Here is a summary of current global news briefs.
Exclusive Russians and Ukrainians met in UAE to discuss prisoner and ammonia swap, sources say
Representatives of Russia and Ukraine met in the United Arab Emirates last week to discuss the possibility of a prisoner of war exchange that would be linked to a resumption of Russian ammonia exports, which go to Asia and Africa, through a Ukrainian pipeline, three sources with knowledge of the meeting said. The sources said the talks were brokered by the Gulf Arab state and did not include the United Nations despite the UNcentral role in negotiating the ongoing initiative to export agricultural products from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports. Ammonia is used to make fertilizer.
Indonesia struggles to deliver aid to quake survivors as relief efforts continue
Indonesian authorities struggled on Thursday to deliver aid to thousands of people displaced by a deadly earthquake in the west Java, as rain-triggered landslides and difficult mountainous terrain hampered the efforts of rescue teams. Monday’s magnitude 5.6 earthquake in the town of Cianjur, about 75 km (50 miles) south of the capital Jakarta, has killed at least 272 people and left thousands sheltering in tents with few medical supplies and aid.
Taiwan’s president turns local elections into a referendum on her leadership
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday framed this weekend’s local elections as a referendum on her leadership, saying a vote for her party’s candidates was a vote for her and her pledge to ‘take good care’ of Taiwan and to secure peace with China. Tsai’s second term expires in 2024 and she cannot run for president due to term limits. She won re-election by landslide in 2020 on a pledge to stand up to China and protect Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.
Ballet star finds footing in Georgia after leaving Russia due to war in Ukraine
When Laura Fernandez’s fellow dancers at Moscow’s Stanislavsky Theater began discussing the war in Ukraine, she knew she would have to leave. Swiss-born to a Ukrainian mother, Fernandez, 24, was a soloist at the Stanislavsky and a rising star in the ballet world when Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in late February.
Ukrainians suffer in cold and darkness as president pleads UN punish russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on the United Nations to punish Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, after a barrage of missiles caused the worst nationwide blackouts to date, plunging cities into darkness freezing. As millions of Ukrainians endure sub-zero temperatures at home, authorities worked hard on Thursday to turn lights and heating back on. Russia’s latest missile barrage has killed 10 people, shut down Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and shut down most of the country’s power plants.
Malaysia’s Anwar becomes prime minister, ending decades of wait
Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, capping a three-decade political journey from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, a convicted sodomy prisoner and opposition leader. His appointment ends an unprecedented five days of post-election crisis, but could usher in further instability with his rival, former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, challenging him to prove his majority in parliament.
Israel cancels 200 Gaza work permit, citing bomb concerns
Israel has canceled 200 of the approximately 15,500 permits issued to Palestinians since Gaza Strip to work on its territory after a worker was accused of planning to carry out a bombing, the Shin Bet security agency said Thursday. The suspect, arrested on October 30, told interrogators he was recruited by relatives of the Islamic Jihad militant group to plant a bomb on a bus in southern Israel, the Shin Bet said.
Bordering breakaway regions of Georgia, villagers fear Russia’s next steps
For displaced villagers living near the border of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia, the war in Ukraine has brought back terrifying memories of Russian bombing. “I know what it’s like to hide in the basement while your village is bombed. I know that horrible feeling of fear,” said Married Otinashvili, whose family fled the bombing of her village when she was 13 in 2008.
Analysis-Meloni of Italy and the technocrats – a difficult balance of power
After spending much of his career exposing bureaucrats and financial elites, Italy’s right-wing new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni must now rally them – and it’s not proving easy. Things got off to a bad start after his victory in the September 25 election.
French lawmakers debate constitutional protection of abortion rights
French lawmakers debated on Thursday whether to enshrine the right to abortion in the constitution, with lawmakers on the left and center saying the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of a landmark ruling in June showed the need for new measures. Women have had a legal right to abortion in France since a law passed in 1974, and updated several times since, with the last amendment in February extending access to abortion to 14 weeks of pregnancy from 12. .
(With agency contributions.)