Trump to host al-Sharaa, in first ever Syrian White House visit by a Syrian leader

Today's headlines: over 90 dead and 400,000 displaced by Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines; Japan deploys army to hunt bears, at least 12 dead since April; In Iran, medical treatment denied to a Christian convert imprisoned for her faith; Beijing has sentenced five people linked to a gang of cross-border fraudsters in Myanmar to death; Kerala is the first Indian state to declare itself “free” from “extreme poverty”.

SYRIA - UNITED STATES

US President Donald Trump will host Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa for talks on 10 November, emphasising that the former jihadist has made “good progress” on the road to peace in a country long torn apart by war. It will be the first visit to the White House by a Syrian head of state, who attended the UN General Assembly in September.

PHILIPPINES

The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has risen to more than 90, mainly in the province of Cebu, which was the worst affected. Floodwaters, described as unprecedented, inundated the city, sweeping away cars, trucks and even huge containers. There are 76 deaths in Cebu, while there are at least 17 deaths in other provinces of the archipelago. In total, nearly 400,000 people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure from the typhoon's path.

JAPAN

Japan has deployed the army to the northern and mountainous part of the archipelago in response to appeals from local authorities for help in the fight to capture bears responsible for an escalation of attacks in recent times. The operation began in Kazuno, where for weeks residents have been told to avoid the dense forests surrounding the town, stay at home after dark and carry bells to deter animals looking for food. Since April, there have been over 100 attacks and 12 victims, two-thirds of them in Akita Prefecture, where Kazuno is located.

IRAN

Aida Najaflou, a Christian convert detained in the women's wing of Evin Prison in Tehran, suffered a spinal fracture after falling from her bunk bed on 31 October. This was reported by Article18, according to which, despite the severity of her injuries and ongoing health problems, she was denied adequate medical treatment and sent back to prison the same day. The decision sparked protests from other political and religious prisoners, prompting prison authorities to transfer her to Shahid Tajrish Hospital. In addition, this week Morteza Faghanpour Sassi, a Christian convert from Varamin, began serving a sentence of nearly nine years in prison for online religious activities, after being tortured during six months of pre-trial detention in Evin.

CHINA - MYANMAR

Beijing yesterday sentenced five people to death for their involvement in a violent criminal gang engaged in fraud and scams in the Kokang region of Myanmar, along the border with China. The group's actions resulted in the deaths of at least six Chinese citizens, the suicide of a seventh, and many others suffered damage or injury. There have been several reports of people being forced to carry out online scams as part of a multi-billion pound criminal industry.

INDIA

Kerala declared itself free from “extreme poverty” in early November, becoming the first state in the country to achieve this milestone. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced this, declaring the success of a four-year targeted campaign led by local authorities as part of a national project. Various government departments collaborated to provide needy families with food, shelter, medical care and scholarships for their children.

RUSSIA

Soviet dissident Valery Borshchev, co-chairman of the Moscow Helsinki Group, has died at the age of 81 after a long illness. He was also one of the authors of the legislative initiative that led to the establishment of social observer commissions in Russia to monitor human rights in places of detention. Even from his sickbed at home, he continued to help people in need until the very end.

CENTRAL ASIA

According to data from the Eurasian Economic Commission, construction work in the countries of the EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia, Belarus and the countries of Central Asia) grew by 5.2% overall, with Kyrgyzstan confirming its leadership in this sector with a 45.3% increase in construction works, considered fundamental for the country's GDP growth, followed by Armenia with 27.7%, Kazakhstan with 18.1%, Belarus with 9.6%, while Russia is at the bottom of the list with only 3.5%.