ISRAEL - GAZA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that $5 million will be given as a reward for each prisoner freed from Gaza and that those who help free Israelis held by Hamas will be given a way out of the war-torn Palestinian territory. Meanwhile, Israel is targeting the Kamal Adwan hospital in the north of the Strip, which is experiencing an ‘extreme catastrophe’, with Israeli forces firing on the building as malnourished children and elderly people seek treatment.
VATICAN - UKRAINE
Pope Francis has sent a letter to Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, on the sad occasion of the 1,000th day since the beginning of Russian military aggression. An ‘immense tragedy’, says Jorge Mario Bergoglio, on which God will have the last word. He includes thanksgiving for having ‘stood by’ the population during a long period of suffering. The Pontiff prays to God to ‘convert hearts and make them capable of starting paths of dialogue, reconciliation and concord’ and hopes that the word ‘peace’ will resound in families, homes and squares.
HONG KONG
Dozens of parliamentarians from around the world yesterday called for the immediate and unconditional release of pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai before he has to testify in the Hong Kong collusion trial. MPs and foreign affairs experts from at least 22 countries and the European Parliament signed an open letter expressing concern over the 76-year-old media tycoon's imprisonment. Jimmy Lai, one of Hong Kong's best known pro-democracy figures, whose trial under the National Security Act resumes today and could see him sentenced to life imprisonment.
THAILAND
Thailand is conducting an economic ‘stimulus’ programme to boost consumption. ‘The various stimulus measures can push growth above 3 per cent next year,’ said Julapun Amornvivat, adding that annual growth in 2024 will not exceed 2.8 per cent. The government's $14 billion programme, which will distribute 10,000 baht ($289) per head to about 45 million people, was launched in late September. The second and third phases will follow in 2025.
INDIA - SPAIN
The multinational company Inditex, owner of Zara, has significantly increased the use of air transport to bring clothes from factories in India to its logistics centre in Spain to avoid delays in shipments. The change raises questions about how the largest listed fast-fashion retailer is progressing towards its goal of halving its ‘Scope 3’, or indirect, emissions, as air transport produces significantly higher carbon emissions than shipping.
MYANMAR
Myanmar recorded the world's highest death toll from landmines for the first time, with 1,003 casualties in 2023, said the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, or ICBL, in its annual report released in Bangkok. Both sides are using landmines in their battles, according to the ICBL, although anti-junta forces are more likely to deploy crudely crafted booby traps, with villagers the most likely victims.
RUSSIA
In the first nine months of 2024, Russia's population dropped by 400,000 people, comparing births with deaths, 25% more than the previous year, despite all the authorities' calls for population growth, as in the Ministry of Labour's plan to increase the birth rate to reach France's levels by 2036.
