World News in Brief: January 16

U.S. President Joe Biden formally announced Wednesday that a deal between Israel and Hamas was reached, which would temporarily pause the fight in Gaza and see the phased release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal following intensive mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, Qatar's prime minister announced on Wednesday.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal following intensive mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, Qatar's prime minister announced on Wednesday.

* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday welcomed the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas, urging all parties to ensure the full implementation of the deal.

* Israel's Security Cabinet and government are scheduled to convene on Thursday to approve the Gaza ceasefire agreement after the deal was reached between Hamas and Israel on Wednesday.

* Hamas delivered its written approval for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to the mediators in Qatar, a Palestinian official source said on Wednesday.

* A Republic of Korean court will on Thursday start the process to review the arrest appropriateness application filed by President Yoon Suk-yeol's legal team after his arrest on Wednesday.

* High-ranking European Union (EU) officials on Wednesday welcomed a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and called on both parties to fully implement the deal.

* Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday following a minister's early retirement ahead of the general election, which must be held by May.

* Norway hosted a high-level meeting on Wednesday to reinforce international backing for the two-state solution in the Middle East, address the ongoing crisis in Gaza, and strengthen Palestinian state-building efforts.

* Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Thursday welcomed the ceasefire in the Middle East as a constructive step towards peace and stability.

* The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Wednesday that it has successfully mediated the exchange of 50 captives between Russia and Ukraine, marking a significant step in ongoing diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between the two nations.

* Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has approved the strategies of Belarusian participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS, the administration of Belarusian president said on Wednesday.

* China has allocated 6.66 billion yuan (about 926.5 million USD) of funds to support rural revitalization in areas with large ethnic minority populations.

* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday expressed her disagreement with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's proposal to create an external revenue service agency to collect tariff income from trading partners.

* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that "nothing is off the table" in response to possible U.S. tariffs after meeting with the provincial and territorial premiers.

* The Lithuanian Navy has deployed two ships to NATO's critical infrastructure protection operation in the Baltic Sea, the Lithuanian Armed Forces announced on Wednesday.

* South Sudan's government delegation will arrive in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, on Saturday to resume negotiations aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in the world's youngest nation.

* At least 30 Palestinians were killed and many others injured in Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday in the Gaza Strip, hours after Qatar announced a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which takes effect on Sunday.

* Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday on his first official visit to Turkey.

* The European Commission on Wednesday revealed an action plan designed to bolster cybersecurity in the healthcare sector, which has experienced a higher rate of incidents compared to other sectors.

* The U.S. Congressional Budget Office has shrunk its projections for the country's population in 30 years to 372 million residents, a 2.8 percent drop from last year, citing declining birth rates and less expected immigration.

* State-based armed conflict tops global risks in 2025, according to a flagship report published on Wednesday by the World Economic Forum(WEF).

* The World Bank approved on Wednesday a 257.8-million-USD financing to improve water supply services in Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon.

* UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Wednesday urged the international community to reconsider sanctions on Syria and focus on efforts to rebuild the war-torn nation.

* Sudan and Egypt on Wednesday agreed to activate joint mechanisms, especially the dialogue and consultation mechanism between the foreign ministries of the two countries and the quartet mechanism of foreign and irrigation ministers.

* China is gravely concerned over the Netherlands' announcement of stricter export controls on certain semiconductor manufacturing equipment and software, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Wednesday.

* Japan's Corporate Goods Price Index (CGPI) saw a year-on-year rise in December 2024 over higher prices of agricultural, forestry and fishery products, preliminary data by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) showed on Thursday.

* Indonesia's central bank has cut its benchmark banking interest rate by 25 basis points to 5.75 percent, Bank Indonesia said on Wednesday.

* Germany's economy shrank for the second year in a row in 2024, heightening concerns about the recovery prospects of Europe's largest economy amid persistent struggles.

* Italy's public debt exceeded 3,000 billion euros (3,087 billion USD) for the first time in November 2024, the Bank of Italy reported Wednesday.

* Sri Lanka's central bank will enhance its efforts to combat money laundering and counter the financing of terrorism, state media reported Wednesday, citing Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe.

* Singapore's maritime industry demonstrated robust growth in 2024, achieving record highs in annual vessel arrival tonnage, total tonnage of ships under the Singapore flag, container throughput, total bunker sales, and alternative bunker fuel sales.

* Indonesia started to export steel products in the form of welded beams to New Zealand with a volume of 1,210 metric tons worth 1.5 million USD on Wednesday.

* Spain welcomed a record-breaking 94 million international tourists in 2024, surpassing the previous high of 85 million in 2023 by 10 percent, a senior tourism official said Wednesday.

* A total of 246 survivors and 78 bodies have been brought to the ground over three days of rescue operation at an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, the police said Wednesday night.

* Over 100,000 homes have been in power outage after damaging storms hit Sydney and surrounding areas in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW).

* Indonesia on Wednesday raised the volcanic alert status of Mount Ibu, located in the country's eastern province of North Maluku, to the highest level following its increasing volcanic activity.

* The probability of a massive earthquake in Japan's Nankai Trough occurring within the next 30 years has been revised from the previous estimate of 70 percent to 80 percent to approximately 80 percent, according to the government's earthquake investigation panel.

* The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Thursday successfully docked its SpaDeX satellites, namely SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), in space, confirmed the agency in a post on X (erstwhile Twitter). The process of docking was delayed at least twice in recent weeks, and was finally scheduled for Thursday.

* Blue Origin launched its massive New Glenn rocket for the first time on early Thursday. The uncrewed mission is carrying Blue Origin's Blue Ring Pathfinder to orbit, a payload that will test key technologies for its Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle.

Xinhua