2023-12-31 18:03

JAKARTA, Jan 1 (Reuters) - A series of shallow earthquakes hit Indonesia's West Java province on Sunday with the biggest at magnitude 4.8 during night causing residents to flee their homes, damage to buildings but no casualties, local authorities said. The quake's epicentre was 2 km (1.25 miles) northeast of Sumedang in West Java province at a depth of 5 km, while two previous quakes were in smaller magnitude, the country's geophysics agency (BMKG) said. Authorities in Sumedang said no casualties had been recorded so far, but three residents suffered minor injuries and there had been damage to houses and two hospitals where patients had to be evacuated to emergency tents. BMKG asked residents and local authorities to stay vigilant because of the risk of aftershocks and advised people to avoid hilly areas due to the risk of landslides. Indonesia straddles the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity that rests atop multiple tectonic plates. In November 2022, more than 300 people died after a magnitude 5.6 quake hit the town of Cianjur in West Java province. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/magnitude-48-quake-hits-indonesias-west-java-no-casualties-2023-12-31/

2023-12-31 11:37

COPENHAGEN/DUBAI/CAIRO, Dec 31 (Reuters) - U.S. helicopters repelled an attack by Iran-backed Houthi militants on a Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) container vessel in the Red Sea, sinking three ships and killing 10 militants, according to accounts by American, Maersk, and Houthi officials on Sunday. The naval battle occurred around 0330 GMT on Sunday as the attackers sought to board the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou, Maersk and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely joined the ship's security team in repelling the attackers after receiving a distress call, CENTCOM said. Maersk said it was pausing all sailing through the Red Sea for 48 hours after the attack. A spokesman for the Houthis said the group carried out the attack because the ship's crew refused to heed warning calls. He said 10 Houthi naval personnel were "dead and missing" after their boats were attacked by U.S. forces in the Red Sea. The naval battle underlines the risk of a regional escalation in fighting as Israel continues with its relentless bombing campaign following a Hamas surprise cross-border attack on Israeli towns on Oct. 7 that left 1,200 dead, and took 240 hostages. Israel's air and artillery bombardment has killed more than 21,800 people, according to Gazan health authorities. Yemen's Houthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea since November to show their support for Hamas, prompting major shipping companies to take the longer and costlier route around the Africa's Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Suez Canal. The Red Sea is the entry point for ships using the Suez Canal, which handles about 12% of global trade and vital for the movement of goods between Asia and Europe. The United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian on Dec. 19, saying more than 20 countries had agreed to participate in the efforts to safeguard ships in Red Sea waters near Yemen. Maersk, one of the world's top cargo shippers, said on Dec. 24 it would resume sailing through the Red Sea. However, attacks have continued and U.S. allies have proven reluctant to commit to the coalition, with nearly half not declaring their presence publicly. The botched Houthi boarding operation was the second attack on the Maersk Hangzhou in as many days. The ship, which is carrying 14,000 containers en route from Singapore, was on Saturday hit by a missile about 55 nautical miles southwest of Al Hodeidah, Yemen. The shipping company added that the crew of the Maersk Hangzhou crew was safe and there was no indication of fire onboard the vessel, which continued its journey north toward the Suez Canal. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby declined to say what options the U.S. is considering when asked on ABC's "Good Morning America" if Washington would consider a preemptive strike on the Houthis. "We have made it clear publicly to the Houthis, we've made it clear privately to our allies and partners in the region, that we take these threats seriously." Writing in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: "We are willing to take direct action, and we won’t hesitate to take further action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea." "The Houthis should be under no misunderstanding: we are committed to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks," he said. Earlier on Sunday, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he had told Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a call that Iran should help stop the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. The BIMCO shipping association condemned the attacks and thanked those states involved in repelling them. "We are thankful to U.S., French, and UK efforts so far and hope even more states will support the coalition with naval assets or other impactful means including diplomatic pressure on the Houthis and their sponsors," Jakob Larsen, BIMCO's head of maritime safety and security, told Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/maersk-pauses-red-sea-sailings-after-houthi-attack-container-ship-2023-12-31/

2023-12-31 10:30

Tshisekedi re-elected with 73.34% of vote Promises to tackle inequalities Opposition alleges fraud, calls for rerun Government, election commission reject allegations KINSHASA, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has been re-elected for a second term after getting more than 73% of the vote in a Dec. 20 poll, the country's election commission CENI said on Sunday. The declaration of the result follows days of opposition complaints about the way the election was conducted. Logistical setbacks, an election day over-run, and an opaque vote count have fuelled a dispute that threatens to further destabilise a country roughly the size of Western Europe which is the world's top producer of cobalt and other prized industrial commodities. Announcing the results in the capital Kinshasa, Denis Kadima, head of CENI, said Tshisekedi had obtained more than 13 million out of over 18 million valid votes, adding that turnout was more than 43%. Cheers erupted from Tshisekedi's supporters present at the declaration after Kadima announced that Tshisekedi was provisionally elected. Speaking to hundreds who gathered at his campaign headquarters after the announcement, Tshisekedi, flanked by his wife and mother, thanked supporters and promised to speed up programmes during his second term to tackle inequalities. "You believed in my commitment not to spare any effort so that our country will retake its rightful place, and so that the Congolese people will recover their pride and dignity in belonging to this country," he said. "You believed in my fight against inequalities that have for a long time characterized our society," he said. Rival political parties, candidates and those mandated by them have two days to challenge the outcome of the election at the Constitutional Court. The court then has seven days to rule on the case and proclaim the final result. Opposition frontrunner Moise Katumbi, who came second with 18%, has already ruled out mounting a legal challenge to the results, citing an alleged lack of independence of state institutions. Other opposition candidates have not clarified whether they will challenge the results. Earlier on Sunday a group of nine opposition presidential candidates, including Katumbi, and six leaders of political parties asked supporters to take to the streets to protest after the release of the provisional results. JOINT DECLARATION "We categorically reject the sham election ... and its results," the main opposition candidates said in a joint declaration. They demanded fresh elections be held with a new electoral body on a date to be agreed by all. "We call on our people to take to the streets en masse after the proclamation of the electoral fraud," they said. While Tshisekedi's supporters celebrated his win in the streets of the capital, there was calm in other cities with little signs of protest on New Year's Eve. The government of Congo had previously rejected calls for a rerun of the elections. Since election day, some of Tshisekedi's main challengers, including former oil executive Martin Fayulu, have been calling for a re-run of the contest and of legislative elections, accusing CENI of allowing the vote to be tipped in the president's favour. CENI and the government have dismissed these allegations and also warnings from independent observer groups that the unscheduled extension of voting and other incidents on election day, and during the tabulation of votes, may have compromised the credibility and legal footing of the poll. The United States continues to "closely follow" the electoral progress in Congo, a State Department official said on Sunday while noting that any election disputes should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with Congolese electoral law. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-release-provisional-results-disputed-presidential-vote-2023-12-31/

2023-12-31 05:20

SYDNEY, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Parts of Australia's east face severe thunderstorms for the second straight day on Sunday, the weather bureau warned, with heavy rains raising the risk of dangerous flash flooding. In the last 24 hours, a wild weather system across the southeastern regions of Queensland and northern New South Wales has produced torrential rains, hailstones as big as 5 cm (2 inches) and wind gusts close to 100 kph (62 mph). The rural town of Beerburrum in Queensland's Sunshine Coast region picked up 127 mm (5 inches) of rain, roughly a month's average. "Yet another day of severe thunderstorms is on the way ... with the storm risk becoming more extensive throughout the first week of 2024," Miriam Bradbury, a forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, said in a video message on the social media platform X. Some parts of Queensland will receive "locally intense rainfall which will lead to flash flooding," she said. Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said the government will deploy up to 70 military veterans and retired emergency service workers across southeast Queensland to assist with the cleanup efforts from recent storms. The latest storms follow severe weather on Dec. 25 and 26 that killed 10 people and knocked out power for tens of thousands of properties across the east, and after Cyclone Jasper earlier this month caused widespread flooding and damage. Climate change has amplified Australia's weather extremes in recent years, experts say. The El Nino weather phenomenon, which can provoke wildfires, cyclones and prolonged drought, is also affecting the country during its current summer period. Even as authorities prepare for thunderstorms in some parts, towns in Queensland's outback are sweltering with a heatwave across swathes of Australia's north. Temperatures in one such town, Julia Creek, could touch 45°C (113°F) on Sunday, according to weather forecasts. But the weather in the country's southeast is expected to be mild. Sydney is set for its iconic New Year's Eve fireworks display with authorities expecting one million people around the foreshore to watch the traditional 12-minute pyrotechnic display. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-thunderstorms-raise-risk-flash-flooding-2023-12-31/

2023-12-31 03:08

QUITO, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Ecuador has reached an agreement with an Indigenous community in the country's Orellana province to end the group's blockade of oil projects in the area, the ministry of energy and mining said on Saturday. Protests by the Waorani Kawymeno community that blocked access to the Ishpingo oil field in Orellana impacted output from the site starting on Monday and prompted state-run oil producer Petroecuador to declare a force majeure on the operations on Friday. The protests in Orellana had cut oil output at Ishpingo by about 17,000 barrels per day. A force majeure is the legal term for when a company cannot meet its contractual obligations because of acts beyond its control. After "arduous conversations" with the Waorani Kawymeno, the ministry said a deal was reached that would restart drilling at Ishpingo over the next three days, though wells would start operating Saturday and thereby the force majeure would be lifted. The ministry statement acknowledged that public works promised to the community by previous administrations had not been carried out. The ministry vowed to mobilize machinery to start land clearing works, provide an internet connection for the community as well as deliver kits with food, awnings, blankets and medicine. "We assume responsibility for correcting these omissions and ensuring that each community receives the attention and resources it deserves," the ministry said in the statement. In the past, Indigenous organizations have led protests that paralyzed the South American country for nearly two weeks as they attempted to stop extractive activities near their communities. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ecuador-indigenous-group-reach-deal-end-oil-field-blockade-2023-12-31/

2023-12-30 22:39

Dec 30 (Reuters) - Coastal communities in California faced another day of towering waves and possible flooding on Saturday as officials issued evacuation orders in some areas and warned residents to stay off beaches and coastal roadways. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles forecast significant flooding in low-lying coastal areas with powerful waves and strong rip current posing an "exceptional risk" of drowning and damage to structures like piers and jetties. Waves as high as 20 feet (6.1 meters) could wreak more havoc on waterside homes in vulnerable communities along much of the California shoreline, which was battered by extreme surf and heavy rains over the end of the week. Officials in southern California's Ventura County issued an evacuation warning on Saturday for residences along the Pacific Coast Highway and area beaches remained closed, the Ventura County Fire Department said. In the San Francisco Bay Area, forecasters said a coastal flood warning and high surf warning would remain in effect into early Saturday afternoon. Breaking waves of 26-30 feet were expected along west-facing beaches along the central and northern California coastline, it said. Ventura, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Los Angeles, was hit by the extreme weather conditions beginning on Thursday, when heavy surf inundated homes and businesses with seawater, sand and ocean debris, damaging structures and reportedly injuring at least eight people. The treacherous surf and coastal flood threat was attributed to a Pacific storm system that also brought heavy downpours to much of the West Coast on Friday night, while coinciding with the latest arrival of exceptionally high tides known as king tides. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/massive-waves-california-coast-cause-flooding-force-evacuations-2023-12-30/