Israel’s claim vs Victim’s relative’s account on Gaza hospital tent attack
Compare & Contrast Israel’s claim vs Victim’s relative’s account on Gaza hospital tent attack. Read more We compare and contrast Israel’s claim that the Gaza hospital tent attack was “fabricated” vs an account from a relative of a victim. Published On 24 Oct 202424 Oct 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
World ‘paying terrible price’ for climate inaction, UN’s Guterres warns
Current policies will result in global warming of more than 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, new report finds ahead of COP29 summit. People around the world are “paying a terrible price” for inaction on global warming, with time running out to correct the course and avoid climate disaster, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned. A new United Nations report released on Thursday says current climate policies will result in global warming of more than 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, more than twice the rise agreed to nearly a decade ago. The annual Emissions Gap Report, which takes stock of countries’ promises to tackle climate change compared with what is needed, finds the world faces as much as 3.1C (5.6F) of warming above pre-industrial levels by 2100 if governments do not take greater action on slashing planet-warming emissions. Governments in 2015 signed up to the Paris Agreement and a cap of 1.5 C (2.7 F) warming to prevent a cascade of dangerous impacts. “We’re teetering on a planetary tightrope,” Guterres said in a speech. “Either leaders bridge the emissions gap, or we plunge headlong into climate disaster”. “Around the world, people are paying a terrible price.” The call to action follows a streak of destructive and deadly extreme weather in a year expected to be the hottest in recorded history. The world’s poorest have been particularly hard hit, with typhoons, floods and heatwaves in Asia and the Caribbean, floods in Africa, and droughts and wildfires in Latin America. Global greenhouse gas emissions rose by 1.3 percent between 2022 and 2023, to a new high of 57.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, the report said. Under current pledges to take future action, temperatures would still rise between 2.6C (4.7F) and 2.8C (5F) by 2100, the report found. That is in line with findings from the past three years. “If we look at the progress towards 2030 targets, especially of the G20 member states … they have not made a lot of progress towards their current climate targets for 2030,” said Anne Olhoff, chief scientific editor of the report. The world has currently warmed by about 1.3C (2.3F). Nations will gather next month at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, where they will work to build on an agreement made last year to transition away from fossil fuels. Negotiations in Baku will help to inform each country’s updated emissions-cutting strategy, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), due in February 2025. The report suggests that nations must collectively commit to and implement a cut of 42 percent on yearly greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and reach 57 percent by 2035 for any hope of preventing warming beyond 1.5C (2.7F) – a target now seen as likely out of reach. Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, urged countries to use the Baku talks to increase action in their NDCs. “Every fraction of a degree avoided counts,” she said. Guterres said wealthy G20 economies in particular would need to show far more ambition in the next round of NDCs. The world’s 20 largest economies were responsible for nearly 80 percent of global emissions in 2023. The bottom 47 countries accounted for three percent. “These reports are an historical litany of negligence from the world’s leaders to tackle the climate crisis with the urgency it demands, but it’s not too late to take corrective action,” said Tracy Carty from Greenpeace International. Adblock test (Why?)
Want to know who will win the US election? Take a look at the stock market
Want to know who will win the United States presidential election? Take a look at the stock market. Of course, there is no crystal ball to tell us who will prevail on November 5. The polls, as much as they can be trusted, show Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump running neck and neck in what many observers believe could be the closest election in decades. Even so, the performance of US stocks has an uncanny track record of predicting the outcome of presidential elections. Since 1928, the S&P 500 – which tracks the performance of 500 of the largest firms listed in the US – has pointed to the winner in 20 out of 24 elections, according to an analysis by financial services company LPL Financial. When US stocks were up during the three months before election day, the incumbent party kept the White House on 12 out of 15 occasions. And the party in power lost eight out of the last nine times that the market was in negative territory leading up to the vote. It is not a bad track record as forecasting models go. With less than two weeks until the election, the S&P 500 is up a healthy 11.8 percent since early August. Assuming US stocks do not take a dramatic tumble in the final days of the campaign, the historical trend clearly favours Harris. However, caveats abound. Unfortunately for Harris, voters do not appear to associate the stock market’s strong performance with the economy doing well. While an estimated 61 percent of Americans own shares, a large segment of voters has no exposure to the market. In an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released this week, 62 percent of registered voters, including overwhelming majorities of Republicans and independents, rated the state of the economy as “bad”. On the plus side for Harris, voters expressed growing confidence in the Democrat’s ability to handle economic issues, suggesting that Trump’s once-clear advantage on the economy has all but disappeared. The prevailing gloom is despite the fact that, by most metrics, including gross domestic product (GDP) growth and the unemployment rate, the US economy is performing at a level that would be the envy of most developed countries. One of the most plausible and frequently offered reasons for the negative sentiment is that consumers are weary of higher prices – even though inflation, which last month fell to 2.4. percent, is now close to the Federal Reserve’s target after surging during the COVID-19 pandemic. While wages have been growing faster than inflation for well over a year, they have still not grown enough to fully offset the rise in the cost of living since the pandemic. Whereas prices rose about 20 percent between January 2021 and June of this year, wages only increased 17.4 percent, according to an analysis by Bankrate using Department of Labor statistics. Although wage growth has continued to beat inflation since then – coming in at 4.2 percent versus 2.6 percent during July-September – Bankrate predicts that the post-pandemic gap will not fully close until the second quarter of 2025. No matter how many positive economic statistics are rolled out to tout the current administration’s record, consumers are reminded that prices for everyday items cost considerably more than they used to every time they are at the supermarket checkout. Another good reason to be cautious about reading too much into the stock market’s predictive powers is that we appear to be living in an era of politics that does not follow any rulebook. Much as his 2016 victory smashed numerous precedents, Trump’s very place on the Republican ticket, in spite of four criminal indictments, numerous scandals and years of negative media coverage, is a challenge to conventional wisdom. Indeed, the last time the S&P 500 failed to predict the next occupant of the White House was the most recent election. After presiding over a 2.3 percent market gain, Trump lost to President Joe Biden. Adblock test (Why?)
Boeing workers vote to reject wage deal, extend strike
Nearly two-thirds of workers reject offer that includes a 35 percent pay rise. Boeing workers on the West Coast of the United States have voted to reject the aircraft giant’s latest contract offer and extend their nearly six-week strike. Nearly two-thirds of workers rejected the offer, which included a 35 percent wage rise over four years but did not restore a defined pension plan sought by many employees, the Seattle branch of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union said on X. IAM District 751 President Jon Holden said the union had made “tremendous gains” in negotiations but had not gone far enough to meet members’ demands. “Senior members with decades of experience, new members with a few months, and members from different backgrounds all stood together to support each other. I’m proud of you and your strength,” Holden said in a statement. “This membership will continue to stand on the line, picketing for the contract they deserve. There is much more to do, and we will work to get back to the bargaining table. Our members’ voices will be heard.” About 33,000 workers have been on strike since mid-September when union members overwhelmingly rejected Boeing’s proposal for a new four-year contract. The industrial action has brought operations to a halt at two Boeing factories in the Seattle area that produce the 737 Max and 777, depriving the company of much-needed cash from its aviation business. The union vote is another blow to Boeing after a difficult year that has thrust longstanding concerns about safety and quality standards at the aircraft maker into view. The company has been under investigation by multiple agencies since an incident in January in which a 737 Max plane operated by Alaska Airlines lost a door panel while in mid-flight. On Wednesday, the company reported a third-quarter loss of more than $6bn. Boeing stock dropped 1.76 percent after the latest results, adding to a slump that has seen its share price fall nearly 38 percent so far this year. Adblock test (Why?)
2024 MLS Cup: Playoffs, schedule, brackets, Messi, teams, players, final
EXPLAINER What’s the difference between the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup? Which teams have qualified? Al Jazeera explains. The 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) season in North America is heading towards its conclusion, with the region’s top club football teams vying for a chance to lift the coveted MLS Cup. The 2024 tournament is expected to attract a wider global audience with the inclusion of football icon Lionel Messi’s team, Inter Miami, who have qualified for the playoffs for the first time. Here’s everything you need to know about the MLS Cup: How does the MLS season work? The 29 MLS teams are divided into two conferences – eastern and western – and play a series of home and away matches in a league format, known as the regular season. The team at the top of the league at the end of the regular season is awarded the Supporters’ Shield – won by Messi’s Inter Miami in 2024 – and the league then moves towards the MLS Cup. What’s the MLS Cup and what’s its format? Known as the pinnacle of the North American football season, the MLS Cup crowns the MLS champion after a series of knockout games – known in North American sports as playoffs. The top seven teams from each conference automatically make it to the playoffs. The eighth club in each conference is determined through a wildcard playoff between the next two sides in each conference, respectively. How do the MLS Cup Playoffs work? The playoffs are played by conference and the eastern and western winners then meet for the MLS Cup final at the end of the season. In the quarterfinals of each conference, teams must win a best-of-three series of matches to advance. There are no aggregate scores and no ties at that stage. The team that finishes higher in the league hosts the first match. In the case of a draw, the game goes directly to penalty kicks – no extra time. The conference semifinals, finals and MLS Cup final return to the single-game format with possible extra time before penalties. These games will be hosted by the higher-seeded club. What’s the schedule of MLS Cup Playoffs? First round (best of three series): Saturday, October 26 to Sunday, November 10 Conference semifinals: Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24 Conference finals: Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1 Final: Saturday, December 7 Which teams are in the MLS Cup Playoffs? Eastern Conference: Inter Miami Atlanta United Orlando City Charlotte FC FC Cincinnati New York Red Bulls NYCFC Columbus Crew Western Conference: LA Galaxy LAFC Seattle Sounders Houston Dynamos Colorado Rapids Real Salt Lake Minnesota United Vancouver Whitecaps FC Who are the five top players to watch in the MLS Cup 2024? Lionel Messi (Inter Miami): 20 goals, 16 assists Luis Suarez (Inter Miami): 20 goals, 9 assists Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati): 14 goals, 19 assists Denis Bouanga (LA FC): 20 goals, 11 assists Cucho Hernandez (Columbus Crew): 19 goals, 14 assists How have the teams been drawn in the MLS Cup Playoffs bracket? The draw for the eight best-of-three quarterfinal games looks like this: Eastern bracket: Inter Miami vs Atlanta United Orlando City vs Charlotte FC FC Cincinnati vs NYCFC Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls Western bracket: LAFC vs Vancouver Whitecaps FC Seattle Sounders vs Houston Dynamos Real Salt Lake vs Minnesota United LA Galaxy vs Colorado Rapids Need a goal or assist? Messi led the way. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/EfIgIO94hM — Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 22, 2024 ‘Transformational’ moment: Lionel Messi set for Inter Miami debut What’s the venue of the 2024 MLS Cup final? By winning the Supporters’ Shield, Inter Miami have won the right to host the final as long as they remain in contention for the title-deciding match. Should Miami get knocked out before the final, the team with the next best in-season [league] record that remains in the MLS Cup will host the final. Will Lionel Messi play for Inter Miami in the MLS Cup Playoffs? The Argentinian superstar has been in scintillating goal-scoring form for Inter Miami since his return from injury and is expected to lead them in the best-of-three knockout games against Atlanta United. What’s ‘Messi Cam’ and how I can watch it? While on the field playing during Miami’s MLS Cup games, the forward will wear a special camera on his shirt, which will relay his every move on a TikTok livestream on the MLS and Inter Miami channels. Adblock test (Why?)
Cuba extends workplace, school shutdowns in wake of power blackouts
The energy-saving measures come as government struggles to restore grid and surveys hurricane that killed seven. Cuba will keep all non-essential workplaces and schools closed through Sunday as it battles a crippling island-wide electricity shortage and recovers from a deadly hurricane. Cuba’s National Defence Council announced the prolonged shutdowns on Wednesday, saying only vital services such as hospitals will stay open. The energy-saving measures come as the government scrambles to restore power across the nation, which went dark Friday after its largest power plant collapsed and fuel failed to reach other plants, causing the entire energy grid to collapse. The crisis was compounded by the passage of Hurricane Oscar over the weekend, which flooded rivers and tore down power lines across eastern Cuba, killing at least seven people, including one child. Originally, the government said workplaces and schools would reopen on Thursday. By Tuesday, Cuba announced its grid was back online and power had been restored to 70 percent of the country, although many outside the capital Havana were still cut off. The power grid still had a 30-percent energy deficit during evening peak hours, state media reported on Wednesday morning, citing data from the state electric company, Union Electrica (UNE). Visiting the southeastern town of San Antonio del Sur, which was clobbered by a flash flood caused by the hurricane, President Miguel Diaz-Canel told residents Wednesday, “You are not alone or abandoned.” Cuba’s electricity is generated by eight ageing, oil-fired thermoelectric plants, some of which are broken down or under maintenance, seven floating plants leased from Turkish companies that have faced fuel shortages, and many diesel-powered generators. People watch the Turkey-flagged power ship arrive in Havana Bay in Cuba, Tuesday, November 15, 2022 [Ismael Francisco/AP] “Bands-aids” The large thermoelectric plants were built in the 1970s and have a lifespan of between 25 and 30 years, according to Jorge Pinon, a Cuban-born energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin. “They’re breaking down all the time,” he told Al Jazeera, comparing them to the classic old US cars that are a popular tourist attraction in the capital, Havana. “They have a structural problem and they need to recapitalise the whole system,” he added. The country’s waning energy resources are a symptom of its worst economic crisis in decades, also marked by soaring inflation and shortages of medicine, food and water. “Turn on the lights” Concerned about social unrest and sporadic street protests, Díaz-Canel has warned that his government will not tolerate attempts to “disturb public order”. In July 2021, blackouts sparked an unprecedented outpouring of public anger, with thousands of Cubans taking to the street and chanting slogans including “Freedom!” and “We are hungry.” Dozens of people took to the streets over the weekend in one neighbourhood, banging pots and pans and shouting “Turn on the lights.” Cuban police and military stand next to debris used to block a street during a protest against a blackout, October 19 [Norlys Perez/Reuters] The Cuban government and its allies blame the United States’s 62-year-old trade embargo on the island for its economic and energy problems, including the sanctioning of oil tankers that deliver fuel from Venezuela. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that the Cuban government’s “long-term mismanagement of its economic policy and resources has certainly increased the hardship of people in Cuba”. Adblock test (Why?)
Bank of Canada cuts interest rates, says fight against inflation ‘worked’
The cut on Wednesday, the fourth in a row, was bigger than expected as September inflation sank below target. The Bank of Canada on Wednesday reduced its key benchmark rate by 50 basis points to 3.75 percent, its first bigger-than-usual move in more than four years, and hailed signs that Canada has returned to an era of low inflation. The country’s central bank, which hiked rates to a 20-year high to fight soaring prices, has now cut benchmark rates four times in a row since June. Inflation in September sank to 1.6 percent, below the 2 percent target. “Canadians can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s a good news story,” Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Tiff Macklem said during a press conference after the rate announcement. “It’s been a long fight against inflation, but it’s worked, and we’re coming out the other side.” Despite three previous cuts totaling 75 basis points, demand has been muted, sales at businesses are sluggish and consumer sentiment is tepid, hurting economic growth. “Today’s interest rate decision should contribute to a pickup in demand,” Macklem said, adding that the BoC would like to see growth strengthen. The United States Federal Reserve last month started its own rate reduction cycle with a similar-sized move. Economists and analysts now see a possibility of another jumbo cut building up in December. “Based on the logic offered to justify today’s decision, it would take a significant turn of events to stand in the way of another cut of that magnitude in December,” CIBC Chief Economist Avery Shenfeld wrote in a note. ‘Maintain low, stable inflation’ The last time the Bank of Canada cut rates by 50 basis points at a scheduled meeting was in March 2020. The headline September inflation rate of 1.6 percent underscored concerns that the high cost of borrowing might have suppressed the rise in prices more than the economy needed. “Now our focus is to maintain low, stable inflation. We need to stick the landing,” Macklem said. Money markets are fully pricing in a 25-basis-point cut in the final monetary policy decision announcement of the year on December 11. They are seeing an over 25 percent chance of another 50-basis-point cut. “Another 50 [basis points] in December is not a slam dunk. It will depend on where the BoC thinks neutral is,” said Kyle Chapman, forex markets analyst at Ballinger Group. The central bank said it sees the neutral rate – where the monetary policy is not considered to be restricting growth but also accelerating growth – between 2.25 percent and 3.25 percent. Macklem reiterated that if the economy continues to evolve broadly in line with forecasts, the bank would cut rates again, with the timing and pace depending on the latest data. Canada’s economic growth has sputtered under the impact of high rates. July gross domestic product (GDP) grew by just 0.2 percent on a monthly basis and provisional data suggest August growth will likely stall. The bank revised its forecast for quarterly and annual growth in its latest monetary policy report (MPR) released along with the rates announcement on Wednesday. It now expects annualised GDP growth in the third quarter to be 1.5 percent, down from the 2.8 percent it predicted in July, but kept its full-year forecast unchanged at 1.2 percent. The overall annual inflation rate this year is seen at 2.5 percent, falling to 2.2 percent in 2025 and 2 percent in 2026, the MPR showed. The bank, however, is still concerned about inflation coming in higher or lower than expected going forward. “The economy functions well when inflation is around 2 percent,” Macklem said. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli strikes pound Lebanese southern coastal city of Tyre
Israeli warplanes have attacked multiple buildings in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Tyre, sending up large clouds of black smoke, as the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah confirmed that a top official widely expected to be the group’s next leader had been killed in an Israeli strike. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings ahead of the strikes. The Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported on Wednesday that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh had killed three people. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired a new barrage of rockets into Israel, including two that set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv before being intercepted. The group also confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, who had been widely expected to take over the leadership of Hezbollah following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah last month. Israel said on Tuesday that it had killed Safieddine in a strike earlier this month in Beirut’s southern suburbs. “We pledge to our great martyr and his martyred brothers to continue the path of resistance and jihad until achieving its goals of freedom and victory,” Hezbollah said in a statement. Safieddine, a powerful cleric within the party ranks, was the head of Hezbollah’s highest political decision-making body, the executive council. He was widely expected to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, one of the group’s founders and longtime leader, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month. Hezbollah began firing rockets towards Israel on October 8, 2023, after Israel launched its ongoing deadly assault on the besieged Gaza Strip in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. The exchanges of fire continued on a near-daily basis for months, but Israel’s military drastically escalated the fighting last month, killing much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership and launching air raids across Lebanon. Earlier this month, it sent ground troops into areas in the south of the country. Tyre, a provincial capital, had largely been spared in the war, but strikes in and around the city have intensified recently. The 2,500-year-old city, about 80km (50 miles) south of Beirut, is known for its pristine beaches, ancient harbour, Roman ruins and hippodrome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is among Lebanon’s largest cities and a vibrant metropolis popular with tourists. The buildings struck on Wednesday were between several heritage sites, including the hippodrome and a cluster of seaside sites associated with the ancient Phoenicians and the Crusaders. The Israeli military told residents to move north of the Awali River, dozens of kilometres to the north, claiming there were Hezbollah assets in the evacuation warning area without elaborating or providing evidence. ‘You can’t bomb your way to safety’ Israel’s attack on Tyre is reminiscent of its attacks on Gaza, Mohamad Bazzi, an Associate Professor from New York University, said. “We’ve seen Israel use the same playbook in Gaza, these two strategies of massive bombardment, displacing civilians and the so-called evacuation orders. Lebanon is a sovereign country, and Israel has no basis for issuing evacuation orders in a foreign, sovereign country,” Bazzi told Al Jazeera. “In the long-term, I’d argue it’s a failed strategy because you can’t bomb your way to safety and peace on the Israel-Lebanon border. You have to have a diplomatic settlement, and Israel’s leadership has shown no interest in this so far.” First responders from Lebanon’s Civil Defense used loudspeakers to warn residents to evacuate the area and help older adults and others who had difficulty leaving. Ali Safieddine, the head of the Civil Defense, told The Associated Press (AP) news agency there were no casualties. Smoke billows after an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon [Aziz Taher/Reuters] Wissam Ghazal, a health official in Tyre, said the strikes hit six buildings, flattening four approximately two hours after evacuation warnings were issued. People displaced by the strikes could be seen in parks and sitting on the sides of nearby roads. The head of Tyre’s disaster management unit, Mortada Mhanna, told AP that although many people had fled the city, thousands of residents and displaced individuals from other areas have chosen to stay. Many people, including hundreds of families, previously fled villages in south Lebanon to seek refuge in Tyre. An estimated 15,000 people remain in the city out of a pre-war population of about 100,000, Mhanna said. “It’s very difficult for many to leave. They’re worried about being subjected to further chaos and displacement,” he said, adding that he and his team had chosen to stay in the city, but “it’s a big risk. It’s not safe here anymore.” More than 2,500 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since October last year, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, and more than a million people have fled their homes since September. Adblock test (Why?)
Taiwan says blockade would be act of war as China holds more drills
Taiwanese defence chief says a blockade would have far-reaching consequences for international trade. Taiwan’s defence chief has warned that a Chinese blockade would be an act of war and have far-reaching consequences for international trade after Beijing held military exercises to encircle the self-governed island. Taiwanese Defence Minister Wellington Koo made his comments on Wednesday as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continued exercises near the democratically-ruled island after last week carrying out war games that included a simulated blockade. “If you really want to carry out a so-called blockade, which according to international law is to prohibit all aircraft and ships entering the area, then according to United Nations resolutions it is regarded as a form of war,” Koo said in remarks to reporters at parliament. “I want to stress that drills and exercises are totally different from a blockade, as would be the impact on the international community,” Koo added. China claims Taiwan as its territory and has said it reserves the right to use force to bring it under its control, with the PLA regularly holding drills – including simulating blockading key ports and assaulting maritime and ground targets – around the island. Taiwan, also known by its official name the Republic of China, has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims. Beijing also asserts jurisdiction over the entirety of the Taiwan Strait, a 180km-wide (110-mile) waterway separating mainland China from Taiwan. Taiwan and other members of the international community reject Beijing’s claim, with the United States, Japan and several European countries asserting its status as an international waterway. The US navy, in particular, regularly sails through the strait to maintain freedom of navigation rights. Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te visits a military base in Taoyuan in response to Chinese military drills on October 18 [Tyrone Siu/Reuters] Koo, who noted that one-fifth of global freight passes through the strait, said that the international community “could not sit by and just watch” if China were to impose a blockade. Taiwan’s defence ministry announced earlier on Wednesday that Chinese aircraft carriers, led by the Liaoning carrier, travelled north through the waterway after passing through waters near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas islands. During the previous 24 hours, Taiwan’s military detected 15 Chinese military aircraft and six navy vessels in the skies and waters around the island, the defence ministry said. “The Liaoning is passing through the Taiwan Strait now, sailing north along the west of the median line and we are closely monitoring it,” Koo said. Taiwan has reported almost daily Chinese military drills around the island for the past five years, but activity has intensified since April’s election of outspoken President William Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing has labelled a “dangerous separatist”. On October 14, Beijing launched large-scale military drills – code-named “Joint Sword-2024B” and involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force – in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan. Beijing said the drills, which came soon after Lai delivered his National Day speech on October 10, were issued as a “stern warning to the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ forces”. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 971
As the war enters its 971st day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Wednesday, October 23, 2024: Military Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies “not to hide” in the face of evidence of North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Kyiv claimed to have information about two North Korean units – up to 12,000 troops – set to take part in the war. The head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence said that Kyiv expected North Korean forces to arrive on Wednesday in Russia’s southern Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched an incursion in August. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin has announced his resignation amid a scandal involving dozens of officials alleged to have abused their position to receive disability status and avoid military service. Finances Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hopes for increased financial cooperation with BRICS members – which account for 45 percent of the world’s population and 35 percent of the global economy – as a meeting of nearly two dozen world leaders kicked off in the Russian city of Kazan on Tuesday. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has called on NATO to raise the alliance’s defence spending target to at least 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, saying the current 2 percent no longer fits the “reality of today’s security situation”. The European Parliament has voted to use frozen Russian assets to lend more than 35 billion euros ($38bn) to Ukraine, clearing the last legislative hurdle before the funds are handed over. A total of 518 members of parliament supported the plan, while 56 voted against and 61 abstained. Moscow has accused the European Union – which holds about 210 billion euros ($227bn) of frozen Russian money under sanctions imposed since its war on Ukraine started – of committing an economic crime on a global scale. United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has announced that Washington plans to contribute $20bn to a $50bn G7 loan package for Ukraine and could soon announce new sanctions targeting Russian weapons procurement. G7 leaders are close to finalising the plan, with policymakers set to meet later this week. Diplomacy Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the BRICS summit that he wanted peace in Ukraine and that his country was ready to help achieve a truce. United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused Putin of “harming millions of vulnerable people”, as new British intelligence suggests Russian attacks on ships carrying food are causing delays to vital supplies reaching Palestinians and the Global South generally. Poland has said it is closing the Russian consulate in the city of Poznan and expelling its staff after Polish investigators discovered Russia’s secret service was recruiting people to conduct arson attacks in the EU and US. Adblock test (Why?)