominee to lead the FBI in the agency’s history.”

Trump expressed confidence that Patel’s leadership would help restore “law, order, and justice” and said, “We want our FBI back, and that will now happen.”

While Wray still had three years remaining in his 10-year term, his position became untenable after Trump announced Patel as his nominee and signalled dissatisfaction with his leadership.

Addressing FBI employees, Wray said, “I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down.” He emphasised that his decision was aimed at avoiding dragging the bureau “deeper into the fray” and upholding its values and principles.

Trump, who had not formally asked Wray to resign, had expressed his displeasure in recent comments.

In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Trump slammed Wray, saying, “He invaded Mar-a-Lago. I’m very unhappy with the things he’s done.”

Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 to succeed James Comey, had initially been praised by Trump as “a model of integrity” and “impeccably qualified.”

However, their relationship deteriorated over time, particularly after the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in connection with classified documents and launched investigations into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

The FBI also investigated President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, for alleged violations of gun laws and tax evasion under Wray’s leadership.

Trump’s decision to nominate Patel marks another significant reshaping of the FBI’s leadership, a move aimed at consolidating his influence over the agency.

If confirmed, Patel would assume control of an organisation at the centre of controversies during Trump’s first term, including the investigations into Russian election interference and Trump’s classified document scandal.

–IANS

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Istanbul, Dec 12 (IANS) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit Turkey on Friday for high-level talks on Syria’s ongoing political upheaval following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

Blinken is expected to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara to discuss Syria’s transition and broader regional issues, including developments in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported quoting a statement from the ministry.

The visit comes as Syria navigates a critical juncture, with a newly formed transitional government assuming power after al-Assad’s departure to Russia for asylum.

Turkey has long expressed concerns over the role of Kurdish groups in Syria.

Ankara views the US-backed Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which it has battled for decades.

Blinken’s regional tour will also include a stop in Jordan, where he is expected to meet officials in Aqaba to build consensus on Syria’s future and address other pressing issues across the Middle East, the US State Department said on Wednesday.

–IANS

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