Friday, November 29
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has won re-election for a fifth term Sunday, officials said, following a boycott led by an opposition party she branded a "terrorist organisation".Hasina's ruling Awami League "has won more than 50 percent seats," an Election Commission spokesman told AFP, with counting ongoing.She has presided over breakneck economic growth in a country once beset by grinding poverty, but her government has been accused of rampant human rights abuses and a ruthless opposition crackdown.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed unwavering commitment to support soldiers defending Russia's interests on Orthodox Christmas. He called for greater assistance to those engaged in the defense of the nation. Putin attended an intimate midnight service with families who lost loved ones in the conflict in Ukraine. Contrary to the previous year, there was no call for a ceasefire. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has led to thousands of casualties and the displacement of millions.
North Korea escalates tensions by firing artillery shells near disputed sea boundary with South Korea. South Korea's military urges North Korea to cease provocative actions. Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader, dismisses South Korea's allegations and mocks their detection capabilities. South Korea characterizes her statement as 'low-level psychological warfare.'
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned that North Korea will launch an immediate military strike in response to any provocation. This comes after the North fired more than 60 artillery rounds near the disputed maritime border with South Korea. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the North continued to fire shots on Sunday. Kim Yo Jong stated that the Korean People's Army is ready to strike if provoked, and South Korea's military has urged North Korea to cease military activity near the border.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the senior vice president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was declared 'ineligible' to contest elections from his stronghold Multan by the appellate election tribunal. The tribunal rejected his appeal against the rejection of his nomination papers for two National Assembly and two Punjab Assembly seats in Multan. Qureshi was cleared to contest polls from the NA-214 constituency in Sindh's Umarkot city. The Multan High Court Bar Association President confirmed that the election tribunal had declared Qureshi 'ineligible' to contest the election.
In a recently unsealed filing, it was revealed that Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination about 600 times in a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse. The filing also disclosed that Epstein refused to answer questions in the lawsuit against his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The Fifth Amendment allows individuals to refrain from making self-incriminating statements. Giuffre's lawyers stated that Epstein's refusal extended to non-incriminating questions, including his relationship with former President Bill Clinton.
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Rawalpindi has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on January 9 in a case related to May 9 protests and an attack on General Headquarters (GHQ). Imran Khan is the main accused in all the cases related to the protests. Protests erupted across Pakistan after his arrest, with PTI workers attacking army installations. PTI leaders and workers, including PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Yasmin Rashid, were arrested.
The death toll from a major earthquake in western Japan reached 100 Saturday, as rescue workers fought aftershocks to carefully pull people from the rubble. Deaths had reached 98 earlier in the day, but two more deaths were reported in Anamizu, while officials in Ishikawa prefecture, the hardest-hit region, held their daily meeting to discuss strategy and damages. Some survivors who had clung to life for days were freed from collapsed homes. A man was pulled out 72 hours after a series of powerful quakes started rattling Japan's western coast.
US actor Christian Oliver and his two daughters died in a plane crash near a tiny private island in the eastern Caribbean, according to police in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The crash occurred Thursday just west of Petit Nevis island near Bequia as the plane headed for nearby St Lucia, police said in a statement. They identified the daughters as Madita Klepser, 10, and Annik Klepser, 12, adding that the pilot, Robert Sachs, also died. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the crash, according to police.
During his first 2024 campaign speech, President Joe Biden criticized Donald Trump's fixation on the past and warned that his reelection would threaten American democracy. Biden emphasized the value Americans place on democracy and blamed Trump for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. He accused Trump of sacrificing democracy for his own power and leaving the dirty work to others. Biden also condemned Trump's admiration for Vladimir Putin and his jokes about the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband. The insurrection was the focus of Biden's first 2024 campaign ad.
