China turns Hainan Island into special customs supervision zone in opening-up drive

China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage, and introducing more business-friendly measures.

The move is widely seen as a landmark in China's efforts to promote free trade and expand high-standard opening-up amid rising protectionism worldwide.

Under the new arrangements, the tropical island, covering more than 30,000 square km and about a 1.5-hour flight from Hong Kong, has been designated a special customs supervision zone. This marks a new stage in the development of the Hainan FTP, which enables freer flows of goods, capital, personnel and data, supported by zero tariffs, low tax rates and a simplified tax system.

Substantial progress has been achieved in developing the Hainan FTP, and the essential conditions for its island-wide special customs operations have been met, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said at the launch ceremony in Haikou, the capital of south China's Hainan Province.

The island-wide special customs operations should serve as an opportunity to deepen reforms in key sectors, steadily advance high-quality development, improve the risk prevention and control system, and build the Hainan FTP into a leading gateway for China's opening-up in the new era, said He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

European farmers' protests against Mercosur deal highlight EU division

Thousands of farmers from across Europe rallied near the European Parliament and the Europa Building in Brussels on Thursday as European Union (EU) leaders convened for a summit, with a long-negotiated trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur on the agenda.

Protesters, many arriving in tractors, blocked the roads leading into central Brussels, blared horns and set off fireworks. Police deployed water cannon and tear gas near the Europa Building, where leaders of the 27 EU member states held discussions on the trade deal and other issues from early morning.

Outside the European Parliament, demonstrators initially threw potatoes and beets at police, who responded by using water cannons. The situation later escalated into violence, with protesters hurling stones, smoke bombs and fireworks at Parliament buildings, while tractors were seen uprooting trees in the square. Police used tear gas to disperse the violent protesters.

The demonstration mainly targeted the free trade agreement between the EU and the four founding Mercosur countries -- Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Initiated more than 20 years ago, the deal reached an agreement in principle in 2019, with negotiations finalized in 2024.

The proposed pact would expand EU exports of vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to Latin America, while easing access for South American beef, sugar, rice, honey and soybeans to the European market.

UN Security Council to meet over situation in Venezuela

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Venezuela on Tuesday, the Security Council presidency confirmed Thursday.

"In response to your questions, I can confirm that the Presidency intends to convene a meeting on Venezuela on Tuesday at 3 p.m.," Laura Miklic, spokeswoman for the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations, told Xinhua.

Slovenia holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of December.

The emergency meeting was reportedly requested by Venezuela.

Winter storm batters western U.S., cuts power to around 750,000 customers

Wind gusts of 231 km/h at Mount Coffin, Wyoming, marked the peak intensity of a winter storm that tore across the western and central United States, cutting electricity to around 750,000 customers nationwide, according to media reports recently.

There were also reports on Wednesday of wind gusts of 228 km/h at Coldwater Ridge in Washington state and 222 km/h at Mount Hood, Oregon.

According to online outage trackers, nearly 600,000 electricity customers across Washington state, Oregon and Idaho lost service as of Thursday.

The storm drew its strength from an atmospheric river, a meteorological phenomenon in which narrow bands of moisture stream from tropical waters toward cooler regions and release enormous volumes of rain and snow upon hitting coastal mountains.

Washington state was the hardest hit, with levee problems and swollen rivers forcing evacuations in communities near Seattle. In Snohomish, northeast of Seattle, authorities reported that a man died in a submerged vehicle after driving past road-closure signs into floodwater.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson described the destruction as profound. A long stretch of U.S. Route 2, a vital east-west highway connecting cities in western Washington, has been severely damaged and will face prolonged closures as transportation crews rebuild washed-out sections, officials said.

More atmospheric rivers are approaching the coast. The National Weather Service has issued an outlook showing a 60 percent to 70 percent chance of above-normal precipitation for the San Francisco Bay Area in California between Dec. 19 and 25, raising concerns about potential flooding.

UN says Houthi group detains 10 more UN staff in Yemeni capital

A UN spokesperson said on Thursday that Yemen's Houthi group had detained another 10 UN staff members in Sanaa, raising the total number of UN personnel held by the group to 69.

In a statement seen by Xinhua, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, confirmed "the arbitrary detention of 10 UN staff members by the Houthi de facto authorities in Sanaa," adding that the total number of detained UN staff has risen to 69.

Earlier, a Yemeni UN employee in Sanaa, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that Houthi forces had arrested four Yemeni staff members working for the UN Department of Safety and Security, the UN Development Programme, and the UN Children's Fund. The source said Houthi security personnel raided their homes before detaining them.

The Houthis did not immediately comment.

The arrests come a day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the continued detention of UN personnel in Yemen. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday following a closed-door UN Security Council meeting, Guterres said: "I strongly condemn the continued arbitrary detention of 59 UN colleagues and partners, as well as individuals from non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions. I call for their immediate and unconditional release in accordance with international law."

He noted that the Houthis had recently referred three UN staff members to a special criminal court, adding: "This referral must be rescinded." Guterres described the ongoing detention of UN personnel as "a profound injustice to those who have dedicated their lives to helping the people of Yemen."

U.S. sanctions two more ICC judges over Israel; ICC strongly rejects sanctions

The U.S. administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on two more International Criminal Court (ICC) judges after The Hague-based court rejected Israel's bid to block the ongoing probe into alleged crimes in Gaza.

The two ICC judges, Gocha Lordkipanidze and Erdenebalsuren Damdin, "have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel's consent," said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.

The two judges voted with the majority in favor of the ICC's ruling against Israel's appeal on Monday, according to the statement.

The ICC on Thursday strongly rejected the new U.S. sanctions, saying "these sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates pursuant to the mandate conferred by its States Parties from across regions."

"Such measures targeting judges and prosecutors who were elected by the States Parties undermine the rule of law. When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk," said the court in a statement.

The United States has previously sanctioned nine elected officials of the ICC's Judiciary and the Office of the Prosecutor, according to the court.

UN: Over 1,000 civilians killed in paramilitary's April attack on Sudan displacement camp

More than 1,000 civilians were killed over three days of attacks by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur in April, according to a United Nations report released Thursday.

"At least 1,013 civilians were killed during the offensive from April 11 to 13," the report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said, pointing to a "consistent pattern" of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross abuses of human rights law.

Of those killed, 319 were summarily executed, either in the camp or while trying to flee. Others were killed in their homes during house-to-house searches, as well as in the main market, schools, health facilities, and mosques.

The report also documented widespread conflict-related sexual violence. At least 104 survivors, including 75 women, 26 girls, and three boys, mostly from the Zaghawa ethnic group, were subjected to severe sexual abuse, including rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery, both during the attack and along escape routes.

In the months leading up to the assault, the RSF imposed a strict siege on Zamzam, cutting off food, water, fuel, and other essential supplies, and targeting those attempting to deliver aid. Some families were forced to feed their children animal feed to survive.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said such attacks could amount to war crimes.

Ugandan president pledges free, fair general elections

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said Thursday that the country's forthcoming general elections would be free and fair, urging voters to turn out in large numbers.

Museveni, who is seeking re-election, made the remarks while addressing a public rally in Rakai District, Uganda's Central Region, as part of his campaign ahead of the Jan. 15 polling.

The president said maintaining peace remains the government's top priority and forms the foundation for the country's social and economic progress.

"On the day of voting, people should come out and vote freely. No one will disturb you," Museveni said, adding that Uganda's security institutions are capable of safeguarding peace before, during and after the polls.

"Whoever tries to disturb our peace or attack the voters will regret it," he said.

Museveni attributed Uganda's relative stability to the rejection of sectarian politics, the presence of a disciplined national army and strong state institutions.

He warned that political disorder could undermine development gains, noting that instability in other countries has often led to economic decline and social disruption.