Gaza: 15 die in Israel's attack on ambulances. Israel: 'They were a cover for Hamas'

Today's news: In Nepal, the most violent earthquake since 2015 causes hundreds of deaths, but the toll could rise as whole areas are unreachable; In China and Mongolia, the effects of climate change are being felt: from 30 degrees to 0 in a few days; Scam allowing Russian businessmen and officials to circumvent Western sanctions uncovered.


ISRAEL - PALESTINE

An Israeli airstrike hit a convoy of ambulances near al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip near the border crossing with Egypt. 15 people were killed and 60 injured, according to the Ministry of Health of the enclave governed by Hamas. The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, said he was "shocked" by the news of an attack on ambulances: "We reiterate that patients, workers, healthcare facilities and ambulances must be protected in every moment,” added Ghebreyesus. The Israeli military confirmed the attack, saying intelligence assessed it to be used by a Hamas unit to transport fighters and weapons.

NEPAL

There are 140 officially recognized victims of the earthquake that hit the Jajarkot area, in Nepal, which also shook several buildings in Delhi, India. The earthquake occurred at 11.47pm. on Friday, November 3 with a magnitude of 5.6 and is the deadliest since 2015, when around 9,000 people died. The authorities fear that the death toll could rise as they have failed to establish any contact in the area near the epicenter, about 500 km west of the capital Kathmandu, where other tremors were also felt. The district has a population of 190 thousand inhabitants spread across several villages.

CHINA - MONGOLIA

Temperatures in northern China and Mongolia are set to drop after the second warmest October in decades, following record heat influenced by the climate phenomenon called "El Nino". In the deserts and grasslands of northern China and Mongolia, maximum temperatures are below freezing. While freezing temperatures are not uncommon this time of year, the sudden change is unusual given that just a few days ago, unseasonably warm weather saw record temperatures above 30°C. In recent years, the area's weather conditions have become more extreme, damaging agricultural land, causing large economic losses and increasing fears about the severity of the impact of global warming.

INDIA

Authorities in the Indian capital have closed all primary schools from Thursday to next Monday due to air pollution. And a further worsening is expected in the next two weeks. The city's air pollution peaks from November 1 to 15, when the number of stubble fires increases in neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana, studies by the Delhi Pollution Control Board have shown. Between Thursday and Friday, the concentration of PM2.5 - fine particulate matter that can clog the lungs and cause numerous illnesses - exceeded the safety limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter eight times.

RUSSIA

Journalists from the Russian section of the BBC, together with other agencies, discovered a company belonging to a Russian citizen, Viktoria Valkovskaja, Alfa Consulting registered in the Seychelles in 2017, which created 900 legal entities in Great Britain, thanks to which many men Russian businessmen and officials were able to circumvent Western sanctions.

JAPAN

Japan reiterated the safety of the release into the sea of radioactive wastewater treated by the Fukushima nuclear power plant, during today's international meeting of environment ministers which also involved those of China and South Korea. "We have confirmed that there are no is no impact on people and the environment," Japanese Environment Minister Shintaro Ito said during the meeting in Nagoya, central Japan. China confirmed its opposition to Tokyo's choice and reiterated the ban on imports of Japanese fish products into China.

KYRGYZSTAN

The Russian activist of the opposition party "Left Bloc", Lev Skorjakin, kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan days ago and of whom no trace had been lost, was found by his lawyer with the help of the Memorial group in Moscow's Butyrka prison , in solitary confinement. From Bishkek he intended to emigrate to Germany, but his passport was taken away by the Kyrgyz.

BAHRAIN

Today, Saturday 4 November, at 11.00 am, in the Cathedral of Awali "Our Lady of Arabia", His Excellency Monsignor Aldo Berardi will officiate at the inauguration mass of the Jubilee Year and the opening of the Holy Door of Sant'Areta. This is one of the most important celebrations of the Vicariate to commemorate the presence of Christians - dating back to the 5th century - in the Arabian Peninsula. The celebrations will continue for an entire year.