South Asia

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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Kolkata, Dec 25 (IANS) Two persons died while six other were rescued in critical conditions inside a storeroom of a popular sweetmeat outlet at Durgapur in West Bengal’s Burdwan district on Monday.

The deaths occurred due to the gas leak from a cooking LPG cylinder which was also stored at the same storeroom. The bodies of the two deceased were recovered while six others have been rescued under critical conditions on Monday morning.

The two deceased persons have been identified as Bidhan Mondal (21) and Atanu Ruidas (22). All the dead and sick are residents of the Beliatore in Bankura district of West Bengal.

The sick persons are currently under treatment at a local hospital. Local police sources said that the mishap probably happened sometime between late Sunday night and early Monday morning.

“One of the employees, before falling unconscious, had sent a SOS call to the owner of the sweetmeat outlet, who immediately reached near the storeroom. However, he found the door of the storeroom locked from inside and his repeated banging of the door failed to evoke response,” said a local police official.

Thereafter the owner with the help of his associates broke open the door and also informed the local police station. The bodies of the two deceased victims were recovered and six others were shifted to the local hospital.

Initial investigation revealed that gas leak, in a sparsely ventilated storeroom, was the main reason behind the mishap.

--IANS

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San Francisco, Dec 25 (IANS) American energy technology company Enphase, led by Indian-origin Badri Kothandaraman, is laying off 10 per cent of its global workforce, impacting approximately 350 contractors and employees.

According to Enphase President and CEO Kothandaraman, the move is to streamline operations by ceasing contract manufacturing operations in two locations in the US and resizing other contract manufacturing sites.

“We have decided to reduce our global workforce by approximately 10 per cent, impacting approximately 350 contractors and employees. In addition, we will continue our hiring and travel freeze through 2024 and cut discretionary spending on several other fronts,” he said in a message to employees.

Kothandaraman took full accountability for the decision.

“I understand this is difficult for all of us, especially when it impacts our valued colleagues and friends who are departing. We will treat our departing colleagues with the utmost respect and empathy, provide them with severance packages, engage in consultation where required, and support them with their transitions,” he wrote.

Headquartered in Fremont, California, Enphase develops and manufactures solar micro-inverters, battery energy storage, and EV charging stations primarily for residential customers.

The company has shipped more than 48 million microinverters to 2.5 million solar systems in more than 140 countries.

Kothandaraman said that over the last 12 months, the solar market has seen a lot of turbulence worldwide.

In the US, high interest rates have caused a significant drop in consumer demand, while “California's NEM 3.0 transition continues to create further uncertainty”.

“These challenges have caused our topline revenue to decrease. In response, we must right-size the company and get our non-GAAP operating expenses to be within a range of $75 million to $80 million per quarter in 2024,” said the CEO.

The company’s worldwide micro-inverter contract manufacturing operations currently have a combined capacity of approximately 10 million units per quarter.

“We are planning to reduce that capacity to approximately 7.25 million units per quarter to be closer aligned to the expected demand. To that end, we are ceasing operations at our contract manufacturing locations in Timisoara, Romania and Wisconsin, United States, and resizing our other contract manufacturing sites,” Kothandaraman announced.

--IANS

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Beijing, Dec 25 (IANS) Turkiye and China should further enhance cooperation and investment in technology, energy and tourism, given the vast market potential, said a Turkish official.

Chinese companies have increased investment in Turkiye in areas including services, infrastructure and logistics, Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, president of the Investment Office of the Turkish Presidency, told Xinhua News Agency during his visit to Beijing.

During the visit, Daglioglu met with Chinese companies and investors in technology and e-mobility in cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"We're quite excited about this trip, hoping to meet with Chinese investors and entrepreneurs who are looking for investment opportunities in Europe and invite them to invest in Turkiye," Daglioglu said.

China has become Turkiye's third-largest trading partner, with the total value of goods traded between them reaching 38.55 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 and China's direct investment in Turkiye exceeding 2.4 billion dollars by the end of 2022, according to Chinese statistics.

Daglioglu said the two sides should expand technology cooperation, which could be the competitive edge of Chinese investments in Turkiye, covering consumer electronics, semiconductors, battery supplies and e-mobility.

"Electric vehicles are the most competitive industry in Turkiye, and we believe that Turkiye is the best country to invest in our region for electric vehicles, where there is high purchasing power of the population," he said.

Daglioglu also believed that investments in the energy industry should be increased. "The Chinese companies are quite competitive in energy projects, so we also wish them to invest in energy projects in Turkiye," he said.

He noted that the two countries also have huge potential for cooperation in digitalisation, with Turkiye's relatively mature digital ecosystem.

"We believe that both sides can develop the relations in some different fields like investments, technology, energy and tourism," he added, "and then we can have a more sustainable economic relation in the future."

--IANS

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Beijing, Dec 25 (IANS) The death toll from the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted northwest China on Dec. 18 has risen to 32 in Qinghai Province, while two people are still missing, according to the Qinghai emergency management department on Monday.

The department said these casualty figures applied as of 11 p.m. on Sunday, while also confirming that the search for the two missing people was continuing, Xinhua News Agency.

--IANS

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Gaza, Dec 25 (IANS) At least 70 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, reported the state-run Palestine TV.

Ashraf Al-Qedra, spokesman for the Gaza-based Health Ministry, said in a statement that the death toll is likely to rise as the airstrike on Sunday hit a crowded residential area. He added that Israeli forces are bombing the central region's main roads between camps, which obstructs ambulances and civil vehicles from reaching targeted locations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Local sources told the news agency that most of the killed were women and children, and it is currently difficult for local hospitals to receive more injured people.

The sources added that in addition to the al-Maghazi refugee camp, the Israeli army also attacked central Gaza's al-Bureij refugee camp and the southern city of Khan Younis.

The latest tally by the Gaza-based Health Ministry showed on Sunday that the Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks has reached 20,424, and 54,036 others were wounded since the conflict broke out on October 7.

Meanwhile, a total of 15 Israeli soldiers were confirmed killed in Gaza over the past weekend, said the Israeli army, bringing to 154 the overall number of slain Israeli soldiers during its ground offensive in Gaza, which was launched in retaliation for a Hamas assault on October 7 that left about 1,200 Israelis killed and more than 200 captivated.

--IANS

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Tel Aviv, Dec 25 (IANS) A high-level delegation of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) led by its exiled leader Ziyad Al-Nakhalah has reached the Egyptian capital Cairo, indicating that the truce talks with Israel are continuing.

PIJ is an offshoot of Hamas and is holding some of the hostages from Israel.

The recent talks in Cairo were mediated by Egypt and Qatar and also attended by Ismael Haniyeh, the political head of Hamas.

The Hamas and PIJ groups are adamant that they would not discuss any release of hostages unless Israel would end its war in Gaza. However, the Israeli side is saying that they are willing to discuss only a temporary pause in fighting.

Sources in Cairo told IANS that the PIJ leadership will be insisting on the release of all Palestinians jailed in Israel.

--IANS

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Hong Kong, Dec 24 (IANS) China’s PC (desktops, notebooks and workstations) market is likely to see a decline of 18 per cent in 2023 and a modest 4 per cent growth next year, according to a new report.

The growth is expected to materialise in Q2 2024 and beyond, benefiting from the further recovery of the commercial sector, driven by significant IT investments from large enterprises in strategic industries, according to a Canalys report.

In Q3 2023, the PC market in Mainland China gradually recovered, with shipments experiencing a 16 per cent year-on-year decline but undergoing a promising 15 per cent sequential increase to reach 11 million units.

In contrast, the tablet market sustained positive momentum, recording a 16 per cent year-on-year growth to 7.4 million units.

“IT investment from enterprises is only improving marginally alongside the overall Chinese economy recovery, while SMBs still face many operational challenges,” said Emma Xu, analyst at Canalys.

In Q3 2023, Lenovo maintained its top position despite a 15 per cent year-on-year decline in the PC shipments.

HP took the second position with an 11 per cent market share as the vendor strengthened its commercial product portfolio offerings with its acquisition of Poly.

Huawei increased its market share despite a 5 per cent unit drop year-on-year. Dell and Asus secured the fourth and fifth positions, respectively, though both encountered a substantial 36 per cent year-on-year decline.

In the tablet market, Canalys anticipates a 5 per cent growth for the full year 2023, reaching 28 million units before it stabilises in 2024.

Apple and Huawei maintained their dominance in CHina’s tablet market, with Apple's market share contracting to 31 per cent from 38 per cent.

--IANS

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The AQI at Dhirpur was recorded at 300 falling under "poor" category.

Notably, the AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

In Pusa, the AQI recorded PM 2.5 at 128 "moderate" category. At Lodhi Road, the AQI with PM 2.5 concentration was at 149 under the moderate category and the PM 10 stood at 135 also under the "moderate" category.

At IIT Delhi station, the PM 2.5 was at 173, "moderate" category while the PM 10 reached 162, in "moderate" category.

The AQI at the city's Mathura Road was under moderate category with PM 2.5 at 152 with PM 10 concentration at 101.

According to the forecast from the SAFAR, the air quality of the city will deteriorate further under "poor" category with PM 2.5 reaching 218 and the PM 10 concentration at 167 under "moderate" category on Thursday.

The AQI of Delhi's neighbouring cities of Noida stood at 208 and the PM 10 concentration at 218 both under "poor" category, while it was reported at 169 and the PM 10 concentration at 133 under moderate category.

--IANS

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