World Briefing: November 20, 2024
As Israel advances its invasion of southern Lebanon, its troops are finding large troves of Russian weapons, confirming longstanding suspicions in Israel that Hezbollah is enhancing its fighting capacity with the help of sophisticated Russian arms. Some of the weapons, which include modern Kornet antitank missiles manufactured as recently as 2020, were sent to southern Lebanon in recent years from Russian stockpiles in nearby Syria, according to security officials there as well as an Arab official - WSJ
President Joe Biden has authorized the provision of antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine, two U.S. officials said, a step that will bolster Kyiv’s defenses against advancing Russian troops but has drawn criticism from arms control groups. Shipping antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine is also potentially controversial, though among a different group: More than 160 countries have signed an international treaty banning their use, noting that the indiscriminate weapons can cause enduring harm to civilians. But Kyiv has sought them since Russia invaded nearly three years ago, and the Kremlin’s forces have deployed antipersonnel land mines liberally on the front lines, impeding Ukraine’s progress as it seeks to reclaim its own territory. The Pentagon believes that the provision of the mines is among the most helpful steps the Biden administration can do to help slow Russia’s attack, officials said - Washington Post
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said it has received warning of a potentially significant Russian air attack on Wednesday and would be closed as a precaution. In a statement, the embassy also instructed employees to shelter in place and also recommended that U.S. citizens in Kyiv be prepared to immediately shelter in the event of an air alert. The warning was unusual for its specificity as Russian air attacks have become a common, near-daily occurrence in Ukraine - AP
Pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai has said he “never” tried to influence foreign policy or ask foreign officials to take concrete action on Hong Kong, on his first day giving evidence at his national security trial. Lai has been charged with one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications and two counts of conspiracy to foreign collusion, under the city’s punitive national security law (NSL), introduced in 2020. On Wednesday, Lai stridently defended himself against the charges and spoke proudly of the media company he founded and which has been a thorn in the side of Beijing and the Hong Kong government for decades. “To participate in delivering freedom was a very good idea for me at that time,” Lai said. “The more information you have, the more you are in the know and the more you are free.” The 77-year-old has not been heard in public since he pleaded not guilty in January. On Wednesday morning he was led into court by three police officers, and waved at supporters in the public gallery. Swearing an oath on the Bible, Lai sounded hoarse, but his voice grew stronger as he gave testimony. He sat straightbacked at a desk in front of the three-judge panel hearing his case, his reading glasses on the table in front of him - The Guardian
The parent company of Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform is engaged in talks to purchase a cryptocurrency trading platform. Trump Media and Technology Group, despite the company’s well publicized financial struggles, has emerged in recent weeks as a proxy for Trump’s political stock, with the company’s shares skyrocketing in value since the president-elect won re-election earlier this month. This has given it plenty of opportunities to invest in other companies, among them the crypto marketplace Bakkt, the Financial Times reported Monday. The company’s former CEO, Kelly Loeffler—who served as a Republican U.S. Senator during Trump’s first term—is also the co-chair of Trump’s inauguration. Trump and his inner circle have in recent months expressed a deep interest in cryptocurrency, which emerged as a major theme of the president-elect’s 2024 campaign. After news of TMTG’s interest in Bakkt broke Monday, shares of the company soared more than 150 percent—while TMTG itself jumped 16 percent - Daily Beast
Hundreds of Georgian police have forced demonstrators for a second night in a row out of the area near Tbilisi State University where they were protesting the results of last month's parliamentary elections and calling for a repeat of the vote. Unlike the previous day, there were no clashes early on November 20 as protesters retreated from the advancing police forces and left the university area, moving to the nearby Melikishvili Avenue in downtown Tbilisi. The protest leaders then announced that they were temporarily suspending their action in order to come up with a new plan. “We have to somehow replan and think about something different, not the same as what we have been doing here," Zurab Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change movement, told the demonstrators - RFE/RL
A key negotiator for small island nations on the frontline of global climate breakdown and sea level rise expressed frustration today at an apparent lack of willingness for rich countries to make a bigger commitment to help. “Across the board, everyone is trying to position themselves to get the best outcome in finance,” Michai Robertson said, suggesting different blocs were using tit-for-tat negotiating tactics in areas such as mitigation, adaptation and transparency. This would be precisely what the chair of the UN body overseeing the talks urged the previous day, when he warned that such brinksmanship could sink the climate finance deal entirely. The lead negotiator on finance for the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan - Euronews
A "once in a decade" bomb cyclone is sweeping through the northwest US and parts of Canada, leaving at least one person dead and around 750,000 without power across Washington state and British Columbia. Forecasts show the bomb cyclone will combine with an atmospheric river and unleash heavy rain, hurricane-force wind gusts and feet of mountain snow to parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Over a month's worth of rain is expected in the northern San Francisco Bay area. Rainfall of such magnitude will likely cause significant urban flooding and debris flow on roadways. The bomb cyclone is expected to stall along the coast and hammer the region with hazardous conditions through the week and into the weekend - CNN
