Israel’s hospital attacks have put Gaza healthcare on brink of collapse, says UN

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Assaults on medical facilities could amount to war crimes in certain circumstances, human rights office report says

Israel’s pattern of sustained attacks on Gaza’s hospitals and medical workers has brought the coastal strip’s healthcare system to the brink of “total collapse”, according to a report by the UN’s human rights office.

The report, which catalogues the besieging and targeting of hospitals and their immediate grounds with explosive weapons, the killing of hundreds of medical workers, and the destruction of critical life-saving equipment, said that in certain circumstances the attacks could “amount to war crimes”. Israel has consistently denied committing war crimes in Gaza.

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What We Know About Jeju Air Crash: 179 Dead In South Korea As Investigators Probe Cause – Forbes

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  1. What We Know About Jeju Air Crash: 179 Dead In South Korea As Investigators Probe Cause  Forbes
  2. How the Jeju Air Plane Crashed in South Korea: Timeline, Maps and Photos  The New York Times
  3. Grieving families of victims of South Korean plane crash visit site for a memorial service  Yahoo! Voices
  4. Airline says pre-flight inspection of South Korea plane showed 'no issues': report  Fox News
  5. Boeing’s terrible year is ending with the worst aviation tragedy of 2024  CNN
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U.S. Releases Tunisian Imprisoned at Guantánamo for 22 Years Without Charge – Democracy Now!

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  1. U.S. Releases Tunisian Imprisoned at Guantánamo for 22 Years Without Charge  Democracy Now!
  2. One of first prisoners held at Guantanamo by US sent back to Tunisia  BBC.com
  3. Pentagon Releases Detainee Held at Guantánamo Since Day 1  The New York Times
  4. US releases one of longest-held Guantánamo Bay detainees to Tunisia  The Guardian US
  5. Video: Longest-held Guantanamo Bay detainee repatriated to Tunisia  Al Jazeera English
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Russia winds down gas supply to Europe via Ukraine as transit deal expires

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Exports to cease on New Year’s Day as Europe faces cold snap and higher than usual fall in reserves since September

Europe will receive the last Russian gas sent via Ukraine’s pipelines in the early hours of the new year as the continent braces for a plunge in temperatures that could hasten the drain on gas reserves.

The Russian state energy company, Gazprom, is expected to cut off its exports to Europe through Ukraine’s pipelines on New Year’s Day after a gas transit deal struck between the countries five years ago comes to an end overnight.

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US releases one of longest-held Guantánamo Bay detainees to Tunisia – The Guardian US

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  1. US releases one of longest-held Guantánamo Bay detainees to Tunisia  The Guardian US
  2. One of first prisoners held at Guantanamo by US sent back to Tunisia  BBC.com
  3. Pentagon Releases Detainee Held at Guantánamo Since Day 1  The New York Times
  4. US repatriates Tunisian detainee held without charge at Guantanamo Bay since the day it opened  CNN
  5. U.S. Releases Tunisian Imprisoned at Guantánamo for 22 Years Without Charge  Democracy Now!
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More than 1m people flock to Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks spectacular

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Nine tonnes of fireworks are set off around the harbour, while Brisbane and Melbourne also enjoyed shows

Australians have bid farewell to 2024, ringing in the new year with one “world-famous” fireworks display and many others not so famous.

More than a million people rushed to the shores of the Sydney Harbour and hundreds of thousands more to the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne to watch the midnight displays.

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As Covid lab leak suspicion lingers, WHO urges China to share virus origin data – POLITICO Europe

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  1. As Covid lab leak suspicion lingers, WHO urges China to share virus origin data  POLITICO Europe
  2. Milestone: COVID-19 five years ago  World Health Organization
  3. 5 years after first reports of COVID-19: Reflection, resilience and lessons learned  ABC7 Los Angeles
  4. WHO implores China to finally share Covid origins data, five years on  The Guardian
  5. WHO marks 5 years since COVID-19 came on its radar — it became the worst pandemic in a century  CBC News
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Fears Australia may face GP shortage as figures reveal almost 10% now aged over 70

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GPs’ peak body is concerned a proposed new medical test for older doctors could force them from the system

Almost 10% of Australia’s GPs are aged over 70, new figures have revealed, with concerns that a proposal to introduce health checks for older doctors may worsen workforce shortages.

According to data from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), 8.8% of all GPs in Australia – 3,142 of 35,514 practitioners – are over 70, as of 30 June.

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Putin says he saved Russia, but a year of challenges suggests Moscow’s position is precarious – The Washington Post

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  1. Putin says he saved Russia, but a year of challenges suggests Moscow’s position is precarious  The Washington Post
  2. 'He is an introvert – a man of deeds, not words': How Vladimir Putin rose to power in Russia  BBC.com
  3. 25 years of Putin: how an ex-KGB agent turned Russia ‘upside down’  The Times
  4. Putin has led Russia to relentless darkness  The Telegraph
  5. What 25 years of Putin has done to the world, in a presidency bookended by war  The Independent
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