WORLD
Israel builds 4.6-km wall around Gaza
"Work has begun on a security corridor project adjacent to the Gaza Strip, with the aim of concealing roads to allow residents to drive around safely in times of emergency without fear of counterfire from the Gaza Strip," Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement on Thursday. The wall is being built along two highways near Gaza.
Not hiding Covid infections or death figures, claims China
According to South China Morning Post, Beijing's embassy in Washington, DC, countered allegations after several countries, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), criticised China for withholding actual Covid figures, requesting the country to come clean on the infection surge and hospitalisations. "China has always shared its information and data responsibly with the international community," Liu Pengyu, spokesman for Beijing's Washington embassy, said in a news briefing. Chinese scientists are "now working with WHO to have further discussions about the data," he said,
US House adjourns with no Speaker elected for 1st time in 164 years
The House will no convene on Friday noon, the second anniversary of the 2021 Capitol riot, reports Xinhua news agency. Kevin McCarthy from California, the House Republican leader since 2019, fell short of the necessary votes to take the gavel in five more rounds of voting Thursday afternoon. The House has voted 11 times since the 118th Congress convened on Tuesday, making it the longest speaker contest in 164 years. Not since 1860, when the US' union was fraying over the issue of slavery, has the lower chamber of Congress voted so many times to pick a Speaker.
Pak planning major US-backed counter-offensive against TTP
A report in South China Morning Post (SCMP) suggests that Pakistan is likely to launch a major ground as well as air offensive targeting the hideouts of Pakistan Taliban militants in Afghanistan, risking a schism in ties with the neighbouring country. On Monday, Pakistan's civil and military leadership had issued a stern warning that "the full force of the state" would "take on all and any entities that resort to violence".
US House Speaker fight drags on as McCarthy continues to lose multiple votes
US Congressman Kevin McCarthy from California, the House Republican leader, fell short of the necessary votes to take the gavel in two more rounds of voting on Thursday afternoon, Xinhua news agency reported. The 435-seat lower chamber -- where Republicans have a slim majority over Democrats -- is unable to conduct any legislative business until a speaker is elected.
US, Germany to send fighting vehicles to Ukraine
The announcement was made in a statement about a telephone conversation between US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported. During the call, Biden expressed the intent to supply Ukraine with Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, tracked armoured combat vehicles that are used to transport troops onto battlefield. Biden did not specify how many such vehicles will go to Ukraine.
UN calls for de-escalation of tensions following Israeli minister's Al-Aqsa visit
"As we have seen numerous times in the past, the situation at Jerusalem's holy sites is deeply fragile, and any incident or tension there can spill over and cause violence throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, in Israel, and elsewhere in the region," warned Khaled Khiari, UN assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.
Ukraine rejects Russia's 'trivial' ceasefire offer
On Thursday evening, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his Defence Minister to impose the 36-hour ceasefire on the Ukrainian frontline, beginning at 12 a.m. on Friday to coincide with the Russian Orthodox Christmas, the BBC reported. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas Day on January 7, according to the Julian calendar.
PTI staged Wazirabad shooting to revive long march, says accused shooter's lawyer
"The JIT is not considering substantial evidence a part of the investigation; the JIT and Imran Khan conspired to spoil the case and are trying to tamper with the details of the case in the police diary," he added, Geo News reported. Dawood also said that there is no need to extend the accused's remand.
Race to overthrow Vladimir Putin has begun, claims Russian war analyst
"The fight for the political Olympus has begun between the groupings that surround Putin," Strelkov said, Daily Mail reported. Strelkov -- a former FSB colonel key to Putin's annexation of Crimea and subjugation of the Donetsk region of Ukraine in 2014 -- is now a staunch critic of the Kremlin's war strategy.
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