December 27, 2023

*) Israel army chief says Gaza assault will last 'many more months' Israel's army chief has warned its aggression in Gaza will last "many more months" as the military stepped up strikes, where nearly 21,000 people have already been reported killed. But Israel's leaders have repeatedly vowed to keep up their offensive until Palestinian resistance group Hamas is destroyed, and army chief Herzi Halevi signalled there would be no quick end to the war. *) EU said to be preparing $22B fund plan for Ukraine The European Union is preparing a back-up plan worth up to $22.08 billion for Ukraine, the Financial Times has reported. The debt-funded scheme would sidestep Hungary to release money for Kiev quickly, the report said. All 27 EU states except Hungary recently agreed to start accession talks with Ukraine despite the Russian attack, bypassing PM Viktor Orban's opposition by getting him to leave the room during the summit when the decision was made. Orban confirmed it was German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who suggested this solution. *) 'Exodus from poverty': Migrant caravan slogs on through southern Mexico Thousands of refugees and asylum seekers have moved slowly north across the southern Mexican state of Chiapas in a caravan hoping to reach the US border, one day before top US officials planned to visit Mexico to discuss migration. Refugees and asylum seekers transit through Mexico to the US to escape violence, economic distress and negative impacts of the climate crisis, according to the United Nations. The number crossing the perilous Darien Gap straddling Colombia and Central America has topped half a million this year, double last year's record. *) Trump shares poll showing voters link potential second term with 'revenge' In a December 25 Truth Social post, Trump shared the results of a poll commissioned by DailyMail.com, in which voters were asked to provide a word they most associate with Trump's plans for a second term. The results, presented in the form of a word cloud, indicated that "revenge" was the most popular choice. In the post, Trump directed his attacks toward those who disagreed with him politically, whom he called "thugs". "MAY THEY ROT IN HELL," Trump wrote in all caps. "AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!" And finally… *) South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun of Oscar-winning film 'Parasite' is found dead Lee Sun-kyun, a popular South Korean actor best known globally for his role in the Oscar-winning movie “Parasite," was found dead in a car in Seoul, authorities said. Police and emergency officers initially found Lee in what they believed was an unconscious state in the car parked on a street in northern Seoul. Emergency officers later confirmed he was dead, according to Seoul's Seongbuk police station.