World

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.”

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United Nations, Jan 15 (IANS) Amid the dark clouds of conflicts, dangers from technology and climate change, and “deepening geo-political divisions”, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sees the year 2025 dawning with signs of hope.

"It is understandable to get overwhelmed by the turmoil of our world. But as we look to the year ahead, we must never lose sight of progress and potential," he said on Wednesday.

"And there are signs of hope," he said.

In his annual address to the General Assembly on his priorities for the year, Guterres included warnings about the dangers the world is facing and calls for urgent action required to face them.

On the plus side of the ledger, he listed the movement towards a ceasefire and hostage exchange in Gaza, the Lebanon ceasefire, the increasing investments in clean energy, the improvement in the status of girls, and commitments to the global future and digital technology.

"Through thick and thin, the world has come together through the United Nations to tackle some of the most intractable problems," he said.

"In a world seemingly hellbent on destruction, our organisation has been a force of construction," he said.

"But", he cautioned, "let’s have no illusions: this is very much a world in turmoil. Our actions -- or inactions -- have unleashed a modern-day Pandora’s box of ills".

He listed “runaway conflicts, rampant inequalities, the raging climate crisis, out-of-control technology”, and growing inequalities, as the dangers facing the world.

"Deepening geo-political divisions and mistrust are adding fuel to the fire," he said.

Speaking of hate and intolerance, he omitted – as he has consistently -- references to non-Abrahamic religions like Hinduism and Buddhism whose members also face violence, persecution, and bigotry.

"We must work to foster communities of belonging and end the spread of hatred and intolerance – including antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and discrimination against minority Christian communities," he said.

The Secretary-General called for "reforming and modernising the institutions of global finance to represent today’s economy — not that of 1945" by ensuring that developing countries are “represented fairly in the governance” of these institutions including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

One of his priorities was ensuring that technology in its latest iteration, Artificial Intelligence, does not overwhelm the world.

"Humanity’s hand must be firmly in control of technology," he said. "As AI reshapes our world, every nation must help shape AI. Together, let’s ensure Artificial Intelligence serves its highest purpose."

He emphasised the imperative for action on containing global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

As President-elect Donald Trump, a global warming sceptic who has vowed to ditch the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, prepares to take office next week, Guterres spoke of the California fires.

"Look no further than the hills of Los Angeles. It has gone from the home of disaster movies to a scene of disaster," he said.

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

Kampala, Jan 15 (IANS) Uganda is on high alert following a suspected Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak in neighboring Tanzania that has left eight people dead, a health official said here Wednesday.

Henry Kyobe Bosa, incident commander at Uganda's Ministry of Health, told Xinhua news agency over the telephone that health authorities have heightened surveillance and implemented precautionary measures at the border points with Tanzania to prevent the importation of the highly fatal virus into Uganda. According to the ministry, no case of MVD has been reported within the country.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday informed its member states of suspected cases of MVD in Tanzania's Kagera Region, with symptoms of headache, high fever, back pain, diarrhea, vomiting with blood, body weakness, and external bleeding.

"We are following WHO risk assessment to put in place measures for early detection and response, and should there be a need, to undertake active case search in view of the classified risk in the region and globally," Bosa said.

According to the WHO, the regional risk is considered high due to the strategic importance of the Kagera Region as a transit hub, with significant cross-border movement of people to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In March 2023, Tanzanian health authorities announced that an outbreak of Marburg viral disease that had killed five people in the Kagera Region was under control.

MVD is a highly virulent disease that causes hemorrhagic fever, with a fatality rate of up to 88 per cent, according to the WHO.

The highly fatal, zoonotic hemorrhagic disease is caused by the Marburg virus, and human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with body fluids from infected persons or contact with equipment and other materials contaminated with infectious blood or tissues, body fluids of infected people, and contaminated surfaces or materials.

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Washington, Jan 15 (IANS) Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Indian American lawmaker, introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday to declare January as Tamil Language and Heritage Month. The resolution coincides with Pongal, a Tamil festival that begins in mid-January.

“As a Tamil American, I am proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution honouring the Tamil language, heritage, and culture here at home in the United States and around the world,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said.

“America is a mosaic of different languages, cultures, ideas, and traditions, and it is my sincere hope that this resolution will shine a light on the rich and distinct culture, as well as the incredible achievements, of the more than 350,000 Tamil Americans today. I encourage my colleagues in Congress to swiftly take up this resolution to recognise the impact Tamil Americans have in our communities.”

Krishnamoorthi was joined in introducing the resolution by fellow lawmakers -- Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican, and Democrats Shri Thanedar, Ro Khanna, Suhas Subramanyam, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Ilhan Omar, Yevette Clark, Sara Jacobs, Deborah Ross, Danny Davis, Dina Titus, Don Davis, and Summer Lee.

The resolution seeks to state the House of Representatives, “I) supports the designation of ‘‘Tamil Language and Heritage Month’’; 2) recognises that Tamil Americans enhance the rich diversity of and strengthens the United States; 3) and acknowledges the significance of Pongal, a festive celebration of harvest, for the Tamil people.”

The resolution says recognising January as a Tamil Language and Heritage Month will allow “the people of the United States to celebrate the rich history, language, and culture of the Tamil people and encourage all Americans to learn about the contributions of Tamil Americans to the cultural fabric of the Nation”.

American states of North Carolina, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Minnesota have already recognised January as Tamil Heritage Month and the states of Michigan, Georgia, and Massachusetts have made proclamations to celebrate the cultural contributions of the Tamil people, according to the resolution.

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Washington, Jan 14 (IANS) Pete Hegseth, the nominee for Secretary of Defence, on Tuesday, told Senators at his confirmation hearing that it will be a priority for him to "work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific from the Communist Chinese".

Hegseth is the first of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees to go before a panel of the US Senate for confirmation, who include, among others Marco Rubio, nominee for Secretary of State; Pam Bondi, nominee for Attorney General; Tulsi Gabbard, nominee for Director of National Intelligence; and Kash Patel, nominee to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They will have their confirmation hearings over the next few days.

"First and foremost, we will defend our homeland, our borders and our skies," Hegseth said in his prepared opening remarks.

"Second, we will work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific from the Communist Chinese. And finally, we will responsibly end wars to ensure that we prioritise our resources to reorient to larger threats."

During questioning by Senators, Hegseth said the threat from China will be front and centre for him.

"When President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was -- to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defence," Hegseth said.

"He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness. That's it. That is my job."

He was introduced at the hearing by Mike Waltz, who is President-elect Trump's National Security Adviser, who is a known anti-China hawk and a co-chair of the India Caucus of the House of Representatives.

Hegseth is expected to face tough questioning from both Republicans and Democrats.

If confirmed, he will take over from Lloyd Austin, the current Secretary of Defence, a sprawling organisation made of nearly 3.5 million defence and civilian personnel.

Hegseth is a graduate of Princeton University and has a Graduate degree from Harvard University.

He served as an army combat veteran who served in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

He was decorated with two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman's Badge.

He went on to become a host at FOX News for eight years.

--IANS

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Cape Town, Jan 14 (IANS) Technical meetings under the Group of 20 (G20) Finance Track began this week with the first Framework Working Group (FWG) meeting, the South African Government News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The virtual FWG meeting, held from Monday to Tuesday, followed South Africa's assumption of the G20 presidency, marked by the first G20 Sherpa and Finance Track meetings in December 2024.

According to the report, Monday's session focused on major global growth headwinds, ongoing supply and demand risks to inflation, and main fiscal challenges. Delegates also assessed Africa's economic outlook. On Tuesday, discussions centered on the draft FWG work plan for 2025.

This meeting is the first of four FWG sessions scheduled for 2025. "The remaining three meetings for this working group are scheduled for April, June, and September, in person, in venues across the country," said the report.

South Africa's National Treasury and Reserve Bank are jointly overseeing the G20 Finance Track, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The mandate of the FWG is to promote strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth, and does so by identifying, monitoring, and assessing global macroeconomic risks, vulnerabilities, and uncertainties, and recommending suitable policy responses to global shocks and cross-cutting global challenges," according to a statement by the National Treasury.

The G20 Leaders' Summit is expected to be held in Johannesburg, the largest city and economic hub of South Africa, in November 2025.

Last month, while addressing the first G20 Sherpas Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Raymond Lamola outlined the host country's agenda to advance shared global goals through key priorities.

In his address, Lamola highlighted the theme of South Africa's presidency, 'Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability', and emphasised key objectives such as bolstering disaster resilience, addressing debt challenges faced by low-income countries, and mobilizing resources for a just energy transition.

"We will address these challenges through our high-level deliverables and priorities, which lie at the core of the original G20 mandate of promoting strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth and by building partnerships across all sectors of society to find collective solutions," he said.

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Beirut, Jan 14 (IANS) Lebanon's newly-elected President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday called for the smooth formation of a new government to send positive messages to the international community.

"No obstacles should be put in the way of forming the government for a simple reason: We have great opportunities today that must be exploited. We should also send positive messages to the international community that Lebanon is capable of governing itself, implementing reconstruction transparently, and building a state we all aspire for," the President said.

Aoun made these remarks during his meeting with a delegation from the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency.

Aoun highlighted reconstruction as the very first priority of his administration, saying he would start visiting countries to request assistance in rebuilding the country which newly emerged from nearly 14 months of deadly conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The President also called for the unity of all sects. "No component in this country must have an advantage over another. Lebanon is a state for all. If a component is broken, all of Lebanon will be broken," he stressed, Xinhua news agency reported.

Aoun, Lebanon's former army chief, was elected president on January 9. His victory marked the end of more than two years of presidential vacancy in the country.

On Monday, Aoun appointed Nawaf Salam as Lebanon's Prime Minister and tasked him with forming a new government.

Salam vowed on Tuesday vowed to start a new chapter in the country, local TV channel Al Jadeed reported.

"The time has come to start a new chapter rooted in justice, security, progress, and opportunities so that Lebanon becomes a country of freedom and equal citizenship," Salam said in his first remarks as Prime Minister at Baabda Palace in capital Beirut.

The Prime Minister-designate highlighted the dire need for reconstruction efforts after the nearly 14-month deadly conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which devastated civilian homes and infrastructures.

"A large part of our people still have their homes and institutions destroyed, and we must rebuild the villages in the Bekaa region, the south, and the capital Beirut. Reconstruction is a commitment," he said.

Salam also pledged to implement the UN Resolution 1701. "We must work hard to fully implement Resolution 1701 and force the enemy's complete withdrawal from the last inch of our lands," he said.

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Madrid, Jan 14 (IANS) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has veiled plans to impose a tax rate of up to 100 per cent on properties purchased by individuals who are neither European Union citizens nor residents of Spain, EL Pais reported Tuesday.

Speaking at the 'Housing - Fifth Pillar of the Welfare State' forum, Sanchez said the "unprecedented" measure aims to address Spain's housing shortage. The tax could affect buyers from countries such as the United Kingdom, China, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States, provided they do not hold Spanish residency.

One of the major goals, he explained, is to deter foreign citizens from purchasing properties solely to rent them as short-term holiday accommodations.

The plan is to ensure that Spain's "available homes are for residents," Sanchez said, highlighting the issue that 27,000 properties in Spain were bought by non-EU residents in 2023 "not to live in ... but to make money from them."

The Prime Minister did not provide a timeline for implementing the tax or 11 other house-related policies announced at the forum, noting that they are under "careful study."

Other proposed initiatives include tax incentives for low-rent housing and increased taxes and stricter regulations on tourist flats, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It isn't fair that those who have three, four, or five apartments as short-term rentals pay less tax than hotels," Sanchez added.

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Seoul, Jan 13 (IANS) South Korea will work closely with Japan to reduce the 'amplitude' of tensions caused by longstanding wartime history issues and ensure bilateral relations will move forward in a future-oriented manner, Seoul's top diplomat said on Monday.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the remarks after talks with his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya, stressing the importance of enhancing ties with the neighbour "under any circumstances."

"We will work closely to develop future-oriented relations (with Japan), while reducing the amplitude of tensions caused by historical issues," Cho said at the joint press conference.

"We agreed to have sincere and honest consultations with the Japanese side to ensure that the memorial ceremony genuinely comforts the victims and becomes an event that remembers the historical significance," he said.

Tensions heightened after South Korea boycotted a Japan-hosted memorial ceremony in November for Korean victims who were forced into hard labour at Japan's Sado mine complex during World War II, following the site's inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Seoul protested that Tokyo failed to hold the event in a way that would 'sincerely' honour the victims as it had requested.

The flare-up of fresh tensions over history sparked concerns it would negatively affect the bilateral ties that have warmed significantly under the current Yoon Suk Yeol government.

Cho also said that he delivered Seoul's 'concerns' clearly during the talks with Iwaya.

"We agreed to advance our bilateral relations unwaveringly under any circumstances," Cho added.

Iwaya said that Japan will take steps in accordance with the pledge it made upon the site's UNESCO listing.

At the presser, Iwaya highlighted the importance of enhancing Japan's relations with South Korea, as well as their trilateral cooperation with the United States, Yonhap news agency reported.

"I intend to clearly deliver to the new US administration that the strategic cooperation among Japan, South Korea and the United States is more important than ever," he said, mentioning the possibility of him attending the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump next week.

Monday's talks marked the first one-on-one meeting between Cho and Iwaya since South Korea became embroiled in a political crisis following President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment over his short-lived martial law imposition.

While declining to comment on South Korea's political situation, Iwaya described the two countries as "important neighbours that must cooperate as partners" in responding to various international issues.

"The importance of our bilateral relations remains unchanged," he said.

Iwaya and Cho both expressed hope that the two countries will be able to revive the 'shuttle diplomacy' between their leaders, referring to the regular visits that resumed between Yoon and former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida amid the thawing ties.

Bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo have significantly warmed after Yoon announced a decision In March 2023 that South Korea will compensate its victims of Japan's wartime forced labour without contributions from responsible Japanese companies.

The two ministers said they also discussed preparations for the 60th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic relations, holding out expectations that it will serve as additional positive momentum for the two countries' path toward the future.

The ministers shared "grave concerns" over North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats and its deepening military ties with Russia, including the North's troop deployment to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

They condemned the North's illegal military activities and reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination to address the issues.

Following the presser, Cho hosted a dinner banquet for Iwaya and his delegation.

Ahead of meeting with Cho, Iwaya visited Seoul National Cemetery to pay his respects and met with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik to discuss bilateral relations.

Iwaya's two-day trip to Seoul marks the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister in nearly seven years. He was expected to pay a courtesy call on acting President Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday.

Iwaya is on a four-day tour this week that will also take him to the Philippines and Palau.

--IANS

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