World News

Summary

The Biden administration announced $725 million in military aid to Ukraine, including Stinger missiles, anti-drone weapons, Himars munitions, and artillery shells.

The assistance aims to bolster Ukraine’s defenses ahead of Donald Trump’s presidency, as he has pledged to cut all aid and push for peace talks.

This package is part of a larger $7 billion effort to support Ukraine before Biden leaves office.

It includes measures like Atacms strikes into Russia and repealing restrictions on U.S. contractors repairing equipment in Ukraine.

Deliveries will be expedited through Pentagon stocks.

Summary

The Taliban has banned Afghan women from training as nurses and midwives, further restricting female education and employment opportunities.

The ban applies to all medical institutes, cutting off critical career paths for women and worsening the country’s healthcare crisis, including its high maternal mortality rate.

Female healthcare workers are vital in Afghanistan, where male doctors are often barred from treating women.

The ban has sparked widespread condemnation, with critics calling it “gender apartheid” and warning of severe consequences for women’s health and societal development.

Summary

China has quietly allowed access to OnlyFans since Nov. 29, despite its strict ban on pornography.

The platform, known for user-generated adult content, has sparked online jokes on Weibo, with some linking the move to efforts to address China's youth unemployment rate, which recently hit 17.1%.

Some speculate the availability is an error that may soon be reversed, recalling past accidental unblocking of sites. Others note OnlyFans also hosts non-explicit content, such as comedy and sports, which may have influenced its accessibility.

Truth Social remains blocked in China.

Summary

The Dutch government is considering measures to cap the Netherlands’ population at 20 million by 2050, responding to a demographic commission’s recommendation.

Currently at 18 million, the population’s growth raises concerns about pressures on housing, healthcare, and education.

Immigration minister Marjolein Faber and social affairs minister Eddy van Hijum emphasized stricter asylum limits and more targeted migration policies, with further research underway.

Economists warn that an aging population might necessitate increased foreign labor or domestic reforms, as 3 million extra workers by 2040 is deemed unfeasible.

Summary

A man in Fort Severn First Nation, Ontario, was seriously injured after jumping on a polar bear to protect his wife from an attack while searching for their dogs early in the morning.

The bear attacked the man before a neighbor intervened, shooting the animal, which later died in nearby woods. The man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Experts note polar bear attacks are rare but increasing as climate change disrupts their habitats, pushing them inland in search of food.

Police continue monitoring the area for additional bears.

Summary

The Bahamas has rejected a proposal from Donald Trump’s transition team to accept deported migrants from other nations, a key part of his plan to overhaul U.S. immigration policy.

Prime Minister Philip Davis’s office stated there have been no further discussions since their refusal.

Trump’s deportation strategy, which targets countries like Panama and Grenada, raises concerns about displacing individuals to nations they have no ties to.

This proposal aligns with Trump’s campaign promises of mass deportations and is overseen by Tom Homan, a hardline immigration official from Trump’s previous administration.

Summary

Italian authorities arrested 25 people, including a nun, for alleged links to the ’Ndrangheta, Italy’s most powerful mafia. The nun, a volunteer at Milan’s San Vittore prison, allegedly acted as a communication link with imprisoned associates.

Among those arrested were politicians from the Brothers of Italy and League parties, accused of aiding the gang with crimes like vote-buying and money laundering.

Charges include extortion, drug trafficking, and tax crimes. Authorities seized €1.8 million in illicit earnings.

The ’Ndrangheta, based in Calabria, is a global crime group funded by cocaine revenues.

Summary

North Korean troops sent to Russia to support its war in Ukraine remain sidelined due to poor training and logistical issues, according to Western officials.

These soldiers are expected to relieve Russian troops in secondary positions to free up forces for frontline battles in regions like Kursk, though they are unlikely to see combat in eastern Ukraine.

The war continues to take a massive toll, with over 700,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded since February 2022, while both sides face challenges replacing losses.

Russia’s reliance on poorly trained recruits and prison conscripts highlights its growing manpower issues.

Summary

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun’s resignation amid fallout over his six-hour martial law declaration, which opposition lawmakers allege was unconstitutional and akin to a “self-coup.”

The opposition has moved to impeach both Yoon and Kim, accusing them of overstepping constitutional limits by deploying armed troops to suppress protests.

Yoon’s impeachment would require a two-thirds majority in parliament, with 18 dissenting votes from his conservative party likely crucial.

If impeached, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would assume presidential duties temporarily.

Summary

A viral video of a São Paulo police officer pushing an unarmed man off a bridge has sparked outrage across Brazil, highlighting police brutality and impunity under Governor Tarcísio de Freitas.

The man survived, but the officer was arrested, and 12 others suspended.

Critics link the rise in police violence to Freitas’s administration, which aligns with far-right policies of Jair Bolsonaro.

Freitas and his public safety secretary, Guilherme Derrite, have faced backlash for endorsing deadly policing tactics targeting marginalized communities, accused of using violence for political gain.

Summary

Belarus, under President Lukashenko, has backed Russia's war in Ukraine while avoiding direct involvement. However, Russian drone flights over Belarus (151 in November) are increasing risks.

Opposition groups say Lukashenko cannot control Russian actions, undermining his neutrality claims. Crashes on Belarusian soil have sparked domestic unease and political sensitivity.

Rising drone activity shows Belarus being used as a Russian military base, further involving the country in the war despite public opposition.

This also raises security concerns for NATO nations, with Belarus acting as a gateway for Russian strikes.

Summary

Southern giant hornets (“murder hornets”) have been found in Europe for the first time, with sightings in northern Spain in 2022 and 2023.

Native to Asia, these invasive hornets threaten ecosystems by preying on bees and other pollinators, which can harm agriculture and biodiversity.

Researchers believe the hornets arrived via cargo ships and are searching for their underground nest to prevent further spread.

Experts warn the hornets could magnify existing damage caused by another invasive species, Vespa velutina, and suggest stricter port monitoring to prevent further invasions.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/49052946

Summary

Syrian rebels, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have captured the strategic city of Hama after the military withdrew, following their earlier seizure of Aleppo.

HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani declared victory, pledging no revenge, as over 720 people have died in the eight-day offensive.

Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, vowed to crush the rebels, while Turkey urged political talks to end the conflict.

The offensive threatens further division as rebels expand attacks, civilians face growing danger, and regional powers remain deeply involved.

The body of Itai Svirsky, who was taken hostage on October 7 from Kibbutz Be'eri, was recovered by the IDF in a joint operation with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the military announced on Wednesday. There are 100 hostages who remain in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, 14 months after they were kidnapped.

“Itai, a member of Kibbutz Be’eri, was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023. He was tragically killed in captivity, and his body was held in Gaza,” said the statement. “As part of the operation, the Kidnapped and Missing Persons team in the IDF Human Resources Division, responsible for supporting the families of the kidnapped, worked closely with the Institute for Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police to identify his remains,” it continued.

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Syria’s most powerful insurgent group toured the seized city of Aleppo on Wednesday in a surprise visit — the first since the group captured large parts of the city over the weekend as fierce fighting intensifies in the government-led counter-offensive in northern Hama.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who heads the jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, greeted crowds of supporters near the city’s iconic citadel as he smiled and waved in dark green military garb. Surrounded by masked gunmen in flak jackets, men and boys chanted “God is great” as he walked through the heart of Syria’s largest city.

The sudden capture of Aleppo, also an ancient business hub, was a stunning prize for Syrian opponents of President Bashar Assad.

It was the first opposition attack on the city since 2016, when a brutal Russian air campaign retook the northwestern city for Assad after rebel forces had initially seized it. Intervention by Russia, Iran and Iranian-allied militant Hezbollah and other groups has allowed Assad to remain in power.

The latest flareup in Syria’s long civil war comes after forces opposed to Assad ousted his troops from Aleppo and seized towns and villages in southern parts of the northwestern Idlib province, likely exploiting the fact that Assad’s main regional and international backers were preoccupied with their own wars.

The offensive is being led by the jihadi HTS as well as an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. For years, both have entrenched themselves in northwest Idlib province and parts of northern Aleppo, as the battered country reeled from years of political and military stalemates.

The war between Assad and his foreign backers and the array of armed opposition forces seeking his overthrow has killed an estimated half-million people over the past 13 years.

Elsewhere, Syrian authorities said their counteroffensive pushed back insurgents attempting to advance to the strategic central city of Hama, while the insurgents said they captured more Syrian troops and Iran-backed militants in fierce battles.

Syrian state SANA news agency on Wednesday said insurgents retreated some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from government-held Hama, Syria’s fourth-largest city, as government troops backed by Russian airpower entrenched themselves in the outskirts. Fierce fighting has raged for days as Damascus fears that the insurgents will make their way into Hama as they did over the weekend into Aleppo.

Summary

Mexican troops seized over a ton of fentanyl pills in Sinaloa, the largest fentanyl bust in the country’s history. The operation uncovered nearly 2,400 pounds of the opioid and resulted in two arrests, following a sharp drop in seizures earlier this year.

Experts link the timing to U.S. pressure, as Trump has threatened tariffs on Mexico unless it cracks down on drug trafficking.

Analysts warn that without targeting production labs, fentanyl manufacturing will persist.

Meanwhile, the U.S. increased its reward for cartel leader “El Mencho” to $15 million.

>The insurgents claimed on their Military Operations Department channel on the Telegram app Thursday that they have entered Hama and are marching toward its center. > >“Our forces are taking positions inside the city of Hama,” the channel quoted a local commander identified as Maj. Hassan Abdul-Ghani as saying. > >The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said gunmen have entered parts of the city, mainly the neighborhoods of Sawaaeq and Zahiriyeh to the northwest. It added that gunmen are also on the edge of the northwestern neighborhood of Kazo. > >“If Hama falls, it means that the beginning of the regime’s fall has started,” the Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdurrahman, told The Associated Press. > >Hama is a major intersection point in Syria that links that country’s center with the north as well the east and the west. It is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital, Damascus, Assad’s seat of power. Hama province also borders the coastal province of Latakia, a main base of popular support for Assad.

BEIRUT (AP) — Over the past dozen years, Syrian militant leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has worked to remake his public image and the insurgency he commands, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and consolidating power before emerging from the shadows.

Now al-Golani, 42, seeks to seize the moment yet again, leading his fighters in a stunning offensive that has put them in control of Syria’s largest city, reigniting the country’s long civil war and raising new questions about President Bashar Assad’s hold on power.

The surge and al-Golani’s place at the head of it are evidence of a remarkable transformation. Al-Golani’s success on the battlefield follows years of maneuvering among extremist organizations while eliminating competitors and former allies.

Along the way he moved to distance himself from al-Qaida, polishing his image and his extremist group’s de-facto “salvation government” in an attempt to win over international governments and the country’s religious and ethnic minorities.

Putting himself forward as a champion of pluralism and tolerance, al-Golani’s rebranding efforts sought to broaden his group’s public support and legitimacy.

Still, it had been years since Syria’s opposition forces, based in the country’s northwest, made any substantial military progress against Assad. The Syrian president’s government, with backing from Iran and Russia, has maintained its control of about 70 percent of the country in a stalemate that had left al-Golani and his jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, out of the spotlight.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is trying to change the narrative on his five-month-old government after plummeting approval ratings, business anxiety over tax hikes and protesting farmers clogging London streets.

Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch calls it an “emergency reset” by a floundering administration.

But Starmer’s office says the “Plan for Change” speech the prime minister will deliver on Thursday is not a relaunch or about-face, but “the next phase” in his government plan, intended to persuade voters that the government is making their lives better.

Starmer’s center-left Labour Party was elected in Jul — ending 14 years of Conservative government — on a promise to get Britain’s sluggish economy growing and restore frayed public services such as the state-funded National Health Service. But it has been criticized, including by Labour supporters, for failing to show people how their lives will improve any time soon.

The speech will set out “milestones” for measuring progress on economic growth, clean energy, reforming childcare and education, bolstering the NHS and cutting crime. It includes a pledge of 13,000 more neighborhood police officers within five years.

Starmer’s office said he will say that “hard-working Brits ... reasonably want a stable economy, their country to be safe, their borders secure, more cash in their pocket, safer streets in their town, opportunities for their children, secure British energy in their home, and an NHS that is there when they need it.”

The government hopes to reverse a slew of negative headlines over its economic decisions — taken, it says, because the previous Conservative government left a 22 billion pound ($28 billion) “black hole” in the public finances.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/49070068 >

Summary

Growing up on the semi-arid plains of eastern Kenya, Evans Munzaa had planned his future. He envisioned an information technology job, a wife and two children by age 30.

But the 31-year-old father hasn’t had a formal job since completing college 10 years ago, and he doesn’t live with his daughter and her mother, citing “meager earnings that cannot sustain a family.”

Now Munzaa has taken an interest in the Chinese martial art of kung fu to occupy his time and seeks to become a full-time coach. He hopes the Kenyan government, which allows kung fu groups to train in its facilities, will grant funding to a sport that is gaining popularity among young people.

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One of the commanders of rebel forces in Aleppo, known as Abu Abdo, gave a special interview with i24NEWS' Matthias Inbar on Wednesday, revealing that, despite differences, "we are fighting against a common enemy."

"We look at Israel and the US, with the arrival of President Donald Trump, and we have a lot of respect and sympathy for them, for their actions against Iran – the country that leads terrorism in the region and all over the world."

He said that his faction "looks forward to cooperate and eliminate this enemy and restoring stability."

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/49070056 >