Iran FM calls for further expanding ties with Croatia

Iran’s newly appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, Saeed Khatibzadeh held a meeting with the top Iranian diplomat prior to starting his mission.

In the meeting, the new ambassador elaborated on his plans for promoting cooperation between Tehran and Zagreb during his tenure.

Amir-Abdollahian, for his part, referred to the friendly and cultural relations between Iran and Croatia as well as the special status of the Balkan countries in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stressing the need for further strengthening of relations between the two countries.

MP/IRN85338918

"Reunification" With Taiwan Inevitable: Xi Jinping In New Year's Address

'Reunification' With Taiwan Inevitable: Xi Jinping In New Year's Address

China considers Taiwan to be its “sacred territory”.

Beijing:

China’s “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable, President Xi Jinping said in his New Year’s address on Sunday, striking a stronger tone than he did last year with less than two weeks to go before the Chinese-claimed island elects a new leader.

The January 13 presidential and parliamentary elections are happening at a time of fraught relations between Beijing and Taipei. China has been ramping up military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over democratically governed Taiwan.

China considers Taiwan to be its “sacred territory” and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Chinese control, though Xi made no mention of military threats in his speech carried on state television.

“The reunification of the motherland is a historical inevitability,” Xi said, though the official English translation of his remarks published by the Xinhua news agency used a more simple phrase: “China will surely be reunified”.

“Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” he added. The official English translation wrote “all Chinese” rather than “compatriots”.

Last year, Xi said only that people on either side of the strait are “members of one and the same family” and that he hoped people on both sides will work together to “jointly foster lasting prosperity of the Chinese nation”.

China has taken particular exception to current Vice President Lai Ching-te, the presidential candidate for Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Party (DPP) and leading in opinion polls by varying margins, saying he is a dangerous separatist.

Responding late on Saturday to Lai’s comments at a live televised presidential debate earlier in the day, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Lai had “exposed his true face as a stubborn ‘worker for Taiwan independence’ and destroyer of peace across the Taiwan Strait”.

“His words were full of confrontational thinking,” spokesperson Chen Binhua said in a statement.

Since 2016 – when President Tsai Ing-wen took office – the DPP-led government has promoted separatism and is the “criminal mastermind” in obstructing exchanges across the strait and damaging the interests of Taiwan’s people, Chen said.

“As the leading figure of the DPP authorities and current DPP chairman, Lai Ching-te cannot escape his responsibility for this,” he added.

Tsai and Lai have repeatedly offered talks with China, but have been rebuffed.

The DPP says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future, as does Lai’s main opponent in the election, Hou Yu-ih from Taiwan’s largest opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT).

The KMT traditionally favours close ties with China but strongly denies being pro-Beijing. Hou has also denounced Lai as an independence supporter.

The defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists who founded the People’s Republic of China. The Republic of China remains Taiwan’s formal name.

Lai said on Saturday that the Republic of China and People’s Republic of China “are not subordinate to each other”, wording he and Tsai have used previously which has also riled Beijing.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

US responsible for consequences of attack on Yemeni boats

The warning came through a Sunday statement after earlier the same day US Navy helicopters attacked four boats belonging to the Yemeni Naval Forces, sinking three of them and killing at least 10 Yemeni servicemen.

The statement, which was read out by Yemeni Armed Forces’ spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said the attack took place as Yemen’s boats “were carrying out their routine official duties in reinforcing security and stability and protecting maritime navigation” in the Red Sea.

He added that the attack also took place while Yemeni forces were “fulfilling their humanitarian and ethical duty…in prohibiting Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine from passing through the Red Sea in solidarity with and support of the Palestinian people.”

The American enemy bears responsibility for the consequences and repercussions of this crime, and its military movements in the Red Sea to protect Israeli ships will not prevent Yemen from fulfilling its religious, ethical, and humanitarian duty in support and aid of the oppressed [people] in Palestine and Gaza, the statement said.

Elsewhere in their statement, the Yemeni Armed Forces once again advised all countries “not to be drawn into American plans aimed at igniting conflict in the Red Sea,” affirming that they “will not hesitate to confront any aggression against our country and our people.”

Yemen’s Armed Forces have been staging missile and drone attacks against vessels heading to ports in occupied Palestine in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been under an unrelenting genocidal war by the Israeli regime for more than two months now.

Close to 22,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed during the war, which the regime launched on October 7 following an operation by Gaza’s Resistance movements, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm.

The Yemeni forces have vowed to keep up their strikes until the regime stops the war and lifts a concomitant siege that it has been imposing on Gaza.

In reaction, the US has announced the formation of an American-led naval coalition of Washington’s allies aimed at heading off the Yemeni attacks.

AMK/PressTV

West Bank protests remember Gaza martyrs as Israeli bombardments mark 2024

Palestinians have held mass rallies in the occupied West Bank to remember Palestinians who lost their lives in the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza and to voice their support for resistance groups and the Gaza Strip.

The marches took place in the cities of Ramallah and Jenin on New Year’s Eve as Israel’s devastating war on Gaza entered its 87th day.

In Ramallah, the protesters chanted slogans in solidarity with al-Qassam Brigades and Saraya al-Quds, the military wings of the Gaza-based Hamas and Islamic Jihad resistance groups.

The demonstrators cried, “The masses want the Al-Qassam Brigades!” “Let us see their body parts! These are the actions of Saraya! Saraya, O Saraya!”

Waving Palestinian flags, they also carried a long banner filled with the names of thousands of Palestinians, who were killed in the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza.

“We say to you, our sons, we are with you, united. We remain united in the field and do not submit. This long night will end with the dawn of freedom and independence,” said Father Abdullah Yulio of the Melkite Catholic church.

Early on Monday, as the world was celebrating a new year with fireworks and festivities, Israeli warplanes bombarded central Gaza.

There were also reports of street fighting between the occupation troops and Palestinian resistance fighters in the besieged territory’s central and southern cities.

Israel waged the bloody war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 21,822 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 56,451 others.

Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza.

The regime has further stepped up its violent raids across the West Bank since the beginning of the Gaza war, killing at least 315 Palestinians. 

Iran to play Italy in 2024 VNL opener

Team Melli will face Italy on May 21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Iranian team will also play Argentina, Serbia, and Cuba in Week 1.

The men’s title will be contested by Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, defending champions Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and the US.

The VNL 2024 will also play a major role in determining the last national teams that will qualify for the Paris Olympics.

The result of each match of the tournament’s Preliminary Phase will impact the FIVB Volleyball World Rankings, which will determine the teams to occupy the last five spots in next year’s Games.

As of now, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Poland, and the US are guaranteed on the men’s side.

AMK/TSN

"Shall Continue To Fight…": Mamata Banerjee On Trinamool Foundation Day

'Shall Continue To Fight...': Mamata Banerjee On Trinamool Foundation Day

Mamata Banerjee pledged to persist in her fight for the country’s common people (File)

Kolkata:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday congratulated TMC workers on the occasion of the party’s foundation day, emphasizing a steadfast commitment to resist any evil force and persist in the ongoing struggle to safeguard the democratic rights of the people.

Speaking on the significance of TMC’s formation on January 1, 1998, Ms Banerjee highlighted the party’s inception as a manifestation of conviction to honour the motherland, uphold state interests, and champion the protection of democratic rights for the masses.

“I humbly honour and respect the dedication and self-sacrifices of each worker and supporter of our party. Today, the TMC family is blessed with the love and affection of all,” she said in a statement on X.

Ms Banerjee pledged to persist in her fight for the country’s common people.

“It is on the strength of your unflinching support that we shall continue to fight for everyone in this great democratic country. No surrender to any evil force. In defiance of all terror we will continue our lifelong struggles for the common people of our country,” she wrote in a post on X.

Emerging from Congress in 1998, TMC rose to power after two unsuccessful attempts in 2001 and 2006 by defeating the Left Front regime in 2011, fueled by widespread public discontent against the communists.

Ms Banerjee, a key figure in West Bengal politics, led TMC to a resounding victory in the 2021 assembly elections, securing her position as chief minister for the third consecutive term.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Al-Qassam Brigades fire rockets at Tel Aviv, surroundings

Anadolu Agency reported citing the Israeli Army Radio that the rockets also targeted the cities of Rishon Lezion, Lod, Ramla, Bnei Brak, and Sderot in addition to the Modi’in Illit Jewish settlement in the central part of the occupied West Bank.

The Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed on their Telegram account that they bombed Tel Aviv and its suburbs.

“The Al-Qassam Brigades are bombarding the city of Tel Aviv and its suburbs with M90 rockets in response to the Zionist massacres of civilians,” the group said in a statement.

There has been no statement so far on any deaths, injuries, or damage caused by the rockets.

Backed by the US, the Zionist regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas-led Palestinian Resistance groups carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of death and destruction in Palestine.

AMK/PR

Video: Dalit Woman Beaten By Cop In Public View In Bihar; Police Clarify

The cop was filmed in his uniform during the incident, triggering an outrage among the public.

Patna:

The visuals of a Dalit woman being beaten by a cop in public in Bihar’s Sitamarhi has raised concerns over police brutality and prompted a public demand for action. But the police claim the cop was only trying to maintain order after a fight erupted between two sides in a kidnapping case.

Inspector Rajkishore Singh, in-charge of Surasand police station, was seen thrashing the woman on the street with a stick. He struck her multiple times in the Surasand market amid angry exchanges by a crowd, showed a video.

The cop was filmed in his uniform during the incident, triggering an outrage among the public.

Sitamarhi Police, in a statement, said a probe has been ordered into the incident.

The police action allegedly came in a bid to separate two women who were fighting on the street.

Vinod Kumar, Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO), said in a video statement that the incident is linked to the kidnapping of a girl.

“The girl was rescued, but the two sides visited the police station and engaged in a fight among themselves outside. This led to a traffic jam on the road and the cop used his baton to disperse the crowd,” he clarified.

YSRCP MLC Vamsi Srinivas Yadav joins Jana Sena

Expressing displeasure with the party’s decision to favour Visakhapatnam MP MVV Satyanarayana for Visakhapatnam East constituency, the disgruntled leader opted to join Jana Sena.

Updated On – 07:11 PM, Wed – 27 December 23


YSRCP MLC Vamsi Srinivas Yadav joins Jana Sena


Mangalagiri: YSRCP MLC Vamsi Krishna Srinivas Yadav, a prominent leader from the Yadava community,has joined Jana Sena Party in the presence of its chief Pawan Kalyan here on Wednesday.

Expressing displeasure with the party’s decision to favour Visakhapatnam MP MVV Satyanarayana for Visakhapatnam East constituency, the disgruntled leader opted to join Jana Sena.