Syria: Rebels take majority control of Aleppo

Today's news: Calcutta hospital suspends treatment for Bangladeshi patients in retaliation to violence against Hindus; Taiwan President Lai visiting his Pacific Island allies against Chinese pressure; A document signed by over 1400 Korean Catholic priests calls for Yoon's resignation; Baidu is granted a licence to test self-driving vehicles in Hong Kong.

SYRIA

Rebel forces in Syria took control of a large part of the city of Aleppo: in the offensive launched two days ago by Idilib, more than 300 people were killed, including about 20 civilians. During the night, Russia launched air raids on the city: it is the first time this has happened since 2016, when the Syrian army recaptured Aleppo forcing Bashar al Assad's opponents to leave the city. The airport and all roads leading into the city have been closed, military sources told the Reuters news agency.

INDIA-BANGLADESH

The JN Ray Hospital in Kolkata announced on Friday the indefinite suspension of treatment for Bangladeshi patients. The decision comes in response to the alleged violence against Hindus in Bangladesh and insults to the Indian flag by Bangladeshi citizens that have exacerbated tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Three more attacks against Hindu temples were reported in Chattogram yesterday.

TAIWAN-OCEANIA

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te leaves today for a visit to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, three small Pacific states with a combined population of just 62,000, but representing a quarter of the dozen states that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan despite pressure from China. Lai will also spend two nights in Hawaii and stay a day in Guam, a US island territory in the Pacific. In the meantime, the US administration has approved a new military supply to Taiwan: we are talking about spare parts for fighter jets, radar systems and communications equipment, worth USD 385 million.

SOUTH KOREA

A group of more than 1,400 Catholic priests in South Korea, including the Archbishop of Gwangju Msgr Ok Hyun-jin and four other bishops, have published a document calling for the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol. ‘We cannot ignore the fierce outcry of the people,’ they write. President Yoon has failed to fulfil the Constitution, protect the nation, promote peaceful unification and improve the welfare of the people. It is time to hold him accountable'.

HONG KONG-CHINA

Chinese company Baidu has obtained a licence to test self-driving vehicles in Hong Kong with its Apollo robotaxi service, expanding its presence outside mainland China. The licence will allow it to conduct trials with 10 vehicles in North Lantau and will be valid from 9 December 2024 to 8 December 2029. In the first phase, it will only be possible to run one self-driving car at a time on certain stretches of road.

GEORGIA

The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabišvili, said that the Georgian Dream party ‘has declared war on its own people, carrying out a coup against the constitution’, taking the country permanently ‘from Europe to Russia’. The ‘illegitimate government’ in Tbilisi intends to ‘eliminate the past and destroy the future’ of the country.

RUSSIA

Russia's space agency Roskosmos has cancelled plans for a Russian astronauts' trip to the Moon due to a lack of funds, preventing the preparation of super-powerful rocket boosters, director Oleg Gorškov told the Congress of Young Scholars on ’The Cosmos and the Future: Will Space Become the Locomotive of Russian Technological Development?

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