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Seoul, Dec 11 (IANS) South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said on Wednesday that the government will deploy all available "policy tools" to mitigate potential economic impacts stemming from anticipated policy changes under the incoming US administration.

Concerns have been rising over potential shifts in US trade policy, which could negatively impact South Korea's export-driven economy, as the second Donald Trump administration prepares to take office in late January, reports Yonhap news agency.

"With the inauguration of the new US administration just 40 days away, we are facing an extraordinary time that requires extraordinary measures," Choi said during a meeting with economy-related ministers.

Choi emphasised that the government will mobilise all available policy tools to protect domestic businesses.

He noted plans to inject funds into stabilising supply chains, particularly in key sectors such as semiconductors and batteries, and implement a comprehensive customs policy package.

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Seoul, Dec 11 (IANS) South Korea added more than 120,000 jobs in November, showing a slight uptick from the previous month but remaining in the 100,000 range, data showed on Wednesday.

The number of employed people aged 15 years and older came to 28.82 million as of the end of last month, up 123,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

While job growth remained in the 200,000-300,000 range earlier in 2024, it sharply fell to 80,000 in May, marking the slowest on-year growth in over three years, the agency said. Since then, job additions have remained around the 100,000 level, reports Yonhap news agency.

The slow job growth in November was attributed to losses in key sectors such as wholesale and retail, construction and manufacturing.

Employment in the construction sector dropped by 96,000 from the same month last year, marking a continuous decline for seven consecutive months.

Jobs in wholesale and retail fell by 89,000, extending their downward spiral for the ninth straight month, as they struggled with weak domestic demand.

In the manufacturing sector, employment recorded its steepest decline in 18 months, falling by 95,000.

"The number of jobs in manufacturing has been decreasing for five consecutive months," said Suh Woon-ju, an official at Statistics Korea. "The sharpest declines were seen in electronic components, clothing and paper products, among other areas."

Employment in the business facilities management and rental services sector fell by 86,000, the largest decline since December 2018, when the figure dropped by 89,000.

"The decrease appears to have been driven by worsening conditions in the construction industry and reductions in apartment security staff," Suh said.

In contrast, new hiring in the public health and social welfare field gained 113,000 on-year last month, and jobs in the science and technology service sector went up by 71,000.

November's modest job growth was primarily driven by hiring among older adults.

Employment for those aged 60 and older rose by 298,000 on-year. Jobs for people in their 30s and 50s increased by 89,000 and 7,000, respectively.

However, employment for younger age groups saw sharp declines.

Jobs for those in their 20s fell by 170,000, while employment among those in their 40s decreased by 91,000 on-year. Statistics Korea noted that the overall population in these age groups has also been shrinking.

--IANS

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Sanaa, Dec 11 (IANS) Yemen's Houthi group said that they targeted three US military supply ships after they left the Port of Djibouti.

"We also targeted two American destroyers in the Gulf of Aden that were escorting the supply ships," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

He said his group used several rockets and bomb-laden drones in the operation, claiming that the hit was "accurate," Xinhua news agency reported.

"This is the second operation against the same ships and destroyers in 10 days," he claimed.

In the same statement, Sarea also claimed that his group carried out two other military operations targeting "Israeli military targets" in the Jaffa and Ashkelon areas in Israel with two drones Tuesday morning.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has been launching rockets and drones toward Israel and disrupted "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023, allegedly to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid their ongoing conflict with Israel.

In response, the US-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets, which only led to an expansion of Houthi attacks to include US and British commercial vessels and naval ships.

--IANS

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Seoul, Dec 11 (IANS) South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is set to introduce a new impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over his failed bid to impose martial law, days after Yoon avoided impeachment because most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a vote.

The DP's move comes after a motion to impeach Yoon was scrapped last Saturday due to a lack of quorum as nearly all lawmakers from Yoon's ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote, reports Yonhap news agency.

Following the scrapping of the motion, the DP said it would continue to push for Yoon's impeachment every week.

The DP plans to report the second motion to the Assembly on Thursday and put it to a vote at a plenary session on Saturday. By law, an impeachment motion must be put to a vote between 24 and 72 hours after it is reported to a plenary session.

The second motion is expected to include allegations that Yoon directly ordered martial law troops to seal off the National Assembly and arrest lawmakers, amounting to an act of insurrection.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly will hold a plenary session later in the day and question officials involved in the martial law declaration.

The opposition has requested the attendance of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, among others.

Opposition lawmakers plan to question them about a Cabinet meeting Yoon convened shortly before his declaration of martial law last Tuesday night, as well as how the Army Special Warfare Command and the Capital Defense Command came to break into the National Assembly.

--IANS

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Cairo, Dec 11 (IANS) A high-level Israeli security delegation held talks with their Egyptian counterparts on a potential truce agreement in the Gaza Strip.

According to the press center of Egypt's State Information Service, the visit came as Egypt intensifies its efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave, and address the worsening situation in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.

Responding to the talks, Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, told Xinhua that "there is nothing new to talk about, other than renewing contacts, in order to negotiate a deal."

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, in retaliation for a Hamas attack along the southern Israeli border, during which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.

As of Tuesday, the Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli strikes in Gaza has reached 44,786, according to Gaza-based health authorities.

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Baku, Dec 11 (IANS) Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to supporting Syria's peace and territorial integrity amid the ongoing crisis.

The statement highlighted that Azerbaijan is closely monitoring developments in Syria, conducting consultations with Turkey. It emphasised the critical need for restoring peace and stability in Syria following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime, and stressed the importance of resolving the conflict through internal political dialogue in line with the will of the Syrian people, Xinhua news agency reported.

Azerbaijan reiterated its unwavering support for Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty. The ministry also expressed readiness to assist, in coordination with Turkey and other like-minded nations, in addressing the humanitarian challenges faced by Syrians.

Earlier the same day, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey held a telephone conversation, discussing regional matters, including the ongoing situation in Syria. The two leaders reiterated their support for Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty, with Aliyev expressing confidence that stability in Syria can be achieved with Turkey's continued support.

For his part, Erdogan highlighted the two countries' future cooperation regarding humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria.

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Washington, Dec 11 (IANS) The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said that it has successfully intercepted a ballistic missile target during a test off Guam for the first time.

"During the flight experiment, the Aegis Guam System integrated with the new AN/TPY-6 radar and Vertical Launching System, fired a Standard Missile-3 Block IIA which intercepted an air-launched Medium Range Ballistic Missile target off the coast of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam," said the agency, Xinhua news agency reported quoting a component of the US Department of Defence.

"The AN/TPY-6 radar tracked the target shortly after launch to intercept in the first end-to-end tracking use of the radar during a live ballistic missile flight test," MDA said.

The agency added that "today's event marks a pivotal step taken in defense of Guam initiatives and partnerships and provides critical support to the overall concept, requirements validation, data-gathering and model maturation for the future Guam Defense System (GDS)."

Guam is "a strategic location for sustaining and maintaining US military presence" and the test is "the first demonstration from Guam as part of the long-term initiative for the defence of Guam," according to the agency.

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Moscow, Dec 11 (IANS) Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad, who has been granted asylum, is now safe in Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"In such a situation it would be very wrong for me to elaborate on what happened and how it was resolved, but he is secured," local RIA news agency reported, citing Ryabkov.

Commenting on the possibility of the extradition of al-Assad, the Russian diplomat noted that Russia is not a party to the International Criminal Court Rome Statute, Xinhua news agency reported.

Syrian militant groups waged a major offensive from northern Syria since the end of November, swept southwards through government-held areas, and captured the capital Damascus within 12 days.

Following the offensive, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government collapsed on Sunday. Al-Assad resigned and went to Russia for asylum.

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Ankara, Dec 11 (IANS) Turkey will not allow Syria to become a conflict zone and be divided once again, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"Any attack on the stability of the new Syrian government or the integrity of ancient Syrian lands will face both the Syrian people and us," Erdogan said at a ruling party meeting, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We cannot accept any steps or provocations aimed at preventing the return of our Syrian brothers and sisters to their homes," he noted.

Syrian militant groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), waged a major offensive from northern Syria since November 27, and have since swept southwards through government-held areas, capturing the capital Damascus within 12 days.

Following the offensive, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government collapsed on Sunday. Al-Assad has resigned and arrived in Russia for asylum.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mohammed al-Bashir, an electrical engineer and head of the "Syrian Salvation Government" in Idlib formed in 2017 by the HTS and other Syrian militant groups during the Syrian civil war, announced that he has been tasked with heading a transitional government in Syria until early March 2025.

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Minsk, Dec 11 (IANS) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed the presence of nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Lukashenko said that several dozen nuclear warheads have already been brought into the republic, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Belarusian leader stressed the use of nuclear weapons implies great responsibility, given the experience of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, because after the bombing of Japanese cities no one else used such weapons.

While meeting with employees of the POZHSNAB enterprise in Borisov, Lukashenko also said the issue of deploying the Russian Oreshnik missile system in his country is already under consideration.

The Belarusian side is thinking about which sites the Oreshnik can be installed on. There are about 30 potential sites in the republic, he added.

The Belarusian leader stressed the targets for destruction on the territory of a potential enemy will be determined by Minsk, not Moscow.

At the same time, the Russian side will help with the operation of the complexes that will be located in the future in Belarus, Lukashenko said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 6 he considered it possible to deploy the Oreshnik missile system on the territory of Belarus in the second half of 2025.

--IANS

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