BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ADVISES ISRAEL TO CONCLUDE GAZA GROUND CAMPAIGN SOON

The Biden administration has communicated to the Israeli government its desire for Israel to conclude its extensive ground campaign in the Gaza Strip by the year's end. The proposed strategy shift involves transitioning to a more targeted phase, utilizing smaller groups of elite Israeli forces for precise missions such as locating and neutralizing Hamas leaders, rescuing hostages, and destroying tunnels in Gaza's population centers. President Biden emphasizes the completion of the large-scale ground campaign within approximately three weeks. These recommendations align with the U.S. goal to adapt Israeli tactics in its conflict with Hamas.

While the U.S. urges a transition, Israel's defense minister expresses a commitment to a more prolonged engagement, stating that the conflict with Hamas is expected to extend beyond several months. In a noteworthy development, the Israeli military reportedly initiated the flooding of Hamas' tunnel complex in Gaza with seawater, aiming to disrupt and destroy these tunnels. This process, which may take weeks, reflects Israel's efforts to counter the underground infrastructure used by Hamas. The U.S. officials cite this as a potential strategy to eliminate the tunnels effectively.

NO PEACE IN UKRAINE UNTIL GOALS ARE ACHIEVED: PUTIN

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Thursday that there would be no peace in Ukraine until his goals are achieved and said those objectives remain unchanged at a year-end news conference that offers the leader an opportunity to reinforce his grip on power.

Giving rare detail on what Moscow calls its special military operation, Mr. Putin dismissed the need for a second wave of mobilisation of reservists to fight in Ukraine — a move that proved deeply unpopular in the past. He said there are some 6,17,000 Russian soldiers currently there, including around 2,44,000 troops who were called up to fight alongside professional Russian military forces.

The Russian President, who has held power for nearly 24 years and announced recently he is running for re-election, was greeted with applause as he arrived in the hall in central Moscow.

Mr. Putin did not hold his traditional press conference last year after his military failed to take Kyiv and as the Ukrainian Army retook swaths of territory in the east and south of the country.

This year, ordinary citizens have the chance to phone in questions along with those asked by journalists, and Russians have been submitting queries for Mr. Putin for two weeks.

It is the first time the Russian leader, who has heavily limited his interaction with foreign media, will potentially face multiple questions from Western journalists since the fighting in Ukraine began.

Mr. Putin’s appearance is primarily aimed at a domestic audience and is a chance for him to personally resolve the problems of ordinary Russian citizens ahead of the March 17 election.

IDF: OVER 70 ARMED ‘TERRORISTS’ CAPTURED INSIDE GAZA HOSPITAL

Israeli soldiers captured more than 70 armed Palestinian terrorists inside a Gaza hospital, the Israel Defence Forces said on Thursday. According to the IDF, the terrorists were operating inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya neighbourhood. Soldiers also discovered weapons inside the medical facility. In addition, several terrorists who engaged soldiers in the area of the hospital were killed. After surrendering their weapons, the terrorists were transferred to field interrogators for further questioning.

DENMARK AND GERMANY ANNOUNCE ARRESTS OF TERROR SUSPECTS, INCLUDING ‘HAMAS MEMBERS’

Denmark and Germany announced on Thursday the arrest of multiple terror suspects, including individuals suspected of having ties to Hamas and planning attacks on Jewish targets in Europe amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The arrests were made independently, with Danish authorities detaining three individuals in Denmark and another in the Netherlands for suspected terror plots. The head of Denmark's Security and Intelligence Service emphasized a particular focus on Jewish institutions.

In Germany, three alleged members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas were arrested, accused of planning attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office commended the arrests, attributing them to Danish police. However, there are discrepancies in the statements from Danish, German, and Israeli sources, and the connections between the arrests remain unclear.

H-1B CAP QUOTA FILLED, NO THIRD LOTTERY FOR FY24, SAYS USCIS

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced it will not conduct a third lottery for H-1B cap visasfor the financial year ending September 30, 2024 (FY2024), quashing the dreams of aspirants hoping for a last chance at being selected in the lottery. USCIS said it received a sufficient number of H-1B applications to reach the annual quota of 85,000, which includes the 20,000 Master’s cap quotaset aside for applicants with an advanced US educational qualification. The H-1B cap visa is a popular work visa, with nearly 60% of the annual allotments being made to Indians, especially those in the tech sector. Non-selection notices will now be sent to registrants over the next few days.

In April2023, USCIS had announced that it had received 7,58,994 eligible E-registrations for the H-1B cap season for the fiscal ending September 30, 2024 — a 60% rise over last year’s eligible registration pool. In the first lottery, USCIS selected 1,10,791 registrations to meet the annual H-1B cap quota of 85,000. A larger number of applicants is picked to account for denials during processing or revocations by sponsoring employers. On July 31, the immigration agency conducted a second lottery from the original pool of E-registrations and selected 77,600 registrations. Many who failed to get an H-1B visa in the first round of selection, found themselves lucky in the second round.

There was speculation that a third lottery round would be conducted in November-December. However, the H-1B cap quota for FY2024 has been met with two rounds.

REPORT SAYS UK ATTRACTING ‘WRONG TYPE’ OF INT’L STUDENTS, DRAWS IRE

London : Indian student organizations have expressed displeasure over a report criticizing the UK's graduate route for attracting students to less-selective universities, resulting in low-skilled, low-wage jobs. With Indians constituting the largest group of international students in the UK, the report, released by the migration advisory committee (MAC), suggests that the scheme is being used as a "back door" for foreign students to work in the UK, deviating from its original purpose of retaining international graduate talent to contribute to the UK economy. The MAC's 2023 annual report raises concerns about the quality of education and job opportunities, prompting calls for a review of UK universities' courses and the visa system.

SOUTH KOREA SCRAMBLES JETS AS CHINESE AND RUSSIAN PLANES APPROACH

South Korea's military scrambled fighter jets in response to two Chinese and four Russian military planes entering the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ). The incident occurred in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. While the planes did not invade South Korean airspace, the country's military identified them before entry and deployed fighter jets in preparation for contingencies. China's Foreign Ministry described the event as routine flight activity.

EU SUMMIT DECIDES TO LAUNCH MEMBERSHIP TALKS WITH UKRAINE

Brussels : In a surprising turn of events, EU leaders agreed to initiate membership talks with Ukraine, overcoming Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's previous threats to block such discussions. Despite Hungary expressing dissatisfaction with the decision, European Council President Charles Michel announced that the European Council had decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. The summit also granted EU candidate status to Georgia and signaled progress for Bosnia once it fulfills the necessary criteria. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the decision as a victory, while Orban abstained from voting and criticized what he deemed a "bad decision" on Facebook.

US HOUSE APPROVES IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO BIDEN AMID REPUBLICAN SUPPORT

In a party-line vote of 221-212, the US House has officially authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. All Republicans supported the impeachment process, despite concerns within the party about the lack of evidence of misconduct by the president. The impeachment inquiry, aimed at investigating the business dealings of Biden's family, is expected to extend into 2024. Biden criticized House Republicans for prioritizing baseless attacks instead of addressing urgent issues. The move ensures a continued investigation into Biden's actions as he heads into the 2024 election, potentially facing former President Donald Trump. Trump has urged GOP allies to expedite the impeachment process against Biden.

U.K. BANS ENTRY FOR SETTLERS WHO TARGETTED PALESTINIANS

LONDON: British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Thursday he was banning those responsible for settler violence against Palestinians from entering Britain. “Extremist settlers, by targeting and killing Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Mr. Cameron said on X.

FINLAND ON MONDAY TO SIGN DEFENCE COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH U.S.

HELSINKI: Finland will on December 18 sign a defence cooperation agreement with the United States that will bring U.S. soldiers and military material to aid in the Nordic nation’s defence, the Finnish government said on Thursday. Russia’s Nordic neighbour Finland became the NATO’s newest member earlier this year.

EUROPEAN UNION SAYS TO RESETTLE NEARLY 61,000 REFUGEES IN 2024-25

GENEVA: The European Union has committed to resettling nearly 61,000 refugees in some of its member countries over the next two years, European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Thursday. Around 31,000 of that total would be resettled via programmes run by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).