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Tehran, Jan 19 (IANS) Two senior judges were killed in a shooting attack at the Supreme Court of Iran in central Tehran, media reported.

The "assassination" was carried out by an armed person, who killed himself after opening fire early on Saturday, according to a statement by the media centre of the judiciary.

The Mizan news agency of the Iranian judiciary report said on Saturday that the two judges were Ali Razini, head of Branch 39, and Mohammad Moghiseh, head of Branch 53, of the Supreme Court, and that the assailant committed suicide soon after the attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

The victims were identified as Muslim scholars Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, both holding the rank of hujjat al-Islam and each presiding over a different branch of the court.

"(They) were actively involved in combating crimes against national security, espionage, and terrorism," the statement added, describing the slain judges as "courageous and experienced".

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told Iranian state television that "a person armed with a handgun entered the room" of the two judges and shot them.

The identity of the attacker and his motive were not immediately clear.

Calling the attack a "premeditated act of terror" carried out by an "armed infiltrator," Mizan said investigations were underway to identify and arrest those behind the "terrorist" action.

Meanwhile, the semi-official Fars news agency, citing an informed source at Tehran's police, reported that the attacker was among the service personnel of the Supreme Court.

"Preliminary investigations indicate that the perpetrator had no prior cases in the Supreme Court nor was he one of its visitors," the statement by the media centre of the judiciary said.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to the state-owned Tehran Times, a bodyguard of one of the judges was also injured in the attack on Saturday, the first working day of the week in the Iranian calendar.

State-affiliated media reported that several people working at the court building, where the attack took place, were detained. The media centre of the judiciary warned against speculation. The judiciary has not confirmed any arrests.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said the "terrorist and cowardly" act must be followed up quickly by security forces and law enforcement.

Razini, 71, was also the subject of an attempted assassination attack in 1998 while he was serving as head of Tehran's judiciary. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was President at the time, visited him in hospital.

Moghiseh, 68, was sanctioned in 2019 by the US for having "overseen countless unfair trials, during which charges went unsubstantiated and evidence was disregarded", according to the US Department of the Treasury.

Iranian judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei said in a statement that the judges were killed due to their "decisive" sentences against "terrorists whose hands were soaked with the pure blood of the Iranian people".

"They were always the subject of hatred and malice from the enemies," he added.

Though attacks against judges are rare, Iran has seen several shootings of high-profile figures over the past years.

--IANS

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Tel Aviv, Jan 19 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that Israel will not proceed with the Gaza ceasefire deal until Hamas provides a list of the names of 33 hostages to be freed in the first phase on Sunday.

It comes hours before the ceasefire deal was slated to be held on Sunday.

Netanyahu on Saturday also highlighted that Israel will not tolerate any violations of the ceasefire agreement and holds Hamas fully responsible.

It states that Hamas will provide the names of the hostages at least 24 hours ahead of their release, which has not yet taken place.

"We will not move forward with the agreement until we receive the list of hostages who will be released, as agreed. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. The sole responsibility lies with Hamas," Netanyahu said on Saturday in a statement.

Israel's security cabinet had approved the Gaza ceasefire agreement that involves the exchange of dozens of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and a temporary pause in the 15-month-long conflict.

The much-awaited decision came as Netanyahu convened his security cabinet to vote on Friday's long-pending ceasefire deal with Gaza.

Under the first phase of the agreement, set to last 42 days, Hamas has agreed to release 33 hostages, including children, women -- such as female soldiers -- and individuals over the age of 50.

In return, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners for each female Israeli soldier freed by Hamas and 30 prisoners for other female hostages.

The 15 months of war between Israel and Palestine that killed nearly 48,000 people were triggered after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.

During the horrific massacre, more than 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 250 people were taken hostage.

The first, 42-day phase of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel begins at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, mediator Qatar announced on Saturday, as families of hostages held in Gaza braced for news of loved ones, Palestinians prepared to receive freed detainees and humanitarian groups rushed to set up a surge of aid.

Both sides have hinted that an exchange of hostages for prisoners will happen only after 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The first phase of the ceasefire will last 42 days, and negotiations on the far more difficult second phase are meant to begin just over two weeks in. After those six weeks, Israel’s security Cabinet will decide how to proceed

--IANS

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Jerusalem, Jan 18 (IANS) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Saturday that it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen toward southeastern Israel.

Sirens were activated in the southernmost Red Sea city of Eilat and the Arava Valley following the missile launch.

According to the IDF, the missile was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, and no casualties were reported.

This marked the second missile fired by Yemen's Houthi group towards Israel on Saturday, following an earlier launch aimed at central Israel, which was also intercepted by Israel's air defence systems.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that fragments from the first missile interception were found by police in four locations across central Israel, with no casualties or damage resulting from the event, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Thursday, Yemen's Houthi group's leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, said his group would continue launching attacks against Israel if strikes continue on Gaza.

Earlier in the day, the Houthi group said in a statement that it had launched a ballistic missile targetting the Israeli Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv.

"In support for the Palestinian people and their Mujahideen (Hamas), we carried out a qualitative military operation, targeting the Ministry of Defence of the Israeli enemy in Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in the statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on Saturday.

"The missile reached its target with high accuracy, and the (Israeli) interception systems failed to intercept it," he claimed.

Israel's national emergency service Magen David Adom said there were no reports of casualties, except for panic attacks and people bruised on their way to shelter.

--IANS

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Colombo, Jan 18 (IANS) The Sri Lankan government has accepted a recommendation by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) to reduce electricity tariffs by an average of 20 per cent, effective at midnight on Friday, Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody told local media on Saturday.

He said that a significant reduction in electricity bills is a great relief to the people, especially for those in the hotel sector and industrialists.

On Friday, PUCSL announced that the revision will apply for the first six months of the year.

PUCSL Director of Communications Jayanath Herath said the decision was made following a thorough review of proposals and cost data submitted by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), counter-proposals drafted by the PUCSL, and feedback from the public.

For domestic consumers, the tariff reductions will vary based on usage, he said. Consumers using less than 30 units will see a 29-per cent decrease, while those consuming between 31 and 60 units will benefit from a 28-per cent reduction, Herath said.

Households using 61 to 90 units will receive a 19-per cent reduction, while those consuming 91 to 180 units will see an 18-per cent reduction. For domestic usage exceeding 180 units, tariffs will be reduced by 19 per cent, he said.

The changes also apply to other sectors. The public sector will benefit from an 11-per cent reduction, while the hotel sector will enjoy a 31-per cent decrease. Industrial consumers will see a 30-per cent reduction, and religious institutions will benefit from a 21-per cent cut in tariffs. Street lighting tariffs will also be reduced by 11 per cent, Xinhua news agency.

Herath noted that these reductions are expected to provide significant relief to consumers across all sectors during the first half of the year.

In response, the CEB said they will implement PUCSL recommendations subject to government approval.

--IANS

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Abuja, Jan 18 (IANS) Scores of people were believed to have died and many others sustained injuries early Saturday after a tanker laden with gasoline exploded when it overturned, spilling its content on a busy road in Nigeria's north-central state of Niger, a senior official said.

Many residents in the Dikko area of the state were caught in a heavy fire while trying to scoop fuel from the gasoline tanker, said Mohammed Bago, the Niger Governor, in a statement.

"Scores were said to have been burned to death," Bago said, noting those who were not so close to the tanker escaped with injuries. He described the incident as "worrisome, heartbreaking, and unfortunate".

At least 30 people died in the incident, according to a report by The Nation, a local newspaper, which cited local sources, Xinhua news agency reported.

The state government of Niger has called on local humanitarian agencies to rise to the challenge and restore normalcy in the area.

Gasoline tanker explosions are not uncommon in Nigeria, often causing heavy casualties and nationwide grief.

In September, at least 48 people were killed after a gasoline-laden tanker exploded on a busy highway in Niger.

While many Nigerians continue to attribute the incessant incidents to the current economic hardship, which has driven people to desperate actions, including scooping gasoline from fallen tankers, others are calling for stricter traffic regulations to prevent similar disasters.

In October, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed the government's commitment to swiftly reviewing and enhancing fuel transportation safety protocols and directed police to strengthen measures, such as increased patrols, stricter enforcement of safety regulations, and other highway safety mechanisms, to prevent similar incidents from reoccurring.

--IANS

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Washington, Jan 17 (IANS) The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that bans TikTok, the video sharing App, from Sunday unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company.

The court’s ruling was unanimous. “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the court said in its opinion. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”

The fate of the app, which has 170 million users in the US, is not clear. The current administration has indicated it might not enforce the ban when it comes into effect on Sunday, which is going to be President Joe Biden’s last day in office.

Incoming President Donald Trump, however, has appeared to be partial to keeping the app alive. He said in a post on Truth Social that TikTok was among the many issues he discussed in a call with China’s President Xi Jinping just hours before the Supreme Court ruling. TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew, in the meantime, is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

The law will keep the app alive for 90 days if its sale by Byte Dance, the parent company, is in active negotiations. There have been reports that the Chinese government would like Elon Musk, the billionaire and adviser to Trump, to buy the app. But there are others who have expressed the desire to buy the app.

The US Congress passed the law — and Biden signed it into law — forcing TikTok to be sold by Byte Dance or be shut down in April 2024. Lawmakers and security experts fear that the Chinese authorities could access data about American users of the App by leaning on Byte Dance and have said the only way to prevent that is by dissociating it from its parent company.

India banned TikTok along with 60 other Chinese apps over national security concerns in 2020.

--IANS

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Beirut, Jan 17 (IANS) Visiting French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed on Friday France's commitment to supporting the Lebanese army, announcing plans to establish a new training centre for Lebanese soldiers.

"France will establish a new centre to train 500 Lebanese soldiers," Macron said during a joint press conference at Baabda Palace with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Macron highlighted France's support for Lebanon's sovereignty and its leadership's efforts to ensure the country's full control over its territory.

He expressed France's aspiration for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and for all weapons to be under the exclusive control of the Lebanese army, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We will work to mobilize the international community to assist Lebanon across various sectors," Macron added.

For his part, Aoun said, "The world's confidence in Lebanon must also be fully restored because the true and authentic Lebanon has returned."

Macron arrived in Beirut on Friday for an official visit.

Upon his arrival, Macron also met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss potential support initiatives for Lebanon.

Mikati said that Macron expressed his willingness to support Lebanon through a trust fund that the Lebanese government plans to establish in collaboration with the World Bank to aid in the reconstruction of southern Lebanon.

Last November, France had backed the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.

French foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said that the Court is a "guarantee of international stability" and its orders must be exercised "in all situations."

"The fight against impunity is our priority," Lemoine told reporters, adding that France will continue to support the action of the ICC.

He also said that France, the host country of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is extremely concerned about the cultural heritages in Gaza and Lebanon which have been destroyed during the wars by Israel.

--IANS

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Beijing, Jan 17 (IANS) China's Qinghai Province on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, which is often referred to as the "roof of the world," registered the warmest year in 2024, according to information released at a press conference on Friday.

At the event that unveiled Qinghai's top 10 weather events in 2024, Guo Yingxiang, Deputy Director of the Qinghai climate centre, said that from 1961 to 2021, the annual average temperature in the province had been on a steeply rising trajectory, increasing by an average of 0.36 degrees Celsius every decade.

In 2024, Qinghai Province experienced above-average temperatures and increased precipitation. The year logged an annual average temperature of 3.9 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees higher than the historical average, marking it as the warmest year for the province since meteorological records began in 1961.

Qinghai Province is experiencing rising temperatures and an increase in extreme warm weather events due to global climate change, Guo said.

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau was becoming warmer, wetter and greener, said Yao Tandong, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in August last year.

According to Yao, the glaciers and snow cover on the plateau are decreasing, while the vegetation is greening, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Such changes could lead to significant shifts in the Asian monsoon circulation, potentially increasing the frequency of extreme weather events in China," Yao said at a press conference of the second Qinghai-Xizang Plateau scientific expedition and research.

--IANS

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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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