World News

The Israeli prime minister is facing corruption charges that could see him sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing multiple corruption charges in Israeli courts, is due to testify on Tuesday for the first time in his trial.

He is up against three separate cases of corruption filed in 2019: Case 1000, Case 2000, and Case 4000, which include allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take to the witness stand Tuesday for the first time in his trial on corruption allegations, a pivotal point in the drawn-out proceedings that comes as the leader wages war in Gaza and faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes charges.

At home, Netanyahu is on trial for accusations of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate affairs. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing, but his appearance on the witness stand will be a low point in his decades-long political career, standing in contrast to the image of a sophisticated, respected leader he has tried to cultivate.

The trial will take up a chunk of Netanyahu’s time at a crucial point for Israel. While he makes his case for weeks from the stand, he will still be tasked with managing the war in Gaza, maintaining a fragile ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and keeping tabs on threats from the wider Middle East, including Iran.

It will be the first time an Israeli prime minister has taken the stand as a criminal defendant, and Netanyahu has repeatedly sought to delay the proceedings, citing the ongoing Gaza war and security concerns. The judges ordered the trial to resume Tuesday, moving the proceedings to an underground chamber in a Tel Aviv court as a security precaution.

Summary

Following the collapse of the Assad regime, Russia is seeking to secure its military bases in Syria through diplomatic engagement with the new rebel leadership.

The Kremlin is softening its rhetoric towards the Islamist group HTS, which led the revolt against Assad, and has reportedly received assurances from the Syrian opposition regarding the safety of Russian military installations.

This shift in approach suggests a potential strategy similar to Russia’s engagement with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Summary

Haitian gang leader Monel “Mikano” Felix reportedly ordered the massacre of at least 110 people in Port-au-Prince’s Cite Soleil slum after accusing elderly voodoo practitioners of cursing his son.

Victims, primarily voodoo followers, were killed with knives and machetes over two days.

Cite Soleil, a gang-controlled area, has become emblematic of Haiti’s worsening gang violence, which persists despite international interventions.

Voodoo, recognized as a formal religion in Haiti, has deep historical roots but remains stigmatized amid ongoing violence and unrest.

Israel has “seized” territory in Syrian-controlled areas of the Golan Heights, as its military warned Syrians living in five villages close to the Israeli-occupied portion of the strategic area to “stay home”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he ordered Israeli forces to grab a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria, after a lightning advance by Syrian opposition forces ended Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Israel captured a portion of the Golan Heights in the 1967 war and annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as illegally occupied Syrian territory.

Summary

Australia and Nauru signed a security treaty requiring Nauru to consult Canberra before entering security or infrastructure agreements with other nations, effectively limiting Chinese influence.

In return, Australia will provide AUD 100 million over five years and ensure banking access for the island nation, addressing issues caused by Western banks withdrawing.

The treaty follows China’s increasing presence in the Pacific, including agreements with Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, and Nauru’s recent shift from Taiwan to China diplomatically.

Australia frames the deal as bolstering regional security and stability.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Justice Ministry said Monday that an overseas travel ban was imposed on President Yoon Suk Yeol during an investigation into his short-lived declaration of martial law.

South Korean police, prosecutors and anti-corruption agency had requested the ban as they expand their probes into possible rebellion charges over Yoon’s imposition of martial law last week.

A justice ministry official told a parliamentary hearing that the ban was issued.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean investigators said Monday they are seeking an overseas travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol as they expand a probe into possible rebellion charges over his brief imposition of martial law last week.

TAMESNA, Morocco (AP) — After African countries struggled to get testing kits during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials vowed to make the continent less dependent on imported medical supplies. Now, in a first for Africa, a Moroccan company is filling orders for mpox tests as an outbreak continues.

Moroccan startup Moldiag began developing mpox tests after the World Health Organization declared the virus a global emergency in August. Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 59,000 mpox cases and 1,164 deaths in 20 countries this year.

The WHO has also announced a plan to provide mpox tests, vaccines and treatments to the most vulnerable people in the world’s poorest countries, after facing criticism for moving too slowly on vaccines. It recommends all suspected mpox cases be tested.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/49341450

https://archive.is/YWzvN

Women and children are found in the facility known as Syria's 'human slaughterhouse'

"Monopoly money found in backpack believed to belong to suspect in murder of CEO."

That's 1st class trolling!

Summary

The fall of Damascus and the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime have sidelined Russia and Iran while elevating Turkey’s influence in shaping Syria’s future.

Diplomats from Russia and Iran, who had sought to mediate a political solution, were rendered irrelevant as anti-Assad forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took the capital.

Russia faces humiliation over its failed support for Assad, while Iran’s regional strategy, including its land corridor to Lebanon, is in disarray.

Turkey, leveraging its ties with Syrian militias, now emerges as the key external power in post-Assad Syria.

In interview with MEE, Hadi Al-Bahra outlines plan for transition after Assad's fall, including drafting a constitution and accommodating rebels

A governing body run by the Syrian opposition will lead a transitional period of 18 months, including six months to draft a new constitution, the head of the main Syrian opposition coalition told Middle East Eye on Sunday.

Hadi al-Bahra spoke with MEE on the sidelines of the Doha Forum conference hours after Syrian rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad, ending his family's 54-year authoritarian rule after nearly 14 years of war.

Al-Bahra is the president of the Syrian National Coalition, an alliance of opposition groups formed in exile following the 2011 uprising against Assad.

The Russian agencies, Tass and RIA, cited an unidentified Kremlin source on Assad and his family being given asylum in Moscow, his longtime ally and protector. The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the reports but contacted the Kremlin for comment.

RIA also said Moscow had received guarantees from Syrian insurgents of the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria.

Assad reportedly left Syria early Sunday, and Syrians have been pouring into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule.

Summary

The UK’s tap water safety is at risk due to the closure of all domestic laboratories certified to test water treatment products under EU-derived Regulation 31.

Without certified labs, new products cannot be approved, and existing ones requiring retesting are becoming non-compliant.

Industry insiders blame Brexit, as EU countries will share lab capacity starting in 2026, while UK rules prohibit foreign testing.

This has created a backlog of products, limited market competition, and raised costs. While officials claim water remains safe, experts warn of delays in adopting innovative treatments.

• Vice President concedes defeat in call to Mahama Bawumia says conceded early to ease tensions Mahama was president from 2012-2016

ACCRA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Ghana's former President John Dramani Mahama has staged a political comeback by winning the West African nation's presidential election after his rival Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia conceded defeat on Sunday.

The result of Ghana's general election is another blow to a ruling party in a region where voters, hit by economic hardship, high inflation and local currency depreciation, have caused upsets as they seek changes in leadership.

Mahama, 66, who served as Ghana's president from 2012 to 2016, framed Bawumia as representing a continuation of the policies that led to Ghana's worst economic crisis in a generation.

The world's second biggest cocoa grower, and major gold-producing nation, reached a deal with the International Monetary Fund last year for a $3 billion bailout after it defaulted on most of its international debt.

"I have, this morning, received a congratulatory call from my brother Dr. Bawumia, following my emphatic victory in Saturday’s election. Thank you, Ghana," Mahama said in a post on X social media.

Addressing a press conference from his residence, Bawumia said he called Mahama to congratulate him, adding that Mahama's National Democratic Congress (NDC) also won the parliamentary election.