Syria’s Golani says rebel factions will be ‘disbanded’, fighters to join army
By Agence France-Presse
Syria’s rebel factions will be “disbanded”, the head of the group that led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as the former president denounced the country’s new rulers as “terrorists”.
Assad fled Syria on December 8, as rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured the capital Damascus, ending decades of brutal dictatorship and years of civil war.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to reassure minorities at home and governments abroad that the country’s interim leaders will protect all Syrians, as well as state institutions.
Meeting Monday with members of the Druze community, he said all rebel factions would “be disbanded and the fighters trained to join the ranks of the defence ministry”.
“All will be subject to the law,” he added, according to posts on the group’s Telegram channel.
He also emphasised the need for unity in the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country.
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By Agence France-Presse
Syria’s rebel factions will be “disbanded”, the head of the group that led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as the former president denounced the country’s new rulers as “terrorists”.
Assad fled Syria on December 8, as rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured the capital Damascus, ending decades of brutal dictatorship and years of civil war.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to reassure minorities at home and governments abroad that the country’s interim leaders will protect all Syrians, as well as state institutions.
Meeting Monday with members of the Druze community, he said all rebel factions would “be disbanded and the fighters trained to join the ranks of the defence ministry”.
“All will be subject to the law,” he added, according to posts on the group’s Telegram channel.
He also emphasised the need for unity in the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country.
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Moscow bomb blast kills chief of Russia’s nuclear protection forces
By Reuters
A bomb hidden in an electric scooter killed a senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces in Moscow on Tuesday, Russia’s investigative committee said.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who is chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed outside a residential building on Ryazansky Prospekt.
“Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, and his assistant were killed,” the investigative committee said.
Photographs posted on Russian Telegram channels showed a shattered entrance to a building littered with rubble and two bodies lying in the blood-stained snow.
A criminal case has been opened.
Russia’s radioactive, chemical and biological defence troops, known as RKhBZ, are special forces who operate under conditions of radioactive, chemical and biological contamination.
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By Reuters
A bomb hidden in an electric scooter killed a senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces in Moscow on Tuesday, Russia’s investigative committee said.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who is chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed outside a residential building on Ryazansky Prospekt.
“Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, and his assistant were killed,” the investigative committee said.
Photographs posted on Russian Telegram channels showed a shattered entrance to a building littered with rubble and two bodies lying in the blood-stained snow.
A criminal case has been opened.
Russia’s radioactive, chemical and biological defence troops, known as RKhBZ, are special forces who operate under conditions of radioactive, chemical and biological contamination.
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China building world’s biggest artificial-island airport in Dalian
By Ralph Jennings
China is building the world’s largest artificial-island airport to solidify a northeastern city’s position as a regional transport hub.
Dalian Jinzhouwan International Airport will cover an island with an area of 20 sq km (7.72 square miles), according to the Liaoning provincial government’s website.
That would make it bigger than the 12.48 sq km Hong Kong International Airport and the 10.5 sq km Kansai airport near Osaka, Japan, both of which occupy artificial islands.
“For Dalian people to say it’s the largest, that’s exactly what it is,” aviation consultancy founder Li Hanming said.
The airport, now under construction, will serve the port city of Dalian, which because of its location does brisk business with nearby Japan and South Korea. With a population of more than 6 million, the city, located on a peninsula at the northern end of the Bohai Strait, has grown into a hub for oil refineries, shipping and logistics services, and coastal tourism.
The first airport in mainland China to be built on an offshore artificial island, Jinzhouwan will eventually have four runways and a 900,000 square metre (9.69 million sq ft) terminal, the provincial government website said.
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By Ralph Jennings
China is building the world’s largest artificial-island airport to solidify a northeastern city’s position as a regional transport hub.
Dalian Jinzhouwan International Airport will cover an island with an area of 20 sq km (7.72 square miles), according to the Liaoning provincial government’s website.
That would make it bigger than the 12.48 sq km Hong Kong International Airport and the 10.5 sq km Kansai airport near Osaka, Japan, both of which occupy artificial islands.
“For Dalian people to say it’s the largest, that’s exactly what it is,” aviation consultancy founder Li Hanming said.
The airport, now under construction, will serve the port city of Dalian, which because of its location does brisk business with nearby Japan and South Korea. With a population of more than 6 million, the city, located on a peninsula at the northern end of the Bohai Strait, has grown into a hub for oil refineries, shipping and logistics services, and coastal tourism.
The first airport in mainland China to be built on an offshore artificial island, Jinzhouwan will eventually have four runways and a 900,000 square metre (9.69 million sq ft) terminal, the provincial government website said.
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Hong Kong bus firms get go-ahead to raise fees by up to 7.5% from January 5
By Natalie Wong
Hong Kong’s franchised bus operators have received a green light from authorities to raise fares by up to 7.5 per cent starting early next month, the Post has learned.
Sources said the Chief Executive-in-Council approved the companies’ proposed fare increases on Tuesday.
The decision means Citybus can raise commuter fees by 7.5 per cent, while New Lantao Bus and KMB can increase their fares by 6.5 per cent and 4.3 per cent, respectively.
The new fares will take effect on January 5 of next year.
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By Natalie Wong
Hong Kong’s franchised bus operators have received a green light from authorities to raise fares by up to 7.5 per cent starting early next month, the Post has learned.
Sources said the Chief Executive-in-Council approved the companies’ proposed fare increases on Tuesday.
The decision means Citybus can raise commuter fees by 7.5 per cent, while New Lantao Bus and KMB can increase their fares by 6.5 per cent and 4.3 per cent, respectively.
The new fares will take effect on January 5 of next year.
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At least 100,000 bodies in Syria mass grave, US advocacy group says
By Reuters
The head of a US-based Syrian advocacy organisation on Monday said that a mass grave outside Damascus contained the bodies of at least 100,000 people killed by the former government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
Mouaz Moustafa, speaking to Reuters in a telephone interview from Damascus, said the site at al-Qutayfah, 40km (25 miles) north of the Syrian capital, was one of five mass graves that he had identified over the years.
“One hundred thousand is the most conservative estimate” of the number of bodies buried at the site, said Moustafa, head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. “It’s a very, very extremely almost unfairly conservative estimate.”
Moustafa said that he is sure there are more mass graves than the five sites, and that along with Syrians victims included US and British citizens and other foreigners.
Reuters was unable to confirm Moustafa’s allegations.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011, when Assad’s crackdown on protests against his rule grew into a full-scale civil war.
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By Reuters
The head of a US-based Syrian advocacy organisation on Monday said that a mass grave outside Damascus contained the bodies of at least 100,000 people killed by the former government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
Mouaz Moustafa, speaking to Reuters in a telephone interview from Damascus, said the site at al-Qutayfah, 40km (25 miles) north of the Syrian capital, was one of five mass graves that he had identified over the years.
“One hundred thousand is the most conservative estimate” of the number of bodies buried at the site, said Moustafa, head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. “It’s a very, very extremely almost unfairly conservative estimate.”
Moustafa said that he is sure there are more mass graves than the five sites, and that along with Syrians victims included US and British citizens and other foreigners.
Reuters was unable to confirm Moustafa’s allegations.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011, when Assad’s crackdown on protests against his rule grew into a full-scale civil war.
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Buildings ‘pancaked’ in Vanuatu as 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocks Pacific nation
By Reuters
An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila on Tuesday, damaging buildings and cars with at least one person reported killed.
Vanuatu state broadcaster VBTC showed footage of vehicles crushed in a building collapse on a street lined with retailers. The broadcaster reported one person had been trapped in a collapsed building.
Other footage posted on social media showed buckled windows and collapsed concrete pillars on a building hosting foreign missions in the capital, including the US, British, French and New Zealand embassies.
“Our High Commission building, which is co-located with the United States, the French and the United Kingdom, has sustained significant damage,” New Zealand’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
There were communications outages across the country, the statement added.
Police reported at least one person had been killed and injured people had been taken to hospital, according to Dan McGarry, a journalist with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project based in Vanuatu, in a post on X.
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By Reuters
An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila on Tuesday, damaging buildings and cars with at least one person reported killed.
Vanuatu state broadcaster VBTC showed footage of vehicles crushed in a building collapse on a street lined with retailers. The broadcaster reported one person had been trapped in a collapsed building.
Other footage posted on social media showed buckled windows and collapsed concrete pillars on a building hosting foreign missions in the capital, including the US, British, French and New Zealand embassies.
“Our High Commission building, which is co-located with the United States, the French and the United Kingdom, has sustained significant damage,” New Zealand’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
There were communications outages across the country, the statement added.
Police reported at least one person had been killed and injured people had been taken to hospital, according to Dan McGarry, a journalist with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project based in Vanuatu, in a post on X.
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Hong Kong lawmaker hits out at government’s claim of Coliseum’s capacity usage
By Ambrose Li
A lawmaker has challenged the government’s claim of “100 per cent usage” at the Hong Kong Coliseum and demanded greater transparency on venue approval policies, adding “multiple” pop stars’ applications to perform there had been repeatedly rejected.
The war of words between Lawmaker Adrian Ho King-hong and the new secretary for culture, sports and tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui intensified on Tuesday, as the former lamented the “pathetically few” number of shows at the premier concert venue in Hung Hom this year and none during the coming Lunar New Year period.
Law on Monday said the Coliseum was one of the most popular concert venues in the city, with “full dress rehearsals” often taking place, including for singer Andy Lau Tak-wah’s concert tour which begins on Tuesday night.
But in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Ho rebutted: “Multiple pop stars have told me personally their applications to perform at the Coliseum in the past years have been turned down a few times to more than 10 in a row with no explanations. It feels bafflingly unfair.”
Ho questioned whether there were guidelines or approval mechanisms for concert applications and urged that such information be made public for transparency, especially as Hong Kong sought to promote tourism as a key driver of its economic growth.
“The authorities are not responding to the demand, which is essentially surrendering … soft power to cities in the Greater Bay Area which have reaped enormous economic benefits,” he added.
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By Ambrose Li
A lawmaker has challenged the government’s claim of “100 per cent usage” at the Hong Kong Coliseum and demanded greater transparency on venue approval policies, adding “multiple” pop stars’ applications to perform there had been repeatedly rejected.
The war of words between Lawmaker Adrian Ho King-hong and the new secretary for culture, sports and tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui intensified on Tuesday, as the former lamented the “pathetically few” number of shows at the premier concert venue in Hung Hom this year and none during the coming Lunar New Year period.
Law on Monday said the Coliseum was one of the most popular concert venues in the city, with “full dress rehearsals” often taking place, including for singer Andy Lau Tak-wah’s concert tour which begins on Tuesday night.
But in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Ho rebutted: “Multiple pop stars have told me personally their applications to perform at the Coliseum in the past years have been turned down a few times to more than 10 in a row with no explanations. It feels bafflingly unfair.”
Ho questioned whether there were guidelines or approval mechanisms for concert applications and urged that such information be made public for transparency, especially as Hong Kong sought to promote tourism as a key driver of its economic growth.
“The authorities are not responding to the demand, which is essentially surrendering … soft power to cities in the Greater Bay Area which have reaped enormous economic benefits,” he added.
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China offers 10-day visa-free transit for international travellers
By Yuanyue Dang
China will now offer 10 days of visa-free transit for international travellers, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced on Tuesday.
Passport holders from 54 nations, including Australia, Japan, the United States and countries throughout Europe, can now stay up to 10 days in certain areas of mainland China when transiting via one of the country’s 60 international ports, the NIA said.
More to follow …
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By Yuanyue Dang
China will now offer 10 days of visa-free transit for international travellers, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced on Tuesday.
Passport holders from 54 nations, including Australia, Japan, the United States and countries throughout Europe, can now stay up to 10 days in certain areas of mainland China when transiting via one of the country’s 60 international ports, the NIA said.
More to follow …
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