Powerful quake rocks western Japan on quiet New Year’s Day
January 1, 2024 at 20:36 JST
Here’s the latest on earthquake activity, from the Japan Meteorological Agency.
A powerful earthquake rocked the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture at around 4:10 p.m. on Jan. 1, forcing families celebrating New Year's Day to take cover and many to evacuate amid urgent tsunami warnings in western Japan.
The intensity of the quake was estimated at 7.6 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7, with the epicenter at a very shallow depth.
The earthquake registered a maximum 7 in Shiga, Ishikawa Prefecture. Quakes with an intensity of upper 6 were reported in Nanao, Wajima, Suzu and Anamizu in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Quakes registering a lower 6 were reported in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Nakanoto and Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus convicted of violating Bangladesh’s labour laws
Prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has accused 83-year-old of ‘sucking blood’ from poor people
The Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has been convicted of violating Bangladesh’s labour laws in a trial decried by his supporters as politically motivated.
The 83-year-old, credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his microfinance bank, Grameen, has earned the enmity of Sheikh Hasina, the longtime prime minister, who has accused him of “sucking blood” from poor people.
Hasina’s administration has become increasingly firm in its crackdown on political dissent. She has made several scathing verbal attacks against Yunus, who won the peace prize in 2006 and was once seen as a political rival.
Berlin police deploy in force, face calmer New Year's Eve
Berlin authorities, on high alert after unrest the previous year, reported a return to a more "normal New Year's Eve." That still involved 390 detentions, mainly for fireworks-related offenses, and 54 injured officers.
Berlin police said on Monday that they detained around 390 people overnight on New Year's Eve in the German capital and have so far tallied just over 700 potential criminal investigations.
Police spokeswoman Anja Dierschke said that 54 officers were injured, 30 of them by fireworks, after 4,500 police from the capital and other states deployed in a major operation launched because of more widespread unrest than usual last year. Only eight of them were unable to finish their shifts though, she said.
Despite the high number of arrests and injured officers, officials nevertheless described the operation as a success and the night as a more peaceful one than last year's. Dierschke said one reason arrest numbers were high was that the police presence was intensified, meaning officers could "intervene early and effectively."
Chad military leaders appoint former opponent PM
Succes Masra, president of The Transformers party, was a virulent opponent of the regime, which came to power in 2021 after the death of Idriss Deby Itno who led the country with an iron fist for 30 years.
Masra returned to Chad in November after reaching an agreement with the military leaders.
"Doctor Succes Masra is appointed prime minister, head of the transition government," general secretary to the presidency Mahamat Ahmat Alabo announced on state TV.
Days before a referendum last month on a new constitution -- which saw 86 percent of participants vote "yes" -- Masra publicly urged supporters to vote in favour, with the outcome now expected to pave the way to elections.
Xi Jinping rings in 2024 with rare admission that China’s economy is in trouble
China’s businesses are struggling and job seekers have trouble finding work, President Xi Jinping acknowledged during his Sunday New Year’s Eve speech.
This is the first time Xi has mentioned economic challenges in his annual New Year’s messages since he started giving them in 2013. It comes at a critical juncture for the world’s second largest economy, which is grappling with a structural slowdown marked by weak demand, rising unemployment and battered business confidence.
Acknowledging the “headwinds” facing the country, Xi admitted in the televised speech: “Some enterprises had a tough time. Some people had difficulty finding jobs and meeting basic needs.”
Israel says war in Gaza expected to continue throughout 2024
By George Wright BBC News
In a new year's message, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said troop deployments were being adjusted to prepare for "prolonged fighting".
Daniel Hagari said some troops - especially reservists - would be withdrawn to allow them to regroup.
"These adaptations are intended to ensure the planning and preparation for continuing the war in 2024," he said.
"The IDF must plan ahead out of an understanding that there will be additional missions and the fighting will continue the rest of the year."
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