December 16, 2024

*) Israel kills over 110 Palestinians in one day The Israeli army continues to brutally target displaced people, civilians, municipal teams and others. In just 24 hours, the Israeli army has killed more than 110 people, Palestinian media office in Gaza says. One of the deadliest Israeli attacks on a school-turned-shelter in the northern town of Beit Hanoon left at least 43 people dead. More than 213 shelters have been targeted in Israeli attacks since the start of its genocide last year and at least 94 civil defence personnel also lost their lives in Israeli bombardment. The media office also said the Israeli army has carried out successive massacres against medical teams and hospitals in recent days, killing several doctors and staff. *) UN envoy meets HTS leader to discuss Syria's future The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria has met with the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Ahmad al Sharaa, to discuss recent developments in Syria. According to information from Syrian interim government sources, Geir Pedersen visited Damascus for the first time since the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime to meet with Sharaa. During the meeting, Sharaa emphasised the need to update and align the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 with the current realities of the situation in Syria. He highlighted the necessity of quick and effective cooperation to address the issues facing Syrians. *) South Korea's Yoon faces summons amid martial law probe, impeachment trial South Korean law enforcement authorities are pushing to summon impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting on Yoon's case to determine whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency, and the Defence Ministry said it plans to request that Yoon's office hold him for questioning on Wednesday as they expand a probe into whether his ill-conceived power grab amounted to rebellion. *) Mass grave and drug factories uncovered in Damascus A mass grave was discovered in the Husainiyya district of the Syrian capital Damascus. The discovery comes as part of search and investigation efforts continued across Syria following the fall of Bashar al Assad's regime. The mass grave is located in the southeastern part of the capital, just behind Damascus Airport. A villa in Syria’s capital Damascus was identified as a drug production hub linked to Maher al Assad, the brother of ousted regime leader Bashar al Assad. Since the collapse of the decades-long Baath regime on December 8, drug manufacturing centres across Syria have been steadily uncovered. *) Cyclone Chido wreaks havoc in French-colonised archipelago Several hundred people may have been killed by Cyclone Chido in the French-colonised archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The French interior ministry said it would be difficult to account for all victims and said a figure could not be determined at this stage. Cyclone Chido swept through Mayotte overnight, bringing winds of more than 200 kilometres per hour and damaging makeshift housing, government buildings and a hospital.