Hamas sets conditions for hostage release, Norway allows direct arms sales to Ukraine, France closes embassy in Niger

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, January 3.

Asia

JAPAN TIMES. Five people on board a Japan Coast Guard plane were killed after a collision on the runway with a Japan Airlines commercial plane at Haneda Airport.

KYODO. The death toll from the earthquake disaster in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, has risen to 57 after a series of powerful earthquakes continued to shake the central region and surrounding areas.

KOREA TIMES. South Korea's foreign ministry has lodged a strong protest with Tokyo after Japan's weather agency included the country's easternmost Dokdo Islands in a tsunami advisory issued after the earthquake in Japan.

YONHAP. In 2023, South Korea's trade balance with China was in deficit of 18 billion USD , the first time in 31 years that South Korea recorded a trade deficit with China.

BANGKOK POST. Thailand and China will launch a permanent visa exemption program for citizens of both countries, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said after the first cabinet meeting of 2024.

MANILA TIMES. Last year, the Philippines welcomed more than 5.4 million foreign visitors, generating 482.54 billion pesos ( 8.67 billion USD ) in international tourist receipts.

ANTARA. Indonesia welcomed 10.4 million foreign tourists in the first 11 months of 2023, marking an increase of 110.8% compared to the same period in 2022.

THE STAR. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the establishment of the National Database Unit (PADU) as a system to store personal and household records of citizens and permanent residents in the country.

STRAITS TIMES. Singapore's economy is expected to grow by 1.2% in 2023, avoiding a recession amid a global economic slowdown due to high interest rates.

REUTERS. Saudi Arabia officially became a member of the BRICS group of leading emerging economies (including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

TIMES OF ISRAEL. The Israeli government is finalizing steps to approve a proposal to increase the number of foreign workers in the construction sector to 70,000 to address the labor shortage caused by the conflict.

HAARETZ. The Israeli parliament approved the appointment of Energy Minister Israel Katz as the country's new Foreign Minister, replacing Eli Cohen, in a Cabinet reshuffle.

"My first directive to the staff of the State Department was to put the issue of Israeli hostages in Gaza at the top of their priority list." (Mr. Katz's inaugural address)

AHRAM. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said hostages kidnapped from Israel will only be released from Gaza under conditions set by the militant group.

Europe

ANADOLU. Turkish authorities have arrested 33 people suspected of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, and police are also searching for 13 others.

TRT. Turkish intelligence "neutralized" Abdulmutalip Dogruci, a senior member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in charge of drug trafficking in the Sulaymaniyah region of northern Iraq.

RFE. In a historic decision that will take effect on January 1, 2024, the Norwegian government will allow direct sales of weapons and defense products from the country's defense industry to Ukraine.

GUARDIAN. Tourists from Kosovo are free to travel to EU member states from 1 January after visa-free travel to the EU for short-term stays came into effect the same day.

EXPATS. Czech President Petr Pavel supports the adoption of the euro as the currency of his central European country and believes the time is ripe for concrete steps.

REUTERS. The Czech Republic's average temperature in 2023 is expected to equal the record of 2018 (in the capital Prague it was 12.8 degrees Celsius), making it the hottest year since weather records began nearly 250 years ago.

America

AP. The US Navy announced that the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford will return to its home port in Virginia, ending its deployment to the Eastern Mediterranean to support Israel after the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out on October 7.

Điểm tin thế giới sáng 3/1: Hamas đặt điều kiện thả con tin, Na Uy cho phép bán vũ khí trực tiếp cho Ukraine, Pháp đóng cửa Đại sứ quán tại Niger

Immediately after the conflict broke out, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group was ordered to the Eastern Mediterranean to contribute to the US defense and deterrence posture in the region. (Source: Reuters)

NBC. US President Joe Biden said the US is ready to provide any necessary assistance to Japan after the Northeast Asian country suffered a devastating earthquake earlier in the day.

MERCO PRESS. A series of financial consulting firms in Argentina estimate that the consumer price index (CPI) will increase by 210%-220% in 2023 - the highest inflation rate in the country in the past 33 years.

CNN. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is protesting an Argentine judge's ruling to seize a Boeing 747 Dreamliner cargo plane owned by Emtrasur, a subsidiary of Venezuela's national airline Conviasa.

Africa

AFP. Ethiopia has reached a "historic" deal to secure ownership of a stake in the main port of Berbera in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as the landlocked nation seeks greater access to the sea.

REUTERS. Somalia has recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia, saying a controversial port deal Ethiopia signed with the breakaway region of Somaliland violated Somalia's sovereignty.

AP. Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) signed a statement with the Taqadum civilian coalition saying they were ready for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire through negotiations with the Sudanese military.

FRANCE24. The French embassy in Niger has officially closed amid worsening bilateral relations following a military coup in the West African country.

Đại sứ quán Pháp ở Niamey, Niger. (Nguồn: AFP)

According to the spokesman of the French Foreign Ministry, over the past five months, the French Embassy in Niger has been seriously hindered and is therefore unable to carry out the functions and tasks of this diplomatic representative agency. (Source: AFP)

AFP. Moroccan troops detained more than 1,100 migrants trying to reach the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the night of December 31, 2023, and the early morning of January 1, 2024.

EGYPT NEWS. Egypt began production at the first oil well of the North Safa field offshore the country in the Gulf of Suez on January 1.

Oceania

SBS. Leading Australian car dealer Eagers Automotive released the results of its investigation into the cyber attack last week, which showed that hackers had illegally accessed part of a third-party IT system responsible for evaluating data from its servers.

ABC. Organisers of the Australian Open announced that the total prize money for players participating in the tournament in January has been increased by 13% to a record high of 86.5 million AUD (59 million USD).

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