South Africa’s government says it won’t help a group of illegal miners inside a closed mine – The Associated Press

  1. South Africa’s government says it won’t help a group of illegal miners inside a closed mine  The Associated Press
  2. South African government refuses to help hundreds of illegal miners in disused shaft  CNN
  3. South Africa Says It Won't Help Illegal Miners Inside Closed Mine  Newsweek
  4. South African authorities blockade illegal mine with 4,000 people inside  Al Jazeera English
  5. South African police in standoff with hundreds of illegal miners in disused shaft  Reuters
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India: Delhi shuts primary schools as hazardous smog worsens – BBC.com

  1. India: Delhi shuts primary schools as hazardous smog worsens  BBC.com
  2. Delhi CM Atishi announces new timings for govt offices as air quality remains ‘severe’  Hindustan Times
  3. Noxious New Delhi Air Triggers Curbs, Schools Go Online  Bloomberg
  4. Delhi CM Atishi announces staggered timings for government offices to tackle traffic congestion  Deccan Herald
  5. Schools shuttered as smog envelops Delhi and obscures Taj Mahal  The Guardian
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Israel rejects HRW accusations of ‘forcible transfer,’ ‘ethnic cleansing’ in north Gaza – The Times of Israel

  1. Israel rejects HRW accusations of ‘forcible transfer,’ ‘ethnic cleansing’ in north Gaza  The Times of Israel
  2. Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of mass displacement in Gaza amounting to a war crime  CNN
  3. Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza Strip  The Hill
  4. “Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged”: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza | HRW  Human Rights Watch
  5. Israel committing ethnic cleansing with mass forced displacements in Gaza, Human Rights Watch says  NBC News
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Israeli strikes intensify on three fronts as Lebanon talks reach critical stage

IDF hits Gaza, Syria and Beirut suburbs, as analysts say raids could be aimed at forcing hand of Hezbollah in negotiations

Israel has intensified its air offensives on three fronts, launching dozens of new strikes in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria as negotiations for a ceasefire on its northern border reach a critical point.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said about 30 targets had been struck in the southern suburbs of Beirut in 48 hours and described continuing efforts to “dismantle and degrade” the military capabilities of the militant Islamist organisation.

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UK court sides with Icelandic firm over artist’s spoof corruption apology

Judge considering complaint by fishing firm Samherji rules artist Odee unlikely to be able to defend work as parody

The property rights of Iceland’s largest fishing company prevail over the right to artistic expression of an artist who spoofed the firm’s website to draw attention to a high-profile corruption scandal, London’s high court has ruled.

For his 2023 work We’re Sorry, the Icelandic artist Oddur Eysteinn Friðriksson, who goes by the moniker Odee, copied the corporate identity of Samherji, a major supplier to Britain’s fish and chips industry, and uploaded on to the spoof website a statement titled “Samherji Apologizes, Pledges Restitution and Cooperation with Authorities”.

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Banana-phobe Swedish minister’s staff insisted on ‘no traces in the room’

Colleagues speak up in Paulina Brandberg’s support after leaked emails reveal efforts to spare her from the fruit

A Swedish government minister’s fear of bananas has become a national talking point after emails revealed that such is the strength of her aversion that aides try to clear rooms of the fruit before she enters.

Paulina Brandberg, the minister for gender equality and work life, has previously spoken out about her issue with bananas, describing it as “the world’s weirdest phobia”.

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Hezbollah’s war with Israel cost Lebanon at least $8 billion — World Bank – The Times of Israel

  1. Hezbollah’s war with Israel cost Lebanon at least $8 billion — World Bank  The Times of Israel
  2. New World Bank Report Assesses Impact of Conflict on Lebanon’s Economy and Key Sectors  World Bank Group
  3. Israel-Hezbollah conflict cost Lebanon $8.5 billion, World Bank says  Reuters
  4. What Can the Lebanese Government Do to Stop War Crimes?  Human Rights Watch
  5. World Bank says war in Lebanon has caused billions in losses  Yahoo! Voices
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Hamas official says group is ready for ‘immediate’ ceasefire – report – The Jerusalem Post

  1. Hamas official says group is ready for 'immediate' ceasefire - report  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Hamas ready for Gaza ceasefire 'immediately' - but claims Israel has put forward no 'serious proposals' in months  Sky News
  3. Claims Hamas called for end to war after Trump’s election are misleading  VERIFYThis.com
  4. Jake Sullivan: 'Israel not delaying deal - Hamas is'  Arutz Sheva
  5. Israel, US Say Hamas Blocking Hostage Deal  AllSides
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Almost half of Valencia’s flood victims were aged over 70, figures show

Police reveal ages and genders of the 216 people who died in Valencia, along with eight other victims elsewhere in Spain

Almost half of the 216 people known to have died in the catastrophic floods that hit the eastern Spanish region of Valencia at the end of October were 70 or above, according to a police analysis.

Figures from the data integration centre set up after the disaster show that 131 of the victims were male, 85 were female and 104 were aged over 70, including 15 aged over 90.

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Gulag History Museum in Moscow temporarily closed ‘for safety reasons’

Kremlin critics fear move is part of Russia’s efforts to whitewash Soviet past and shut independent cultural institutions

Moscow’s award-winning Gulag History Museum announced its surprise closure on Thursday, a move critics attribute to the Kremlin’s efforts to whitewash Russia’s Soviet past.

The closure was officially put down to alleged violations of fire safety regulations but comes amid an intense campaign by Russian officials against independent civil society and those who question the state’s interpretation of history.

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