BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military said Sunday it has discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such conspicuous preparations by Hamas for the militants’ deadly Oct. 7 assault.

The entryway to the tunnel is just a few hundred meters from the heavily fortified Erez crossing and a nearby Israeli military base.

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has proved to be a corridor of opportunities for Pakistan, advancing the goals of economic development, regional connectivity, and shared prosperity, said Pakistani experts during a seminar.

CPEC has served to promote bilateral relations between China and Pakistan, regional integration, and overall development, said the experts and academics at the recently held seminar organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), an Islamabad-based think tank.

TOKYO, Dec 18 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in an exclusive interview with Japan’s leading media group The Nikkei once again highlighted the hypocrisy over the crisis in Gaza by “so-called countries that promote democracy and human rights.” 

This insightful interview conducted by journalist Norman Goh on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit on Sunday is featured in Nikkei Asia, the flagship publication of Nikkei, Inc., and the world’s largest financial newspaper. 

DAMASCUS, Dec 18 (NNN-SANA) – A 40-tanker convoy, carrying oil taken from Syrian oil fields, was witnessed departing Syria’s north-eastern al-Hasakah province, for U.S. bases in neighbouring Iraq, yesterday.

According to local sources, the convoy exited the Yarubiya countryside, on the Iraqi-Syrian border, through the unauthorised Mahmoudiya crossing.

MOSCOW, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Russian rocket forces have loaded a new Yars intercontinental ballistic missile into a silo at the Kozelsk base in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, the defence ministry said.

The 23-metre long RS-24 (Yars) missile is designed to carry multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs), which allow the missile to deliver multiple nuclear warheads at different targets.

"In the Kozelsky compound, Strategic Missile Forces loaded a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile into a silo launcher," the defence ministry said.

ATHENS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Greece's parliament approved on Sunday the 2024 state budget, which foresees 2.9 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the new year up from 2.4 percent in 2023, according to data released by the National Economy and Finance Ministry.

The budget passed with the votes of 158 lawmakers in the 300-member strong plenary, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported.

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed as "nonsense and pure lies" the West’s "mantra" about wanting to help the Global South and the Global East.

BERLIN (AP) — German farmers gathered in Berlin on Monday to protest against planned cuts to tax breaks for diesel used in agriculture, part of a deal reached by the government to plug a hole in the country’s budget.

Leaders of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition last week agreed on measures to fill a 17 billion-euro ($18.5 billion) hole in next year’s budget, saying they would achieve that by reducing climate-damaging subsidies and slightly reducing some ministries’ spending, among other measures.

RAMALLAH, Dec 18 (NNN-WAFA) – The Palestinian Authority (PA), reached an agreement with the United States, to address the issue of Palestinian funds detained by Israel, a senior Palestinian official said yesterday.

According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the agreement outlines a process wherein the Israeli government will check the list of PA’s employees in the strip, to ensure no Hamas members are included.

MIAMI (AP) — Salsa music blares from the food court in a rundown Miami shopping center as Latinos head to a kiosk and an office showing signs for “ Obamacare,” where they hope to renew their health coverage plans before the year ends.

It’s areas near this mall where former Democratic President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul is more popular than anywhere in the country, according to federal data. The region has also shifted away from Democrats to Republicans in recent years, with Donald Trump hosting several rallies here as part of his outreach to Latino voters.

DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — Donald Trump asked New Hampshire voters on Saturday to help him secure the Republican presidential nomination before any rivals find their footing with the 2024 campaign’s opening contest just weeks away.

NEW YORK (AP) — The top strategist for the embattled super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ' campaign for the White House resigned Saturday night in the latest sign of trouble for the GOP hopeful less than one month before voting begins with Iowa’s kickoff caucuses.

Jeff Roe, the top adviser to Never Back Down, is the latest senior staffer to exit Never Back Down, which has been the largest outside group supporting DeSantis’ candidacy.