In other news

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has freed 52 prisoners of various nationalities, including UK citizens, in a move seen as an attempt to ease sanctions imposed on the country. The release follows surprise talks between US officials and Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 31 years. The move is part of a deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, who has been in contact with Lukashenko. The release is the largest pardon of political prisoners by Lukashenko to date, but falls short of the 1,300 prisoners Trump has been calling for. The move is seen as a sign that Lukashenko wants to rekindle relations with the West, but is unlikely to lead to further prisoner releases in the near future. The deal also includes the lifting of some sanctions on the Belarusian national airline Belavia, allowing it to buy spare parts and service its fleet.

Ireland's public broadcaster, RTE, has announced that it will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026 if Israel is allowed to take part. The decision comes after concerns were raised by several European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members over Israel's participation in the competition. RTE cited the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the loss of lives as reasons for its decision. The EBU has consulted with its members and will make a final decision on Israel's participation by mid-December. Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green has stated that the EBU will respect the decision of any country that chooses not to participate.

Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, to help with the recovery of military personnel seriously injured in the ongoing war with Russia. The Duke of Sussex, who served 10 years in the British Army, visited at the invitation of the Ukrainian government. Harry met with wounded veterans and emphasized the importance of keeping the war in the public eye. The visit comes as Russia and Belarus began a major joint military exercise near NATO's border.

The article reports on the ongoing detention of British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman in Iran. The couple, both 52, were arrested in January while on a motorbike trip around the world and have been charged with espionage. Their son, Joe Bennett, has spoken to Sky News, describing the harsh conditions they are being held in, including being crammed into cells with over 50 other prisoners and suffering from back pain due to metal bunk beds. The family is calling on the British government to take direct action to secure their release.

US President Donald Trump had a heated phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's airstrike targeting Hamas in Qatar. Trump told Netanyahu that the decision to strike inside Qatar was not wise, while Netanyahu said he had a brief window to launch the airstrike and took the opportunity. The airstrike was widely condemned internationally, and Qatar hit back at Netanyahu, saying his comments were 'reckless'. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the Israeli attack and raised the matter with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, saying it was 'completely unacceptable'.

Alibaba Group Holding has released its next-generation artificial intelligence model, Qwen3-Next, which is 10 times more powerful and costs only a 10th to build compared to its predecessor. The new model, developed by Alibaba Cloud, features 80 billion parameters and is optimized for efficient deployment on consumer-grade hardware. This release is part of the company's open-source approach, making the source code available for third-party developers to use and modify. The move is seen as a significant step in narrowing the gap with US peers in the AI field and further establishing Qwen as the world's largest open-source AI ecosystem.

China has become the leading source of foreign investment in Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a state-fostered industrial cluster spanning three provinces. Chinese investors have received go-ahead certificates for projects worth US$8.4 billion from 2019 to 2024, accounting for 16% of total investment in the EEC. The majority of Chinese investment is focused on electric vehicles (EVs) and energy projects, with industry leader BYD leading the charge. A Chinese consortium, including China Railway Construction Corporation, has also joined a Thai consortium to build a 220km high-speed railway line through the corridor. The EEC was launched in 2017 to revitalize the provinces of Chonburi, Rayong, and Chachoengsao through advanced industry production facilities.

China's economic slowdown and changing consumer habits are forcing European luxury goods companies to adapt to a new reality. Chinese consumers are becoming more selective and price-conscious, opting for more affordable luxury brands and products. European luxury brands are responding by changing their strategies in the Chinese market, which is still growing at around 5% annually. Industry insiders and analysts say that managing the effects of the slower growth rate is a major challenge for these brands.

Nepal's Gen Z protesters have backed former chief justice Sushila Karki to lead an interim government following violent anti-corruption demonstrations that ousted prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Karki, known for her zero-tolerance approach against corruption, emerged as the most favored candidate in an online vote on Discord. The protesters hope she will advance women's rights issues and address sexual violence cases from the Maoist insurgency years. However, some Gen Z representatives have raised questions about Karki's impartiality due to her appointment during Oli's government.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has suspended a proposed $503 million infrastructure loan to the Philippines due to corruption concerns over a bridge-building project. The Philippines government claims no agreement was ever signed, and the project was only at an exploratory stage. The decision has raised questions about investor confidence in the Philippines, which is already dealing with a corruption scandal over flood control projects.

Thabo Bester, a notorious South African rapist and murderer, has taken court action to block Netflix from releasing a documentary about his life, including his alleged escape from prison. Bester's lawyers claim the documentary is defamatory, while Netflix argues it gives victims a platform to be heard. The High Court is set to rule on the matter shortly before the documentary's planned release on Friday. Bester was convicted of rape and murder in 2012 and allegedly escaped from a maximum-security prison in 2022. He was later arrested in Tanzania with his partner, Nandipha Magudumana, who is also featured in the documentary.

French police suspect that the people who left pigs' heads outside Paris mosques were acting under orders from a foreign intelligence service, likely Russian. The incident involved two foreign nationals who used a Serb-registered car and a Croatian mobile phone, and then crossed into Belgium. The act is seen as part of a pattern of provocations, including the daubing of Stars of David on Paris walls and the painting of red hands on the city's Holocaust memorial. French intelligence suggests that Russia is behind these actions, aiming to destabilize France.

South Africa's Constitutional Court has ruled that men can take their wife's surname, overturning a law that previously barred them from doing so. The law was deemed a 'colonial import' that perpetuated gender-based discrimination. Two couples had brought the case to court, arguing that the law was archaic and patriarchal. The ruling is seen as a significant advancement in gender equality, and Parliament will now have to amend the relevant laws to give effect to the ruling.

Three 1,200-year-old Viking ships, the Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune, are being relocated from the old Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway to a new climate-controlled facility. The move is considered high-risk due to the fragility of the ships, but is necessary to preserve them for at least another century. The ships were discovered in separate burial sites between 1867 and 1904 and are significant archaeological finds. The relocation process is being carried out with extreme care, involving a crane and a track on the ceiling, and is expected to take several hours for each ship.

Australia is set to deploy a fleet of underwater attack drones called 'Ghost Sharks' as part of its efforts to enhance its naval capabilities. The drones, developed by Sydney-based Anduril Australia, will be delivered to the Australian navy starting January next year under a five-year contract worth $1.1 billion. The Ghost Sharks are designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles as well as strike operations and can be launched from shore or surface ships. This development is part of Australia's broader efforts to boost its undersea warfare capabilities, complementing its fleet of nuclear-powered submarines provided under the AUKUS partnership with the United States and Britain.

A zookeeper was mauled to death by lions at Safari World Bangkok, a safari park in Thailand, after stepping out of his vehicle. The incident has raised concerns about safety and the legitimacy of the park's lion ownership. The victim had over 30 years of experience and was known to be a kind man. The park has promised to investigate and strengthen safety measures. Animal rights groups have called for the lions to be relocated to a sanctuary, citing the dangers of keeping wild animals in captivity.

The article discusses the potential confirmation of Dr. Anjani Sinha as the US Ambassador to Singapore. Dr. Sinha was nominated by US President Donald Trump six months ago, but his confirmation has been delayed due to Democrats in Congress slow-walking hundreds of Trump's nominees. The Senate may soon confirm Dr. Sinha in a 'group vote'.

The article discusses the last generation of people who experienced the India-Pakistan Partition in 1947 and their memories of their homeland. The Partition led to one of the largest mass migrations in human history, with over 15 million people displaced and at least one million killed. The article follows the stories of two individuals, Vikram Kalra and Reena Varma, who were forced to flee their homes in Lahore and Rawalpindi, respectively, and have been unable to return. The article highlights the ongoing impact of the Partition on the people and the region, with many still holding onto memories of their homeland and struggling to come to terms with their displacement.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has fired the UK's ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, due to revelations of Mandelson's close ties to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Emails released by The Sun newspaper showed Mandelson expressing support for Epstein in 2008 as he battled his first conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Mandelson, a longtime Labor Party politician and strategist, had previously referred to Epstein as 'my best pal' in a handwritten note in a 2003 birthday album. The decision to fire Mandelson was made after the publication of the emails, with the Foreign Office stating that the depth and extent of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein was 'materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.' The revelations have prompted opposition calls for action, with Conservatives and the Scottish National Party demanding Mandelson's resignation.