Pope Francis Cancels Meetings Due to Lung Inflammation
The Vatican has said that Pope Francis postponed a series of meetings due to lung inflammation and breathing difficulties.
The Director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni, said on Monday, November 27, in an emailed statement that a CT scan ruled out pneumonia but added that doctors had inserted a cannula to provide antibiotics. The pope lost part of a lung following an illness some 50 years ago.
Pope Francis, who turns 87 next month, has battled ill health for...
63 Hostages, Prisoners Released as Cease-Fire Commences in Israel-Hamas War
The first group of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attacks was released on Friday morning, Israel-Gaza time.
According to officials, 24 Israeli hostages and 39 Palestinian prisoners in Israel were released hours after the four-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, as per the deal.
The Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson revealed on his social media that the hostages include 13 Israeli hostages, specifically women and children, 10 Thais, and one Filipino.
In what appeared to be Red Cross trucks,...
China Stands in Solidarity with Somalia Following Devastating Floods
The Chinese government has shown solidarity by offering Somalia much-needed humanitarian supplies in response to the disastrous floods that have befallen the country and displaced over 1.7 million people.
On November 22, 2023, Chinese Ambassador to Somalia, Fei Shangchao, handed over the flood relief assistance to Mahamud Moallim, Commissioner of the Somali Calamity Management Agency (SoDMA), a gesture of strength and solidarity with other nations during times of disaster.
Ambassador Shangchao emphasised that the Chinese government has sympathy and international support...
DRC Bans Soldiers from Engaging Rwandan Rebels Amidst US-Brokered Talks
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have declared that they have banned their soldiers from engaging in any contact with Rwandan rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
The military's announcement was made on November 21, 2023, following separate meetings between US Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, and Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) regarding the de-escalation of tensions in their...
BRICS Summit on Israel-Hamas War to meet in South Africa
Pretoria and Moscow confirmed on Monday, November 20, that South Africa will hold a virtual summit of the BRICS group of countries, which includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday, November 21, to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—are a collection of significant developing economies that aim to transform the global order now dominated by the US and the global West.
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa will host the "Extraordinary Joint Meeting on...
China Hosts Meeting to Discuss Israel-Hamas War with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Palestinian Diplomats
China convened a diplomatic ministerial meeting in Beijing on Monday, November 20, gathering Middle Eastern foreign ministers to exert influence over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Foreign ministers from five countries—Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Indonesia—began their meeting in China with a round of official visits by the United Nations Security Council's permanent members.
Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister, welcomed them, saying his country would engage with "our brothers and sisters in the Arab and Islamic world to try to...