Beijing (AFP) – China’s foreign ministry confirms that authorities in the country have detained a South Korean for alleged spying. The individual “was arrested on suspicions of espionage by relevant Chinese authorities in accordance with the law,” spokesperson Lin Jian tells reporters at a regular briefing.
Sanaa (AFP) – Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels claim responsibility for missile attacks on three ships in the Red Sea. Maritime security agencies reported three explosions near a ship in the Red Sea off Yemen. The Huthis have targeted ships they say are linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since last November in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war.
Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Emergency rescue teams in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv work to secure damaged buildings and assist victims in the aftermath of an overnight Russian strike. The attack left 21 people injured, including five children, as residential infrastructure sustained significant damage, with entire floors partially destroyed and windows shattered.
Rmelan (Syria) (AFP) – US forces inspect damaged oil facilities after Turkish airstrikes on Rmelan in Kurdish-held northeastern Syria near the Turkish border. Turkey carried out air strikes against targets linked to Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria after a deadly attack on a Turkish defence firm that was claimed by PKK militants, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
Tbilisi (AFP) – During an interview with AFP, Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili says that it is “difficult to deal” with a “threatening” Russia, following this weekends contested legislative elections which saw the victory of the ruling party, accused by the opposition of stealing the vote with Russian help.
Pyongyang (AFP) – North Korea has sent 10,000 troops to train in Russia and likely fight Ukraine in weeks, Washington says, as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warns that the deployment posed a “significant security threat.”
Tbilisi (AFP) – Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili accused Russia of election fraud after a disputed legislative vote that showed a win for the ruling party accused of moving towards Russia’s orbit. The Georgian opposition on Sunday called for protests and the European Union demanded an investigation into “irregularities” over the result of the election.
Merzouga (Morocco) (AFP) – In Morocco’s southeastern desert, a rare downpour has recently brought lakes and ponds back to life, with locals — and tourists — hailing it as a gift from the heavens. The rain has come amid the North African country’s worst drought for 40 years and after its driest year in 80, according to an October report from the General Directorate of Meteorology.
Madrid (AFP) – “We have a flow,” says Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, after his side thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico, the Spanish champions’ first La Liga defeat in more than a year. Flick’s opposite number, Carlo Ancelotti, describes the loss as “a hard, difficult moment.”
Japan’s ruling party has missed out on a parliamentary majority for the first time since 2009, a result that strikes a blow to new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The snap poll was called in early October, following a party slush fund scandal that led to the resignation of Fumio Kishida and Ishiba’s narrow election to the party’s leadership. Voters in the world’s fourth-largest economy have been rankled by rising prices.
Tbilisi (AFP) – Georgia’s electoral commission announces the ruling Georgian Dream party as official winners of the country’s parliamentary election, with 54.086 percent of the vote. The announcement follows counting of votes in more than 99 percent of precincts, according to electoral commission chair Giorgi Kalandarishvili. Georgia’s pro-European opposition claim the results are “falsified.”
Tlacotalpan (Mexico) (AFP) – Residents of Tlacotalpan, in Mexico’s eastern Veracruz state, navigate the streets using kayaks after heavy rain caused the Papaloapan River to overflow and flood homes. Mexico has suffered the effects of at least four cyclones in its current hurricane season, which hits the county every year between May and November.
