The United States Congress has officially certified Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, paving the way for his return to the White House on January 20, 2025.

During a joint session of Congress on Monday, the certification process concluded with the formal validation of the Electoral College results from the November elections.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran against Trump in the election, oversaw the certification process, which proceeded without any disruptions, unlike the events of January 6, 2021, when a violent Capitol riot interrupted the certification of Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election.

In her remarks after the session, Harris emphasized the importance of a peaceful transfer of power, stressing that such transitions are a foundational aspect of American democracy.

“Today was an important day for democracy. It reaffirmed that the peaceful transfer of power is a fundamental pillar of our system,” she said.

The certification officially confirmed Trump’s victory, with 312 Electoral College votes compared to 226 for Harris.

The result also marked the first time since 2004 that a Republican candidate has won the popular vote in a presidential election.

Trump, who celebrated the certification on his social media platform, Truth Social, hailed the moment as “a big moment in history.”

His victory not only secures his return to the presidency but also ensures Republican control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

While Trump’s 2024 campaign faced controversy, especially surrounding his disputed claims about the 2020 election, it ultimately proved to be his most successful yet.

Despite facing ongoing legal battles and investigations related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 results, Trump’s 2024 campaign gained significant traction.

The legal challenges he faced, including a dismissed federal case in Washington, D.C., and an unresolved state case in Georgia, have not seemed to dampen his political fortunes.

Harris also used the moment to remind the nation of the fragile nature of democracy and the collective responsibility to protect it.

“America’s democracy is only as strong as our commitment to defending it,” Harris stated.

South Korea’s political parties have agreed to establish a joint task force to investigate the deadly crash of a Jeju Air flight that killed 179 people.

The incident has prompted the country’s transport minister to offer his resignation.

The Boeing 737-800, which was en route from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, on December 29, crashed while attempting to land at a South Korean airport.

The aircraft, carrying 181 passengers and crew, made a belly-landing and collided with a concrete barrier, sparking a massive fire.

As the cause of the crash remains under investigation, a joint task force, composed of members from both the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the opposition Democratic Party (DP), was announced on Tuesday.

The task force will investigate the crash’s causes and provide support to the victims’ families.

Transport Minister Park Sang-woo, who is facing political pressure after the tragedy, also announced that he plans to step down, though he has not yet determined the timing or method of his resignation.

His decision follows weeks of political instability, heightened by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief declaration of martial law last month.

The investigation will be led by a 15-member team, with seven members from the PPP, seven from the DP, and one independent member.

Both parties confirmed the creation of the task force, which will delve into the cause of the crash.

Minister Park expressed a deep sense of responsibility over the disaster. “As the minister in charge of aviation safety, I feel a heavy sense of responsibility,” he told reporters.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport confirmed that Park had formally offered his resignation.

Investigators are looking into several possible factors that might have contributed to the crash, including a bird strike, malfunctioning landing gear, and the runway barrier. The pilot had reported a bird strike before aborting the first landing attempt.

During the second attempt, the landing gear failed to deploy, leading to the crash.

Authorities have found feathers in one of the engines, but lead investigator Lee Seung-yeol cautioned that the bird strike alone might not have caused the engine failure.

“We need to check whether both engines were affected,” he said.

In response to the crash, authorities have raided offices at Muan Airport, as well as a regional aviation office and Jeju Air’s headquarters in Seoul.

The CEO of Jeju Air has also been prohibited from leaving the country.

In a related move, Jeju Air announced that it would reduce 188 international flights departing from Busan in the first quarter of 2025 as part of efforts to improve operational safety.

This follows an earlier decision to cut flight operations by 10-15% by March.

A powerful earthquake that struck China’s Tibet region on Tuesday has left at least 95 people dead and caused widespread destruction, collapsing numerous buildings.

The earthquake’s impact was also felt in neighboring Nepal and parts of India.

According to footage from China’s state broadcaster CCTV, entire houses were demolished, with walls torn apart.

Rescue teams worked tirelessly through the debris, providing emergency aid and thick blankets to locals in subzero temperatures.

The earthquake, measuring a magnitude of 6.8 according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) and 7.1 by the US Geological Survey, hit Tingri County, located about 80 kilometers north of Mount Everest.

The tremor struck at around 9:00 am on Tuesday. Tingri is a rural and high-altitude region with a population of around 62,000.

One local, Sangji Dangzhi, whose supermarket was damaged, described the situation as “very serious.”

He said, “Here the houses are made from dirt, so when the earthquake came, lots of houses collapsed.”

Ambulances were reported to be taking injured people to hospitals throughout the day.

As of 3:00 pm, official reports confirmed 95 deaths and 130 injuries, with over 1,000 homes affected.

CCTV surveillance footage from a store in the area captured scenes of people running for safety as the shelves shook violently, causing objects to fall.

The area of Tingri, which has less infrastructure development compared to Tibet’s capital Lhasa, is primarily populated with traditional homes made of stone, mud bricks, and wooden beams.

Many of these buildings were destroyed during the quake.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for “all-out search and rescue efforts” to minimize further casualties and to provide shelter and warmth to affected residents.

Temperatures in the region are expected to drop to minus 16 degrees Celsius overnight, exacerbating the hardship for survivors.

To aid the recovery, more than 3,400 rescue workers and 340 medical staff have been mobilized. In addition, the Chinese government has sent tents, quilts, and other cold-weather supplies to assist those affected.

Tingri is located in the Shigatse prefecture, a historically significant area in Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama expressed his sadness over the tragedy, offering prayers for the victims and wishing for the swift recovery of those injured.

International leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, extended their condolences, sharing in the grief of those affected by the disaster.

The earthquake was also felt across the border in Nepal, especially in areas near Mount Everest.

Although the tremors were strong in the region, no significant damage or fatalities have been reported there.

However, security forces have been deployed to monitor the situation.

In neighboring India, tremors were felt in Bihar state, though no injuries were reported.

This earthquake marks the strongest recorded in the region in the last five years.

Authorities have confirmed that this tremor is the deadliest earthquake to hit Tibet since 2014, when more than 600 people were killed in Yunnan province. It also follows a deadly quake in Gansu province in December 2023 that left 148 people dead and displaced thousands.

Rescue and relief efforts continue as authorities work to provide aid and support to the survivors.