Latest attack by West Bank settlers leads Israeli army to denounce increase in violence

Today's headlines: Islamabad accuses Delhi of the attack, tensions skyrocket again; For the first time, a Thai king visits China; A newly built bridge collapses in Sichuan province, China; Philippine mayors under fire for confirming trip to London despite typhoon; Shoigu wants a new big city in Siberia on the border with Mongolia.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE

A report by the Israeli army has also recorded a sharp increase in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank: the latest saw dozens of masked settlers attack the villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf yesterday, setting fire to four trucks transporting dairy products, agricultural land, tin shacks and tents belonging to a Bedouin community. The data indicates that, throughout October, there were at least 704 attacks by settlers, compared to 675 recorded in the whole of 2024. The report itself states that the Israeli police and Shin Bet are aware of the attacks but do not intervene due to pressure from the government. Meanwhile, in the latest chapter of the clash between the Netanyahu government and the Israeli military establishment, Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered that army radio broadcasts cease by 1 March 2026, claiming that complaints have been received that the station “damages the war effort and morale”.

PAKISTAN-INDIA

The two attacks that have struck both New Delhi and Islamabad in recent hours have raised tensions between the two countries. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has explicitly accused India of being involved in the attack in Islamabad (claimed by the Pakistani Taliban) and in another attack on a barracks in Wana in South Waziristan, calling them both ‘the worst examples of Indian state terrorism’. The Indian Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations as ‘baseless and unfounded’, saying that Islamabad was trying to divert attention from its own political and constitutional crises.

THAILAND-CHINA

The King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, is expected in Beijing tomorrow, where he will become the first reigning Thai monarch to make a state visit to China. A constitutional monarchy since 1932, Thailand has often used royal visits as foreign policy tools. Beijing and Bangkok have had diplomatic relations since 1975. China is the main import market for Thailand, which last year purchased billion worth of Chinese goods. It is also one of the main sources of tourists for Thailand's vital tourism industry and a major investor in industries such as the automotive sector.

CHINA

A section of a recently opened long bridge collapsed yesterday in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, along a national highway connecting the heart of the country to Tibet. According to local authorities, no injuries were reported in the accident. Police in the city of Maerkang had closed the 758-metre-long Hongqi Bridge to traffic after cracks appeared on nearby slopes and roads, and movements were observed in the mountain terrain.

PHILIPPINES

Seven mayors from Cebu's 5th district, who reportedly travelled to London while Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) hit Cebu and neighbouring provinces in early November, will face administrative and criminal charges at the Office of the Ombudsman. Their trip abroad drew public criticism as thousands of people faced widespread flooding, landslides and power outages caused by the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the country. The mayors are accused of gross negligence of duty, gross misconduct, omission of official acts and behaviour prejudicial to the best interests of public service.

RUSSIA

Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has proposed building a new satellite city in Siberia called Sayanogorsk around the Sayan Mountains on the border with Mongolia, which would “exalt the pride not only of Siberian architects, but of all Russian builders and architects” and begin the much-desired repopulation of Russia's less inhabited areas, with plans to build at least five cities with a population of one million in Siberia.

ARMENIA

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a memorial service for the souls of all Armenian soldiers who fell in the Nagorno-Karabakh wars five years after the end of the last conflict, in the Church of the Mother of God in Talin, presided over by priest Tade Takhmazyan, who was suspended by Catholicos Karekin II for his criticism of the church leadership, as has already happened to other priests close to the prime minister.

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