Beijing (AFP) – China says European Union export policies towards Beijing do not “make sense”, on the eve of a high-level summit in the Chinese capital. It also says that China supports close ally Venezuela and Guyana in solving border issues with “friendly consultation”, as Caracas proposed a bill to create a Venezuelan province in a disputed oil-rich region.
Makthar (Tunisia) (AFP) – Villagers in Tunisia are struggling to find water in the country, which is grappling with its worst water scarcity in years.
6Geneva (Switzerland) (AFP) – The United Nations warns that it is impossible to create so-called safe zones for civilians to flee to inside the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s bombing campaign. Israel declared war on Hamas after the militant group’s October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says the war has killed nearly 15,900 people in the territory.
Pristina (AFP) – Hundreds gather in Pristina to protest against the murder of a Kosovo Albanian woman, demanding tougher action against perpetrators of gender-based violence.
Lima (AFP) – Supporters of former Peru president Alberto Fujimori dance and sing outside the prison where he is detained in Lima after the Constitutional Court ordered his release. Fujimori, 85, has been serving a 25-year prison sentence for crimes against humanity committed on his watch. IMAGES
Lima (AFP) – Supporters of former Peru president Alberto Fujimori gather outside the prison where he is detained in Lima after the Constitutional Court ordered his release. Fujimori, 85, has been serving a 25-year prison sentence for crimes against humanity committed on his watch. IMAGES
Igabi (Nigeria) (AFP) – A drone strike killed at least 85 civilians and injured dozens others in northwest Nigeria by accident after the army mistook them for armed militants in the area. Many of the victims were women, children and elderly who had been celebrating the Muslim festival of Maulud.
Doha (AFP) – Mediation efforts are continuing for “a complete and sustained ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war, says Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during closing remarks of the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in the Qatari capital Doha. Qatar was a key mediator in negotiations that resulted in a seven-day truce, which saw scores of Israeli hostages exchanged for Palestinians prisoners and humanitarian aid, until it ended on 1 December. Israel declared war on Hamas after the militant group killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages, according to Israeli figures, in an unprecedented attack on October 7. The Israeli offensive has killed nearly 15,900 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, around 70 percent of them women and children.
Asikkala (Finland) (AFP) – In his cabin nestled in southern Finland’s Asikkala, 87-year-old Erkki Pekkarinen deftly carves intricate strips of birch bark with his knife. While wood is often seen as a robust and inflexible material, Pekkarinen says that birch bark can be used to make “whatever your imagination will allow”, including a wooden suit.
Dubai (AFP) – As the COP28 climate conference gets underway, haze engulfs Dubai. Human Rights Watch has warned that the United Arab Emirates is choking under “alarmingly high” air pollution levels fed by its fossil fuel industry. Smog engulfed the city state after the climate talks began on 30 November and hit officially “unhealthy” levels over the weekend.
