12.03.2023 sunday

COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber dismisses proposals for a fossil fuel phase-out, for which he is accused of climate change denial. (The Guardian) 

The United States provides BLU-109 bunker buster bombs and other munitions to Israel. Similar bombs made by the US have been used by Israel in the Jabalia refugee camp airstrikes, including a strike that levelled an apartment block, killing more than 100 people. (Al Jazeera) 

Ukraine‘s security service stops former president Petro Poroshenko from leaving the country. Poroshenko’s political party, European Solidarity, said he had scheduled meetings in Poland and the United States. (Reuters via France 24) 

Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko says Ukraine is heading toward authoritarianism in an interview with Der Spiegel. Klitschko says the President’s Office views mayors as an impediment to power consolidation. (Kyiv Independent) 

The USS Carney, along with multiple civilian-owned commercial ships, is attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea. (Washington Post) 

At least 700 Palestinians have been killed during the last 24 hours by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. Rights groups object to Israel’s stepped-up attacks in southern Gaza, which was declared a “safe zone” by Israel. (Al Jazeera) 

Four people are killed and about 50 others injured by a bombing during a Catholic Mass at Mindanao State University in Marawi, Bangsamoro, Philippines. The Islamic State claims responsibility. (Reuters) 

The East African Community’s task force begins withdrawing from North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, after the country refused to renew the force’s mandate. (AFP via France 24) 

At least 20 people are killed and 70 others injured in landslides caused by flooding in Katesh, Manyara, Tanzania. (Reuters) 

A man kills four of his family members and wounds another during a mass stabbing in Queens, New York, United States, and injures two responding police officers, before they shoot him dead. (CNN) 

Venezuelans vote in a referendum to measure popular support on the territorial claim to Guayana Esequiba, which is part of Guyana. (BBC News) 

More than 190 Palestinians are killed and hundreds more are wounded by Israeli airstrikes on different parts of the Gaza Strip, including Khan Younis in southern Gaza. (Al Jazeera) 

The United Nations said the fighting would worsen the extreme humanitarian emergency in Gaza. UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said that the people of Gaza had nowhere safe to go and very little to survive on. (Al Jazeera) 

Eight people are killed and 26 more injured as unknown gunmen open fire against a bus on the Karakoram Highway near the town of Chilas, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera) 

One person is killed and two others are injured in a stabbing near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. The suspect is arrested by police. (Reuters) 

The cooling tower of the decommissioned Voerde power plant in Germany is blown up. (NRZ) (RWE) (WDR) 

A person is killed after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Mindanao, Philippines. Tsunami warnings are issued for the Philippines and Japan, but are later lifted. (Reuters) 

The United Nations Climate Change conference opens in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with an agreement to provide funding to underdeveloped countries that are most at risk from the effects of climate change. (The Guardian) 

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ends after a deadline expires on the seventh day. Mediator Qatar says that efforts are ongoing to renew the ceasefire and expressed regret over the resumption of Israeli bombardments. (AP) 

Israeli warplanes carry out airstrikes on different parts of the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring dozens of Palestinians. Airstrikes hit southern Gaza including the community of Abasan al-Kabira east of the town of Khan Younis. Another strike hit a home northwest of Gaza City. (Al Jazeera) (AP) 

More than 180 Palestinians are killed and hundreds more are injured by Israeli airstrikes on different parts of the Gaza Strip, including the community of Abasan al-Kabira and a home northwest of Gaza City. (Al Jazeera) (AP) 

Israeli shelling kills a woman and her son in Hula in southern Lebanon. (Al Jazeera) 

Aid is stranded near Egypt’s border with Gaza, with truck drivers saying they expected further delays to a complex delivery process that had briefly speeded up during the weeklong truce. (Al Jazeera) 

Hundreds of Malawians travel to Israel to work as farm labourers. Kondwani Nankhumwa, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party has questioned the secrecy of the deal amidst the governments awareness of the ongoing war. (Al Jazeera) 

The Turkish Air Force launches airstrikes on Kurdistan Workers’ Party positions in northern Iraq, reportedly destroying 16 of their targets and killing a number of militants. (Reuters) 

At least eleven civilians are killed in an attack by an armed group in Miqdadiyah, Diyala Governorate, Iraq. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP) 

Eleven Dawla Islamiyah and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters militants are killed during a raid by the Philippine Army in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur. (AP) 

Allied Karenni rebel groups and local PDF forces launch attacks on junta bases in Kawkareik, Karen State. (The Irrawaddy) 

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) lifts an arms embargo on the Somali Armed Forces and the Somali government, while continuing sanctions against the Al-Shabaab jihadist group. (AFP via The Defense Post) 

The UNSC adopts a resolution to end the mandate of its United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) by December 3. (Radio Dabanga) 

Sri Lanka‘s efforts to restructure its debt run into difficulty when an ad hoc group of private creditors object that the official creditors and Sri Lanka itself are being insufficiently transparent about their talks. (Reuters) 

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders Venezuela to refrain from any action that would alter the status quo in Guayana Esequiba ahead of a referendum on its rights to the disputed territory, but does not forbid Venezuela from going ahead with the referendum as Guyana requested. (Reuters) 

The International Committee of the Red Cross suspends the Belarus Red Cross after its Secretary General Dzmitry Shautsou refuses to resign following statements that the organization was involved in bringing Ukrainian children to Belarus for health improvement purposes. (AP) (Nasha Niva) 

The Philippine Coast Guard establishes a surveillance station on the disputed Thitu Island in the South China Sea. (AP) 

A serial killer is suspected of having fatally shot three homeless men over the past week in Los Angeles, California, United States. (ABC News) 

George Santos is expelled from the United States House of Representatives over criminal corruption charges and accusations of misspending campaign money. (Reuters) 

The Turkish Air Force launches airstrikes on Kurdistan Workers’ Party positions in northern Iraq, reportedly destroying 16 of their targets and killing a number of militants. (Reuters) 

Madagascar‘s supreme court confirms Andry Rajoelina‘s election as president after dismissing several challenges against the provisional results. (Reuters) 

Allied Karenni rebel groups and local PDF launch attacks on junta bases in KawkareikKaren State(The Irrawaddy) 

South Korea launches its first military reconnaissance satellite from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, United States, carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. (AFP via SCMP) 

The End Sunday 

Three Israeli civilians are killed and sixteen are injured in a mass shooting in the Givat Shaul neighborhood of Jerusalem. Two Palestinian gunmen are shot and killed by security forces. An armed civilian is mistaken for an attacker and is also shot, later dying in a hospital. Hamas reportedly claims responsibility for the attack. (The Times of Israel) (Haaretz) 

A deal is reached to extend the ceasefire for at least one more day, after the ceasefire had been due to expire. (The Times of Israel) 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has expressed doubts that Israel is abiding by international law in during the war, due to the high number of civilian casualties and video footage of growing numbers of children dying. (Al Jazeera) 

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken steps up calls for Israel to comply with international law and protect civilians during its military operations in southern Gaza. (Al Jazeera) 

Ukraine says its special forces bombed a freight train as it was passing through the Severomuysky Tunnel in BuryatiaRussia. Russia’s Investigative Committee acknowledges an explosion and fire inside the tunnel, and says that a preliminary probe is underway to determine the cause. (Reuters) 

Gunfire breaks out between the National Guard of Guinea-Bissau and the Presidential Guard after the National Guard frees two ministers from the opposition PAIGC from police custody. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) 

The insolvency of the Austrian Signa Holding also leads to the insolvency of the German sporting goods retailer SportScheck(rbb24) 

At least 13 people are killed in a fire at a hostel in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with preliminary reports indicating carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause of death. (AFP via France 24) 

Incoming Foreign Minister Diana Mondino announces that Argentina will not join the BRICS group of nations. (MyInd Markets) 

The Supreme Court of Russia bans the LGBT movement, labelling participants as extremists. (Reuters) 

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is granted a leave of absence prior to the 2024 general election and is succeeded by his private secretary Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara as acting president. (La Prensa Gráfica) 

The Brazilian Army mobilizes towards the border of Venezuela and Guyana, anticipating a possible Venezuelan military invasion of Guayana Esequiba(Escenario Mundial) 

The End

black friday [complete] i

On day 3 of the ceasefire, Hamas releases 3 Thai migrant workers and 14 Israeli hostages including one man who holds dual Russian citizenship, and was released at President Vladimir Putin’s request and a 4 years old an Israeli-American citizen, while Israel releases 39 Palestinian prisoners(The Times of Israel) 

Hamas confirms the deaths of several senior commanders including Ahmed Ghandour, the commander of its Northern Gaza brigade; Ayman Siam, the head of Hamas’ rocket firing array; as well as Wael Rajab and Raafat Salman. The Israel Defense Forces had previously said it had targeted Ghandour and Siam, but did not confirm they had been killed. (The Times of Israel) 

The israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first Israeli head of state to travel to Gaza in two decades when he visited Israel Defense Forces troops stationed there and was shown Hamas tunnels. (Jerusalem Post) 

The Palestine Red Crescent Society say that a Palestinian farmer was killed and another injured when they were targeted by Israeli forces in the Maghazi refugee camp in the centre of Gaza. (Reuters) 

Eight Palestinians, including five in Jenin, are killed and at least six more injured during Israeli soldiers attacks in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera) 

An unknown attackers seized a tanker off the coast of Yemen linked to Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. The vessel is carrying a full cargo of phosphoric acid and 22 crew were onboard. (AP) 

Bahrain dispatches humanitarian aid worth $1 million to help Palestinians in the Gaza Strip(News of Bahrain) 

A cargo ship sinks off Greek island Lesbos with 14 crew members on board. The coast guard rescues one person who is airlifted by helicopter and found the body of one of the crew member ; the other 12 remain missing. (France 24) 

Sierra Leone declares a national curfew following an attack on barracks by a VNSA group in Freetown. The group later breaks into a prison, setting inmates free(Reuters) 

Kuwait’s highest court sentenced former defense and interior minister Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah to seven years in prison for mishandling military funds while the former Prime Minister Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, who faced similar charges, was ordered by the court to return the funds he mismanaged only. (Reuters via Al Arabiya) 

On day 2 of the ceasefire, Hamas releases 13 Israeli hostages and 4 Thai migrant workers, while Israel releases 39 Palestinian prisoners.(Theguardian) 

The Israeli government will summon the Belgian and Spanish ambassadors following their criticism of Israel for the suffering of Palestinian civilians under Israeli military operations in Gaza by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. (AP) 

Russia launches 75 drones against Ukraine from two directions, Primorsko-Akhtarsk and the Kursk region. In response, Ukraine launches 20 drones against Russia, including the capital, Moscow.  (Reuters)

Syrian government shelling in rebel-held Qoqfin, Idlib Governorate kills ten people. (AP via ABC News) 

Five climbers are killed and four others are injured by an avalanche in the Zagros Mountains in Lorestan, Iran. (AP) 

Four people are killed and 60 others are injured in a stampede at a music festival in KochiKeralaIndia(AP) 

The World Health Organization records the highest annual count of mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 12,569 cases and 581 deaths reported until November 2023. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

Madagascar opposition presidential candidate Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko appeals to the Supreme Court to annul the election results, claiming electoral fraud. (Al Jazeera) 

In Canadian football, the Montreal Carabins defeat the UBC Thunderbirds 16–9 to win their second national university football championship. (CBC News) 

The End Sunday 

Saturday, November 25th, 2023 

Astronomers at the Telescope Array Project in Utah, United States, observe the second largest cosmic ray ever detected, the so-called Amaterasu particle, with an energy of 244 EeV(Cosmos Magazine) 

Russia attacks Ukraine using 75 drones, in what Ukrainian officials described as the largest drone attack since the invasion. (Reuters) (AP) 

Five climbers are killed and four more injured during an avalanche in San Boran, Iran(AP) 

Black Friday,  November 24th, 2023 

Bruins Game 

An agreement to pause fighting in the Gaza Strip for four days enters into effect at 7am. (Al Jazeera) 

On the first day of the ceasefire Hamas releases 13 Israeli hostages, some of whom are dual citizens, while Israel releases 39 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire agreement. (CNN) (Times of Israel) 

Hamas releases one Filipino and 10 Thai hostages as part of a separate deal with the Thai government which was brokered by Iran(Time) (Times of Israel) 

The security chief for El Chapo‘s Sinaloa Cartel Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as “El Nini”, is arrested in CuliacánSinaloaMexico. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration had a $3 million bounty for El Nini’s arrest. (CBS News) 

The Supreme Court of Montenegro approves the extradition of South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur Do Kwon, as requested by South Korea and the United States, following the collapse of Kwon’s company Terraform Labs(Reuters) 

Nepalese police arrest 74 pro-monarchy protesters and supporters of businessman Durga Prasai(The Kathmandu Post) (Crisis 24) 

Thanksgiving, November 23rd, 2023 

Pro-Palestine protesters disrupt the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City minutes after the parade started. The parade resumes after the protesters are taken into custody. (ABC News) 

The Israel Defense Forces detain Mohammad abu Salmiya, the director of the Al-Shifa Hospital, and several doctors working under him, after a convoy belonging to the World Health Organization was stopped by Israeli soldiers. Israel accuses the director and the doctors of having sheltered Hamas fighters in the hospital. (The Guardian) 

CENTCOM reports that the USS Thomas Hudner has shot down “multiple” Israel-bound attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen over the Red Sea. No injuries or damage are reported. (The Hill) 

A Russian cluster munition strike in ChornobaivkaKherson, kills at least three civilians. Five people are also injured by Russian artillery shelling with more than 60 residential buildings reportedly damaged. (AP via ABC News) 

The Office for National Statistics reports that net migration to the United Kingdom reached a record of 745,000 in 2022, with the vast majority of arrivals being from non-EU countries. (Sky News) 

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that Chinese authorities have not detected any unusual or new pathogens in the recent increase of respiratory diseases among children in northern China. The WHO continues to monitor the situation. (AFP via NDTV) 

The High Court of Seoul, South Korea, orders Japan to pay compensation of 200 million (around ¥22 million or US$154,000) to 16 comfort women during World War II, overturning a previous ruling that denied the women’s claims due to sovereign immunity. (AFP via Manila Bulletin) 

North Korea terminates its 2018 agreement with South Korea, citing escalations in military provocations as well as plans to deploy military forces along the Military Demarcation Line. (AFP via Le Monde) 

Rioting occurs in Dublin, Ireland, following a mass stabbing outside a school which injured a woman and three children. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris blames “far-right hooligans” for the unrest. (AP) 

Chad’s junta parliament approves an amnesty law, terminating prosecutions and convictions related to the 2022 anti-government protest deaths. (AFP via Hindustan Times) 

Pro-Palestine protesters disrupt the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York CityUnited States, minutes after the start of the parade. The parade resumes after the protesters are taken into custody. (ABC News) 

Cubans hold a pro-Palestine protest at the Embassy of the United States in HavanaCuba(Reuters) 

The End