World Briefing: November 23, 2024

Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli air strike on Friday killed the director of Dar al-Amal hospital in the east of the country near Baalbek and six of his colleagues. A ministry statement announced the "loss of Dr Ali Rakan Allam, director of Dar al-Amal university hospital, and six colleagues in a cowardly Israeli attack which targeted his residence near the hospital". It also denounced "continual Israeli aggression against medical staff and facilities" - France 24

An American investor with a history of dealmaking in Russia has asked the U.S. government to allow him to bid on the sabotaged Nord Stream Pipeline 2 if it comes up for auction in a Swiss bankruptcy proceeding. Stephen P. Lynch spent two decades doing business in Moscow and now wants to buy the natural-gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany. He has argued to US officials and lawmakers that American ownership of the pipeline would provide leverage… - WSJ

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that there is a "serious and real" threat of global war after this week's major escalation in the conflict in Ukraine. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine “is entering a decisive phase," Tusk said in a speech to the Polish Teachers' Union. "We all know it, we feel that the unknown is approaching. None of us knows the end of this conflict, but we know that it is taking on very dramatic dimensions at the moment,” he added. “The events of the last few dozen hours show that this threat is really serious and real in terms of a global conflict,” Tusk said. A top U.K. military chief said on Thursday that Britain's armed forces would be ready to fight the Russian army "tonight" if Putin invades another Eastern European nation. Ukraine's former military commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, said on Thursday that “we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun,” as Russia is being helped in its war by soldiers from North Korea, drones from Iran and weapons from China - Politico

A senior North Korean general has been wounded in Russia’s Kursk region, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Western officials. More than 10,000 North Korean troops are supporting Russian forces in Kursk. Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping to recover the swath of the Kursk region that Ukraine seized in August before President Donald Trump takes office early next year. The United States this week gave Ukraine the green light to use its long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russian assets in Kursk and said North Korean troops would be fair game. It is unclear how the North Korean general was wounded, the WSJ reported - RFE/RL

A Norwegian student in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia and Iran while working as a guard at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, authorities in Norway have said. The man, who has not been identified, was ordered to be held in custody for four weeks. He runs a security company jointly with a dual national of Norway and an unspecified eastern European country, according to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. Oslo police said Friday they would review the company’s operating license. Norway’s domestic intelligence agency, PST, said Thursday night that the man was arrested in his garage at home on Wednesday on suspicion of having damaged national security with his intelligence-related activity. The arrest warrant from the district court, says, among other things, that the police found records of the man’s assignment dialogue with a person who was apparently guiding his espionage activity, according to NRK - AP

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has testified at his national security trial that urging other countries to speak up for the city’s pro-democracy movement does not amount to seeking foreign interference. The 76-year-old, who wore a green sweater and a suit jacket, stands accused of two counts of taking part in a “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” under a Beijing-imposed security law. He was also charged with one count of conspiring to publish “seditious” materials under a separate colonial-era law. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. His lawyer, Steven Kwan, asked Lai about his newspaper’s online English version. The English version was launched in mid-2020, about a year before the outlet shut down following the arrest of its top editors. Apple Daily previously published only in Chinese. Kwan showed the court WhatsApp conversations between Lai and his aide Mark Simon in May 2020, in which he said an English version would help capture the support of Americans and other foreigners for the city’s movement, serving as “political protection.” Their support would also benefit Apple Daily financially, Lai wrote. Addressing the court, Lai elaborated, saying that readers would “naturally” speak up for the Hong Kong movement if there was an English version, and their voices could motivate their politicians to become aware of what was happening in the city. Friday marked the 95th day of Lai’s trial, which was originally scheduled to take 90 days. The media magnate has been remanded since December 2020 - HKFP

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