Interesting Global News

In the latest violence in Gaza, the civil defence service said Israeli air strikes killed at least 20 people, including four women and three children.

The deadliest strike on Sunday killed 10 people in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, where another strike on a house claimed the life of a woman, said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal. An Israeli drone strike killed five people in the southern city of Rafah, Bassal said, adding another strike killed three women and a child in the Nuseirat camp.

On Israel's second front in the north, AFPTV footage showed several strikes hit Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold, shortly after the Israeli military warned people to evacuate. Columns of smoke were seen rising over the capital's southern suburbs, where Lebanon's only international airport is located. Further south, overnight Israeli air strikes and shelling hit the flashpoint town of Khiam, the Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported. The bombardment came after Israel's military reported a "heavy rocket barrage" on Haifa late Saturday and said a synagogue was hit, wounding two civilians.

A UN-backed assessment on November 9 warned famine was imminent in northern Gaza, amid the increased hostilities and a near-halt in food aid. Israel has pushed back against a Human Rights Watch report this week alleging that its mass displacement of Gazans amounts to a "crime against humanity", as well as findings from a UN Special Committee pointing to warfare practices "consistent with the characteristics of genocide".

Demonstrators in Tel Aviv on Saturday reiterated demands that the government reach a deal to free dozens of hostages still held in Gaza.

On Wednesday, jailed tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai will testify in his collusion trial, breaking the silence he has kept over five previous trials and almost four years in jail. He will take the stand the day after the sentencing of 45 pro-democracy politicians and activists for a subversion case triggered by their holding an unofficial election primary. Both cases could carry sentences of up to life in prison.

Western countries and international rights groups have condemned the two trials as evidence of Hong Kong's increased authoritarianism since Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in 2020.

"These are two cases that epitomise the collapse of human rights in Hong Kong since (then)," Amnesty International's China Director Sarah Brooks told AFP.

But China and Hong Kong say the law has restored order after the city was rocked by massive, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019, and have warned against "interference" from other countries.

Hypersonics are the new frontier in missile technology, because they fly lower and are harder to detect than ballistic missiles, can reach targets more quickly, and can be ordered to change target in mid-flight. The United States, Russia, China and North Korea have all tested hypersonic missiles, and several others are developing the technology.

The test flight comes days after rival and neighbour China showcased its expanding aviation capabilities at an airshow, with the J-35A stealth fighter jet and attack drones displayed.

New Delhi has deepened defence cooperation with Western countries in recent years, including in the Quad alliance with the United States, Japan and Australia. India is also a major buyer of Russian military hardware, including Moscow's S-400 missile defence system -- despite the threat of US sanctions over the multi-billion dollar deal.

The prospect of Trump returning to power in the United States next year has raised questions about the future of the conflict, as the Republican has been critical of US military aid to Kyiv. Zelensky spoke a day after saying the war will end "sooner" than it otherwise would have done once Trump becomes president.

He also spoke a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin held his first phone call with a major Western leader, speaking to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who initiated the call despite Kyiv's objections.

"For our part, we must do everything we can to ensure that this war ends next year. We have to end it by diplomatic means," Zelensky said in an interview with Ukrainian radio.

There have been no meaningful talks between Russia and Ukraine, but Trump's re-election has plunged the attritional conflict's future into uncertainty, with the Republican repeatedly promising to cut a quick deal to end the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will only accept talks with Ukraine if Kyiv surrenders Ukrainian territory that Moscow occupies. The Kremlin said he repeated that demand in the phone conversation with Scholz on Friday. Zelensky has rejected Putin's conditions.

Zelensky said on Saturday that Russian forces were suffering heavy losses and that the advance had "slowed down" in some areas. Ukraine was "at war with a state that does not value its people, that has a lot of equipment, that does not care how many people die", he added.

Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and a routine disregard for safety regulations.

Babies rescued from the fire, all only days old, were moved to a new unit inside the hospital where staff were caring for them.

"Ten infants have unfortunately died despite our best efforts," doctor Narendra Sengar, the principal of a medical college attached to the hospital, told AFP. Sengar said all 39 other babies in the ward had been rescued and were in good health, contradicting earlier media reports that 16 had been critically injured. [...] Doctors and staff on duty had rushed to the rescue of the babies "without caring for their own lives", he said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of 500,000 rupees ($5,900) each to the bereaved families.

Authorities said that the hospital was not properly licensed and lacked proper fire exits, and police arrested a doctor and the facility's owner in the aftermath.

Protesters stormed parliament and are calling for the president to resign over a Russian investment bill.

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"Looting is an ongoing issue," they said, calling the theft of goods "a consequence of Israel's targeting of the remaining police forces in Gaza" as well as of scarcity of essential goods, lack of routes and the closure of most crossing points which had resulted in "desperation of the population amid those dire conditions".

Based on "media reports", the NGOs accused Israel's military of "failing to prevent aid trucks from being looted and armed gangs from extorting aid organisations for protection money". In "some cases", the report said, "the remaining members of local police forces tried to take action against the looters, but were attacked by Israeli troops".

Incidents had taken place "close by or in full view of Israeli forces without them intervening, even when truck drivers asked for assistance", it said.

There are no suggestions of extraterrestrial origin, but that won’t settle any debates over the existence of alien life

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Revealed: more than 100 executives given special guest badges as activists challenge role of oil and gas firms at talks

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241115210058/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/15/fossil-fuel-bosses-get-the-red-carpet-at-cop29-despite-concerns-over-influence

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Police investigate claim that Israeli PM’s chief of staff changed recorded time of call made about Hamas attacks

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241115194747/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/15/benjamin-netanyahu-aide-alleged-tampering-7-october-phone-records

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Italian Foreign Minister Tajani condemned the incident as "unacceptable" during a call with his Israeli counterpart, urging a thorough investigation and accountability.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241115205429/https://www.euronews.com/2024/11/15/israeli-shell-hits-unifil-base-in-lebanon-italy-seeks-clarification

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The tragedy angered local residents who attacked and looted the spaza and hounded out the shopkeeper, reportedly an Ethiopian national. Even the person who was renting out the premises fled in fear. While an autopsy revealed that a pesticide had caused the deaths, a link to the shop has not been officially established.

Six spazas were closed at Olievenhoutbosch outside the capital Pretoria last week for irregularities, municipal council official Sarah Mabotsa said. "They're selling expired food, they're selling skin products, they're selling meat, everything is in one shop," she charged.

As the continent's most industrialised economy, South Africa is a prime destination for people seeking work even though its own unemployment rate is around 32 percent. The competition has triggered mistrust and even violence.

If authorities don't step in, a xenophobic vigilante group known as Operation Dudula -- which means "push back" in Zulu -- often does.

Even politicians have made outright calls for all spaza shops to be run by South Africans.

The tragic wave of deaths of the young children has gripped South Africa, with speculation running wild in the absence of proven facts about what really caused their deaths. Some people believe that foreigners are deliberately setting out to poison South Africans; others say the outcry is a manufactured ploy to get the spazas and their profits back into the hands of locals.

Loren Landau, who studies migration at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said attacks against foreign-owned shops were "really about eliminating competition for business. "If you try to shut down South African businesses, people would protest," he said. But "you can go after a foreigner, no one will protest."

The Foreign Office revealed in a Thursday statement delivered in both the UK’s House of Commons and House of Lords that nine “serious and significant offenses” were allegedly committed by foreign officials with diplomatic immunity in 2023. The crimes include sexual assault, indecent exposure, and child cruelty, among others.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241115142942/https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/11/foreign-diplomats-in-uk-accused-of-serious-crimes-including-sexual-assault-and-indecent-exposure/

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The international lending giant has pledged to double agriculture funding by 2030, but development banks are so far “failing spectacularly” to invest in sustainable solutions.

Brick samples will blast off aboard a cargo rocket heading for China's Tiangong space station, part of Beijing's mission to put humans on the Moon by 2030 and build a permanent base there by 2035.

It is a daunting task: any structure has to withstand huge amounts of cosmic radiation, extreme temperature variations and moonquakes, and getting building materials there in the first place is a costly procedure. Constructing the base out of the Moon itself could be a solution to those problems, scientists from a university in central Wuhan province hope.

The temperature on the Moon can vary drastically between 180 and -190 degrees Celsius (356 to -310 degrees Fahrenheit). Its lack of an atmosphere means it is subjected to large quantities of cosmic radiation as well as micrometeorites, while moonquakes can weaken any structure on its surface.

The exposure experiment will last three years, with samples sent back for testing every year.

Beijing is far from alone in looking to build the first lunar base. China's planned outpost on the Moon, known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), is a joint project with Russia. A dozen countries -- including Thailand, Pakistan, Venezuela and Senegal -- are partners in the initiative, as well as around 40 foreign organisations, according to Chinese state media.

Kashmir has been divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan since their partition at the chaotic end of British rule in 1947, and both countries claim the territory in full.

Half a million Indian troops are deployed in the far northern region, battling a 35-year insurgency in which tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels have been killed, including at least 120 this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government cancelled the Muslim-majority region's partial autonomy in 2019, a decision accompanied by mass arrests and a months-long communications blackout. The territory of around 12 million people has since been ruled by a governor appointed by New Delhi -- overseeing the local government that voters elected in October in opposition to Modi.

those who have long lived under the shadow of the grinding insurgency seemingly shrug off the threat. When an attacker this month hurled a grenade at security forces in a busy market -- killing a woman and wounding 11 civilians -- shoppers returned within a couple of hours.

"It will remain like this on low boil, as long as Kashmir is divided (between India and Pakistan)," a security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to journalists. "We control it here; they (Pakistan) will activate it from there." The Indian army says around 720 rebels have been killed in the past five years.

Satirical news outlet purchases media platform run by Alex Jones at a court-ordered auction

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The "Suneung" university entrance exam is a major event in the education-obsessed South, and officials take extreme measures, from rescheduling flights to pausing construction, to ensure students can give their best performance.

At a church in Seoul's wealthy Gangnam district, parents gathered for a nine-hour prayer marathon, with specific requests to God tailored around the structure of the multiple choice exam, which will be taken by 522,670 pupils this year.

Pastor Lee Chan-soo, who has held "Suneung prayer sessions" since 1992, said he tried to use the sessions to prepare parents to face any exam disappointments with equanimity. "The Suneung isn't everything in life. It's just the start," he said. "They are still our loving children and God's children regardless of the test scores."

At the Bongeunsa Buddhist temple, one of Seoul's largest, head monk Wonmyung was trying to comfort parents, who were performing rituals to help their children. Some parents bowed 108 times before the altar -- which in Buddhist theology should result in their wishes coming true.

For parents who are unable to pray in person, many churches and temples stream the sessions live on YouTube. Yoido Full Gospel Church, one of the largest churches in South Korea with about 480,000 members, is holding a YouTube live for the entire duration of the exam, featuring gospel songs and the faithful speaking in tongues.

Lee Sang-joon, 21, who is taking the test for the third time, told AFP he was "so happy" when he learned about the reforms, which gave him fresh hope of pursuing a medical career. This year is his "final chance" to succeed, he said. "It was nearly impossible to go to medical school, the top 0.01 percent in the country could go in. Now it's about 0.015 percent, which sounds like a chance to me".

Thousands of trainee doctors and medical students stopped working in February in protest of the plans, which sharply increased the number of places available for trainee doctors. But the government has pressed ahead, even as a roughly nine-month work stoppage has hit hospitals across the country.

To minimise noise around the more than 1,200 test centres nationwide, traffic has been ordered to slow, with bus and taxi driver unions agreeing not to honk during test hours. Construction work near the schools will also be halted. During the crucial listening portion of the English test, the land ministry imposed a nationwide ban on all aircraft takeoffs and landings outside of emergency situations.

Businesses were asked to adjust opening hours to alleviate traffic congestion and ensure that students arrived on time for the test, which started at 8:40 am. Even the stock market will also open an hour later at 10:00 am.

Anxious parents wept while wishing their children good luck and police escorted test-takers who were running late into schools early Thursday.

Crops have failed in several countries, with 27m people at risk of hunger according to World Food Programme

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241114080636/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/nov/14/lost-everything-southern-africa-battles-hunger-amid-historic-drought

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The journalist Mélissa Cornet and the photographer Kiana Hayeri met more than 100 Afghan girls and women in seven provinces, and found resistance and defiance but also despair

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