Commented

Serbia’s ruling populists claim sweeping victory in election amid vote-rigging accusations (www.theguardian.com)

Dogs ring in Christmas at Swansea canine carol service (www.bbc.co.uk)

Bark the herald beagles sing at canine carol night

Samer Abudaqa: Al Jazeera cameraman killed in Gaza drone strike (www.bbc.com)

World watches as landmark Jimmy Lai trial set to begin in Hong Kong (www.theguardian.com)

Territory’s global reputation on the line as media mogul and democracy activist finally tried over alleged national security crimes

New gene therapies for sickle cell out of reach in countries they're needed most (apnews.com)

Lula Will Propose a Reform of International Institutions during the G20 Presidency (www1.folha.uol.com.br)

Around one in eight tourist beds in Ireland in use by Government for refugees (www.thejournal.ie)

Myanmar rebels seize city of Namhsan from military junta despite China-backed ceasefire (www.france24.com)

Mariupol doctor who betrayed wounded Ukrainian soldiers to Russians is sentenced to life in prison (www.yahoo.com)

Xinjiang is ‘one of the most heavily policed regions in the world’: study (www.rfa.org)

Report identifies different types of police used by China to clamp down on Uyghurs.

Blinken breaks ground on $1.2B US embassy compound in Hanoi (e.vnexpress.net)

Mexico's Yucatán mega train - world beating or environmental disaster? (www.bbc.co.uk)

Race organisers of deadly 2021 ultramarathon in northwestern China sentenced to jail (www.scmp.com)

In the Shadow of the Holocaust (www.newyorker.com)

How the politics of memory in Europe obscures what we see in Israel and Gaza today....

EU can’t keep COP28 promises under austerity 2.0 (www.etuc.org)

Widespread hunger in the Gaza Strip, and families are becoming increasingly desperate in their search for food - occupied Palestinian territory (reliefweb.int)

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Al Mezan and Al-Haq warn of a real and unprecedented famine in the Gaza Strip, which began in northern Gaza and Gaza City as a result of the 69-day Israeli military offensive coupled with a tight siege preventing food and water supplies from reaching most people in Gaza.

China wants to build ‘first-class’ investment banks – but isn’t telling the industry how (www.scmp.com)

UK economy falls unexpectedly in October as higher rates bite (www.bbc.com)

'I feel trapped': Scores of underage Rohingya girls forced into abusive marriages in Malaysia (apnews.com)

Amazon wins $270 million tax fight with EU (www.cnn.com)

Amazon does not have to pay €250 million ($273 million) in back taxes to Luxembourg, the top court in the European Union ruled Thursday, marking a defeat for the EU’s crackdown on sweetheart tax deals for multinationals....

Hong Kong places arrest bounties on activists abroad for breaching national security law (apnews.com)

Editor says Myanmar authorities have arrested 2 local journalists for an online news service (apnews.com)

China's economy is forecast to slow sharply in 2024, the World Bank says, calling recovery 'fragile' (apnews.com)

China’s economy will slow next year, with annual growth falling to 4.5% from 5.2% this year despite a recent recovery spurred by investments in factories and construction and in demand for services, the World Bank said in a report issued Thursday....

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