At sea (AFP) – Two China Coast Guard aluminium hulled boats chase a Philippine Coast Guard inflatable speed boat with media in the disputed South China Sea. The high seas pursuit near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands ended when Philippine Navy inflatable speed boats deployed from the crumbling BRP Sierra Madre blocked the approaching Chinese vessels. IMAGES
Grindavik (Iceland) (AFP) – Residents of the Icelandic town of Grindavik have been allowed by the authorities to gather their personal belongings ahead of an expected volcano eruption in the coming hours or days. The town home to some 4,000 people on the southwestern coast was evacuated in the early hours of Saturday after magma shifting under the Earth’s crust caused hundreds of earthquakes in what was believed to be a precursor to an eruption.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) – The health system in the Gaza Strip is “on its knees,” the head of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns the United Nations Security Council.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Many Gazan workers stranded in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank and forced to sleep outside on mattresses in the courtyard of the local community centre, want to return home, despite the war. “I miss my family, my daughters, my mother and father,” says Ahmed Misbah Saqr, a worker from Khan Yunis in Gaza. Not long after Hamas launched its surprise attack on 7 October, Israel annulled the 18,500 work permits given to Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, where unemployment sits at 50 percent. Some workers have already been returned to the Gaza Strip. In early November, Israel sent thousands of Palestinian workers back to the territory, several of whom told AFP they had been imprisoned after their work permits were cancelled.
Riyadh (AFP) – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says Israel is violating international humanitarian law in Gaza, during his speech at the Saudi-African summit in Riyadh. “We stress the necessity of stopping this war and forced displacement and creating conditions for the return of stability and achieving peace”, he says.
Amman (AFP) – Israeli orders to evacuate hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip are “a death sentence” given the state of the territory’s overall medical system, says the UN’s human rights chief Volker Turk. He adds that Israeli demands for Palestinian civilians to relocate to an “IDF-designated so-called ‘safe zone'” are alarming, casting doubt on the validity of such zones when “established unilaterally”.
Barrancas (Colombia) (AFP) – The father of Liverpool footballer Luis Diaz arrives home after he was freed by Colombia’s ELN guerrilla group, triggering celebration in his hometown, where he thanks members of the Colombian police and military.
Montcavrel (France) (AFP) – The northern French village of Montcavrel in the Pas-de-Calais region has been flooded after a night of torrential rain. The flooding follows an already destructive rise in water levels on 7 November. Dozens of towns were affected by flooding, leaving roads sometimes only accessible by boat and dozens of schools closed. OF THE VILLAGE OF MONTCAVREL FLOODED
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Many Gazan workers stranded in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank and forced to sleep outside on mattresses in the courtyard of the local community centre, want to return home, despite the war. “I miss my family, my daughters, my mother and father,” says Ahmed Misbah Saqr, a worker from Khan Yunis in Gaza. Not long after Hamas launched its surprise attack on 7 October, Israel annulled the 18,500 work permits given to Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, where unemployment sits at 50 percent. Some workers have already been returned to the Gaza Strip. In early November, Israel sent thousands of Palestinian workers back to the territory, several of whom told AFP they had been imprisoned after their work permits were cancelled.
Singapore (AFP) – US climate envoy John Kerry says greed is the biggest impediment to climate action. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, he also called the building and funding of coal power plants “irresponsible.” Kerry is visiting the city-state from November 10 to 12 to advance US objectives on climate and clean energy and speak at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, the State Department said.
The Hague (AFP) – Lawyers representing a large group of Palestinian NGOs have filed a complaint of “genocide” against Israel with the International Criminal Court. The court’s chief prosecutor, who is investigating the situation of the Palestinians, will decide how to deal with the complaint. Israel is not a member of the court.
Chiang Mai (Thailand) (AFP) – Popular across Southeast Asia, so-called elephant pants made of thin baggy cotton were once synonymous with grubby backpackers in search of themselves. Today, Thai social media influencers and socialites are claiming them back.
