The Global News Desk 115

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Friday that up to 136 people had been killed in a clash between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed rebels.  The Observatory claimed that clashes between the SDF and rebels also claimed the lives of 20 innocent people.  Heavy armament and Turkish drone assistance have been applied in a conflict, which is focused on significant locations such as the Tishrin Dam and the Qaraqozak Bridge. Both sides claim gains. 35 SDF soldiers, 81 members of a Turkish-backed militia, and 20 civilians, including a Turkish journalist and two children, were killed in the crossfire in 15 days, according to SOHR. US troops have set up a temporary outpost in northern and eastern Syria to discuss and ease conflicts.  

Maputo, Mozambique -- At least 1,500 prisoners escaped after Mozambique's post-election unrest. The police chief reported that a confrontation with security forces brought about the deaths of 33 inmates and the injuries of 15.  Police head further added that 33 jail inmates were killed and 15 others were injured in a clash with the security personnel.  The inmates fled during violent riots that destroyed police cars, stations, and other public facilities after Mozambique's constitutional council declared the ruling Frelimo party the winner. Authorities claimed that a "demonstration" involving a "group of illicit protesters" sparked the breakout from Maputo's central jail, 14 kilometers southwest of the city, at approximately midday on Wednesday.

A passenger bus and a truck collided early Saturday on a highway in Minas Gerais, a state in southern Brazil, killing 38 people, according to officials. At least forty-five people were on a speeding bus when it rammed into the truck and caught fire, according to witnesses who spoke to local police.  38 people on the bus, including the driver, Witnesses claimed the bus driver lost control and crashed into a truck after getting tyre burst.  According to certain people, the bus tire exploded after a piece of stone struck it. The bus reportedly hit a car as well carrying 3 passengers, however, all three were unhurt. while the driver of the truck fled the scene, according to the local police officer. Authorities said that all of the victims had been evacuated from the site and conveyed to the hospital; an investigation would decide the cause of the accident. 

The United States $10 million prize for detention of Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the Rebel leader who led the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad, has been scrapped. A senior U.S. diplomat said Friday that America is ending a current reward for Syria's new leader, citing "positive messages" from a first meeting that included a commitment to fight terrorism. The statement came after Barbara Leaf, the US's senior diplomat for the Middle East, met with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, the first time U.S. officials have visited Syria's capital since the start of the civil conflict.  In a digital briefing to journalists on Friday, Barbara A. Leaf, assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, said that the decision to forgo the prize on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander Sharaa is a "policy decision" taken as Washington starts its engagement with the rebel group.

KABUL, Afghanistan  —  Two different traffic incidents in southeast Afghanistan led to at least 52 deaths and 76 injuries. According to Ghazni province officials, a bus and oil tanker collided on the Kabul-Kandahar highway late Wednesday. The second accident happened on another area of the same roadway that links the south with the Afghan capital. A government spokeswoman said Thursday that 76 people were injured and 52 including women and children were killed in two separate traffic crashes in southeast Afghanistan.  The incident occurred late Wednesday on the same highway in Ghazni province, which connects southern Kandahar city to the capital, Kabul. "Every one of the victims has been identified and handed over to their families, while the survivors are now being treated at local hospitals," a local search and rescue agency branch correspondent confirmed.  Fatal road accidents like this are common in Afghanistan due to overspeeding, narrow roads, and poorl...

At least 35 children were killed and six more were severely wounded in an audience stampede at a school festival in Nigeria. The heartbreaking incident took place in Ibadan, Nigeria's third-largest city. Eight people have reportedly been arrested by police "for their involvement" in this incident.  The main sponsor of the event, which was organized by the Wings Foundation and Agidigbo FM radio, was among those arrested on Wednesday at the Basorun Islamic High School. Videos and footage that appeared to be from the scene showed a large crowd of large children seeing others being carried away from an open field. Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, sent condolences to the families of the victims. Our  sympathies   and prayers are still with the families and loved ones affected by this terrible incident.  For his part, he said, "May the souls of the departed rest in peace."  A homicide investigation has begun, Oyo State, police head said in a stateme...

Slovakia and Hungary blocked EU sanctions against Georgia. As protests continued, Hungary and Slovakia blocked an attempt to impose EU sanctions on Georgian officials.  Kaja Kallas, an Estonian politician and diplomat, urged sanctions against Georgian state personnel who were allegedly involved in the suppression of pro-European protesters. Meanwhile, a second measure to prevent visa-free travel for Georgians with diplomatic and service passports will move forward, as it only requires a qualified majority.  The European Commission is in charge of creating the strategy, according to Euronews. High Representative Kaja Kallas had proposed sanctions on Georgia during a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels in early December 2024. "I think it would be a geostrategic mistake to push this country back now," the Austrian foreign minister told reporters on Monday, in addition to advocating for dialogue. We need to keep talking. In Georgia, the majority still desired EU membership...

Indian naval speedboat collided with a mini passenger ship conveying more than 100 passengers to a well-known tourist spot off the coast of Mumbai on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people, according to the navy.  The Indian Navy reported in a statement that 99 ferry passengers were rescued. When the speedboat swerved and rammed into the ferry "Neelkamal," passengers were en route to Elephanta Island.  The Indian Navy issued a statement expressing grief for the "shocking loss" of life caused by a speedy boat accomplishing engine tests losing control and colliding with a civilian ferry.  One naval service member and a couple workers of an equipment company participating in the testing were among the 13 people declared dead by doctors, according to the naval and government officials. According to the Indian Naval officials, 11 navy vessels, four coastguard boats, and four naval helicopters moved into the region as part of "search and rescue efforts that were immed...

BERLIN, Germany —  Barbel Bas, the president of the Bundestag, said on Monday that most of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) voted against Chancellor Olaf Scholz's cabinet, opening the door for early elections in February. Of the 717 lawmakers who cast ballots, 394 opposed Scholz's bid for chancellor, 207 voted in favor of him, and 116 refused to vote. He slumped very short of the 367 majority required to win. The elections for a new parliament will take place on February 23, 2025. Early in November, Scholz's coalition government fell apart after he dismissed Christian Lindner, the head of the Free Democratic Party and Finance Minister, for refusing to approve new budget projections for 2025 and increased aid for Ukraine.  The opposition also attributes the deteriorating economic situation to Olaf Scholz's coalition government.  Source: Sputnik 

A Chinese business delegation has shown an interest in investing $1 billion in Thatta's Dhabeji Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to create a medical city.  12 large Chinese enterprises joined Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Sindh, on a visit to the Dhabeji Special Economic Zone. The Sindh government has approved the scheme. During the meeting, Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Sindh, highlighted that the Dhabeji Special Economic Zone is a CPEC priority project.  Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar says that Sindh has a lot of appealing investment opportunities. Because of its advantageous location close to the port, highways, and railroads, he said, the Dhabeji Zone will be the province's most important economic zone in terms of industrial expansion, technology transfer, and job creation.   This effort is a well-known example of China and Pakistan's strong and honored relationship. Naveed Qamar further said that  t...

European News — A security source informed the media on Sunday that 14 people were killed and 249 more were seriously injured by a Cyclone on the French island territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.  The powerful hurricane progressed close to Mozambique's coast after wreaking havoc on Mayotte's shantytowns, the French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned that the final toll might be high.  Damage to airports and electrical distribution will likely hamper the efforts of rescue workers and supplies being transported by air and sea in an area where even clean drinking water was already facing chronic shortages.  Government officials in the French area in the Indian Ocean said Sunday that Cyclone Chido's route of devastation over Mayotte might kill "several hundred people. "All stuff has been swept away, everything is destroyed," said one of the Cyclone victims, whose property was wrecked in the Kaweni neighborhood in Mamoudzou's east - France's l...

The Palestinian health ministry reported that Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Saturday martyred at least 22 Palestinians. After recent brutal bombings on the Gaza Strip, Palestinians' death toll increased to 44,930 martyred and 106,624 wounded.  Doctors said in a statement that an assault near the municipality building in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, where civilians had gathered to receive aid, killed at least 10 people. According to a Gaza source, the assault martyred Diab Ali al-Jaru, the leader of the Hamas administrative committee in central Gaza, wounded were transported to the hospital. 4 others were killed in another incident in the area.

KABUL, Afghanistan  —  Khalil Haqqani, Afghanistan's minister for refugees, was killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghan state television said yesterday. Khalil Haqqani, Minister for Refugees, was killed on Wednesday when an assailant entered the ministry's Kabul headquarters and blew himself up, according to a news report.  However, the Afghan local news source said that the explosion was a suicide attack and that Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani was heading toward the mosque when it happened.  Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani network, has a brother named Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current interior minister, was also his uncle. Anas Haqqani, Khalil-ur-Rehman  Haqqani's nephew acknowledged the death.  The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that assassinated Afghanistan's refugee minister in his Kabul office, according to a  terrorist watchdog Website.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  —  FIFA, the worldwide governing body of men's football, has announced that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 tournament, with Spain, Portugal, and Morocco sharing the hosting responsibilities for the 2030 tournament.  The report said that to celebrate the competition's 100th anniversary, the 2030 tournament shall include matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.  The hosts of both World Cups were confirmed after a vote during Wednesday's Special Fifa Session.  Before the approval, Fifa Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom said that "all 211 member associations have effectively cast their vote before the conference" and that there was only one voting option for each of the three decisions.   Switzerland's Football Association (FA) said on Tuesday that it will approve Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup, but that FIFA and the International Labour Organization must observe human rights. Norway decided not to participate du...

Port-au-Prince, Haiti —  A human rights group claims that gang members in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, killed at least 184 people, the majority of victims were aged. A local gang leader reportedly targeted them because his kid became unwell and eventually passed away, according to the National Human Rights Defence Network (RNDDH). Reports further added that the gang leader sought counsel from a traditional priest, who attributed the boy's mysterious ailment to a "magical activity" by elderly neighbors. The United Nations reports that gang violence in Haiti has escalated to the point that "a staggering 5,000" people have been killed this year.  However, local reports suggest that around 7,000 people have been murdered in gang violence throughout the year.

Damascus, Syria  —  Russia has granted asylum to Bashar Assad, the former president of Syria, and his family on humanitarian grounds, according to a Kremlin security source. A Kremlin security source said Assad and his family arrived in Moscow on Sunday and were given asylum.  Additionally, it explained that Russia had given them refuge based on humanitarian grounds. RIA Novosti, a Russian state-run news agency, also confirmed that Asad and his family arrived in Moscow yesterday.  Al-Assad, who resigned after armed groups presently serving as Syria's transitional government forces took over Damascus on Sunday, had reportedly moved to Moscow with his family, according to reputable sources quoted by Russia's Vesti Nedelya news agency.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan —  On December 6-7, 2024, the Pakistani military perished 22  terrorists  in separate anti-terrorist operations carried out successfully in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.  The Security Forces launched an intelligence-based operation in the Tank District's general Gul Imam region following reports of insurgent illegal activity. 9 terrorists were killed and others 6 were injured as a result of Pakistani troops' successful military operation.  Another Security Forces operation in the North Waziristan District resulted in the successful neutralization of Ten Khwarij.  Security forces thwarted terrorists from storming a security force post in Thall District and killed three Khwarij in a third military confrontation.  However, six courageous earthly sons accepted martyrdom by giving their lives in the fierce fighting.

I SLAMABAD, Pakistan   —  The Pakistani army killed eight militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in multiple anti-terrorist operations. Citing the alleged presence of terrorists, an intelligence-based operation was conducted in the South Waziristan District's Sararogha neighborhood on December 5, 2024. Our military successfully stormed the militants' position during the search, killing two of them, including the militants' ring commander, Khan Muhammad Khoryay, and capturing two more  terrorists .  Khan Muhammad Khoryay, the terrorist who was killed, was involved in several terrorist acts in the region, such as execution and target killing.  Since he was at the top of the terrorist list prepared by law enforcement, the government had put up PKR 1 million as head money on him.  Another intelligence-based operation was carried out in Lakki Marwat District, and after a fierce gunfight, security forces killed 6 terrorists. The Pakistani military emphasized er...