World

Seoul, Jan 15 (IANS) North Korea said on Monday that it successfully test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) carrying a hypersonic warhead the previous day as part of regular activities to develop powerful weapons systems.

The missile loaded with a hypersonic manoeuvrable controlled warhead was launched on Sunday afternoon in a bid to verify the warhead's gliding and manoeuvring capabilities and the reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The KCNA did not disclose the missile's flight distance or time and other details.

The Missile General Bureau said the test is part of the agency and its affiliated defence science institutes' "regular activities for developing powerful weapon systems," according to the KCNA.

North Korea also said the test-fire "never affected the security of any neighbouring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation."

South Korea's military said on Sunday that it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 2:55 p.m., and the missile flew approximately 1,000 km before splashing into the sea.

It marked the North's first missile launch since the firing of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on December 18.

--IANS

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Helsinki, Jan 15 (IANS) The volcanic eruption in Iceland has taken a turn for the worse as a new fissure opened quite close to the town of Grindavik. Magma from the new fissure was just 20 meters from the nearest building, an evacuated industrial structure.

Thorvaldur Thordarson, a volcanologist, told Icelandic radio RUV that the worst-case scenario is that the upper crack that opened on Sunday morning will calm down, and the new lower one will take over. He said it "does not look good", even though the fissure is still small, Xinhua news agency reported.

Fannar Jonasson, mayor of Grindavik, described the situation to RUV as ominous. "This is a new situation compared to this morning," he said. "There is little else to do but to wait and see what will happen and where the lava will lead in the future in the next hours and days."

Lava has reached a highway not far from the town. A defensive wall was built across the road, and the lava is flowing along it, as reported by RUV. Emergency workers were able to remove essential equipment to avoid losing them to the magma.

At least two houses had caught fire by late Sunday afternoon. Benedikt Halldorsson, an expert in earthquake activity at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told RUV, "It is not possible to imagine anything worse than an eruption in a settlement and lava flowing onto houses."

Linda Karen Gunnarsdottir, chairperson of the Animal Protection Association of Iceland, said there are sheep in at least five properties. Animals were evacuated in December, but people have brought them back. "Of course, they weren't supposed to be there," she told RUV.

According to RUV, the eruption does not affect flights to and from Keflavik Airport.

--IANS

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Jerusalem, Jan 15 (IANS) As the bloody Israel-Hamas conflict entered its 100th day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to continue the military campaign in the Gaza Strip until "total victory" is achieved.

"We must conduct this war, and it will yet take many months," Netanyahu said on Sunday despite growing international calls to halt the war due to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

During his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu presented a 2024 budget proposal to his government, seeking approval for a plan that involves tax hikes and the implementation of a uniform 3 per cent reduction in the budgets of all government ministries to secure funding for the ongoing war against Hamas, Xinhua news agency reported.

"At this moment, what is required is, first of all, to cover the expenses of the war and to allow us to continue the war and complete it," Netanyahu told ministers.

His remarks came as Israel awaited a ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, with a possible decision against its massive offensive in Gaza.

Launched following the Hamas assault on October 7, 2023, Israel's relentless strikes in the densely-populated Palestinian enclave have killed at least 23,843 people, with approximately 75 per cent of them being women, children, and the elderly, according to the Hamas-run government media office.

The strikes have displaced most of Gaza's about 2.3 million population and levelled many parts of the territory.

Since Saturday, thousands of Israelis have rallied in Tel Aviv and other major cities, calling for the return of the hostages and the replacement of the government.

During the October 7 rampage, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, including 790 civilians, and kidnapped over 200 people, 132 of whom are still being held in Gaza.

According to figures released by the Israeli military on Sunday, since the commencement of the war, its troops have killed approximately 9,000 militants in Gaza.

Additionally, 170 militants from the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Palestinian factions were killed in clashes with Israeli forces on the Lebanon front.

The Israeli army, mobilizing about 295,000 reservists, has launched attacks on around 30,000 locations in the 365 square km Palestinian enclave and 750 locations in Lebanon.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday in a speech that his group "doesn't fear war, and there are no talks before the war on Gaza ends."

According to Nasrallah, "Israel is mired in failure and is in a deep hole... It has not reached any of its declared and undeclared goals as unanimously stated by the Israelis themselves."

--IANS

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Copenhagen, Jan 15 (IANS) Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik has been formally proclaimed King by the country's Prime Minister.

Danish Queen Margrethe on Sunday signed a declaration of abdication and handed the throne to her son, then Crown Prince Frederik.

Thousands of people gathered outside the palace where the royal succession occurred on Sunday, celebrating the event, Xinhua news agency reported.

In her address delivered on New Year's Eve, Queen Margrethe announced that she would be abdicating on January 14 and that she would hand over the throne to her eldest son. She justified it with a back operation that she had in February.

--IANS

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Tel Aviv, Jan 15 (IANS) Israel's President Isaac Herzog has said that the families of the hostages are not alone and cannot be left alone.

He was addressing the nation from Hostage Plaza here on Sunday.

Herzog said, "Bringing back the hostages transcends any debate or disagreement. A united nation stands with you around the obligation to return all the hostages home."

The families of the hostages called for the continued mobilization of Israel’s citizens and appealed to the Security Cabinet to take action for the immediate release of all the hostages.

"One hundred long days of captivity. One hundred long days of solitude. They are held cruelly in the dark, in tunnels, without medical care, suffering terribly. One hundred days of worry and fear, of uncertainty. One hundred days in which the heart of an entire nation beats together with you, beloved families," the President said addressing the families of hostages at the "100 Days of Hell" rally.

Herzog said, "Dear families, I have an important message for you: You are not alone and you cannot be left alone. Not now and not ever. An entire united nation stands together with you around the obligation to return all the hostages home and restore security for all Israeli citizens, because bringing back the hostages transcends any debate or disagreement. This is a profound moral imperative, an imperative of a people and a state."

"The issue of the hostages must not fall off the public and global agenda, and I pledge to continue working towards this in any way possible and with all means at my disposal. For our sake and theirs," he added.

The President also called upon people to strengthen the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops and security forces who are risking their lives to defeat the enemy and bring the hostages home.

--IANS

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Moscow, Dec 25 (IANS) A fire that had erupted on Russia's nuclear-powered container ship Sevmorput was put out, authorities said.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred in one of the cabins of the vessel and affected an area of some 30 square meters, the emergency department of Murmansk region said in a statement, Xinhua News Agency reported.

There was no threat to the nuclear plant of the container ship, it said.

Sevmorput is the world's only icebreaking transport ship with a nuclear power plant. It can navigate through ice fields up to one meter thick at a speed of about two knots.

--IANS

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Islamabad, Dec 25 (IANS) Pakistan witnessed highest number of suicide attacks since 2014 during this year, with nearly half of them targeting the security forces, media reports said.

According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) -- regarding suicide attacks in 2023 -- the country experienced a disturbing surge in such attacks, reaching the highest level since 2014, Dawn reported.

At least 48 per cent of deaths and 58 per cent of injuries were inflicted upon security forces personnel. “A staggering 29 suicide attacks were reported, resulting in the tragic loss of 329 lives and leaving 582 individuals injured.

“This marks the highest death toll since 2013 when 683 people lost their lives in 47 suicide bombings,” Dawn reported.

Comparing the data to the preceding year, 2022, report reveals a distressing 93pc increase in the number of suicide attacks, a shocking 226 per cent rise in resultant deaths, and a troubling 101 per cent surge in the number of injured individuals.

Furthermore, the share of suicide attacks in the total number of attacks escalated from 3.9 per cent in 2022 to 4.7per cent in 2023, underscoring the severity of the situation.

Delving into regional specifics, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) bore the brunt of these attacks, reporting 23 instances that resulted in 254 fatalities and 512 injuries. Within KP, newly merged districts or erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) experienced 13 suicide attacks, leading to 85 deaths and 206 injuries. Baluchistan faced five attacks, causing 67 deaths and 52 injuries, while Sindh witnessed one suicide attack resulting in eight deaths and 18 injuries.

The data further reveals that security forces were the primary targets of these attacks, with civilians constituting the second-largest victim category, Dawn reported.

A visual representation in the form of pie charts illustrates that 48pc of deaths and 58pc of injuries were inflicted upon security forces personnel.

Examining the historical trajectory, PICSS’s militancy database indicates a notable decline in suicide attacks from 30 in 2014 to a mere three in 2019. There was no significant surge in 2020 and 2021, as both years witnessed only four attacks each, Dawn reported.

The year 2022 witnessed a sudden and significant surge, recording 15 attacks resulting in 101 deaths and 290 injuries and this worrisome trend persisted into 2023.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) The revenue collected by Bitcoin miners as transaction fees averaged about $2 million per day in 2023, registering a whopping 400 per cent increase year-on-year.

The Bitcoin miners earned more than $10 billion in 2023, according to Jameson Lopp, co-founder of Bitcoin self-custody platform Casa.

“Bitcoin miners earned over $10 billion in 2023, a significant addition to the $57 billion total over the past 15 years. This number assumes they instantly sell for fiat, which is most certainly not the case,” he posted on X.

As reported by crypto.news, Bitcoin miners earned more than $44 million in block rewards even as mining difficulty increased by 3.55 per cent to an all-time high.

Messari, a leading provider of crypto market intelligence products, posted that BTC miners attracted significant venture capital investment in November.

“This past month in crypto fundraising was led by BTC miners, with Northern Data and Phoenix Group raising $600 million and $370 million, respectively.

“Those deals aside, the rest of the crypto venture market did $750 million in volume on 98 deals,” Messari wrote on X.

The developments have led market watchers to make predictions regarding Bitcoin’s price in 2024, with some claiming it could go as high as $160,000.

Bitcoin saw 160 per cent growth this year, adding nearly $530 billion to its market capitalisation.

According to an analysis by BanklessTimes.com, the Solana digital coin market has spiralled by 627 per cent since January 2023, a new yearly high for any cryptocurrency.

--IANS

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Melbourne, Dec 25 (IANS) Wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed makes way for Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan on Monday announced a twelve players squad for the Boxing day Test against Australia from December 26-30.

The Final XI will be announced on Tuesday.

Pacer Khurram Shahzad was ruled out of the series because of an injury Mir Hamza or Hasan Ali are likely to replace him, while Faheem Ashraf will also miss out the second Test.

Sajid Khan is also set to feature, with Noman Ali and Abrar Ahmed both injured. With Khurram Shahzad also injured, Mir Hamza or Hasan Ali are likely to replace him.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood suggested that they want to give Sarfaraz a break and said, as quoted by cricket.com.au:

"We think Rizwan is ready and we can give Sarfaraz a little bit of a break to recoup and come back. It was more of a tactical decision in terms of the conditions and getting the best out of each player in those conditions,” said Shan Masood to cricket.com.au.

In the first Test, Australia defeated Shan Masood's team by a margin of 360 runs within four days. Australia have named an unchanged squad.

Pakistan 12-players squad: Imam-Ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamir Jamal, Sajid Khan.

Australia playing XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 25 (IANS) Bollywood actor Arbaaz Khan has tied the knot for the second time with makeup artist Sshura Khan, and has dropped first pictures as husband and wife.

According to the reports, Arbaaz and Sshura had met on the sets of the upcoming movie ‘Patna Shukla’.

The intimate wedding ceremony which was held at Arbaaz’s sister Arpita Khan’s residence saw the presence of his family members, including Salman Khan, Sohail Khan and his kids, Arbaaz’s son Arhaan, his parents Salim and Salma Khan, Helen, actress Raveena Tandon and her daughter Rasha, and model Lulia Vantur, amongst others.

Taking to the social media, Arbaaz has shared the wedding pictures, which shows him wearing a beige coloured floral bandhgala coat, and matching pants.

While, his bride Sshura is wearing a pastel pink coloured lehenga. She has kept her hair open and sported a matching neckpiece.

He captioned the post as: “In the presence of our loved ones, me and mine begin a lifetime of love and togetherness from this day on! Need all your blessings and good wishes on our special day!”

The celebrities have showered love and blessings to the newly-wed couple in the comment section.

A video that went viral on the social media shows Arbaaz’s son Arhaan singing a song for his dad, while the ‘Hello Brother’ actor was seen recording his son.

Previously, Arbaaz was married to model Malaika Arora, and they have a son Arhaan. The couple got divorced in May 2017.

The other celebrities who have attended the wedding included filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and wife Genelia, Sajid Khan, Sanjay Kapoor and his wife.

--IANS

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