edited by Vittorio Nuti
According to CNN, Israel has proposed a ceasefire to Hamas for the release of 40 hostages. The Islamist movement says its leader Haniyeh will be in Egypt today. Islamic Jihad released a video last night of two prisoners begging for their release. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, an Israeli attack on Deir al-Balah left eight dead and 34 injured. The UN Security Council vote on a resolution on Gaza has already been postponed twice and postponed until today. Ukraine: The US Senate postpones approval of new aid for Kiev until next year.
Google was fined in Russia for “spreading fake news about the conflict in Ukraine.”
A Russian court has fined Alphabet's Google 4.6 billion rubles (46 million euros) for failing to delete what it called “false” information about the conflict in Ukraine. This was reported by the Tass news agency. In a simmering dispute that intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has repeatedly clashed with foreign tech companies over content, censorship, data and local representation.
Israel, another soldier killed in southern Gaza Strip, toll now at 134
The Israeli army has announced the death of another soldier killed in combat in the southern Gaza Strip. This is reservist Uriel Cohen (34 years old). The number of soldiers killed in combat in Gaza since the ground operation began in Gaza is now 134.
France: Immigration law passed with RN votes, rumors of minister's resignation
The political debate in France has become more heated after Parliament passed a controversial immigration law last night, the text of which was supported by much of the conservative right of Les Republicains and the far right of Rassemblement National. The bill was approved late Tuesday by the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, by 349 votes to 186; it had previously been approved by the Senate. There are fears the case could cause a rift within President Emmanuel Macron's majority. There is uncertainty about the resignation of a minister: last night a ministerial source reported that Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, which the Prime Minister herself denied on France Inter this morning; But now the broadcaster Bfmtv, citing its sources, reports that Rousseau is absent from the Council of Ministers that began this morning at the Elysée Palace. Macron is expected to speak about the immigration law on France 5's “C à Vous” program at the end of the day, France Télévisions reported, adding that Macron will return to “the key moments of 2023” and “the prospects for 2024 “will address” (culture, sport, politics, economy)”.
Pornhub joins platforms monitored by the EU
The European Commission has named adult websites Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos among major digital platforms monitored under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This was announced by the EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton. “Stricter obligations” would apply to these platforms, Breton recalls, emphasizing that “creating a safer online environment for our children is a priority for the application of the DSA”.
Borrell, the EU is preparing for a conflict that will last
In Ukraine, Putin “will not leave the war, not before the American elections, which represent a more favorable scenario for him.” So we have to prepare for a high-intensity conflict that will last for a long period of time. This is what European societies need to know and learn, and that is why we need to further develop our defense industry, which is absolutely not up to the challenges we face. This is how Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Trade, spoke Security policy, at the Grand Continent summit currently taking place in Courmayeur (Aosta) with the Skyway cable car.
Animals: EU targets wolves and wants to lower protection levels
The European Commission wants to change the protection status in the EU of the wolf, one of the large carnivores that still lives on the old continent, by reducing it. The EU executive today presents a proposal for a Council decision aimed at adjusting the protection status of the wolf under the Berne International Convention for the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, to which the EU and its Member States are party. The Commission recalls that the protected status of the wolf was determined on the basis of the scientific data available at the time of the negotiations of the Convention in 1979. Based on an in-depth analysis of the status of the wolf in the EU, in the study published today, the Commission proposes to make the wolf “protected” rather than “strictly protected”. The Commission announced in September 2023 that, based on the data collected, it would decide on a proposal to change the protection status of the wolf, if necessary, and to update the legal framework to introduce further flexibilities if necessary.
IDF, attack on soldiers outside Hebron foiled
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim to have “neutralized” a Palestinian who was driving a car and tried to hit them at an intersection just outside the West Bank city of Hebron. The Times of Israel reports on it. According to the Israeli army, troops from a reservist battalion were at the intersection at the time of the attack. No one among the Israeli soldiers was injured.
Palestinian Agency Wafa: Bombings south of Gaza, including children
Heavy Israeli shelling at dawn in Gaza, particularly in Jabalia and Khan Yunis. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, with local and journalistic sources reporting the killing and wounding of dozens of Palestinian civilians, most of them children and women. The Hamas-affiliated Safa news agency reported violent clashes between Palestinian militiamen and the Israeli army in the center of Khan Younis, as well as violent clashes and Israeli airstrikes in the Ma'an area, according to the BBC.
Amnesty and the EU pact on migrants lead to more human suffering
The EU's agreement on the Migration and Asylum Pact will “set European asylum legislation back by decades” and lead to “greater human suffering”. Amnesty International announced this in a statement. For Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International's Office for European Institutions, the pact “specifically does not support states where people are coming to Europe for the first time, such as Italy, Spain or Greece,” rather than emphasizing solidarity through resettlement “,” he explains, “states can simply pay to strengthen their external borders or finance countries outside the EU.”
Red Crescent, 8 dead in Israeli raid on Deir al-Balah
“Palestinian Red Crescent teams have evacuated eight victims and 34 injured caused by Israeli raids that targeted a house in the Beshara neighborhood in the center of the city of Deir al-Balah,” writes the Palestinian Red Crescent on its profile. According to Al-Jazeera, the house hit by the bombing was near Al-Aqsa Hospital in the same city as Deir Al-Balah.
The Pope welcomes the Mediterranean NGOs, they are doing good work
“I also greet the Mediterranea Saving Humans group present here, which goes to sea to rescue the poor people fleeing slavery in Africa. These guys are doing a good job: they are saving a lot of people, a lot of people.” Pope Francis said this in a spontaneous greeting at the end of the general audience in the Sala Nervi.
Conte (M5S): Frigate in the Red Sea? It entangles us in another conflict
(“It doesn't seem to me that our goal is to get involved in another conflict. But since we have to have respect for Washington, we will send a frigate and maybe some weapons.” M5 leader Giuseppe Conte recited this Radio 24, commenting on the deployment of a frigate to the Red Sea in the coming days. Conte accused the government of “Turboatlanticism”, while “we were an outpost of dialogue in the Atlantic Alliance, which – as he specified – I do not question.” “Biden has passed us by in the conflict in Gaza,” Conte added.
Conte: “Italy is becoming turbo-Atlantic”
Weber, “Migration Pact, Milestone for External Borders”
“The agreement (on migrants and asylum) is a milestone on the way to regaining control over the EU's external borders. With this reform we can reduce migration pressure to Europe by better checking irregular entrants and strengthening solidarity with countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain.” This was explained by the chairman and group leader of the EPP, Manfred Weber. “This agreement represents a new beginning for European migration policy, based on EPP priorities such as control of external borders, stricter enforcement of rules and greater solidarity in times of crisis.” It will be the state that decides who enters the EU after years of blockade by liberals and the left, voters across the political spectrum expect Europe to commit to reducing arrivals and strengthening controls at external borders. While the extreme right and the left live with unresolved problems, we strive to find solutions together,” added the People’s Party leader. And Weber concludes: “In addition to this reform, the EU should further expand its partnerships with partners in (North) Africa.” We must make progress on returns, readmission agreements and the prevention of departures from countries like Tunisia. We have to break the smugglers’ business model.”
IDF attack on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
Israeli warplanes carried out strikes on several Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory. According to an IDF statement, the targets included terrorist infrastructure and military sites from which the Lebanese paramilitary organization operates.
HRW: “Russian army forcibly recruits Ukrainian civilians”
Russian forces continue to forcibly recruit Ukrainian civilians, including those imprisoned, in the territories of Ukraine they occupy and force them to fight for them against their compatriots, and this constitutes a war crime, the organization writes in a humanitarian statement for human rights Observe ( HRW). “Russian authorities are openly and illegally forcing men in occupied territories of Ukraine to fight against their country,” writes Hugh Williamson, HRW director for Europe and Central Asia. “Less visible is their practice of urging detained Ukrainian civilians who have nowhere to hide or escape to join Russian forces,” Williamson added in the statement.
EU agreement reached on migrants and asylum pact
The EU Council and Parliament have agreed on the five main pillars of the Migration and Asylum Pact. This was announced by EU Commissioner Margaritis Schinas on X. “All the pieces come together. We have achieved a breakthrough in the five cornerstones of the Migration and Asylum Pact,” we read in Schinas’ post on social media. “It was a long way to get here. But we did it. Europe is finally delivering results on migration,” he concludes. A press conference will take place at 9:30 a.m. to mark the conclusion of the trilogue on the Migration and Asylum Pact.
Tehran's diplomatic chief meets Hamas leader in Doha
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas' political bureau, in Doha, Qatar. During the meeting, the Hamas leader stressed that “despite the Zionist regime's significant amount of land and sea attacks and air strikes against the population of Gaza, the resistance is still powerful and coherent after 75 days,” Irna reports. Haniyeh expressed his appreciation to the Islamic Republic for closely following developments in the Gaza Strip and said that the meetings he had with Amiradbollahian in Qatar “are important as they show support for Gaza and Palestine.”
Today the UN Security Council votes for a ceasefire in Gaza
On the agenda today is the vote in the United Nations Security Council on the resolution for a new ceasefire in Gaza, the draft of which was prepared by the United Arab Emirates. The vote, originally scheduled for Monday, was postponed at the request of the United States (which vetoed the last vote) to allow Security Council members to engage in “intense negotiations” on the resolution itself.
Hamas: “Israel killed 100 Palestinians in Gaza in one day”
According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilians and militiamen when counting, Israel's attacks in the Gaza Strip have resulted in the deaths of “around 100” Palestinians and the wounding of hundreds more in a single day of war, among the victims, quoted by Qatari television Al Jazeera .
In Kiev, 18 of 19 Russian drones launched were shot down during the night
Last night, Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense shot down 18 of 19 “Shahed” kamikaze drones launched by the Russians over Ukrainian territory in the Odessa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kiev, Chernihiv and Kirovohrad regions, Kiev Air Force military quoted by Ukrinform and other Ukrainian media. Kiev reports that the drones were launched from Chauda on the Kerch Peninsula and from Balaklava in Crimea.
The Chinese central bank is injecting liquidity worth $40 billion
China's central bank provided 134 billion yuan (about $18.88 billion) of liquidity through seven-day repurchase agreements at an interest rate of 1.8%. It also concluded 151 billion yuan ($21.31 billion) in 14-day repurchase agreements at an interest rate of 1.95 percent.
Israel, another soldier killed in Gaza, toll now 133
The army announced the death of another soldier killed in combat in southern Gaza. This is Lior Sivan, a 32-year-old reservist. The number of soldiers killed in combat since ground operations began in Gaza now stands at 133.
Iran: NGO, child bride Samira Sabzian hanged
Samira Sabzian, a young bride who had been imprisoned in Iran for about ten years and was sentenced to death for the murder of her husband, was hanged at dawn. This was reported by the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights. “For years Samira was a victim of gender apartheid, child marriage and domestic violence, today she is the victim of the murder machine of an incompetent and corrupt regime,” wrote the NGO's director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, on X. Sabzian married when she was 15 and four years later, in 2013, she killed her husband. He has been in prison ever since.
Kiev, 9 injured in Russian attacks on Kherson
Nine people were injured in the recent Russian attack on the city of Kherson, including four minors. The mayor of the Ukrainian city, Roman Mrochko, wrote this on Telegram. “During the bombing of Kherson by the Russian occupiers, 9 people were injured, including 4 children (aged 13, 4, 2 and 10). A woman and three children were hospitalized. Five people, including a minor, received medical care on site.” According to Ukrainian media, attacks were also recorded in Kiev and Kharkiv.
US Senate: No green light for new aid to Ukraine before 2024
US Senate Democratic and Republican leaders have said Washington will not be able to approve new aid to Ukraine before the end of the year as both sides continue to seek a compromise. “As negotiators resolve the remaining issues, we hope their efforts will enable the Senate to act quickly as we begin the new year,” Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell said in a joint statement. “As this year progresses, Senate and government negotiators will continue to work in good faith to finalize their agreement.”
Kiev, 9 injured in Russian attacks on Kherson
Nine people were injured in the recent Russian attack on the city of Kherson, including four minors. The mayor of the Ukrainian city, Roman Mrochko, wrote this on Telegram. “During the bombing of Kherson by the Russian occupiers, 9 people were injured, including 4 children (aged 13, 4, 2 and 10). A woman and three children were hospitalized. Five people, including a minor, received medical care on site.” According to Ukrainian media, attacks were also recorded in Kiev and Kharkiv.
CNN: Israel proposes ceasefire to Hamas to release 40 hostages
Israel has submitted a proposal to Hamas that calls for a week-long pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of 40 hostages, said Barak Ravid, a foreign policy analyst for CNN, who cited two Israeli officials and another source with knowledge of the issue. The proposal, first reported by US news site Axios, aims to free women, the elderly and those in urgent need of care. The deal will be presented to Hamas through Qatari intermediaries, Ravid said. Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, confirmed to CNN that Israel was ready to pause the fighting if it meant releasing as many hostages as possible.
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