Category: WORLD

Moscow, Dec 12 (IANS) Ukrainian forces launched a missile strike with Western high-precision weapons on the Taganrog military airfield in Russia’s Rostov region, the Russian Defence Ministry said Wednesday.

Six US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles were used, the ministry noted, adding that two of them were shot down and the rest were deflected by Russian electronic warfare systems, Xinhua news agency reported.

Falling missile fragments caused casualties among the personnel, the ministry said.

“This attack by Western long-range weapons will not go unanswered, and appropriate measures will be taken,” it added.

In a major shift of policy on the Ukraine crisis, the US in November authorised Ukraine to use US long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia’s territory. Russia has repeatedly called it an escalation of tension around the conflict.

–IANS

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Jerusalem, Dec 12 (IANS) Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that he sees an opportunity to secure the release of all hostages still held in Gaza through a ceasefire deal.

“There is currently a chance for a new deal, hopefully for the release of all hostages, including those with American citizenship,” said Katz in a phone call with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Katz’s office, the two discussed several issues, including the renewed negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza

The talks for a ceasefire in Gaza have resumed following a truce agreement that ended the fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. No breakthrough has been announced yet in the brokered talks between Israel and Hamas.

About 100 hostages are still held by Hamas in Gaza.

–IANS

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Johannesburg, Dec 12 (IANS) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the reform of global financial institutions and urged action to address the debt crises affecting some countries.

Guterres made these remarks in Johannesburg while addressing the first G20 Sherpas-Finance and Central Bank Deputies Joint Meeting. “G20 must lead on delivering financial justice,” he noted, Xinhua news agency reported.

Financing plays a fundamental role in fostering inclusive economies, supporting industrialisation, addressing food insecurity, and reducing inequalities, he said.

“These institutions must represent today’s economy. Developing economies must be represented fairly in their governance. These institutions must also protect economies, especially the vulnerable ones from global shocks,” said Guterres.

The UN chief is scheduled to meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Guterres expressed his commitment to working with South Africa during its G20 presidency to tackle key issues such as climate change, development challenges, and the global debt crisis. South Africa assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, becoming the first African country to lead this influential group of the world’s major economies.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said that the country has proposed the establishment of a Cost of Capital Commission during its G20 presidency.

“This Commission will deliver a comprehensive expert review on the issues impacting the cost of capital for developing economies which could help address future debt sustainability issues and the related fiscal space challenges,” Lamola said. “We hope that, through our G20 presidency, we can move closer to a world where sustainability, equality, and solidarity guide our efforts to address the most pressing challenges facing the globe.”

–IANS

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Washington, December 12 (IANS) FBI director Christopher Wray on Wednesday told agency employees that he intends to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s tenure. This would clear the way for a smooth transition to Kashyap “Kash” Patel, should he be confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the investigating agency.

“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,” Wray said at a town hall with employees of the FBI, adding, “This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.”

Three years remain of Wray’s 10-year tenure, but his position at the agency became untenable after Trump signalled his desire for him to leave by naming Patel his nominee.

The president-elect has not asked Wray to resign and did not say if he will fire him after taking the oath of office on January 20.He had made it amply clear, though, that he was not happy with Wray.

“The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. “I just don’t know what happened to him. We will now restore the Rule of Law for all Americans. Under the leadership of Christopher Wray, the FBI illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicted me, and has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America.

They have used their vast powers to threaten and destroy many innocent Americans, some of which will never be able to recover from what has been done to them.”

In an interview to NBC News that aired on Sunday Trump said of Wary, “He invaded Mar-a-Lago. “I’m very unhappy with the things he’s done.”

Wray was appointed FBI director by Trump in his first term taking over the agency from Jim Comey. Under Wray’s leadership, the FBI launched several investigations against Trump and raided his Florida residence in connection with classified documents that he should have handed over for archiving instead of carrying them with him.

The agency also investigated Trump in connection with widespread efforts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Wray’s FBI also investigated President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden for violation of gun laws and tax evasion.

–IANS

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Beirut, Dec 12 (IANS) Lebanese army units, accompanied by the United Nations peacekeepers, deployed Wednesday afternoon to five positions around Khiam, a town in the eastern sector of Lebanon’s southern border area, the Lebanese army command said.

“Army units were stationed in five locations around Khiam town in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),” the command said in a statement.

The deployment, it added, marked the first phase of operations in the area, coinciding with the Israeli withdrawal following discussions by the five-member monitoring group, Xinhua news agency reported.

A second phase will follow, with specialist units conducting an engineering survey of the town to clear unexploded ordnance. The army urged civilians to stay away from the area and follow military instructions until the deployment is complete.

The Lebanese army has mobilised some 6,000 troops and hundreds of armored vehicles in barracks south of the Litani River, deploying across Marjeyoun, Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, Tyre and Zahrani districts.

A ceasefire, effective since November 27, aimed to end nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The ceasefire terms stipulate Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory within 60 days, with the Lebanese army deploying along the border and in the south to assume security control and prevent any armed presence.

Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces have conducted strikes in Lebanon, resulting in casualties.

–IANS

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Harare, Dec 12 (IANS) Authorities in Zimbabwe are intensifying efforts to combat the smuggling of consumer goods into the country and the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard products in the market to safeguard public safety and protect the local industry.

Authorities said that the rise in smuggled goods is partly driven by public demand for affordable products in informal markets that operate outside regulatory frameworks, Xinhua news agency reported.

To address the trade in illicit goods, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is leading a multi-agency task force, including the police and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, aimed at curbing smuggling.

“Stringent anti-smuggling measures have been put in place to protect our domestic industries from unfair competition posed by illegal imports,” said Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Rajeshkumar Modi during a dissemination workshop for the Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan (ZIRGP) in the capital of Harare on Tuesday.

“The development of value chains also remains a priority, as the government has put in place measures to promote the procurement of domestically produced goods,” he added.

Launched on November 1, the ZIRGP is a short-term transitional manufacturing policy running through December 2025, focused on enforcing consumer protection and preventing the spread of smuggled, counterfeit, and substandard goods in the country. The plan builds on the recently concluded Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy, which ran from 2019 to 2023.

Among the government’s measures to tackle smuggling are the establishment of police roadblocks along highways and inspections of retail outlets across the country.

Smuggling also affects the collection of customs and excise duties and discourages investment, Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli Ncube said during his 2025 national budget presentation in Parliament last month.

“In addition, smuggling is a threat to public health and safety as smuggled goods, in particular, food items, medicines, and alcohol are not subject to health and safety controls,” said Ncube.

The Consumer Protection Commission, a national body that safeguards consumer rights, recently reported the presence of counterfeit items in the market, including toothpaste, cooking oil, drinks, and baked beans.

“Don’t fall for fake products. They might be cheaper, but they can cost you your health, your safety, and even your life,” warned the commission on X, formerly Twitter.

Consumers have also raised concerns over the proliferation of products in the market.

“Authorities should continue conducting impromptu inspections on retailers and vendors to protect the public especially as people do their end-of-year shopping for the holidays,” said Leon Nkhata, a resident in Harare. He expressed concern about substandard goods, including repackaged and underweight products like mealie meal, rice, and sugar.

–IANS

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Ljubljana, Dec 12 (IANS) Slovenia is continuing to process asylum requests of Syrian citizens regardless of the fall of the Assad regime, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon told the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee earlier on Tuesday that the key goal regarding Syrian asylum requests is “to protect civilians,” Xinhua news agency reported.

She added that “the last thing we want is secondary migration of Syrian applicants because of tougher rhetoric in individual (EU) member states” and called for a uniform approach of the European Union (EU) member states regarding Syrian refugees.

The Interior Ministry said interior ministers of Slovenia and of its neighbours, Croatia and Italy, discussed the changes in Syria over the phone on Tuesday and agreed to continue their discussion on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on Thursday.

“We are not stopping the processing of asylum requests but we will reassess the changed conditions and new facts in procedures with the citizens of Syria which could influence the duration of the procedures,” the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry added that the police have strengthened control of the Slovenian borders with Croatia and Hungary in order to prevent terrorism and illegal migration that could be linked to developments in Syria.

Fajon said that Slovenia has not received many asylum requests from Syrian citizens over the past years, granting asylum to some 30 Syrians last year and to 15 in 2022.

She urged an inclusive and stable transition in Syria, saying: “Syria is at an important crossroads, peace or war, freedom or lawlessness, prosperity or poverty, and its future will depend mainly upon the conditions of this political transition.”

–IANS

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Budapest, Dec 12 (IANS) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin held extensive phone talks on energy cooperation and Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a statement.

Both Orban and Putin were “in full agreement that everything must be done to maintain energy cooperation,” the statement said, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Hungarian MTI news agency.

During the phone talks which lasted for more than one hour, Putin made it clear that Russia was committed to maintaining energy cooperation and guaranteeing Hungary’s energy supply, the statement said, adding that the current US administration, by placing Russia’s Gazprombank under sanctions, had made it hard for some central and south-east European countries, including Hungary, to make payments for natural gas and nuclear fuel.

The statement said Orban and Putin agreed that all means must be explored “to eliminate this problem,” and there was nothing on either Hungary or Russia’s part to prevent a solution from being found.

Regarding Ukraine, Orban spoke “at length” with Putin on achieving a sustainable peace settlement, while Putin mentioned obstacles to peace such as the Ukrainian law that “essentially prohibits the current presidential administration from negotiating peace” with Russia, the statement said.

–IANS

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Kabul, Dec 12 (IANS) The Afghan caretaker government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the decision of the Russian State Duma (lower house of the parliament) toward removing the Taliban from the list of terrorist groups.

The Russian State Duma on Tuesday approved a bill in the first of three required readings to remove the Taliban, the current ruler of Afghanistan, from the list of prohibited groups, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Russia’s Interfax news agency.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan welcomes the decision of the Russian Federation’s parliament to approve a proposal aimed at removing the ‘Taliban Movement’, previously referred to as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, from the list of prohibited organisations in Russia,” spokesman for the ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement posted on his X account on Wednesday evening.

“This step represents a great development and is meant to remove the obstacles in enhancing bilateral relations between Afghanistan and the Russian Federation,” the statement added.

Similarly, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Afghan caretaker government, told local media that the decision was a significant step in promoting bilateral ties between Afghanistan and Russia.

–IANS

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Cape Town, Dec 12 (IANS) The Parliament of South Africa urged cooperation among stakeholders to address the ongoing logistics disruptions at the country’s main border crossing with Mozambique.

This came after South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) temporarily suspended operations at the Lebombo Port of Entry again Monday due to election-related protests near the border with Mozambique, Xinhua news agency reported.

The crossing has faced multiple closures since the election results were announced in the southeastern African country on October 24.

“Transporters are urged not to dispatch new vehicles to the port until further notice,” the BMA said in a statement Monday.

South Africa’s Road Freight Association (RFA) said Tuesday that the temporary suspension of operations at the Lebombo Port of Entry is costing the economy about 10 million rands (about $562,400) per day.

According to local media reports, demonstrators on the Mozambican side have blocked the vital route that typically handles more than 1,000 trucks daily bound for the Port of Maputo. The temporary suspension resulted in a disruption of services, with general goods and passengers unable to be processed. A long queue of trucks waiting to enter Mozambique remained as they waited for the port of entry to resume operations.

“The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has reiterated its call for enhanced cooperation between the BMA, law enforcement agencies, Mozambican counterparts and long-haul goods trucks to resolve the current backlog of trucks at the Lebombo Port of Entry,” said a statement issued Wednesday by the South African Parliament.

According to the statement, the committee concluded an oversight visit to the port of entry and highlighted concerns over the impact of extended delays in processing goods across the border as a direct result of the protests in Mozambique. The committee also applauded the opening of the Lebombo Port of Entry for goods late Tuesday afternoon, which, however, was not confirmed immediately by the BMA.

The committee called for “constant assessment of the risk levels as the goods are processed to ensure safety and security of goods and the protection of truck drivers’ lives.”

“Continuous communication and collaboration is necessary between the South African and Mozambican governments to find short- to medium-term solutions to the current challenges,” it added.

–IANS

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