Hezbollah fired more than 50 rockets at Israel, Russia continued to shoot down Ukrainian UAVs and missiles, Finland closed almost all border gates with Russia, China called on its citizens to evacuate from Myanmar... are some notable news in the past 24 hours.
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| Protesters call for a ceasefire in Gaza in Washington, DC, US. (Source: truthout) |
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.
Middle East-Africa
*Temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas officially takes effect: From 7:00 a.m. on November 24 (around 12:00 p.m. Hanoi time), the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas armed forces in the Gaza Strip officially takes effect.
According to the agreement reached on November 22, this humanitarian ceasefire will be effective for 4 days and can be extended for no more than 10 days if Hamas continues to release 50 more hostages and Israel also returns an additional 150 security prisoners.
Israel is expected to release 39 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, on November 24. By 4 p.m. that same day, Hamas had released at least 13 hostages.
However, minutes before the ceasefire took effect, Hamas in the Gaza Strip continued to fire towards the Israeli town of Nir Oz. (Al Jazeera)
*Iraqi militias confirm attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria: On November 23, Shi'ite militias in Iraq confirmed that they had carried out attacks on an airbase with US forces in western Iraq and a US base in eastern Syria.
The Iran-backed militia calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said its fighters attacked security towers within the Ayn al-Asad Air Base, about 190 km northwest of the capital Baghdad.
In a separate statement, the group said it had fired rockets at a US base in Syria’s Koniko gas field. Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed that the attacks by the Iraqi group were in retaliation for US forces, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas. (Gulf News)
*Egypt pledges to deliver 130,000 liters of diesel daily to Gaza: Egypt said on November 24 that 130,000 liters of diesel and four truckloads of gas will be delivered daily to Gaza when the four-day ceasefire begins this morning.
In a statement, head of Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan also said 200 aid trucks would enter Gaza daily.
Earlier, Israel and the Hamas Islamic movement confirmed on November 23 that a four-day ceasefire would begin at 7 a.m. (local time) on November 24. (Arab News)
*Qatar sets up ceasefire monitoring center in Gaza: On November 23, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said that an operations center in the country's capital Doha will monitor the implementation of the humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as well as the release of 50 Israeli hostages in Gaza.
In addition, the center will also collect information about the remaining hostages. According to Qatari Majed Al-Ansari, Qatar is ready to play a coordinating role between Israel, the Hamas Political Bureau in Doha and the International Committee of the Red Cross. (TASS)
*Hezbollah fires more than 50 rockets into northern Israel: On November 23, the Hezbollah movement fired more than 50 rockets at military positions in northern Israel. This was one of the fiercest shellings since Hezbollah began attacking positions in northern Israel at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.
Hezbollah said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military base in Beit Zeitem, 10 km south of the border. Hezbollah fighters also attacked Israeli tanks and positions.
Earlier, on November 22, Israel airstrike a house in the village of Beit Yahoun, southern Lebanon, killing five senior Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah said it was reducing pressure on the Gaza Strip by increasing its activities on the Israel-Lebanon border. (Al Jazeera)
Europe
*Russia claims to have shot down many Ukrainian UAVs and missiles: RIA news agency quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that Russia's missile defense system shot down 13 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Crimea and 3 other UAVs in the Volgograd region early on the morning of November 24.
Meanwhile, Russia's southern combat group told TASS that it had shot down 12 Ukrainian UAVs and six HIMARS missiles in the direction of Donetsk in the past 24 hours.
In addition, units of this combat group repelled two Ukrainian attacks near Kleshcheyevka and attacked enemy forces and equipment near the settlements of Razdolovka, Kurdyumovka and Vasyukovka. The attacks resulted in about 280 Ukrainian soldiers killed and wounded, destroyed three tanks, one armored personnel carrier and four pickup trucks. (Reuters)
*Belarus responds to criticism of Russian nuclear weapons storage: On November 23, speaking at a press conference after the Collective Security Cooperation Organization (CSTO) Summit in Minsk, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko responded to criticism of Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the country, calling such criticism "absurd" because Minsk does not threaten anyone.
The Belarusian president stressed that Minsk did not threaten anyone, but only learned "so-called diplomatic protocol from those who have turned the language of force into a world trend." Mr. Lukashenko affirmed that the presence of powerful weapons is currently the only guarantee of security in the region, creating a voice in the international arena.
In March 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus as a deterrent and a signal to those who were thinking of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia. In mid-June 2023, Putin said the first batch of weapons had been deployed and the rest would be delivered before the end of the year. (TASS)
*French Foreign Minister visits China: French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna met with Chinese Premier Li Gang in Beijing on November 24, starting a short visit focusing on the Israel-Hamas war as well as enhancing academic and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
During a meeting in Beijing on the morning of November 24, Ms. Colonna said that China and France share “global responsibility” as permanent members of the Security Council. Both must “try to find answers to the big challenges, especially those of climate, biodiversity and anything that can ease tensions in the world.”
For his part, Premier Li Qiang noted the "positive trend of China-France cooperation on all fronts." He said: "The close cooperation between China and France has also added much positive energy and brought more certainty to today's uncertain world." (THX)
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*Russia attacks Avdiivka "from all directions": The leader of the town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, Mr. Vitaly Barabash, said on November 24 that the Russian army was systematically conducting the third wave of attacks and shelling on this industrial center.
“The third wave of the offensive has begun. They are attacking from all directions, from the southern and northern flanks, as before, using a lot of infantry. They are attacking the industrial zone,” Barabash told state media. He said Russian forces were attacking Avdiivka with guided bombs and cluster bombs, with an average of 30-40 “large-scale” attacks per day.
Mr Barabash said 1,350 residents remain in the town, which had a pre-war population of around 30,000. Avdiivka has become a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance. (Sputnik News)
*Finland closes almost all border crossings with Russia: Finland has closed 7/8 border crossings with Russia, except for 1 remaining open for passengers to Russia, to stop the unusually high flow of migrants that the Nordic country accuses Moscow of creating.
More than 700 migrants from countries including Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria have crossed into Finland via Russia in recent weeks. Helsinki says Moscow is pushing migrants toward the border between the two countries, a charge the Kremlin has denied.
After closing four border crossings last week, Finland closed all remaining border crossings for passengers on the night of November 23, except for the one at Raja-Jooseppi in the northern Arctic region, for a month. (AFP)
*Turkey adds missile defense system: Aselsan company said the Turkish military will add the domestically produced Siper missile defense system to its arsenal in 2024 after testing is completed.
Posting on social network X on November 23, Aselsan Company emphasized: "Siper, a weapon system that is very important in meeting multi-layered air defense needs and is designed to protect strategic facilities, will allow (the Turkish military) to protect airspace at longer ranges and higher altitudes."
Ankara began work on the Siper system in 2018. Siper is designed to replace foreign-made systems and is currently undergoing testing. (Reuters)
Asia-Pacific
*China calls on citizens to evacuate from northern Myanmar: On November 24, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar asked Chinese citizens stranded in the Laukkai area of northern Myanmar to evacuate as soon as possible.
The Chinese Embassy's announcement stated that the risk to Chinese citizens in this area is very high as fighting between the Myanmar military and rebel forces in this area continues. (THX)
*China waives visas for citizens of 6 more countries: China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing has decided to unilaterally waive visas for ordinary passport holders of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia on a trial basis.
The online statement stated that from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024, holders of ordinary passports from the six countries can enter China without a visa for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit for no more than 15 days. The statement also said that citizens from these six countries who do not meet the visa exemption requirements will still need to apply for a visa before entering China.
The policy will help promote people-to-people exchanges, serve high-quality development and promote strong opening-up, the statement noted. (AFP)
*Japan's lower house passes $88 billion supplementary budget: On November 24, Japan's lower house passed a supplementary budget worth about 13.1 trillion yen ($88 billion) to help households cope with rising living costs and support corporations to boost domestic investment.
The supplementary budget has raised concerns that it could further strain Japan's finances and derail the government's goal of a balanced primary budget by the fiscal year ending March 2026. The supplementary budget bill will be sent to the upper house for further discussion and approval early next week.
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*China, Myanmar discuss ways to stabilize shared border: Myanmar media reported on November 24 that Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai met with top Myanmar officials to discuss stability at the shared border, following recent signs that relations between the two countries are falling into a state of rare tension.
Northeastern regions of Myanmar bordering China have been rocked by an ethnic insurgency against Myanmar's military in the past month. Tens of thousands of people have fled Myanmar after rebel groups launched a large-scale offensive, dubbed "Operation 1027", last month. The groups are believed to have seized several towns and military areas in several states across Myanmar, especially in the northern region bordering China. (THX)
*Pakistan applies to join BRICS: Pakistan has officially applied to join the BRICS group in 2024 and is counting on Russia's support.
Backed by China, Pakistan hopes Russia's support will allow it to join BRICS - a group that is looking to expand and has admitted six new countries this year.
Pakistan's new Ambassador to Russia Muhammad Khalid Jamali confirmed that Pakistan has applied for BRICS membership and that Pakistan plans to join the group during Russia's rotating BRICS chairmanship in 2024.
Pakistan has previously accused India of being the only country blocking it from participating in BRICS meetings. However, there has been no response from India to Pakistan’s application to join BRICS.
In October, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that BRICS plans to agree on a list of candidates for partner country status before the upcoming summit in the Russian city of Kazan in 2024. During its BRICS presidency, Russia will pay special attention to expanding the "BRICS circle of friends." (TASS)
*South Korean opposition leader condemns North Korea for "abolishing inter-Korean military agreement": South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP) chairman Lee Jae-myung on November 24 condemned North Korea's abrogation of a military tension reduction agreement with South Korea, expressing concern that the "tit-for-tat" actions by both sides could lead to tensions spiraling out of control.
"North Korea has announced the cancellation of the September 19 military agreement and I strongly condemn this," Mr. Lee said at a party meeting. Mr. Lee warned that the situation was escalating dangerously as both sides responded to each other.
North Korea announced on November 23 that it was scrapping a 2018 military agreement, saying it would restore all military measures suspended under the agreement. The move came after South Korea partially suspended the agreement in protest of North Korea's successful launch of a military spy satellite. (Yonhap)
*Philippines considers return to International Criminal Court: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on November 24 that Manila is considering returning to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The announcement came nearly five years after the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in protest at the court's opening of an investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte's 2018 anti-drug campaign.
"There is also the question of whether we should return under the ICC, that is under study. So we will continue to look and evaluate what our options are," Marcos told reporters.
In 2019, the Philippines withdrew from the ICC, becoming the second country to do so after Burundi. The ICC was established in 2002 as a permanent court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. (Reuters)
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*Thai citizens held by Hamas to be released soon: Thai media on November 24 quoted Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news agency, based in London (UK), as saying that Hamas may release 23 Thai hostages in a side deal brokered by Iran.
Earlier, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed quoted an anonymous Egyptian source as saying that the Thai hostages would be released after Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed optimism that the ceasefire would allow Thai hostages to leave Gaza safely.
However, the Thai Foreign Ministry has not confirmed whether Thai workers were among the first 50 hostages released by Hamas. (Reuters)
*Afghanistan 'permanently' closes embassy in India: On November 24, the Afghan Embassy announced the permanent closure of its operations in New Delhi, saying that "the decision is the result of broader changes in policy and interests." In addition, Afghanistan also cited "continuous pressure" from the Taliban and the Indian government to "relinquish control" as the reason for the representative agency's decision.
The decision comes after the embassy had earlier suspended operations on September 30, a move that was taken in the hope that the Indian government's stance would change in favour of the mission functioning normally.
In a statement, the embassy said there are currently no diplomats from the Republic of Afghanistan in India. Those serving in the national capital New Delhi have gone to third countries safely and those present in India are diplomats affiliated with the Taliban. (Indian Times)
America
*US hopeful about prospect of direct communication with Chinese military: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on November 23 that defense officials are "encouraged" by the prospect of the US resuming direct communication with the Chinese military.
As China increases its interceptions of US aircraft, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said direct communication (with the Chinese military) could keep the situation from "spiraling out of control".
Mr Austin's comments came a day after President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to restore a communications agreement between the two countries' militaries.
Last month, a Pentagon report to Congress noted an increase in Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) pilots intercepting US military aircraft in international airspace as part of a pressure campaign against lawful air operations in the region. Over the past two years, US military pilots have reported nearly 200 incidents of harassment by PLA pilots. (AFP)
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