GAZA - ISRAEL
Last night, the Israeli army announced the restoration of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after 20 air strikes in Gaza, which caused the deaths of 45 people. Israel had accused Hamas of a deadly attack on a vehicle in Rafah. At least 97 people have died in Gaza since the truce came into effect on 10 October. This morning, Trump also intervened to reaffirm the US-mediated truce. Meanwhile, humanitarian aid continues to be scarce in Gaza, according to reports from humanitarian agencies, as Israel is reportedly delaying the entry of food convoys.
PAKISTAN - AFGHANISTAN
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed in Doha to an “immediate ceasefire” after more than a week of bloody attacks. The Qatari Foreign Ministry, acting as mediator alongside Turkey, said that both sides had agreed to establish “mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability”. Both sides claim to have inflicted heavy losses during the clashes, the most violent since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
CHINA
The Chinese Communist Party has kicked off a four-day closed-door “plenary session” of the Central Committee, an elite body with about 200 members. The focus is on long-term economic planning, which should also provide guidance on the objectives of the new Five-Year Plan. The talks come at a time of uncertainty for the world's second-largest economy, which is plagued by stagnant domestic spending, a prolonged crisis in the property sector and a turbulent trade war with the United States.
INDONESIA
Indonesia has launched a new package of economic bonuses, with subsidies totalling 30 trillion rupees (approximately 1.5 billion euros) for 35 million families. The subsidies are already being paid out this week. According to analysts, behind the social tensions against Prabowo - after a year in office marked by protests and a controversial free school meals programme that caused numerous cases of food poisoning - there are deep tensions in the economy.
INDIA
Millions of Indians are celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights, one of the most significant and widespread Hindu festivals. It celebrates the return of King Rama after 14 years of exile. In Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, northern India, 2.6 million lamps were lit, setting a new record. This year, the Supreme Court authorised the sale and use of “eco-friendly firecrackers” in Delhi to help reduce air pollution, ending the ban on firecrackers in force since 2020.
VATICAN - RUSSIA
A group of about a hundred Catholic faithful from all over Russia went on a jubilee pilgrimage to Rome, led by the Archbishop of Moscow, Paolo Pezzi, together with his auxiliary from St Petersburg, Nikolaj Dubinin, with the Bishop of Novosibirsk Josif Werth and his auxiliary Stephan Lipke and the Bishop of Saratov Clemens Pickel, received by Pope Leo XIV in private audience, who recommended that they ‘be an example of brotherhood and solidarity for all others in their daily anxieties, uncertainties and concerns’.
ARMENIA
Yerevan government spokeswoman Nazeli Bagdasayan has declared as false the information spread by several Armenian media outlets that Prime Minister Nikol Pašinyan had granted Azerbaijan part of the territory of the city of Syunik, considered the ‘gateway to Armenia’, to create a free border zone in favour of Turkey, calling this type of fake news “part of the ongoing hybrid war against Armenia” and urging citizens to verify such reports.
