Trump warns of long-term US government shutdown; North Korean diplomat defected

Unyielding, Mr. Trump warns of long-term US government shutdown

US President Donald Trump. Photo: AP

Twelve days into the partial US government shutdown, President Donald Trump has made it clear that the shutdown will last "as long as necessary" to ensure his demand for funding for a border wall is met. "It could take a long time, but it could also be over quickly. This is too important to ignore," Trump said, adding that the American people would support him.

Mr. Trump also added that he had skipped his Christmas vacation in Florida amid the partial US government shutdown. It seems that this is a way for President Trump to "implicitly" affirm his determination to defend his position on this issue to the end.

Israel relocates Jews from illegally built Amona settlement in the West Bank

The Jewish settlement of Ofra north of Ramallah, West Bank. Illustration photo: AFP/TTXVN

Israeli paramilitary police on January 3 carried out an operation to evacuate dozens of Jewish settlers from the illegally built Amona settlement in the occupied West Bank. The operation was carried out after the Jerusalem District Court on January 2 rejected a petition by Jewish settlers opposing the relocation.

Last week, Israeli officials approved plans to build more than 2,000 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank. About 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are also home to more than 2.6 million Palestinians. Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law because they were built on territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Jo Song-gil, North Korea's acting ambassador to Rome, has sought asylum with his family in an unspecified Western country, the daily newspaper reported.JoongAng IlboSouth Korea's Foreign Ministry quoted unnamed diplomatic sources as saying today. "He requested asylum early last month," one source said. According to the source, Italian authorities are at a loss as to how to handle the situation but they are still protecting the North Korean ambassador in a safe place.

Jo, 48, became North Korea's acting ambassador to Rome in October 2017 after Italy expelled then-ambassador Mun Jong-nam in protest over Pyongyang's nuclear test the previous month.

Trial of 11 suspects, 5 death sentences proposed in Khashoggi murder case

Candlelight vigil for journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye on October 25. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

Saudi Arabia's Chief Prosecutor said on January 3 that the country opened the first trial of 11 suspects in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye in late 2018. According to the Saudi Arabian News Agency (SPA), the trial took place in the capital Riyadh, and all suspects were present in court during this trial.

The prosecution requested the death penalty for five of the 11 defendants. The initial announcement did not name the defendants.

122 people died in flash floods, landslides in the Philippines

The death toll from landslides and flash floods in the Philippines has risen to 122, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on January 3. According to the NDRRMC, 37 new fatalities were related to Typhoon Usman, all in Bicol, the hardest-hit region. As of now, 105 people have died in Bicol alone. Authorities confirmed that most of the victims died in landslides caused by heavy rains.

NDRRMC Director Ricardo Jalad said the cause of high casualties was due to the failure to promptly warn people to evacuate dangerous areas.

China's Chang'e 4 spacecraft lands on the Moon

China's Chang'e-4 probe successfully landed on the surface of the moon on January 3, 2019, after being launched into space on December 8, 2018. The Chang'e-4 probe was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China in the early morning of December 8, 2018, and it reached the moon 22 days later. The landing site of the Chang'e-4 probe is likely to become a future logistics base for China's deep space missions.

In 2013, China also landed the Chang'e 3 probe safely on the moon's surface, becoming one of the three countries to have landed on the moon after the Soviet Union and the United States. The difference is that this time, Chang'e 4 landed for the first time on the moon's permanent dark side.

More than 370,000 Germans sign petition demanding compensation from Volkswagen

Source: wsj.com

As many as 372,000 Germans who bought cars fitted with Volkswagen emissions-cheating software have signed a class-action lawsuit demanding that the company pay them compensation. If the case is lost, Volkswagen could face tens of billions of euros in compensation to domestic customers.

The new class action is Germany's first since a new class action law came into effect in November 2018. It will be open for signature by Volkswagen buyers until the day before the first preliminary hearing, which is expected to take place later this year.