World News

Summary

Syrian insurgents, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), breached Aleppo on Friday after detonating two car bombs, marking the first rebel siege of the city since 2016.

The attack is part of a broader offensive launched Wednesday, with rebels seizing towns and villages en route to Syria’s second-largest city.

Fierce clashes with regime forces have killed at least 121 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Residents are fleeing western Aleppo amid missile fire, while state media reported insurgent attacks on Aleppo University that killed four, including two students.

Summary

Earth-based bacteria rapidly colonized a Ryugu asteroid sample after it was returned to Earth in 2020 by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft.

Researchers confirmed the microbes were terrestrial, appearing after exposure to Earth’s atmosphere. Within two weeks, microbial populations on the sample grew significantly.

This highlights the resilience of Earth’s microorganisms and raises concerns about contamination of extraterrestrial materials and planetary environments during space missions.

The findings emphasize the need for strict planetary protection protocols to avoid misinterpreting contamination as evidence of alien life. The study was published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science.

Summary

Meta has criticized Australia’s new law banning under-16s from social media, claiming the government rushed it without considering young people’s perspectives or evidence.

The law, approved after a brief inquiry, imposes fines of up to $50 million for non-compliance and has sparked global interest as a potential model for regulating social media.

Supporters argue it protects teens from harmful content, while critics, including human rights groups and mental health advocates, warn it could marginalize youth and ignore the positive impacts of social media.

Enforcement and technical feasibility remain significant concerns.

Summary

Candace Owens, a U.S. conservative commentator, has been denied a visa to enter New Zealand for a speaking tour after being banned from Australia.

Australian officials barred her in October, citing her Holocaust denial remarks and potential to incite discord, following calls from Jewish groups.

New Zealand immigration laws prohibit entry to individuals banned from other countries.

Owens, known for controversial statements on topics like Black Lives Matter and vaccines, had planned to discuss free speech and Christianity at events in both countries. Tickets for her tour remain on sale.

Summary

The newly restored 850-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral will reopen on December 7, five years after the devastating 2019 fire.

The €700m renovation has revitalized the Gothic masterpiece, preserving its historical integrity while incorporating modern safety upgrades like sprinkler systems.

The project involved 2,000 skilled craftsmen, boosting traditional trades such as stone-carving and woodwork.

Key features, including stained-glass windows and artwork, were saved, while the spire and roof timbers were reconstructed.

Summary

Thousands protested in Tbilisi after Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party suspended EU accession talks and budgetary grants until 2028, citing disputes with Brussels over elections and governance.

PM Irakli Kobakhidze accused the EU of “blackmail” and attempting to “organize a revolution.”

Outgoing pro-EU President Salome Zourabichvili condemned the move as a “declaration of war” on the people.

Public opinion strongly favors EU membership, but the government’s conflicts with Brussels over election integrity, NGO laws, and social issues persist while it cautiously approaches Russia.

Summary

China expressed willingness to cooperate with Sweden’s investigation into the severing of two Baltic Sea data cables on November 17-18, near where a Chinese-flagged vessel, Yi Peng 3, was sighted.

Sweden has formally requested China’s collaboration and asked the ship to move to Swedish waters for inspection.

The cables, linking Finland-Germany and Sweden-Lithuania, have been repaired. Authorities from Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, and Germany are investigating, with Germany suspecting sabotage.

Russia dismissed accusations of involvement as “absurd.” China stated it is in active communication with Sweden.

The State of Palestine is recognised as a sovereign nation by 146 countries, representing 75 percent of UN members.

None of the G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom or the United States – do.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/23027001

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Chad’s government said it is ending a defense cooperation agreement with France, its former colonial ruler, to redefine the nation’s sovereignty.

The decision marks a historic turning point since the Central African nation gained independence more than six decades ago, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement Thursday.

Chad was one of the last countries in the region in which France maintained a large military presence, having been ousted in recent years from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso after years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Those countries have inched closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel, the vast expanse below the Sahara desert.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/48570315

Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church has said that there is no need to stir up fear around nuclear weapons, as Christians are not afraid of the end of the world.

Kirill added that this "does not mean that we should sit by idly".

"On the contrary, our earthly mission is to be the Lord's soldiers ... to resist evil and defend high moral ideals. This is the goal setting in Russia," he said.

Donald Trump’s plan to tap the retired US lieutenant general Keith Kellogg as US envoy to Ukraine and Russia has triggered renewed interest in a policy document he co-authored that proposes ending the war by withdrawing weapons from Ukraine if it doesn’t enter peace talks – and giving even more weapons to Ukraine if Russia doesn’t do the same.

Trump is said to have responded favorably to the plan – America First, Russia & Ukraine – which was presented to him in April and was written by Kellogg and the former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz, who both served as chiefs of staff in Trump’s national security council from 2017 to 2021.

The document proposes halting further US weapons deliveries to Kyiv if it does not enter peace talks with Moscow, while simultaneously warning Moscow that, should it refuse to negotiate, US support for Ukraine would increase.

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There have been at least 18 violations, with 13 on Wednesday alone, according to a tally by Anadolu, compiled through Israeli army announcements and news sources, including Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Violations on Wednesday:

• Israeli drone strike hits a car in the town of Markaba, Marjayoun district of Nabatieh governorate, injuring two people. Israeli Army Radio says the car was targeted to “remove it from a prohibited area”;
• Israeli warplanes attack a site in southern Lebanon, which the army claimed belonged to Hezbollah and contained rockets;
• Israeli tank fire hits the towns of Kafr Shuba and Al-Wazzani in Hasbaiyya district of Nabatieh governorate;
• Israeli artillery shells the towns of Taybeh and Khiam, and the Marjayoun plain in Marjayoun district;
• Israeli artillery shells hills of the town of Haltah in Hasbaiyya district, and the Ras Al-Zaher area in the town of Mays Al-Jabal, Marjayoun district;
• Israeli drone flies over towns in the Tyre district of South governorate, and the town of Bint Jbeil in Nabatieh governorate;
• Israeli artillery shells the town of Aita Al-Shaab, and the city of Bint Jbeil in Bint Jbeil district.

Violations on Thursday:

• Israeli army fires at journalists in the town of Khiam, Marjayoun district while they were covering the return of residents and the Israeli withdrawal from the town, injuring two;
• Israeli artillery fires shells near the Fatima Gate in the town of Kafr Kila in Marjayoun district. The towns of Odaisseh and Khiam also targeted;
• Israeli army arrests four people in southern Lebanon, claiming they approached Israeli forces in the area. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they belonged to Hezbollah and that one of them was a local leader.

Summary

Romania’s Constitutional Court has ordered a recount of the November 24 presidential election after far-right candidate Calin Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round, despite polling below 5% beforehand.

Georgescu, critical of NATO and supportive of Russia’s Putin, will face centrist Elena Lasconi in a December 8 runoff.

The court rejected an application to annul the election, citing a missed deadline.

The decision comes amid reports of cyberattacks and allegations of TikTok of favoring the far-right candidate.

Summary

Two Bulgarian men, Orlin Roussev and Biser Dzhambazov, have pleaded guilty to spying for Russia in the UK, admitting to conspiracy to gather intelligence for Russian benefit.

Their activities included surveillance of individuals and locations, using false identities, and advanced technology.

Three other alleged spies, currently on trial, deny similar charges.

Prosecutors described a coordinated operation directed by Roussev, who received orders from Jan Marsalek, an Austrian linked to Russian intelligence.

The espionage involved high-level deceit, including the use of “honey traps” to extract information from targets.

Roughly 36 hours after I first heard about the horrifying Maga taunt “your body, my choice”, I learned that I was pregnant, despite having a contraceptive coil. My relief that I lived in the UK, not the US – where abortion is rapidly becoming illegal or inaccessible at best – was profound. Yet I realised that I had no idea how to access abortion, having complacently assumed that it would always be available if I needed it. Some fraught Googling led me to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service. A couple of days later, I had my first appointment and very quickly learned that it wasn’t purely “my choice”, even in Britain.

Of all the words you don’t want to hear by surprise, “transvaginal” is up there. I thought the scan to determine how pregnant I was would be the kind where a technician slathers goop on your stomach. I wasn’t told until I arrived that it would be internal, because of the assumed early gestation. A second surprise: the coil was gone, most likely sucked out by my period cup. Later that day, I had a phone consultation. The nurse told me two doctors would have to sign off on the termination and asked me to justify why my life would be negatively affected if I were forced to continue with the pregnancy. Horrified, I said I should just be able to say: I don’t want to. She was extremely kind and agreed, but said this was a legal requirement under the Abortion Act.

I told her I lived hundreds of miles from my partner. We hadn’t been together very long and were united on this. I lived in a one-bedroom flat. I could barely afford my own life. My career would suffer. The presence – or so I thought – of a coil should show that I had been actively warding against pregnancy. What more did she want? I am bullish in the face of authority I disagree with, but felt furious for any less headstrong person seeking an abortion – already grappling with guilt and overwhelmed at dealing with the medical establishment – who might doubt their own needs when confronted in this way.

Summary

Bolivia faces an economic collapse due to a fuel shortage, foreign currency reserves depletion, and rising inflation.

The crisis has led to protests, food shortages, and a decline in the government’s popularity.

The government’s denial of the problems and its handling of the situation have further exacerbated the situation.

Summary

Former British soldier Daniel Khalife, 23, was convicted in London of espionage and terrorism for spying for Iran.

Prosecutors said Khalife gathered and shared classified military information, potentially endangering lives and national security, while claiming to be a “double agent” against the Iranian regime.

Khalife’s September 2023 escape from prison triggered a high-profile manhunt before his recapture.

Found guilty under the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act, Khalife denied wrongdoing, portraying himself as a patriot. He was acquitted of a separate bomb hoax charge.

Summary

Israel and Hezbollah accused each other of ceasefire violations two days into a truce that ended 14 months of conflict.

Israel claims Hezbollah breached terms by approaching border zones, while Hezbollah accuses Israel of firing on civilians.

Brokered by the US and France, the ceasefire involves a gradual Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah’s pullback north of the Litani River, with U.N. peacekeepers taking over.

The war killed over 3,700 in Lebanon and 70 in Israel, displacing 1.2 million in Lebanon and 50,000 in Israel.

Two of London’s most famous markets — one selling fish, the other meat — are set to close in the coming years, bringing an end to traditions stretching back to medieval times.

On Wednesday, the City of London Corporation, the governing body in the capital city’s historic hub, is set to present a bill to Parliament to bring an end to its responsibilities to operate the Billingsgate fish market and the Smithfield meat market, both of which have existed in some shape or form since the 11th century.

That comes a day after the corporation decided not to relocate the markets to a new development just east of London in Dagenham.

The missile fired by Russia at Ukraine last week, hailed by Putin as a new kind of experimental hypersonic weapon, was actually an application of old technology used for many years in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), six military experts told Reuters.

An examination by two of these experts of the debris recovered from the new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), known in Russian as the Oreshnik, or hazel tree, showed how it dropped multiple payloads across the target area, a characteristic of ICBMs.

After the missile strike, Putin said the Oreshnik was hypersonic and could not be intercepted. But Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, noted that all ballistic missiles of that range are hypersonic, and that missile interceptors such as Israel's Arrow 3 and the U.S. SM-3 Block 2A were designed to destroy them.