WORLD
Indian-American takes oath as Texas county judge
Mathew, a native of Thiruvalla in Kerala, was sworn-in via videoconferencing from Bheemanady in Kasaragod, and will continue to serve as presiding judge for Number 3 of the Fort Bend County Court for a period of four years. She ran for re-election and won with 123,116 votes, beating Republican Andrew Dornburg. "I'm grateful for every supporter, prayer warrior, and voter during this journey," Mathew said in a Facebook post after winning the election.
China to confront multiple Covid infections with new Omicron strains
According to the South China Morning Post, the dominant strains in China so far are the Omicron subvariants, BA.5.2 and BF.7. However, BQ.1.1 and XBB Omicron variants have been circulating in the US and Europe in the past two months. "It's foreseeable that after the current wave peaks in China, XBB can enter the country to trigger a new round of large-scale infections," biochemist Cao Yunlong from Peking University told state-run China News Service.
Yoon's approval rating falls for 1st time in 3 weeks: Poll
In the poll of 2,511 voters conducted by Realmeter from December 26-30, 2022, 40 per cent positively assessed Yoon's job performance, down 1.2 percentage points from the previous week, reports Yonhap News Agency. Yoon's disapproval rating was 57.2 per cent, up 0.6 percentage point.
S.Korea, US, Japan criticise N.Korea's push to bolster 'self-defensive' capabilities
Seoul's top nuclear negotiator, Kim Gunn, and his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi respectively, held three-way phone talks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for increasing its nuclear arsenal and developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile during a key ruling party meeting, Yonhap news agency reported.
Iran blacklists 60 US officials for top commander's assassination
In a televised interview ahead of the third anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday said Iran is investigating the US assassination of the commander. He stressed that the Americans and Westerners, however, were throwing a wrench into Iran's efforts to pursue the case legally, although Tehran had taken necessary measures, Xinhua news agency reported.
Ukrainian capital under air attacks, no casualties
The Kiev City Military Administration said on Sunday in a statement that the air defence shot down all 32 air targets launched against the capital. Wreckage from aerial intercepts damaged a private car in the central Shevchenkivskiy district and fell onto subway tracks in the eastern Dniprovskiy district, disrupting the operation of the local subway, Xinhua news agency reported.
Russia waging war so Putin can stay in power 'until the end of his life': Zelensky
Zelensky switched to speaking Russian in his nightly address to send a message to the Kremlin and Russian citizens, as Moscow launched a series of deadly strikes that swept several regions of Ukraine ahead of New Year, CNN reported. "All this war that you are waging, you - Russia, it is not the war with NATO, as your propagandists lie," Zelensky said.
51 Indian civilian prisoners & 654 fishermen in Pak custody
Under the provisions of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, such lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1. India shared lists of 339 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 95 Pakistani fishermen currently in Indian custody. Similarly, Pakistan has shared lists of 51 civilian prisoners and 654 fishermen in its custody, who are Indians or are believed to be Indians.The government has called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats from Pakistan's custody.
India-Pakistan exchange lists of nuclear installations
The details of nuclear installations were exchanged through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad. The agreement, which was signed on December 31, 1988 and came into force on January 27, 1991, provides that India and Pakistan inform each other of the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on the 1st of January of every calendar year.
Xi Jinping sees 'light of hope' as China stares at spike in Covid deaths
"Epidemic prevention and control is entering a new phase. Everyone is working resolutely, and the light of hope is right in front of us," Jinping said in a TV address late on Saturday. Last week, the Chinese President had called for strict measures to "effectively protect people's lives". His fresh remarks came as the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief lamented the absence of comprehensive Covid information from China.
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