World News

Summary

European officials report up to 100 Russian-linked “hybrid attacks” in 2023, including cyber-attacks, sabotage, and espionage.

NATO's Brussels meeting focused on countering these threats, with measures like intelligence sharing and critical infrastructure protection.

Germany warns of heightened risks, including assassination plots, undersea cable sabotage, and incendiary devices. NATO may invoke Article 5 if attacks escalate.

Russia’s reliance on unconventional methods, after losing diplomatic spies in Ukraine war fallout, has intensified tensions. Analysts warn the West’s delayed response has left it vulnerable to Moscow’s increasingly bold tactics.

Summary

Russian security forces raided three Moscow nightclubs, detaining 12 people on charges of “petty hooliganism” amid anti-LGBTQ enforcement.

The raids occurred a year after Russia’s Supreme Court labeled LGBTQ activism “extremist,” intensifying crackdowns on LGBTQ rights under Putin's regime.

Videos showed clubgoers forced to the ground, with exits blocked and interrogations conducted. Sporadic raids on LGBTQ spaces have been reported since the 2022 ruling.

Russia’s LGBTQ restrictions, including its expanded “gay propaganda law,” have drawn criticism as part of a broader suppression of LGBTQ communities.

The decision by the world's largest sovereign fund follows a trend of European financial entities divesting from Israel's firms over its actions in Gaza and the West Bank

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, announced on Tuesday that it has sold all its shares in Israel’s largest telecoms group, Bezeq, as it provides telecommunication services to illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

“By doing so, the company is itself contributing to the violation of international law.”

Summary

U.S. officials revealed a major Chinese hacking campaign targeting American mobile networks, stealing data on over 1 million users, including communications of high-profile individuals such as Biden administration officials and government leaders.

Hackers exploited telecom vulnerabilities, intercepting calls, texts, and location data, and even accessing DOJ-sensitive warrant information.

The operation, active for over a year, remains under investigation as officials struggle to fully expel intrusions.

Telecom companies received security recommendations, but the campaign's scope is still widening, raising fears of further intelligence breaches and ongoing risks.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates posted a statement on X condemning what it called “terrorist settler militias” and saying settlers had been emboldened by the “glaring and unjustifiable failure” of the global community to stop the spiralling Israeli violence.

Throughout the year, Israeli settlers have seized 23.7sq km (9.15sq miles) of Palestinian land, making 2024 the peak year for Israeli land seizures, according to Peace Now, a nonprofit organisation that monitors illegal land confiscation in the occupied territory.

Summary

Cuba’s national electrical grid collapsed early Wednesday after its largest power plant, Antonio Guiteras, shut down.

The failure, caused by aging infrastructure and dwindling fuel imports from Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico, left most of the island’s 10 million people, including Havana, without power.

This marks the latest in a series of outages worsened by hurricanes and economic crises.

The government is working to restore the grid, but nationwide blackouts have become increasingly frequent amid the country’s worsening energy challenges.

Summary

Donald Trump’s advisers are proposing plans to end the Ukraine war that involve territorial concessions to Russia and ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine.

These proposals aim to pressure both sides into negotiations, leveraging military aid as a carrot or stick. Plans include freezing current battle lines or creating demilitarized zones.

Analysts doubt the feasibility, citing likely resistance from Ukraine, European allies, and U.S. lawmakers.

Trump’s approach reflects his campaign pledge to resolve the conflict quickly, but critics argue it risks legitimizing Russian aggression and undermining Western alliances.

Summary

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier faces a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, just three months after his appointment by President Emmanuel Macron.

Opposition parties are uniting against Barnier after he used special powers to pass a controversial budget, including €60bn in tax hikes and spending cuts, without parliamentary approval.

France’s divided parliament, stemming from summer elections, has left Barnier’s minority government unable to govern effectively.

If ousted, Barnier will serve as caretaker PM while Macron, under pressure, selects a replacement, potentially prolonging France’s instability.

Summary

The Philippines and China accused each other of aggressive actions in a confrontation near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

China claimed Philippine vessels entered its territorial waters, prompting “control measures,” while the Philippines accused China’s coast guard of firing water cannons at a government ship, releasing a video of the incident.

This clash follows rising tensions, including China’s recent declaration of territorial baselines around the shoal, which the Philippines disputes.

The shoal has been a flashpoint since China seized it in 2012, despite a 2016 arbitration ruling against Beijing’s broader claims.

Summary

Over 300 people have been arrested in Georgia since mass protests erupted six nights ago, with allegations of violent attacks by police.

The government has accused opposition politicians of orchestrating the violence, while the force exercised by police has been described as torture and brutality by Georgia’s human rights ombudsman.

The protests continue, with demands for a re-run of contested elections and a re-start of the country’s EU bid.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/48972064

Thousands of children were forcibly taken from their families in Belgian colonies because they were mixed-race.

• Yoon backs off in showdown with lawmakers
  

• US expresses grave concern' about martial law

• Protesters celebrate at parliament building

• Government promises 'unlimited liquidity' to steady markets

SEOUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday called for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law only to reverse the move hours later, triggering the biggest political crisis in decades in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

The surprise declaration late on Tuesday ignited a standoff with parliament which rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media, as armed troops forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul.

A coalition of lawmakers from opposition parties said they planned to propose a bill to impeach Yoon on Wednesday which should be voted within 72 hours.

“The parliament should focus on immediately suspending the president’s business to pass an impeachment bill soonest,” Hwang Un-ha, one of the MPs in the coalition, told reporters.

The leader of Yoon's ruling People Power Party called for Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun to be fired and the entire cabinet to resign.

Summary

South Korea's main opposition party has called for President Yoon Suk Yeol to resign or face impeachment after his six-hour martial law declaration, deemed unconstitutional.

Yoon’s move, the first martial law since the 1980s, involved deploying troops to encircle parliament but was swiftly overturned by a 190-0 vote in the opposition-controlled legislature.

Critics, including U.S. officials, condemned the action as a democratic setback.

The Democratic Party, holding 192 seats with allies, may pursue impeachment, recalling South Korea’s history of ousting presidents through public and legislative pressure.

Yoon has yet to publicly respond.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/23197885

Archive link

Summary

A 27-inch asteroid, C0WEPC5, entered Earth's atmosphere over Siberia on Tuesday, creating a harmless but visible fireball.

This marked Earth's fourth detected asteroid strike of the year and only the 11th "imminent impactor" ever recorded.

The asteroid was detected by the Kitt Peak National Observatory ahead of impact, showcasing advancements in asteroid detection.

Separately, a larger asteroid, 2020 XR, measuring 1,200 feet in diameter, will safely pass Earth on Wednesday at a distance of 1.37 million miles.

the SDF-controlled village of Al-Shahabat came under violent bombardment by rocket launchers and artillery troops of Iranian-backed militias, which resulted in the injury of several civilians.

SOHR sources have just reported that a little girl was killed and three other civilians of a single family were injured in artillery fire by Iranian-backed militias stationed in Al-Ma’amel mountain on the SDF-controlled village of Jadidat Ekaydat in Deir Ezzor countryside.