Interesting Global News

The IDF said in a statement that it had taken steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including using precise munitions and aerial surveillance.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107233047/https://www.euronews.com/2024/11/08/14-killed-in-israeli-strike-on-unrwa-school-used-as-shelter-for-displaced-gazans

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A strong typhoon has hit the northern Philippines, prompting a new round of evacuations in a region still recovering from back-to-back storms a few weeks ago.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107232432/https://apnews.com/article/philippines-typhoon-yinxing-876e9d337a65d3c5c2069ab41d36be28

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The nuclear fuel sample, the size of a grain of rice, was placed into a secure container Thursday, marking the end of the mission, according to the company.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107231919/https://apnews.com/article/japan-nuclear-fukushima-sample-robot-decommissioning-b7dd956a86401b39f04ae839f768d29f

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Hurricane Rafael brought strong winds, causing a shutdown of the country's electricity system for the second time in just weeks.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107231633/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74l15270l9o

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Arseny Turbin, one of Russia's youngest political prisoners, has lost an appeal to overturn his five-year jail sentence.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107230413/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ekwzkj2ejo

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Taipei says it is paying close attention to reported request by Elon Musk’s firm

Archived version: https://archive.ph/uFsSR

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2024%2Fnov%2F07%2Fspace-x-taiwan-manufacturing-claims-elon-musk

Authorities in Spain say the drug bust is the second-largest ever recorded in Europe and one of the biggest worldwide.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/F1F76

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Dads say rule change granting both parents equal time off has helped build bond between children and fathers

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107224649/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/07/finnish-fathers-paternity-leave-finland

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Opponents say the legislation, which would apply to close family members, is unconstitutional.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107224442/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1mlp9xdxl1o

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Moscow’s increasing use of drones is stretching Ukrainian air defences and ‘terrorising civilians,’ a senior Ukrainian official said.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107221752/https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/11/07/russia-blasts-kyiv-with-eight-hour-drone-barrage-as-war-nears-1000-day-mark

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The first lady is accused of accepting a luxury Dior handbag and stock manipulation.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107221617/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr41499pdlo

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Gambling Commission figures show shock rise to 85,000 in number of young people suffering gambling harms

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107220423/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/07/proportion-of-young-people-in-the-uk-with-gambling-problem-has-more-than-doubled-official-data-reveals

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Trump has been a persistent critic of the Fed, which lowered rates for the second time in a row as inflation continues to ease

Archived version: https://archive.ph/lKPFy

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The Erdoğan government’s decision in recent days to remove from office four democratically elected mayors and dissolve municipal councils is a significant blow to Türkiye’s democratic credentials and violates the rights of over half a million voters, Human Rights Watch said today. The mayors in four constituencies, one in Istanbul and three in southeast Türkiye, were elected in the March 31, 2024, local elections.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107214202/https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/07/turkiye-government-removes-elected-opposition-mayors

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The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, brought attention to the humanitarian crisis ongoing in Lebanon before the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday. Grandi highlighted alleged violations of international law including mass destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes that has resulted in the deaths of civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107213711/https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/11/un-refugee-high-commissioner-warns-of-humanitarian-crisis-in-lebanon/

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The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) announced the arrest of 2,517 and the rescue of 3,222 trafficking victims as result of a worldwide operation against human trafficking involving police in 116 countries on Wednesday.

Archived version: https://archive.fo/ywjtT

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Israel cut ties with UNWRA, attacked the West Bank and Lebanon, and announced a pending “complete evacuation” of northern Gaza earlier this week.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107205216/https://theintercept.com/2024/11/07/america-election-israel-netanyahu-gaza/

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The hydrogen industry, which has relied on oil and gas companies both financially and through lobbying efforts, is preparing for a grim outcome.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107182034/https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/05/oil-giant-bp-is-killing-18-hydrogen-projects-chilling-the-nascent-industry/

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The Sanctuary of the Eleona sits in a Jerusalem compound owned by France, and along with three other sites in Israel makes up the French national domain in the Holy Land. The sites have been the focus of diplomatic incidents in the past.

The national domain was attributed to France before Israel's creation and is administered as a private property by the French consulate in Jerusalem.

The AFP journalist saw Israeli police surround the two French gendarmes before pushing one of them to the ground. The gendarme identified himself and shouted "Don't touch me" several times, according to the journalist. Both gendarmes were then led into police cars. They were later released.

"The Eleona Domain... has not only belonged to France for more than 150 years, but France also ensures its security, maintains it," Barrot said.

Kyiv is scrambling to up the pressure on its allies for more support in its fight against Moscow following the victory of Donald Trump in this week's US presidential election. Trump has boasted he could end the conflict within hours and repeatedly criticised American aid to Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine cede swathes more territory in its east and south as a precondition to peace talks, while Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out ceding any land to Moscow in exchange for peace. Ukraine and many in the West fear any settlement that rewards Putin would only embolden the Kremlin leader and lead to more aggression.

"There has been much talk about the need to yield to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions," Zelensky said, according to a copy of the address provided to AFP by the Ukrainian presidency. "It's unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all Europe," he added.

He also blasted some European leaders, without specifying who, of "strongly" pushing Ukraine to compromise. "We need sufficient weapons, not support in talks. Hugs with Putin won't help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse," Zelensky said.

The head of Russia's Security Council Sergei Shoigu said the West faced a choice between opening direct talks with Moscow or the continuing "destruction" of Ukraine's population. "Now, when the situation in the theatre of combat is not in Kyiv's favour, the West is faced with a choice," Shoigu said at a meeting with defence officials of other former Soviet states.

Zelensky has previously said that without US aid, Ukraine would lose the war.

Ukrainian media reported that Donetsk region authorities were preparing to announce mandatory evacuations from seven more villages in the region that the Kremlin claimed in 2022 was part of Russia. Moscow's overnight drone attack on Ukraine damaged buildings in the southern Black Sea city of Odesa where AFP journalists saw residents inspecting destroyed cars and residential buildings as dawn broke.

Deforestation fell by 30.6 percent in the year-to-year period beginning in August 2023, according to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). During that time, 6,288 square kilometers (2,427 square miles) of forest were destroyed, which INPE Director Gilvan Oliveira said was "the lowest result in the last nine years."

Over the last century, the Amazon rainforest -- which covers nearly 40 percent of South America -- has lost about 20 percent of its area to deforestation, due to the spread of agriculture and cattle ranching, logging and mining, and urban sprawl. Scientists warn that continued deforestation will put the Amazon on track to reach a point where it will emit more carbon than it absorbs, accelerating climate change.

In addition to the Amazon, destruction of the Cerrado, the most species-rich savanna in the world, which is located in central Brazil, was reduced by 25.7 percent or 8,174 square kilometers, INPE reported.

Deforestation dramatically worsened under Lula's far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, whose administration saw Amazon deforestation shoot up 75 percent compared to the average of the previous decade.

Ethiopia, an East African country with a population of around 120 million, is the continent's largest producer of honey. Nectar is particularly important in Ethiopian culture, with yellow honey used to produce tej, a popular local mead.

Goshu Welealeabzgi, a specialist for the Tigray authorities' Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources, says 40 to 60 percent of hives were destroyed by the war.

War in Tigray between federal government troops and Tigrayan rebels that raged from 2020 to 2022

Before the conflict, he estimates there were 500,000 colonies in Tigray, with 200,000 people directly dependent on beekeeping, in a region of around six million inhabitants.

Bees were also victim to the environmental damage caused by the conflict, especially as desperate locals were forced to cut down trees, particularly the acacias that covered the hills, to sell or use for firewood.

"The conflict harmed everybody," he (Beekeeper Amanuel Hiluf) adds. "The sound of bullets has stopped, but there is still the sound of misery."

The tech giants would be held responsible for enforcing the age limit and face hefty fines if regulators notice young users slipping through the cracks, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Australia is among the vanguard of nations trying to clean up social media, and the proposed age limit would be among the world's strictest measures aimed at children.

The new laws would be presented to state and territory leaders this week, before being introduced to parliament in late November. Once passed, the tech platforms would be given a one-year grace period to figure out how to implement and enforce the ban.

Once celebrated as a means of staying connected and informed, social media platforms have been tarnished by cyberbullying, the spread of illegal content, and election-meddling claims.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said social media companies were repeatedly "falling short" in their obligations. [...] Rowland said companies like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Elon Musk's X would face financial penalties if they flouted the laws. While Rowland did not detail how big these would be, she suggested fines of US$600,000 (Aus $1 million) were well below the mark for companies boasting yearly revenues in the tens of billions of dollars.

Analysts have expressed doubt it would be technically feasible to enforce a strict age ban. "We already know that present age verification methods are unreliable, too easy to circumvent, or risk user privacy," University of Melbourne researcher Toby Murray said earlier this year.

Australia has in recent years ramped up efforts to regulate the tech giants, with mixed success. A "combating misinformation" bill was introduced earlier this year, outlining sweeping powers to fine tech companies for breaching online safety obligations.

Israeli internal intelligence arrested four Israelis, one of whom works in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, on charges of leaking and falsifying classified documents concerning the ongoing war on Gaza, an Israeli court revealed over the weekend.

The fabricated documents allegedly leaked by one of Netanyahu’s aides were falsely attributed to the late Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar. The revelations of the recent fabrications repudiate Israeli propaganda claims of Hamas’s alleged intransigence in ceasefire negotiations throughout the war, especially during the last round of negotiations over the summer.

During those negotiations, Netanyahu had insisted that Israel must maintain a permanent military presence along the Philadelphi corridor, a strip of land bordering Gaza and Egypt, because he claimed that Hamas was using it to smuggle weapons and supplies.

At around the same time, the leaked documents falsely claimed that the Philadelphi corridor was to be used by Hamas to smuggle Israeli captives out of Gaza alongside Sinwar.

The leak case was classified by Israel’s military censor until the Israeli court revealed the name of the main suspect. According to Israeli reports that followed the easing of censorship, highly classified documents acquired by the Israeli army in Gaza were misquoted, misattributed, and selectively leaked alongside fabricated information to the media in a way that served Netanyahu’s purpose of sabotaging a potential ceasefire and captives exchange deal — in service of his agenda of prolonging the war.