Gaza ceasefire further after al-Arouri killed in Beirut

Today's news: bad weather hits Japan's earthquake damaged areas; Indian government negotiates with truck drivers after strikes over hit-and-run law; 2023 marked China's highest average temperature ever; New Year message from Russian political prisoners: 'Believe, fear, forgive'.

LEBANON-ISRAEL-GAZA

In addition to the risk of a widening of the conflict, the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza could also be affected by the raid in Beirut yesterday afternoon in which Saleh al-Arouri, one of the political leaders of Hamas, was killed by a bomb launched by an Israeli drone, along with six other people. Qatari sources said that Egypt had broken off mediation. In recent days, Cairo together with Doha had put forward a proposal for a 20-day pause in the fighting in exchange for the release of 50 Israeli hostages.

JAPAN

The confirmed death toll from the January 1 earthquake on the Noto peninsula in Japan has risen to 64. While people are still digging for those missing under the rubble, there is now concern about worsening weather conditions. Prime Minister Kishida announced the doubling of the military contingent mobilized for the rescue operations to 2000 soldiers, while the country is still in shock following the accident at Haneda airport in Tokyo which saw a plane collide that was about to take off to bring aid with a landing Airbus: 5 crew members of the rescue aircraft died in the fire while all over 300 people on board the airliner managed to escape to safety.

CHINA

China's average temperature in 2023 was the warmest since records began, state media said, citing data from the National Climate Center in Beijing. In the year just ended it stood at 10.7 degrees Celsius, surpassing the record of 10.5 set in 2021, state broadcaster CCTV said. China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases that cause climate change, such as carbon dioxide.

INDIA

Following strikes by truck, bus and tanker drivers which led to long queues at petrol stations, the Interior Minister of the Indian federal government Ajay Bhalla announced last night his intention to re-negotiate the new rules with trade associations on the crime of failure to provide assistance. Article 106(2) of the new penal code - approved by the Indian Parliament in the winter session - provides for a ten-year prison sentence and a fine for anyone who causes "the death of any person by reckless and negligent driving of a vehicle and flees without reporting the matter to a police officer or a magistrate."

INDONESIA

Indonesia's election watchdog has summoned Gibran Rakabuming Raka - the son of President Joko Widodo, who is running for vice-president in the February 14 elections alongside Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who is leading the polls - for questioning over an alleged violation of rules for the electoral campaign. Gibran allegedly distributed free milk to people at a public event last month.

RUSSIA

Some Russian political prisoners, Ženja Berkovič, Saša Skočilenko, Ilja Jašin and Vladimir Kara-Murza, sent a wish to all those who support them through the editorial team of Novaya Gazeta Evropa, which obtained the messages through the procedures of the Penitentiary Police: “A very simple wish for the new year: believe, fear, forgive.”

TAJIKISTAN

The reading in parliament of the end-of-year message from the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rakhmon, was interrupted by a record 120 rounds of applause during the more than 3 hours of its reading, for a total of 22 minutes sitting or standing, with applause between 4 minutes and 42 seconds long, surpassing even the statistics of Kim Yong-Un's speeches in North Korea.

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