rebels have regained control of much of Aleppo

Today’s news: A Kolkata hospital suspends care of Bangladeshi patients in retaliation for anti-Hindu violence. Taiwanese President Lai visits the allied Pacific islands against Chinese pressure. A document signed by more than 1,400 Korean Catholic priests calls for Yoon’s resignation. Baidu obtains license to test autonomous vehicles in Hong Kong.

SYRIA

Rebel forces in Syria they have taken control of a large part of the city of Aleppo: in the offensive launched two days ago from Idlib, more than 300 people were killed, including nearly twenty civilians. Overnight, Russia launched airstrikes on the city – 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 were closed, military sources told Reuters news agency.

INDIA-BANGLADESH

Kolkata’s JN Ray Hospital announced on Friday that it is indefinitely suspending care for Bangladeshi patients. The decision has been taken in response to alleged violence against Hindus in Bangladesh and insults to the Indian flag by Bangladeshi citizens that have exacerbated tensions between the two neighboring countries. Three more attacks on Hindu temples in Chattogram were reported yesterday.

TAIWAN-OCEANIA

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te begins a visit to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palauthree small Pacific states with a total population of just 62,000 inhabitants, but which represent a quarter of the dozen states that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, despite pressure from China. Lai will also spend two nights in Hawaii and one day in Guam, a US island territory in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the US administration has approved a new military supply to Taiwan: there is talk of spare parts for combat aircraft, radar systems and communications equipment worth 385 million dollars.

SOUTH KOREA

A group of more than 1,400 Catholic priests from South Korea, among them the Archbishop of Gwangju, Mons. Ok Hyun-jin and four other bishops have published a document calling for the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol. “We cannot ignore the people’s fierce cry of protest – they say -. President Yoon has failed to uphold the Constitution, protect the nation, promote peaceful unification, and improve the well-being of the people. “The time has come to hold him accountable and declare his dismissal.”

HONG KONG-CHINA

The Chinese company Baidu has obtained a license to test autonomous vehicles in Hong Kong with its Apollo robotaxis service, expanding its presence outside mainland China. The authorization will allow testing with 10 vehicles in North Lantau and will be valid from December 9, 2024 to December 8, 2029. In a first stage, only one autonomous car will be able to circulate at a time on certain stretches of road.

GEORGIA

The president of Georgia, Salomé Zurabishvili, stated that the Georgian Dream party “declared war on its own people, carrying out a coup d’état contrary to the Constitution,” and definitively leading the country “from Europe to Russia.” The “illegitimate government” in Tbilisi aims to “eliminate the past and destroy the future” of the country.

RUSSIA

The Russian space agency Roskosmos has canceled the project of a trip by Russian astronauts to the Moon due to lack of funds, which prevents the preparation of super-powerful conducting rockets, according to director Oleg Gorshkov at the Congress of young scientists on “The cosmos and the future: will space become the locomotive of Russian technological development?”