250,000 Syrian refugees could return home next year
ANKARA, Dec 11: Up to 250,000 Syrian refugees could return to their devastated homeland in 2019, while many others face problems with documentation and property that the Damascus government must help resolve, the UNrefugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday. Some 5.6 million Syrian refugees remain in neighboring countries - Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq - Amin Awad, UNHCR director for the Middle East and North Africa, told a news briefing. Some 37,000 have returned this year, UNHCR figures show. — Reuters
Iran tests ballistic missile
TEHRAN, Dec 11: A senior Revolutionary Guards commander said on Tuesday that Iran had recently carried out a ballistic missile test but he did not specify what kind of missile had been tested, according to Fars News. The comment appeared to confirm a report by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who said early this month that Iran had test-fired "a medium range ballistic missile that is capable of carrying multiple warheads." — Reuters
Spain grapples with surging number of teenage migrants
MADRID, Dec 11: Slouched on a bench at a Barcelona police station, five teenagers wait patiently to find out where they will sleep that night: a shelter for young migrants, or on that bench. The boys from Morocco and Sub-Saharan Africa had all entered southern Spain as unaccompanied minors, crossing from Morocco on what this year has become the biggest migrant route into Europe. — AP
Israeli forces gun down Palestinian
HEBRON, Dec 11: A Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces in the southern West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian officials said.Palestinian official media Wafa said the man, Omar Awwad, 27, was shot by Israeli forces near Hebron, with the health ministry confirming he died after being taken to hospital. Israeli police said he was shot after his car "drove towards border police" at a checkpoint. — AFP
Japan draft defence plan seeks aircraft carrier for US-made jets
TOKYO, Dec 11: Japan is seeking to possess its first aircraft carrier allowing for the deployment of US-made stealth fighters as it seeks to bolster its arms capability under a new 10-year defense plan. A draft outline of Japan's new defense plan, presented by the government Tuesday, proposes refitting an existing helicopter carrier into one that can deploy U.S.-made F-35 stealth fighters capable of short take-offs and vertical landings. — AP
Quake hits South Sandwich Islands
BEIJING, Dec 11: A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the South Sandwich Islands on the Atlantic at 10:26 am on Tuesday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). The epicenter was monitored at 58.35 degrees south latitude and 26.37 degrees west longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 150 km, the center said. — Xinhua
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