World News Roundup: North Korea fires two ballistic missiles, escalating tensions, says South Korea; Malaysia police questions campsite operator after landslide kills 24 and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

North Korea fires two ballistic missiles, escalating tensions, says South Korea

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles towards the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast on Sunday, said South Korea and Japan, prompting South Korea's presidential office to "strongly condemned" Pyongyang for escalating tensions. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the two medium-range missiles flew about 500 kms (311 miles).

Malaysia police questions campsite operator after landslide kills 24

Malaysian police have called in staff members from an unlicensed campsite to assist in an investigation into a landslide that flattened the camp grounds and killed at least 24 people, as the search for missing people continued for a third day on Sunday. The victims, including seven children, died after a landslide tore through the campsite early on Friday while they slept in tents at Batang Kali, a popular hilly area about 50km (30 miles) north of capital Kuala Lumpur.

Israel deports Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri to France over security, interior ministry says

Israel deported French-Palestinian human rights lawyer Salah Hamouri to France on Sunday, accusing him of security offences, the Israeli interior ministry said in a statement. Hamouri, 37, a lifelong Jerusalem resident, was escorted to the airport where he boarded an early morning flight to France with his supporters saying there was no legal recourse for him to take.

Heating restored in freezing Kyiv - Mayor Klitschko

Heating has been fully restored to Kyiv after the latest Russian bombardment that targeted water and power infrastructure, the capital's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Sunday. "The city is restoring all services after the latest shelling," Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app.

Streets deserted in China's cities as new COVID surge looms

Streets in major Chinese cities were eerily quiet on Sunday as people stayed home to protect themselves from a surge in COVID-19 cases that has hit urban centres from north to south. China is in the first of an expected three waves of COVID cases this winter, according to the country's chief epidemiologist, Wu Zunyou. Further waves will come as people follow the tradition of returning en masse to their home areas for the Lunar New Year holiday next month, he said.

Majority of Japanese oppose raising taxes to fund military expansion -Kyodo

The majority of Japanese people do not support raising taxes to fund military expansion, Kyodo reported on Sunday, citing a survey the news agency conducted after the government announced Japan's biggest military build-up since World War Two.

Japan on Friday announced a $320 billion military spending plan to buy missiles capable of striking China and to ready the country for any sustained conflict, as missile tests by nearby North Korea, China's claim over Taiwan and the invasion of Ukraine by Japan's western neighbour Russia stoke fear of war.

Vote for me! Cyprus clerics scramble to get public vote

Greek Cypriots went to the polls on Sunday in an electoral process for a new Archbishop to head an ancient church with modern interests from property management to breweries. The Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus is one of the few Orthodox Churches worldwide to recognise the independence of the fellow-Orthodox Church of Ukraine, in a move which triggered a rift within the Cypriot church in 2020.

Analysis-Dismal election turnout puts Tunisia president's legitimacy under spotlight

The ultra-low turnout of 8.8% in Tunisia's parliamentary election on Saturday may prove a defining moment in the struggle between President Kais Saied and a fragmented but increasingly confident opposition that accuses him of a coup. Opposition politicians said Tunisia's lowest ever turnout stripped away any facade of democratic legitimacy for Saied's political project and called directly for his ouster.

Accident in Afghanistan's Salang Tunnel kills at least 12

An accident in the landmark Salang alpine tunnel that connects Afghanistan's capital to its north killed at least 12 people and injured dozens, authorities said on Sunday. Thirty-seven people were injured in the accident in Salang Tunnel, located about 90 km (56 miles) north of Kabul, according to Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban-run administration.

In the holy land, a Christmas spirit is reborn

In a small distillery just outside Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a clear liquid drips out of a copper pot still into a stainless steel barrel, ringing like church bells. Every year with the start of Advent, which arrives shortly after the end of the grape harvest, Nader Muaddi prepares a new batch of arak, an anise-flavoured spirit.