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(AFP) – Afghan women partake in a video protesting against a reported plan to ban women from attending medical training institutes. The footage was shared by Afghan women’s protest group: Purple Saturday. An Afghan health ministry source and managers from private medical institutes told AFP earlier this week that the public health ministry had issued a directive from the Taliban supreme leader to suspend women’s attendance. The ban would be the latest restriction on women’s education since the Taliban swept to power in 2021 and imposed what the United Nations has dubbed “gender apartheid”.

Montevideo (AFP) – Argentine President Javier Mieli, Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Paraguayan President Santiago Pena and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hold a joint meeting during the LXV Mercosur Summit in Montevideo. IMAGES

Montevideo (AFP) – EU chief Ursula von der Leyen assures that “the concerns” of the European agricultural sector have been taken into account and is introducing “guarantees” in the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. “We are listening to the concerns of our farmers and acting accordingly. This agreement includes robust safeguards to protect our food supply,” she says during a joint press conference with the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, announcing the agreement reached after 25 years of negotiations. IMAGES

Seoul (AFP) – Key figures in South Korea’s failed martial law bid share one key connection: they are all graduates of a prestigious, all-boys school in Seoul. President Yoon Suk Yeol, his former defence minister, his interior minister and his head of the military’s intelligence all graduated from the Choongam High School. The coincidence has led the school to issue a public rebuke of its infamous alumnus.

Melbourne (AFP) – Police are investigating a pre-dawn arson attack on a synagogue in the Australian city of Melbourne. The fire broke out at 4:10 am (1710 GMT) in the Adass Israel Synagogue when some congregants were already inside, police said.

Hong Kong (AFP) – An ambitious plan to urbanise Hong Kong’s border with mainland China is set to transform about a third of Hong Kong’s territory, despite opposition from locals and environmentalists.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country has not received “much assistance” from the United Nations and Red Cross in bringing back Ukrainians, including children, held in Russia.

Seoul (AFP) – Thousands of protesters rally in front of South Korea’s National Assembly in Seoul, calling for the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol, after his U-turn on Martial Law. Yoon suspended civilian rule the night of December 3, and deployed troops and helicopters to parliament only for lawmakers to vote down the measure.

Seoul (AFP) – South Korean politician and spokesperson for the opposition Democratic Party, An Gwi-ryeong, describes how she tussled with a soldier during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s abortive attempt at martial law. “I was scared because I am a person, but a lot of citizens threw themselves and confronted martial law forces. So I couldn’t back down,” she tells AFP.

Ninove (Belgium) (AFP) – The far right in Belgium won an unprecedented absolute majority in the town of Ninove in October’s municipal election. Guy D’haeseleer, who takes over as mayor on 5 December, says all residents and newcomers must learn Flemish to get “access to social benefits.”

China’s foreign ministry announces sanctions on US companies and individuals for selling arms to Taiwan. The sanctions target 13 firms engaged in the production of drones, unmanned aerial systems and other military products. They also cover six top executives at companies including Raytheon and BAE Systems.

Argentine President Javier Milei calls for the formation of a right-wing network at the conservative CPAC summit in Buenos Aires.