Duty Editor: Karl Malakunas
Tel: +852 2829 6211
— TOP STORIES —
+ Mediators say deal close on 240 Gaza hostages
+ Argentina outsider Javier Milei wins election
+ Ukrainian army says advancing at Dnipro river
+ US ex-first lady Rosalynn Carter dies aged 96
+ Australia beat India to win Cricket World Cup
Israel-Palestinians-conflict,WRAP
GAZA STRIP
Israeli troops are “expanding” their operation in the Gaza Strip, as Qatari mediators say they are inching closer to a deal to free some of the 240 hostages held by Hamas militants.
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Argentina-vote,WRAP
BUENOS AIRES
Libertarian outsider Javier Milei sweeps to victory in Argentina’s presidential election, vowing to halt decades of economic decline in a country reeling from triple-digit inflation.
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Ukraine-Russia-conflict,WRAP
KYIV
The Ukrainian army says it has pushed Russian forces back “three to eight kilometres” from the banks of Dnipro river, which if confirmed would be the first meaningful advance by Kyiv’s forces months into a disappointing counteroffensive.
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US-politics-Carter-death,WRAP
WASHINGTON
Former US first lady Rosalynn Carter, the wife of former president Jimmy Carter, dies at age 96 at the couple’s home in the southern state of Georgia, their nonprofit organization announces.
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Cricket-WC-2023-IND-AUS,WRAP
AHMEDABAD, India
Travis Head hits a sparkling 137 to power Australia to a record-extending sixth World Cup title in a convincing win over India, with captain Pat Cummins describing victory as “the pinnacle of cricket”.
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— ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR —
Israel-Palestinians-conflict-Yemen-Huthi-ship,WRAP
HODEIDA
Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels say they have seized in the Red Sea a ship owned by an Israeli businessman and rerouted it towards the Yemeni coast.
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Israel-Palestinians-China-conflict-diplomacy,3rdlead
BEIJING
The international community must take urgent action to stop the “humanitarian disaster” unfolding in Gaza, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells a visiting delegation of diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority nations.
500 words 0800 GMT by Peter Catterall and Oliver Hotham. Picture. Video
Israel-Palestinians-conflict-diplomacy-Britain-Ireland,FOCUS
LONDON
Emily, one of the dozens of hostages snatched by Hamas during the October 7 deadly attack on Israel, turned nine on Friday and spent that day in Gaza underground tunnels. Her father just wants her back home.
600 words moved by Sylvain Peuchmaurd. Picture. Video
— ASIA —
India-accident-construction,WRAP
DEHRADUN, India
Indian rescuers battling to free 41 men trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for nine days prepare to dig an entirely new shaft after previous efforts failed.
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Indonesia-Bangladesh-Myanmar-Rohingya-refugee,FOCUS
Bireuen, INDONESIA
At a dockyard in Indonesia’s Aceh Province, two playing cards — an ace and a deuce — hang from the door of a wooden boat that successfully landed with its Rohingya passengers this week. Another boat packed with hundreds more hasn’t been so lucky.
750 words 0830 GMT by Mulyadi with Marchio Gorbiano in Jakarta. Picture. Video
Myanmar-conflict-refugee-Kayah,FOCUS
Demoso, MYANMAR
A woman rings a bell outside a makeshift church of wood and tarpaulin, calling the faithful in to worship and succour in Kayah state in war-ravaged eastern Myanmar.
700 words 0830 GMT. Picture. Video
— EUROPE —
Italy-mafia-crime-trial,WRAP
LAMEZIA TERME, Italy
Hundreds of alleged mobsters are to be sentenced by an Italian court, the culmination of a historic, nearly three-year trial against Calabria’s notorious ‘Ndrangheta mafia.
650 words 1700 GMT by Alexandria Sage. Picture
Entertainment-Spain-Colombia-tax-Shakira-fraud
BARCELONA
Colombian superstar Shakira goes on trial in Barcelona in a tax fraud case, with Spanish prosecutors seeking a jail term of over eight years for the Grammy-winning singer.
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France-auction-history-Napoleon,WRAP
PARIS
A hat belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte when he was French emperor sells for a record of nearly two million euros at a French auction.
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— AMERICAS —
US-justice-politics-Trump,WRAP
WASHINGTON
An appeals court will consider whether Donald Trump has the right to call prosecutors “fascist thugs” or advise those testifying against him to keep quiet.
550 words by 0600 GMT by Selim Saheb. File picture.
US-politics-Trump-age,FOCUS
WASHINGTON
If either Joe Biden or Donald Trump prevails in the November 2024 US elections, the next president will be the oldest in history to take the oath of office.
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US-politics-Biden-age,FOCUS
WASHINGTON
Joe Biden will turn 81 with the traditional pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkeys at the White House, but don’t expect him to mention the issue that has US voters in a flap.
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— AFRICA —
Senegal-migration-fishing,FOCUS
THIAROYE, Senegal
These days, when a Senegalese fisherman climbs into a canoe, it’s likely to be the last time — either he is leaving his life behind in hope of a new one in Europe, or failing in the attempt.
800 words 0700 GMT. File picture. Video
Sudan-conflict,FOCUS
PORT SUDAN
More than seven months into Sudan’s war that has killed thousands and displaced millions, experts warn that the scarred and impoverished country faces the threat of breaking apart.
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DRCongo-vote-campaign-conflict,WRAP
KINSHASA
The Democratic Republic of Congo kicks off a month-long election campaign with 25 candidates running for president amid a tense political climate and relentless fighting in the east of the country.
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— MIDDLE EAST —
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BAHLA, Oman
Deep in Oman’s parched interior, the ancient oasis town of Bahla abounds with myths of camel-eating, fire-mouthed hyenas and men turning into donkeys — a reputation for magic and mystery that persists to this day.
650 words moved by Hashem Osseiran. Picture. Video
— BUSINESS/TECH —
US-tech-OpenAI
NEW YORK
Major investors in OpenAI, the company behind hugely popular ChatGPT, are working to orchestrate the return as CEO of Sam Altman, a leader in the AI revolution who was fired in a shock move Friday, US media report.
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— ENTERTAINMENT —
Entertainment-Britain-film-television-theatre-Ackland,lead
LONDON
The British actor Joss Ackland, who excelled in playing film villains in a varied career spanning eight decades, died on Sunday, his family says. He was 95.
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Entertainment-US-film-Disney-Wish,FOCUS
LOS ANGELES
From Cruella de Vil to Scar, Disney has created many of cinema’s most memorable villains — but bombastic baddies have been notably absent from the studio’s recent hits, though that is about to change with the new movie “Wish.”
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— SPORTS —
Tennis-ATP-Finals,WRAP
TURIN
Novak Djokovic claims yet another record with his seventh ATP Finals title, sweeping aside local hero Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 in Turin and leaving tennis fans wondering when he will relinquish his tennis dominance.
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