Hi, you're watching Beyond world is one.
I am Isha Hanspal and this is Speed News.
First up news coming in from Japan and with that
we start our bulletin today.
A tsunami has struck the countries western coast prior to
landfall and evacuation advisory was issued across the coast.
This tsunami comes in the wake of an earthquake of
magnitude
7.4 and Ishikawas and Noto region.
Footage of massive fissures in arterial roads and highways are
being circulated on Japanese social media.
Reports of a major fire having broken out in the
city of Vijima in Ishikawa
are also coming in.
Waves are reported to be as high as 5 meters.
Authorities have reported no abnormalities at nuclear plants in the
region following the quake.
However, the evacuation order remains active,
with the advisory warning citizens to move to higher ground
immediately.
The Chinese Antarctic research vessel Zhulong,
which is carrying out Chinas 40th Antarctic Expedition,
has arrived at Chinas Great Wall Station on King George
Island in the southwest Antarctic.
During its stay at the port,
Zhulong too will carry out a comprehensive investigation and monitoring
of biological ecology.
The Indian Space Agency, or ISRO,
has successfully launched the
PSLV C58 mission of X-ray Polarimeter Satellite or EXPOSAT.
EXPOSAT was launched into an eastward low inclination orbit at
9:10 AM local time today.
The satellite has been launched from the Satish Dhawan Space
Center in Sriharikota,
located in the state of Andhra Pradesh,
after it received a green light from the Missions Director.
The mission will be studying the 50 brightest known sources
in the universe.
ISRO has become the second space agency after NASA to
send a specialized astronomy observatory to study black holes and
neutron stars in our Galaxy.
As the war in Ukraine enters its third year,
Russian shelling has killed 5 people in Ukraines southern Odessa
region and the eastern city of the next.
Now this comes after Keith said that it destroyed 21
of 49 Iranian made drones fired from the Russian side.
6 guided missiles had also been targeted in the northern
city of Kharkiv.
Russia said that it attacked military facilities in the Ukrainian
city of Kharkiv overnight,
including a hotel housing military commanders and foreign mercenaries.
Russia vowed to retaliate for what it called a terrorist
attack on a border city that left
24 people dead.
Residents of Belgar Rd. In Russia laid flowers to remember
the 24 people killed in Ukraine's attack on the Russian
city on Saturday.
Residents placed toys at memorials after Russias Health Ministry confirmed
that four children died in the attack.
More than 130 people were injured,
25 of them critically, and were transferred to clinics in
Moscow.
There was no official comment from Kiev in the hours
after the attack on Belgar Road.
Russia retaliated on Sunday by attacking the Ukrainian city of
Kharkiv.
Overnight,
Families and friends of Ukrainian prisoners of war staged A
protest at Kiev city center calling for their release.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on December 19th that a
recent slowdown in prisoner swaps with Moscow was due to
unspecified reasons on the Russian side,
but expressed hope that the swaps could resume soon.
The two sides held a number of prisoner swaps from
the early months of Russias invasion of Ukraine in February
of
2022 and into 2023, but the frequency slowed and the
last one took place in early August.
Zelensky said that Ukraine was currently working on an exchange
plan.
Meanwhile, in West Asia, as the clock ticked past midnight
on New Year's Eve,
rockets fired from Gaza rained down on central Israel.
The attack ignited sirens throughout the central and southern parts
of the country.
Hamas is armed wing has claimed that the attack was
in response to massacres against citizens in Gaza.
Now this after Israeli jets launched an intensive offensive against
central Israel.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the
war would take many more months to end.
A Palestinian assailant has been reported dead after allegedly stabbing
and wounding two people near an Israeli settlement at West
Bank on Sunday.
Israeli police and emergency services have claimed the incident was
a ramming attack and did not see how the man
died.
The police said they fired at the man after he
tried to drive his vehicle at them in what they
described as a ramming attack.
While the IDF has not confirmed the assailants death,
the Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man as Muhammad Masalma,
reporting that he was killed in the exchange.
Israelis Finance minister has called for the return of Jewish
settlers to the Gaza Strip after the war.
In his controversial statement, the minister said that the Palestinian
population should be encouraged to emigrate out of the from
the strip following the end of the current phase of
this conflict while maintaining almost total control over the territories
borders.
Israel ended its presence inside Gaza in
2005 when it unilaterally withdrew the last of its troops
and settlers.
The Israeli presence inside Gaza has started In the year
1967, all settlements on occupied Palestinian land are deemed illegal
under international law.
In Tel Aviv, protesters marked New Year's Eve on Sunday
with a gathering in front of Israel's Defense Ministry compound
calling for measures to secure the release of hostages still
held captive in Gaza. The group blocked the gate to
the compound and officials vehicles,
including one of David Barnier,
the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service.
They asked him for updates on steps taken for the
release of their loved ones,
who was still in Hamas captivity.
Some buildings, including Israel's parliament
Knesset, was seen lighting up in yellow,
a symbol of hope for safe return of hostages.
Yemens Houthi militant movement has claimed that ten of the
naval personnel were killed and were missing after three of
the boats were attacked by U.S.
forces in the Red Sea.
The groups military spokeswoman Yaya Saria said U.S.
Navy personnel attacked 3 boats belonging to the Yemeni naval
forces.
Sarya said the Houthis had carried out a missile attack
on the Mets Huangzhou container vessel earlier after its crew
refused to heed warning calls.
Democratic Republic of Congos President Felix Shisikeri has been reelected
for a second term.
He has won more than
73% of the votes in this months presidential election.
The countries election Commission declared Shisakiri the winner with over
13 million votes out of
18,000,000 valid votes. As per reports turn out in the
election reached over
43% celebrating crowds filled the streets of the capital of
Kinshasa.
The end of the year
2023 also marked the end of an era for
Denmark's Queen Margaretta the second
the longest serving monarch of Europe.
Following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth the 2nd announced
her surprise abdication on live television on the New Year's
Eve.
She is now leaving the throne to her son,
Crown Prince Federic. The 83 year olds took over the
throne from her father in
1972. In July she became the longest sitting monarch in
Denmarks history.
This after a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the
throne.
Her abdication comes on ground of understanding that the medical
implications Following her back surgery,
Spain conducted a rescue of 18 migrants of the course
of the Canary Islands on Sunday.
Among the 18 migrants Spain rescued by helicopter,
three of them were dead.
Spains Coast Guard took the 15 survivors to Laras Laras,
Tinga port in El Cairo,
the island with the highest number of arrivals in
2023. Another group of 99 migrants was rescued overnight and
brought to El Cairo.
Pope Francis on Sunday said the city of Rome must
improve its basic services for residents and visitors before the
start of the
2025 Holy Year that is expected to draw 10s of
millions of pilgrims.
Francis made his comments at the
Vatican's traditional year end Vespers of Thanksgiving,
known as the fibium. About 6 hours before the start
of the New Year's,
Rome hosts a holy year,
also known as a jubilee year.
At least every 25 years,
pilgrims flocked to the city to pray at its many
holy sites and receive special blessings.
Well, the visuals of New Year celebrations have been flooding
in from around the world.
Take a look at this.
None.
And in the midst of all that,
Berlin welcomed the New Year with fireworks over the German
capitals landmark the Brandenburg Gate,
where 10s of thousands of people celebrated the beginning of
2024. Up to 65,000 people gathered on the 17th Juni
Blvd.
On the western side of the gate,
which once separated the East and the West Berlin until
the fall of the Berlin Wall in November of
1989. Ticketed visitors were given access to a closed off
area stretching over
1.9 kilometers from back Brandenburg Gate to the Victory Column
Monument.
Hundreds of thousands of people,
including tourists from around the world,
welcomed the New Year on the Shons Elysee in Paris.
The French ushered in the year of the Paris Olympic
Games with a giant celebration leading up to the traditional
fireworks display over the Arc.
The Triumph revellers well, they said they wished Feast for
New Year as they danced and waited to witness the
show at midnight.
The festivities took place under tight security put in place
by French authorities with around
90,000 police personnel deployed across the country.
A dazzling fireworks spectacle lit up Rio de
Janeiro's Copacabana Beach where almost 2,000,000 revellers welcomed the New
Years.
New Year's Eve revelers and tourists gathered on Copacabana Beach
to enjoy the 12 minute spectacular and iconic fireworks display.
A light and color show was performed to the sound
of a live orchestra.
Locals and tourists were in for a treat as the
night sky across the beach was lit up in multiple
colors.
Meanwhile, in other news, two months after being devastated by
the deadly hurricane Otis,
tourists have gradually returned to the Mexican city of Acapulco
for New Year's Eve.
Despite efforts to rebuild the city,
several beaches looked empty and a small percentage of hotels
have only partially recovered the infrastructure.
Now Otis, the strongest hurricane to ever hit Mexico's Pacific
Coast,
hammered Acapulco in the early hours of October.
Well, this was on October 25th,
killing at least 50 people,
causing billions of dollars in damage and sparking widespread looting.
Business groups have estimated the damage at around $16 billion.
In Acapulco, which is the biggest city in Guerrero,
one of Mexico's poorest states.
Giant waves and choppy waters in coastal California over the
weekend prompted evacuation orders amid
Piers of flooding in Manhattan Beach.
The pier remained closed on Saturday evening as waves as
high as 20 feet slammed into the shoreline.
Residents in coastal communities were warned to stay off beaches
and coastal roadways.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles forecasts significant flooding
in the low lying coastal areas with powerful waves and
strong rip current posing an exceptional risk of drowning and
damage to structures like Piers and jetties.
South Koreas exports rose for a third month in December
but at a slower pace as weaker demand for Korean
goods in China offset robust global sales for semiconductors.
Exports by Asias 4th largest economy gained
5.1% to
$57.66 billion in December, slowing from a rise of
7.7% in November. Export data out of Asias 4th largest
economy is a closely watched indicator to gauge momentum for
global trade.
Now policy makers are pinning hope on recovering exports for
an estimated
2.1% of economic expansion in
2024, as high borrowing costs and sticky inflation keeps customers
spending sluggish.
Singapore's economy grew 1.2% in
2023 to avoid a recession.
Now this is according to Prime Minister Lee Sianlu.
However, he pointed out challenges ahead as geopolitical uncertainties continue
to weigh on the global economy.
Next years, gross domestic product has been projected to grow
by 1%
to 3%, although much will depend on the external environment.
Among the factors that will have an impact on the
economy,
Lee said that climate change will be one of the
most significant.
The Prime Minister also noted that while a recession was
avoided this year,
households were still feeling the pressure of higher cost of
living.