World

Jerusalem, Jan. 17 (IANS) Israel's restricted security cabinet voted on Friday in favour of the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostage agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced in a statement.

The office noted that the full cabinet is expected to convene later Friday for final approval of the agreement, which Qatar first announced on Wednesday. Israel's acceptance of the agreement would become official only after the full cabinet vote.

Ministers of the security cabinet voted in favor of the deal "after examining all the political, security, and humanitarian aspects, and understanding that the proposed deal supports achieving the objectives of the war," according to the statement.

The ministers were originally scheduled to vote on the deal on Thursday, but the meeting was delayed, with Netanyahu blaming Hamas for raising last-minute obstacles about the terms of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the names of the Palestinian prisoners who would be released.

Hamas said in a statement on Friday that disputes have been resolved, a day after the group affirmed in a statement its commitment to the full terms of the accord.

The vote came amid concerns that the implementation of the deal would be postponed following objections by far-right partners in Netanyahu's coalition government.

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right ministers, voted against the agreement in the security cabinet, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported.

The two ministers demanded a government commitment to resume fighting in Gaza once the first phase of the deal, in which Hamas would release 33 Israeli hostages, is completed.

On Thursday, they announced their intention to quit the coalition unless their demands were met, which would leave Netanyahu without a parliamentary majority.

According to the mediators, which include Qatar, Egypt and the United States, the agreement consists of three phases towards a "permanent ceasefire between the parties."

The ceasefire is expected to go into effect on Sunday, marking the start of the first phase. Fighting will be halted for six weeks, during which Hamas will release 33 hostages, including all women, children, and men over the age of 50. Israel will withdraw its forces from populated areas in Gaza, and more aid will follow into the enclave.

In return, Israel will release between 990 and 1,650 Palestinians detained in its jails, including all Palestinian women and children under 19, by the end of the first phase, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to a separate statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's office, Hamas is expected to release three Israeli women on Sunday.

The Israeli military continued airstrikes in Gaza despite the announcement of the deal. According to the Civil Defense Authority in Gaza, at least 103 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks after the Gaza ceasefire announcement.

--IANS

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Kinshasa, Jan 17 (IANS) About 237,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of 2025 in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one of the world's largest hosts of people uprooted within their own borders, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Friday.

Escalating clashes between armed groups and the DRC army in North and South Kivu provinces, already home to 4.6 million internally displaced people, are intensifying one of the world's most alarming yet under-reported humanitarian crises, UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun said at a press briefing.

From January 1 to 6, intense fighting in the Masisi and Lubero territories of North Kivu Province forced about 150,000 individuals to flee their homes, while 84,000 people have been displaced in South Kivu's Fizi territory, the UN agency said, noting that civilians in both regions are enduring indiscriminate bombings.

On Wednesday, during a cabinet meeting chaired by President Felix Tshisekedi, the DRC government announced that the military had recovered several strategic localities in the eastern part of the country previously occupied by the March 23 Movement rebellion.

"The DRC Armed Forces remain determined on all front lines to restore security, recover lost areas, and restore the territorial integrity of the DRC," government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said late Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Last month, a peace summit to address conflicts in the DRC was called off at the last minute due to a tough negotiation standoff.

Angolan President Joao Lourenco was set to host DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, in a bid to ease tensions gripping the eastern DRC by securing an agreement supposed to be signed by the three heads of state.

The summit was planned as part of the "Luanda Process," a peace initiative launched in 2022 and endorsed by the African Union, to accelerate regional stabilization.

The eastern DRC continues to face instability due to the M23 rebel group, which has been advancing and seizing large areas of territory. The DRC government accuses neighboring Rwanda of providing military support to the M23, an allegation Kigali denies.

While denying ties to the M23, Rwanda has accused the DRC military of collaborating with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a Rwandan rebel group whose members are blamed for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

--IANS

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Islamabad, Jan 16 (IANS) At least 10 Pakistanis have died in another tragic incident when a boat carrying at least 80 passengers capsized near Morocco. The boat was carrying passengers trying to enter Europe illegally. At least 36 Pakistanis have been rescued.

As per details, at least 50 illegal migrants including Pakistani nationals have already drowned in the incident. Reports suggest that the boat was carrying people illegally into Spain’s Canary Islands through West Africa.

The latest incident occurred a day after Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people from a boat. Details revealed that the boat had left from Mauritania on the 2nd of January 2025 with 86 illegal migrants, 66 of them were Pakistani nationals.

The incident has also been confirmed by the Pakistan Foreign Office, which stated that its embassy in Rabat has been directed to dispatch a team to facilitate the Pakistani nationals.

“Several survivors, including Pakistanis, are lodged in a camp near Dakhla. Our embassy in Rabat is in touch with local authorities. Additionally, a team from the embassy has been dispatched to Dakhla to facilitate the Pakistani nationals and provide necessary assistance,” read a press release issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken serious notice of the incident and has directed authorities to take strict action against those involved in what he termed a heinous act of human trafficking.

“No negligence of any kind will be tolerated in this regard. Strong steps are being taken against human traffickers,” said PM Shehbaz Sharif.

Among the rescued Pakistani nationals, one of the people contacted his family back home in Gujranwala, Punjab province, detailing the horrific tale of his anguish and suffering.

“My brother told me that he was initially told that all passengers would be taken to Spain by air. But later on, after spending days in a safe house in Mauritania, they were boarded on a boat”, said the sister of one of the rescued Pakistanis.

“He told me that the boat was stopped in the middle of nowhere and everyone was told to call their families and ask them to send more money. After some time, they started throwing people in the open sea,” she added.

Pertinent to note that the human trafficking issue has become the centre of attention and concern for Pakistan after about 45 Pakistani nationals drowned and died in a boat capsizing incident in Greece while 36 were rescued in December 2024.

Since then, the Pakistani government has been investigating and arresting human traffickers and their facilitators in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). At least 30 FIA officers have already been dismissed and arrested for their collusion with human traffickers.

--IANS

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Washington, January 16 (IANS) The Crypto Ball, an event organised by the crypto industry to celebrate the return of President-elect Donald Trump next week, is reportedly one of the most sought after of the spate of such parties and dinners taking place around inauguration next week.

The invitation calls Trump "the first Crypto President", according to a report by The New York Times on Thursday, which details several other such celebrations that are hosted by tech entrepreneurs, executives and investors who have also donated generously to the inauguration committee in a notable display of the close embrace of the incoming president by the tech industry.

MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump super body, is hosting a "V.I.P. reception" at the Crypto Ball, with a $100,000-per-person entry fee, the Times reported.

The ball also celebrates David Sacks, a venture capitalist and Silicon Valley podcaster, who Trump has named his czar for artificial intelligence and crypto. Sacks is also a key figure at a black-tie dinner being hosted by a leading tech figure Peter Thiel on Saturday. And the next day, Sunday, Sacks is holding a private party with co-hosts of "All In", a show that has a cult-like following among Silicon Valley conservatives.

The Times reported that other companies hosting such celebrations include Spotify, Uber and X, which is owned by Elon Musk, who is Trump's most outspoken supporter and leading donor. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is hosting a post-ceremony event with megadonor Miriam Adelson, and Musk.

The Times also reported corporations that have contributed $1 million or more to the Trump inauguration include tech giants like Amazon and Google; cryptocurrency upstarts like Ripple and Robinhood.

Presidential inaugurations — the event at which the incoming president is administered the oath of office — often attract top-dollar donors and are marked by a spate of balls, parties and celebrations all around Washington DC's hotels and restaurants, in the run up to the big day, January 20 and after.

The Trump team has announced three official inaugural balls: the Commander in Chief Ball, Liberty Inaugural Ball, and Starlight Ball. Trump will deliver remarks at each of them. There are at least 17 unofficial balls, according to one estimate.

--IANS

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Gaza, Jan 16 (IANS) Hamas on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to a ceasefire agreement with Israel, hours after Israeli officials accused the Palestinian militant group of attempting to alter the deal's terms at the last moment.

"We are committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by the mediators," said senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq in a statement, responding to claims from Israel's Prime Minister's Office that Hamas had reneged on key aspects of the arrangement in a bid for last-minute concessions. Israeli officials stated that the cabinet would not convene until mediators confirm Hamas's full acceptance of the deal.

The Israeli cabinet session to ratify the agreement has been delayed, according to Israeli public radio. Negotiators remain in Doha, working to finalize the list of Palestinian prisoners slated for release, even after Qatar announced a breakthrough agreement on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, violence has escalated. Palestinian civil defence officials reported that at least 77 Palestinians, including 21 children and 25 women, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Thursday. These strikes occurred despite Qatar's announcement of a ceasefire set to commence on Sunday.

"Despite the agreement, the Israeli army continues its bombing until this moment, in clear violation of the ceasefire," said Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defense Authority. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the allegations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hamas senior official Sami Abu Zuhri denounced the strikes as a "desperate attempt" by Israel to undermine the deal, urging the United States to ensure Israel's adherence to the agreement.

In a press conference on Wednesday in Doha, where the truce talks were held, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said the agreement, which will take effect on Sunday, includes the exchange of hostages and prisoners and return to sustainable calm that would lead to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

While the widely-anticipated deal represents a step toward restoring peace in the region, analysts argue that, since it does not address the deep-seated issues fueling the Israel-Palestine conflict, the path to long-lasting peace in the Middle East remains fraught with uncertainty.

--IANS

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Nairobi, Jan 16 (IANS) Kenya's economy is projected to grow by 5.3 per cent in 2025, according to the National Treasury.

In its Budget Policy Statement for 2025, the Treasury said this growth would represent an increase from 4.6 per cent in 2024 and 5.6 per cent in 2023.

The country's economy contracted in 2024 due to a deceleration in economic activities during the first three quarters of the year and a slowdown in private sector credit growth to key sectors, according to the Treasury.

The Treasury said the 2025 expansion would be driven by enhanced agricultural productivity and a resilient services sector.

"Agricultural productivity is expected to be largely driven by favourable weather conditions and productivity-enhancing government interventions," the Treasury said, adding that growth in the sector is projected to average around 3 per cent in 2025.

Similarly, the services sector is expected to remain resilient, growing at an average of 6.6 percent over the medium term, the Treasury said.

The Treasury said ongoing reforms in the ICT sector are expected to boost growth in financial services, healthcare and public administration. The tourism sub-sectors are expected to benefit from the government's efforts to revamp the sector through the promotion of high-profile international conferences, cultural festivals and wildlife safaris.

The Treasury projected that aggregate domestic demand will remain resilient, with consumption averaging around 87.4 percent of gross domestic product in 2025, supported by easing inflationary pressures, Xinhua news agency reported.

Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning John Mbadi noted in the policy statement that the government would enhance fiscal consolidation to reduce public debt vulnerabilities while providing fiscal space to deliver essential public goods and services.

--IANS

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Abidjan, Jan 16 (IANS) Cote d'Ivoire's oil and gas production is expected to rise to a total of 75,000 to 85,000 barrels per day of crude oil from the current output of 30,000 barrels per day following the "successful" start of production in phase 2 of the Baleine field, the government said.

"The cumulative production from phases 1 and 2 of Baleine is projected to reach a total of 75,000 to 85,000 barrels per day of crude oil and 80 to 85 million cubic feet of natural gas," said government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly after a cabinet meeting in Abidjan.

On December 28, the Italian company ENI and its local partner PETROCI commenced production in phase 2 of the Baleine field offshore Cote d'Ivoire, which followed the start of phase 1 production in August 2023, with an initial output of 22,000 barrels of crude oil per day and 10 million cubic feet of natural gas.

"The crude oil output from phase 2 is expected to range from 50,000 to 60,000 barrels per day, compared to the initially planned 35,000 barrels, representing an increase of 43 per cent to 72 percent," the spokesperson said.

"In terms of natural gas, production is anticipated to be between 50 and 60 million cubic feet per day, exceeding the forecast of 40 million, reflecting an increase of 25 percent to 50 percent," he added.

According to Coulibaly, the insights gained from phases 1 and 2 will help refine studies for phase 3, with a final investment decision expected by the end of 2025.

The projected output from phase 3 is anticipated to elevate total production from the Baleine field to 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day and 200 million cubic feet of natural gas, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This significant advancement highlights Cote d'Ivoire's commitment to establishing the extractive and energy resources sector as a pillar for sustained and sustainable growth," Coulibaly said.

The Baleine field is estimated to have a total production potential of 2.5 billion barrels of oil and nearly 3,300 billion cubic feet of associated gas.

--IANS

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United Nations, Jan 16 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the deal for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza, calling it a “critical first step” towards peace in the region.

"I welcome the announcement of the deal for ceasefire and hostage release”, he said on Wednesday soon after the agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced by Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Guterres commended Qatar, Egypt and the US for brokering the deal.

Al Thani said that under the first phase of the agreement that would come into force on Sunday, Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas in Gaza and Hamas would release 33 hostages over 42 days when there would be a ceasefire.

The negotiations for the release of the remaining hostages and an enduring ceasefire would continue.

The deal to end the 15-month conflict came five days before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who had threatened “all hell would break out” if the hostages were not released by then.

"Humanitarian situation is at catastrophic levels," Guterres said.

"Our priority now must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict," he said.

About 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the Israeli onslaught in retaliation for the Hamas terrorist attack in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 250 were taken hostage on October 7, 2023.

Nearly half the 2.1 million people of Gaza have lost their homes and most of the zone's infrastructure has been destroyed.

"It is imperative that the ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support the major increase in urgent life-saving humanitarian support," Guterres said.

"This deal is a critical first step, but we must mobilise all efforts to also address broader goals," he said.

"I urge the parties and all relevant partners to seize this opportunity to establish a credible political process to a better future for Palestinians Israelis and the broader region, ending the occupation (of Palestine territories) and achieving a negotiated two state solution, with Israel and Palestine leading side by side in peace and security," he said.

The deal was foreign policy victory in his last week in office for President Joe Biden and he took credit for it calling it the result of it is the result of "of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy".

He said that it was helped by "the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and the weakening of Iran".

Trump also took credit, writing on Truth Social, “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies”.

Although Biden called it a “joke” when a reporter asked if Trump had a role, he said: "I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we're all speaking with the same voice, because that's what American presidents do."

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

--IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) Over a year after the Gaza war broke out and went on to cause chaos and devastation while rattling the Middle East, a landmark agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, with both sides reportedly agreeing to cease hostilities and exchange Israeli hostages for prisoners from Palestine.

US President Joe Biden confirmed the crucial development on Wednesday at a briefing, saying "it is a very good afternoon now". He said: "Soon, the hostages will return home to their families."

The peace deal involves a full and complete ceasefire along with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of all the hostages held by Hamas, the BBC reported.

Biden said that Israel would release Palestinian prisoners in return.

The US President said that during the first phase of the ceasefire deal, "Palestinians can return home to their neighbourhoods and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip will increase".

Biden also said that Israel and Hamas will negotiate the necessary arrangements in phase two for what would be the permanent end to the war.

"If negotiations take longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue," the US President, who was accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the briefing, added.

The US President, adding to what brought about the deal, said that "after 15 months of war, Hamas' senior leaders are dead, thousands of its fighters are also dead, and now it's operationally weakened, it had agreed to this deal", the BBC reported.

Biden said that he is "deeply satisfied" this day has come, both for the sake of people in Israel with loved ones still being held captive, and those in Gaza who've suffered "unimaginable devastation".

The US President mentioned that "too many innocent people have died".

"With this deal the Palestinians can rebuild, without Hamas," he said.

Biden further added he and the team of President-elect Donald Trump worked as "one team" in their attempts to get the ceasefire deal over the line.

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Washington, Jan 15 (IANS) Marco Rubio began his confirmation hearing for the job of US secretary of state Wednesday with a sharp denunciation of China’s rise as a power by lying and cheating, and a robust defence of President-elect Donald Trump’s world view anchored in America First priorities, arguing it does not amount to isolationism.

“We welcomed the Chinese Communist Party into the global order, and they took advantage of all of its benefits, and they ignored all of its obligations and responsibilities,” Rubio said to his former colleagues of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of which had been a long-serving member as senator before Trump named him to head the state department as secretary of state.

“Instead, they have repressed and lied and cheated and hacked and stolen their way into global superpower status, and they have done so at our expense and at the expense of the people of their own country.”

Rubio is a leading anti-China hawk and if confirmed, he will join a group of Trump officials who are equally critical of China — such as Mike Waltz, the incoming national security adviser, and Pete Hegseth, the nominee for secretary of defence who told a committee of senators on Tuesday that deterring Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific will be a priority for him.

Rubio is an old and experienced hand at foreign policy as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has held strong views on China and Russia, both of which have been called America’s main adversaries by both Republican and Democratic administrations.

The nominee also took the opportunity of his opening remarks to address concerns raised in some quarters that President-elect Trump’s insistence on American interests above all amounts to, or will lead to, the United States isolating itself on the global stage.

“Ultimately, under President Trump, the top priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States the direction he has given for the conduct of our foreign policy is clear, every dollar we spend, every programme we fund, every policy we pursue, must be justified by the answer to one of three questions, does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger, or does it make America more prosperous?”

“Under President Trump, the dollars of hard-working American taxpayers will always be spent wisely and our power will always be yielded prudently and towards what is best for America and Americans before anything and everything else. Prudence in the conduct of foreign policy is not an abandonment of our values. It is common sense, understanding that while we remain the wealthiest and the most powerful nation on the Earth, our wealth has never been unlimited and our power has never been infinite, and placing our core national interest above all else is not isolationism. It is the common sense realisation that our foreign that a foreign policy, centred in our national interest, is not some outdated relic. Since the emergence of the modern nation-state over two centuries ago, countries acting based on what they perceive to be their core national interest have been the norm, not the exception.”

--IANS

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