Brazil's Lula Gets Letter From China's Xi Jinping On Further Cooperation

 Brazilian new president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday he had received a letter from Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressing a desire to increase cooperation between the two countries.

"I received from China's Vice President Wang Qishan a letter from President Xi Jinping expressing his compliments and willingness to expand our cooperation," he said on his Twitter account.

"China is our biggest trading partner and we can further expand relations between our countries," he added.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/AQWd8mH

Syria's Damascus Airport Out Of Service After Israeli Strikes: Report

The Israeli army carried out a missile strike Monday that put Damascus International Airport out of service and killed two soldiers, Syria's state news agency SANA reported, quoting a military source. At around 2:00 am (23:00 GMT), Israel carried out an attack with "barrages of missiles, targeting Damascus International Airport and its surroundings", the military source told SANA.

The attack caused "the death of two soldiers... putting Damascus International Airport out of service", the source said.

Monday's strikes hit "positions for Hezbollah and pro-Iranian groups inside the airport and its surroundings, including a weapons warehouse", the head of Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul Rahman, told AFP.

Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against its neighbour, targeting government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Israel rarely comments on reports of its attacks, but it has repeatedly said it will not allow its archfoe Iran to gain a foothold in Syria.

The last time the airport was out of service was in June -- also after Israeli air strikes.

Monday's air strike in Syria comes after the war-racked country experienced its lowest yearly death count since the conflict started over a decade ago.

At least 3,825 people died in Syria's war in 2022, according figures compiled by Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights -- down from the previous year's 3,882.

Among those killed in 2022 were 1,627 civilians, including 321 children, according to the Observatory, which relies on a wide network of sources on the ground in Syria.

After years of deadly fighting and bombardments following the brutal suppression of 2011 anti-government protests, the conflict has largely abated in the last three years.

Sporadic fighting at times breaks out and jihadist attacks continue, mainly in the east of the country.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/8Ix5QzN

Ukraine Authorities Sound Alert In Kyiv After Early Morning "Air Attack"

An alert was in effect for Kyiv on Monday after an "air attack", the city's military administration announced, with the mayor citing an explosion in one district that left one person injured.

Monday's early morning attack comes after a New Year assault by Russia that saw Kyiv and other cities under fire from missiles and Iranian-made drones.

The warning from Kyiv's military administration came just after 1 am local time (2300 GMT).

"Air attack on Kyiv... Air alert is on in the capital," it announced on the messaging app Telegram.

The city's military administration head, Serhiy Popko, called for people to "stay in shelters".

Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an explosion in Kyiv's northeastern Desnyanskyi district and said "emergency services are on their way".

"An injured 19-year-old man was hospitalised in the Desnyanskyi district of the capital," he said around 1:20 am.

The air attack triggered the Kyiv region air defence system, said Oleksii Kuleba, the head of Kyiv region's military administration.

"Danger persists in Kyiv region! Our air defence forces are working on the targets," he said. "The main thing now is to stay calm and stay in shelters until the alarm is off."

On Saturday, attacks by Russian forces killed three people in Kyiv and other cities, and a fresh attack Sunday killed one person in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/7VoyLIp

Ukraine Strikes Military Quarters In Russia-Controlled Donetsk: Report

Ukraine's forces shelled on New Year's Eve the city of Makiivka and other places of the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk region, Russia's officials said, with reports saying that a military quarters were hit, killing many.

The Moscow-installed administration of the Donetsk region in Ukraine said on Sunday that at least 25 rockets were fired at the region overnight on New Year's Eve.

Russia's TASS state news agency cited local Moscow-installed officials as saying that at least 15 people were injured in Makiivka, a major coal producing centre, in a series of shelling with High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rockets.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the reports.

The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. In its daily report on Sunday, it said that it had destroyed seven HIMARS rockets, including in the area of Makiivka.

Daniil Bezsonov, a senior Russian-backed official in the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk region, said that there was a strike on a vocational school, which according to preliminary information served as military personnel quarters.

The attack, Bezsonov said, happened two minutes after midnight on New Year's Day.

"A massive blow was dealt to the vocational school from American MLRS HIMARS. There were dead and wounded, the exact number is still unknown," Bezsonov said on the Telegram messaging app. "The building itself was badly damaged."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/LjZ9ECY

Sound Of 2023: Cat Burns went from busking to a platinum record

The singer, whose single Go went platinum this year, takes fourth place in the BBC Sound Of 2023.

from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts https://ift.tt/vhVCGuD

Flyers From China Now Face Covid Restrictions From Over A Dozen Countries

Travellers from China now face restrictions when entering more than a dozen countries as concern grows over its surge in Covid-19 cases, with Australia the latest to demand a negative test before arrival.
Last month, Beijing abruptly began dismantling its "zero-Covid" containment policy of lockdowns and mass testing, three years after the coronavirus first emerged in the city of Wuhan.

As Covid overwhelms Chinese hospitals and crematoriums, officials have insisted that the wave is "under control" despite acknowledging that the true scale of infections is "impossible" to track.

Australia's health minister on Sunday cited Beijing's "lack of comprehensive information" about Covid cases as the reasoning behind the travel requirement, which will take effect on January 5. The move will "safeguard Australia from the risk of potential new emerging variants," he said.

In recent days, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have also imposed either a negative Covid test requirement or testing upon arrival for travellers from China.

Canada cited "the limited epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data available" on recent Covid cases in China for its negative test demand.

Meanwhile, Morocco moved to ban all arrivals from China on Saturday, "to avoid a new wave of contaminations in Morocco and all its consequences".

The flurry of global travel restrictions began as countries anticipated a surge in Chinese visitors after Beijing announced mandatory quarantine for inbound passengers would end on January 8.

The World Health Organization has called the precautionary measures "understandable" in light of the lack of outbreak information provided by Beijing.

But the European branch of the International Airports Council -- which represents more than 500 airports in 55 European countries -- said the restrictions were not justified or risk-based.

European countries will meet next week to discuss a joint response to the issue, with incoming EU presidency holder Sweden saying it was "seeking a common policy for the entire EU when it comes to the introduction of possible entry restrictions".

'Light of hope'

While a few major Chinese cities seem to be emerging from the current wave of infections, under-resourced smaller cities and rural areas have been hit especially hard.

In response to the outbreak, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said on Sunday that she is "willing to provide necessary assistance based on humanitarian concerns," but did not specify what kind of aid might be extended to Beijing, which considers the self-ruled island a breakaway province.

But in his televised New Year address, Chinese President Xi Jinping struck an optimistic note.

"Epidemic prevention and control is entering a new phase... Everyone is working resolutely, and the light of hope is right in front of us," Xi said in a speech broadcast on state media on Saturday.

It was Xi's second time commenting on the outbreak this week. On Monday, he called for measures to "effectively protect people's lives".

Despite the jump in infections, large crowds still gathered for New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai and Wuhan, although some social media users said the festivities seemed more subdued than in past years.

China on Sunday reported more than 5,100 new infections and one death linked to Covid out of its population of 1.4 billion -- but the figures appear to be out of step with the reality on the ground.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/EDNO50u

Lula Da Silva Becomes Brazil's President For 3rd Time

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office Sunday for a third term as Brazil's president, vowing to fight for the poor and the environment and "rebuild the country" after far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro's divisive administration.
The 77-year-old veteran leftist, who previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, took the oath of office before Congress, capping a remarkable political comeback for the metalworker-turned-president less than five years after he was jailed on controversial, since-quashed corruption charges.

Giving a blistering overview of the past four years under Bolsonaro -- who snubbed the ceremony, in a break with tradition -- Lula said his government would work to undo a legacy of economic decline, funding cuts in health, education and science, and the "stupidity" of plundering the nation's resources for private gain.

"Upon these terrible ruins, I pledge to rebuild the country together with the Brazilian people," he said, vowing to fight to improve life for poor Brazilians, work toward racial and gender equality, and achieve zero deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, where destruction surged under Bolsonaro.

"The mandate we received, in the face of opponents inspired by fascism, will be defended through our democratic constitution. We will respond to hate with love, to lies with the truth, to terrorism and violence with the law."

Wearing a blue suit and tie, the charismatic but controversial Lula arrived for the ceremony in a black convertible Rolls-Royce, accompanied by First Lady Rosangela "Janja" da Silva and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin.

The swearing-in began with a minute of silence for Brazilian football legend Pele and former pope Benedict XVI, who both died in recent days.

Tens of thousands of red-clad supporters cheered loudly as their motorcade slowly rolled down Brasilia's Esplanade of Ministries, escorted by dozens of bodyguards.

Security was exceptionally tight for the ceremony, with some 8,000 police deployed, after a Bolsonaro supporter was arrested last week for planting a tanker truck rigged with explosives near the capital's airport, a plot he said aimed to "sow chaos" in the South American country.

Police said they arrested another man Sunday who tried to enter the secured inaugural ceremony area carrying a knife and fireworks.

'Historic day'

It is the first time since the end of Brazil's 1965-1985 military dictatorship that an incoming leader has not received the yellow-and-green presidential sash from his predecessor.

Bolsonaro left Brazil for the US state of Florida Friday.

The snub hardly dampened the party spirit for Lula and the throngs of people who turned out for the New Year's Day ceremony and a massive celebration concert featuring acts ranging from samba legend Martinho da Vila to drag queen Pabllo Vittar.

A flood of Lula supporters from around the country formed massive lines to filter through the security cordon, belting out pro-Lula chants.

"I'm excited beyond measure," retired teacher Zenia Maria Soares Pinto, 71, told AFP after traveling 30 hours by bus from the southern state of Santa Catarina.

"I have so much admiration for his humility, his commitment to ensuring the people live in dignity," added Pinto, part of a crowd cheering for Lula outside the hotel where the new president spent the night.

Machine operator Valter Gildo, 46, called it a "historic day."

"Today marks the return of a working man to the presidential palace, someone who fights for social causes, for minorities, against racism and homophobia, a person who represents Brazil," he said.

Foreign dignitaries including 19 heads of state were in attendance as Lula, who previously led Brazil through a watershed boom, took the oath of office for a new four-year term.

They included the presidents of a raft of Latin American countries, Germany, Portugal and the king of Spain.

After being sworn in before Congress, Lula will go to the ultra-modern capital's presidential palace, the Planalto.

There, he will walk up a ramp to the entrance and receive the gold- and diamond-embroidered presidential sash.

Pressing to-do list

Lula faces numerous urgent challenges in the Latin American giant, which looks little like the commodities-fueled dynamo he led in the 2000s.

They include rebooting economic growth, curbing rampant destruction of the Amazon rainforest and delivering on his ambitious agenda to fight poverty and inequality.

Markets are meanwhile watching nervously how Lula will fund his promised social spending, given Brazil's overstretched government finances.

Lula will face a Congress dominated by Bolsonaro's conservative allies.

In a sign of how polarized the country remains, far-right hardliners have been protesting outside army bases ever since Lula's narrow runoff win on October 30, calling for a military intervention to keep him from taking power.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/zkyF5nm