NEWS INTERNATIONAL
8 November 2023
(AP/Andalou)
A 2022 Turkish law which mandates prison for persons deemed to have been spreading “disinformation” survived a legal challenge today. The country’s Constitutional Court dismissed the political opposition’s call for the law, which has been used punish journalists and other critics, to be struck down because it could be used by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to further silence critics by cracking down on social media and independent reporting.
8 November 2023
(Reuters)
A European Commission invitation today to Ukraine to begin EU membership talks is seen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “strong and historic step” for his country. Formal discussions would begin once Kyiv convinces the EU that it has addressed corruption and legislated EU-compatible lobbying rules and safeguards for minorities.
8 November 2023
(AP)
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and her G-7 counterparts called today for “urgent action” to help civilians trapped in Gaza. In a statement released after two days of talks in Tokyo, they balanced support for Israel’s right to defend itself while condemning Hamas and seeking a “humanitarian pause” in Israel’s siege.
7 November 2023
(CBC)
An Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development comparison of Canadians’ health with their counterparts in its other member states yields mixed results. Among other things, longevity in Canada rates highly in today’s report from the Paris-based OECD but access to health care fares poorly.
6 November 2023
(Washington Post)
Hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees are being forced to leave Pakistan as the country implements an order from its interim government to remove undocumented people. Pakistan’s caretaker interior minister says the decision is shaped by security imperatives because 14 major terrorist attacks this year have been by Afghan nationals.
6 November 2023
(Globe & Mail)
Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families who had hoped to leave Gaza on the weekend were unable to do so after the only border crossing into Egypt was closed again. Global Affairs Canada November 5 that it had no information about when the crossing would be reopened.
6 November 2023
(Al Jazeera)
Despite Israel’s refusal, the heads of 18 UN agencies and non-profit organizations called November 5 for an immediate ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas war which has killed thousands of civilians. Expressing “shock and horror”, they said in a joint statement that “enough is enough” in the month-long siege of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’ brutal attack in northern Israel.
2 November 2023
(CP)
Global Affairs Canada expects the exodus of foreign nationals to Egypt from war-torn Gaza to continue in the coming days even as stranded Canadians were warned that their safety could not be guaranteed if they opt not to leave. “Canada has one of the largest contingents of nationals in Gaza,” GAC said November 1. “We expect further crossings daily.”
1 November 2023
(CBC)
Six days after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the country’s Intelligence Ministry drafted a document that broaches the possibility of a forced relocation of Gaza’s 2.3 million people to the Sinai Peninsula in northern Egypt. Described by Israel as a “concept”, the idea was immediately denounced by Palestinian and Egyptian leaders.
1 November 2023
(AP)
Canada and 27 other countries, including China and the U.S., have agreed to cooperate on measures to contain the potentially “catastrophic” risks posed by evolving artificial intelligence. Endorsed at an inaugural AI Safety Summit in England today, the vaguely-worded commitment is expected to be refined at a virtual meeting hosted by South Korea in six months in preparation for a live meeting in France a year from now.
Pages
