World Briefing: December 24, 2024
Santa was spotted entering Australian airspace just after 12:30 GMT, according to FlightRadar24. According to one aviation expert, his sleigh equals roughly four Airbus A340 jets.
A Russian cargo vessel operated by the Ministry of Defence’s logistics fleet sank on Tuesday in international waters between Spain and Algeria while en route from St Petersburg to Vladivostok. The ship, called Ursa Major, sank following an explosion in its engine room. Two crew members remain missing, while 14 others have been rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena, Russia’s foreign ministry said. At 142 metres long — roughly one-and-a-half football pitches — Ursa Major was the largest ship operated by Oboronlogistika, a logistics arm of the Russian military, and had a cargo capacity of up to 1,200 tonnes. The defence ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) said that the vessel had previously transported cargo between Russia and Iran in the Caspian Sea before being reassigned to routes linked to Syria. The vessel was transporting cranes and equipment for icebreakers to Vladivostok as part of a “state mission” to develop the Northern Sea Route, according to information on Oboronlogistika’s website - FT
The U.N. organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy. The visit led by Robert Petit, head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, was the first since the organization was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 2016. It was created to assist in evidence-gathering and prosecution of individuals responsible for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide since Syria’s civil war began in 2011. Petit highlighted the urgency of preserving documents and other evidence before it is lost. Since the rebel overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad and the rebel opening of prisons and detention facilities there have been rising demands from Syrians for the prosecution of those responsible for atrocities and killings while he was in power - AP
Hong Kong offered bounties of HK$1 million ($128,728) on Tuesday for six more pro-democracy campaigners deemed to have violated national security laws, and revoked the passports of seven more, as the Asian financial hub keeps up a security campaign. The move to add more names to Hong Kong's wanted list comes as the city strives to revive economic growth and refurbish its international reputation after a years-long crackdown on dissent that attracted global criticism. Chris Tang, the security secretary, accused the group, all based overseas in countries such as Britain and Canada, of the crimes of incitement to secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces.The six included Britain-based commentator Chung Kim-wah, former head of a pro-independence group Tony Chung, Carmen Lau of the Hong Kong Democracy Council and Chloe Cheung from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation - Reuters
Brazilian officials found 163 Chinese nationals working in "slavery-like conditions" at a construction site for a factory owned by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD in Brazil's Bahia state, the local labor prosecutor's office said. According to the authorities, the workers were hired in China by another firm and brought to Brazil irregularly. They were laboring for long hours, in excess of what is allowed by Brazilian law, sometimes for seven days a week straight, while being kept in what authorities described as degrading conditions in their accommodations, among other labor violations - Reuters
A U.S. lawsuit alleges that Walmart deceived more than a million delivery drivers by creating deposit accounts without their knowledge or consent, using their Social Security numbers and other personal information. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday accused Walmart and payments platform Branch Messenger of costing delivery drivers over $10 million in fees through these accounts since 2021. Walmart, in turn, accused the agency of filing a rushed lawsuit full of errors. The government's lawsuit says Walmart told drivers, who deliver its shipments to customers' homes, that they would lose their jobs if they didn't use Branch accounts to receive the pay. "Thousands" of drivers had their wages deposited into a Branch account before ever agreeing to terms and conditions, according to the lawsuit. Monday's lawsuit comes days after the consumer bureau sued the operator of Zelle, (which my platforms have attempted to utilise) as well as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, "for failing to protect consumers from widespread fraud" at the payment provider - NPR
