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Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Leo XIV calls for the release of over 300 hostages taken from a Catholic school in Nigeria – one of the largest mass kidnappings the country has ever seen. Addressing those gathered in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square, Leo says he “was deeply saddened” by the news, and makes “a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages.” According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), gunmen kidnapped 315 students and teachers, with separate raids on two schools taking place on Monday 17 November and Friday 21 November. On Sunday 23 November, after Pope Leo’s comments, CAN announced that 50 of the students had escaped and been “reunited with their parents.”

Jerusalem (AFP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Israel will do “everything necessary” to stop Hezbollah regrouping in Lebanon and Hamas doing the same in Gaza. Speaking the day after Israeli air strikes killed 21 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s civil defence agency, Netanyahu accuses Hamas of “violating” the ceasefire, which has been in place since 10 October. Both sides have accused each other of breaching the fragile agreement.

Brasília (AFP) – Brazilians party in the streets of Brasilia after former president Jair Bolsonaro was taken into custody, with a court saying the 70-year-old — who was under house arrest — had tried to disable his ankle monitor in an attempt to flee. Bolsonaro is facing a prison sentence of 27 years over a plan to stop Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva taking office after the 2022 presidential election. “It’s an early Christmas,” says one of those celebrating.

Brasilia (AFP) – Singing, dancing and music floods the streets of the Brazilian capital as crowds gather to celebrate the detention of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was under house arrest after his conviction for an attempted coup, but taken into custody as the Supreme Court deemed him a high flight risk. IMAGES

Morelia (Mexique) (AFP) – Emergency services and members of the Michoacan State Attorney General’s Office are seen working on the site of a bus crash that left at least 10 dead and 20 injured in the Mexican state of Michoacan. So far, authorities have not specified the cause of the accident. IMAGES

Belém (Brésil) (AFP) – COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago promises high-level dialogues on phasing out fossil fuels including a first international conference in Colombia next year. This comes as nations clinched a deal at the UN’s COP30 climate summit in the Amazon without a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels. SOUNDBITE

London (AFP) – High-ranking military personnel from around the world settle in for an Esports exhibition match in London, as the UK Ministry of Defence and British Esports Federation launch a new partnership aimed at developing the “digital and cyber skills” of service personnel. “If you look at Ukraine, a lot of their first person view drone operators have come from the gaming community,” says Lieutenant General Tom Copinger-Symes, deputy commander of Cyber and Specialist Operations. In 2026, the UK will host the inaugural International Defence Esports Games (IDEG), which will see service personnel from nations including the UK, Canada and Poland compete.

Johannesburg (AFP) – Russia’s war in Ukraine can only be ended on terms that have Kyiv’s “unconditional consent”, says German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the sidelines of a G20 summit. “Wars cannot be ended by major powers over the heads of the countries involved,” he adds. This comes after the US issued a plan to end the conflict. President Donald Trump gave Ukraine less than a week to approve the 28-point plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, which would see the invaded country cede territory, cut its army, and pledge to never join NATO.

Caracas (AFP) – Cheered on by hundreds of students celebrating Student Day, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro declares that the United States’ “ploys” would not stop him during an event where he danced to tropical rhythms with his wife. Since August, the United States has deployed a flotilla of warships, including the world’s largest aircraft carrier. Washington claims the maneuvers are aimed at curbing drug trafficking, while Caracas denounces a “lethal military threat” to overthrow Maduro.

Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump says “That’s OK. You can just say yes,” after a reporter asked New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to affirm whether he thinks Trump is a “fascist”. Months of sniping melted away as the incoming leftist mayor and the president were all smiles at a White House meeting — promising to set aside their feud and cooperate on the city’s future.

The National Police of Colombia announce the seizure of 14 tons of cocaine at the port of Buenaventura, in Valle del Cauca. Authorities say this is the largest cocaine bust in “the last decade.” The discovery in the world’s largest cocaine-producing country comes as the White House pressures Colombian President Gustavo Petro through financial sanctions and by removing Colombia from the list of allied nations in the war on drugs as it deems its anti-drug policies to be insufficient.

Kamisato (Japan) (AFP) – Japan is strongly opposed to a proposal by the EU, Panama and Honduras to list all 17 species of eels worldwide under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). It cites a recent study by Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology that says the Japanese eel population has tripled across East Asia since 1990.