ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR, DAY 56: 8 HOSTAGES RELEASED FROM GAZA AS UNCERTAINTY LOOMS OVER TRUCE EXTENSION

On the 56th day of the Israel-Hamas war, Hamas released eight Israeli hostages during the 7th day of a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Reports suggest uncertainty about extending the truce for an eighth day. In exchange, Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners. Approximately 140 hostages remain in Gaza, over 100 having been freed under the truce. International pressure is mounting to extend the truce and address the humanitarian crisis. Israel, vowing to resume fighting after the truce, aims to eliminate Hamas and end its 16-year rule in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Israel for the fourth time since the war began, focuses on extending the truce to secure more hostage releases. Qatar mediators work with the US and Egypt for negotiations. Blinken highlights increased US humanitarian assistance, emphasizing the need for Israel to comply with international humanitarian law in any resumed fighting.

Hostage negotiations continue, with the truce extended for a day. The future depends on the release of around 126 men, including soldiers, with expectations of higher Hamas demands. Over 240 Palestinians have been released under the ceasefire. Tensions rise as Hamas proposes a list, and Israel resists releasing convicted Palestinians.

The situation remains fluid, with ongoing diplomatic efforts and uncertainties about the truce extension, hostage releases, and potential resumption of hostilities.

COP28 LAUNCHES $475 MILLION CLIMATE DISASTER FUND ON PROMISING DAY"

The COP28 climate conference in Dubai commenced with a positive development—the approval of a long-awaited decision to activate a loss and damage fund for developing nations. The first day saw immediate commitments to the fund, totaling $475 million, with the European Union contributing nearly $275 million and the host, UAE, pledging an additional $100 million.

Established during COP27 in Egypt, this fund addresses the financial needs of developing countries recovering from climate disasters and supports measures dealing with emergencies such as sea-level rise, migration, and displacement. Notably, the fund had received no commitments last year. However, the UAE, as the host of COP28, proactively addressed the issue at the beginning of this year's conference. The acceptance of recommendations and financial commitments sets the stage for potential meaningful resolutions during the ongoing conference.

HENRY KISSINGER, SECRETARY OF STATE UNDER PRESIDENTS NIXON AND FORD, DIES AT 100

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger passed away at 100, as announced by his consulting firm. Known for his diplomatic prowess and influential role during the Vietnam War and U.S.-China relations, Kissinger left a lasting impact on global affairs. His presence, marked by a distinctive voice and behind-the-scenes power plays, earned both praise and criticism, along with a Nobel Peace Prize. Amid Watergate, Kissinger assumed a quasi-co-president role to a weakened Nixon, navigating tumultuous times.

As a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, Kissinger later cultivated a statesman image, advising leaders and managing a global consulting business. Despite this, his legacy faced scrutiny for controversial policies in Southeast Asia and support for repressive regimes in Latin America. His eight-year tenure as National Security Adviser and Secretary of State saw groundbreaking diplomatic efforts, including the first "shuttle diplomacy" for West Asian peace and secret channels to normalize U.S.-China relations. The Paris negotiations initiated by Kissinger provided an exit strategy from the Vietnam War, though critics argue his policies had detrimental consequences. In response to accusations of "criminality," Kissinger dismissed them as ignorance, maintaining that his foreign policy wasn't conceived or conducted that way.

MUSK CURSES ADVERTISERS WHO LEFT X OVER ANTISEMITIC ROW

Billionaire Elon Musk told advertisers that have fled his social media platform X over antisemitic content to “Go f*** yourself” in a fiery Wednesday interview. His profanity-laced remarks followed a moment of contrition in a New York Times DealBook Summit interview. Musk said repeatedly he was sorry for publishing a tweet on November 15 that agreed with an anti-Jewish post. Musk has faced a torrent of criticism ever since he agreed with a user who falsely claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people. Musk in his post said the user, who referenced the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, was speaking “the actual truth”.

On Wednesday Musk said he had “handed a loaded gun” to both detractors and antisemitic people, describing his post as possibly the worst he had made during a history of messages that included many “foolish” ones. Musk’s comments have put pressure on X overall, including chief executive Linda Yaccarino.

Musk bristled at the idea that he was antisemitic and said that advertisers who left X, should not think they could blackmail him. “If somebody’s gonna try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money? Go f*** yourself,” he said. “Go. F***. Yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is. Hey, Bob, if you’re in the audience,” he added, in an apparent reference to Robert Iger, CEO of Walt Disney, which pulled ads on X. “What I care about is the reality of goodness, not the perception of it. And what I see all over the place is people who care about looking good while doing evil,” he said.

2023 WILL BE HOTTEST YEAR EVER RECORDED, SAYS UN BODY

This year is set to be the hottest ever recorded, the UN said on Thursday, demanding urgent action to rein in global warming and stem the havoc following in its wake.

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization warned that 2023 had shattered a whole host of climate records, with extreme weather leaving “a trail of devastation and despair”.

“It’s a deafening cacophony of broken records,” said WMO chief Petteri Taalas. “Greenhouse gas levels are record high. Global temperatures are record-high. Sea level rise is record high. Antarctic sea ice is record low.”

RUSSIA TOP COURT BANS ‘LGBT MOVEMENT’ AS ‘EXTREMIST’

Moscow : Russia’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that LGBT activists should be designated as “extremists”, in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions. The presiding judge announced that he had endorsed a request from the justice ministry to ban what it called “the international LGBT social movement”. The move is part of a pattern of increasing restrictions in Russia on expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity, including laws outlawing the promotion of “nontraditional” sexual relations and banning legal or medical changes of gender. President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters before the court decision was announced that the Kremlin was “not following” the case and had no comment on it. The court took around five hours from the start of proceedings to issue its ruling. The hearing was closed to media, but reporters were allowed in to hear the verdict. LGBT activists had seen the decision as inevitable after the Nov 17 request by the justice ministry, which said — without giving examples — that “various signs and manifestations of extremist orientation, including the incitement of social and religious discord” had been identified in the activities of LGBT movement in Russia.

BULGARIA BANS AIRSPACE TO LAVROV PLANE, RUSSIA CALLS MOVE ‘STUPID’

Moscow : Russia accused Bulgaria of malice and stupidity on Thursday for refusing to allow foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s plane to fly through its airspace. The plane was forced to take a longer route over Greece to deliver Lavrov to a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Skopje, North Macedonia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Bulgaria’s position “absurd and stupid”. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who is under EU sanctions, said her presence on board the plane was the reason given by Bulgaria’s foreign ministry for denying access to its airspace.

No comment was immediately available from the Bulgarian ministry. Zakharova wrote on the Telegram app: “The malicious stupidity of the Russophobes reached the point that, for the first time in our history, official authorities banned not an airplane, but a person on that airplane.” Zakharova suggested that Russia could apply similar overflight bans to “thousands of Nato functionaries”. Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania declared a boycott of the meeting in Skopje in protest of the Russian delegation’s presence.

EU DEFENCE SPENDING TO REACH RECORD €270 BILLION IN 2023

BRUSSELS: EU military spending will reach a record €270 billion ($295 billion) in 2023, the bloc’s chief Charles Michel said on Thursday. Despite the record figure, Mr. Michel said the European Union “must work towards a defence single market” to better coordinate spending and ensure the bloc can act faster together.

TAIWAN LEADER TSAI ING-WEN SAYS CHINA INVASION UNLIKELY FOR NOW

NEW YORK: China is not likely to consider a major invasion of Taiwan for now due to domestic challenges, the island’s President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday, although Beijing is trying to sway its upcoming election. “I think the Chinese leadership at this juncture is overwhelmed by its internal challenges,” Ms. Tsai said.

CAMBODIAN PM HUN MANET SAYS WON’T BUILD DAMS ON MEKONG RIVER

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s leader said on Thursday that the country will not build dams on the Mekong River. Prime Minister Hun Manet said building dams on the mainstream of the Mekong would have “a huge impact” on the environment and ecology in the river itself and the Tonle Sap lake, a key source of fish for Cambodians.

GOLDEN MOLE NOT SEEN FOR 80 YEARS & PRESUMED EXTINCT FOUND AGAIN IN SA

Researchers in South Africa say they have rediscovered a species of mole with an iridescent golden coat and the ability to almost “swim” through sand dunes after it hadn’t been seen for more than 80 years and was thought to be extinct. The De Winton’s golden mole — a small, blind burrower with “super-hearing powers” that eats insects — was found to be still alive on a beach in Port Nolloth on the west coast of South Africa by a team of researchers from the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the University of Pretoria. It had been lost to science since 1936, the researchers said.