Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, Jan. 5

NEW YORK -- U.S stocks kept rising in the morning session Thursday, with the Dow shooting above 25,000 points for the first time, as investor cheered over strong U.S. private-sector hiring data.

By midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 138.68 points, or 0.56 percent, to 25,061.36. The S&P 500 added 11.17 points, or 0.41 percent, to 2,724.23. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 11.84 points, or 0.17 percent, to 7,077.37. (US-Stocks)

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JOHANNESBURG -- A passenger train slammed into a truck in South Africa's Free State province on Thursday, killing 18 people and injuring 239 others.

The Emergency Services confirmed that the Shosholoza Meyl Train 37012 was traveling from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg, when it hit a truck at Jeneva level crossing between Henneman and Kroonstad in Free State province. (South Africa-Train Crash)

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WASHINGTON -- An intense "bomb cyclone" is battering the U.S. East Coast on Thursday with high winds and heavy snowfalls, leaving thousands of flights cancelled, numerous schools and offices closed, and millions of Americans bracing for potential power shortages.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said Thursday three people have died in the snow storm. (US-Snow Storm)

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HARARE -- A Zimbabwean court on Thursday set free Martha O'Donovan, an American citizen who was arrested in November last year and charged with insulting Robert Mugabe, the country's former president.

Harare Magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta removed O'Donovan from remand and ordered the State to proceed by way of summons if it intends to pursue with prosecuting the American citizen, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights whose lawyers represented O'Donovan said in a statement. (Zimbabwe-Mugabe-Insult) Enditem