Israeli strikes kill 12 in Gaza as arrests are made over flares fired at Netanyahu's home

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has passed away at 86 after battling Alzheimer’s, his family announced. A key figure in Tony Blair’s New Labour project, he served as deputy prime minister for a decade and was known for mediating between Blair and Gordon Brown. Despite his fiery temperament, he was praised for his peacemaking abilities and efforts to combat climate change. Full Article

Russian lawmakers approved a nearly 30 percent increase in defense spending for next year, totaling a record 13.5 trillion rubles ($134 billion) allocated for "national defense" – more than six percent of Russia's GDP. President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow is already spending close to nine percent of its economy on defense and security, the highest level since the Cold War, including other security-related expenditures not classified as "national defense". This decision commits the country...

Periods of rain are expected to continue into the weekend, with a high of 9 C during the day and a UV index of 1. At night, temperatures will drop to a low of 6 C. In B.C., storm watchers in Ucluelet are monitoring a "bomb cyclone" off Vancouver Island, more concerned about potential disappointment than safety risks. Full Article

China is increasing its efforts to stockpile microchips from the US to prepare for potential sanctions from the incoming administration of president-elect Donald Trump, with purchases reaching US$1.11 billion in October, a 60 per cent increase from last year. China has imported US$9.61 billion of microchips from the US over the first 10 months of the year, focusing on CPU-based processors and controllers, as well as chips for storage and signal amplification, to meet its...

Russia has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, marking the first use of this weapon in war. The missile was launched from the Russian region of Astrakhan, causing damage to industrial infrastructure in Dnipro. Ukraine had previously fired US and UK missiles at targets inside Russia, leading to rising tensions in the conflict. Full Article

In 2019, Ephrem Yaline-Ngonzo was approached by a Russian to help promote the activities of the Central African Republic’s army and Russian forces. Initially believing he was doing the right thing, the journalist later realized the potential ethical concerns surrounding this collaboration. As the situation unfolded, Yaline-Ngonzo grappled with the complexities of his involvement and the implications of supporting these military operations. Full Article