Krakow, Poland (DT) – The United States and Poland on Wednesday inaugurated a US missile defense base in northern Poland to enhance NATO’s defense capabilities in Europe amid tensions with Russia over its war in Ukraine.
The new base, named “Aegis Ashore” and located in Redzikowo, is part of NATO’s larger missile defense shield for Europe, and is designed to detect, track, and intercept ballistic missiles in flight.
“I welcome our American friends to Poland. I am pleased that we are officially opening this base,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said during the inauguration event.
“From the moment this base is built here, the whole world will see clearly that this is no longer a Russian sphere of influence. And from our Polish perspective, this is strategically the most important thing,” he added.
Polish defense minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called the base’s opening a “milestone” in missile defense and emphasized that Poland is now part of NATO’s “most effective” air defense network.
President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, addresses dignitaries in Krakow, Poland, on November 13, 2024. Photo: Marek Borawski/KPRP/DT (POLAND OUT)
Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski praised the base as a “monument” to the Polish-US alliance and security.
“This is a good day for the USA, for NATO, and for the security of Poland. I am glad this base has been established, and I will pray that it never has to be used,” he said.
Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, highlighted the base’s significance for NATO and praised Poland’s decision to allocate 4.7% of its GDP to defense, calling it “a model” for other NATO members.
“Operated by US Navy sailors, under NATO auspices, on Polish soil, this (base) makes Poland and NATO safer,” Brzezinski said on X, formerly Twitter.
The Redzikowo base, equipped with the Aegis Ashore missile defense system, is part of NATO’s broader European missile defense network, which also includes a similar site in Deveselu, Romania, an early warning radar in Turkey, and a command center in Germany.
The defense system was designed over a decade ago to counter Iran’s ballistic missile threat against NATO’s European members.
However, some analysts question its effectiveness against a potential Russian ballistic missile attack.
Geopolitical expert Marek Swierczynski told EFE that, while the base was designed to counter Iran’s missile threat, a re-evaluation of its role may be necessary given the current geopolitical landscape.
Buenos Aires, Argentina (DT) – An Argentine court upheld a six-year prison sentence and “perpetual disqualification from holding public office” on Wednesday for former Argentine president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015) in a case involving irregularities in public construction projects.
The court sentenced Fernández in December 2022 for the crime of fraudulent management of public funds in the case known as “Vialidad,” involving the embezzlement of funds in road construction projects.
The case investigated irregularities in the granting of 51 roadworks contracts to companies linked to businessman Lázaro Báez during the government of the late Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007) and that of his wife and successor, Cristina Fernández, in the southern province of Santa Cruz.
On Wednesday, the Court of Appeals, formed by Mariano Borinsky, Gustavo Hornos, and Diego Barroetaveña, ruled to “sentence Cristina Elizabeth Fernández de Kirchner to six years in prison and perpetual disqualification from holding public office, considering her criminally responsible for the crime of fraudulent administration to the detriment of the public administration.”
This decision could hamper the former president’s potential candidacy in the 2025 general elections, although Fernández is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, a process that could take several months or even years.
The former president, who was not present in court, issued a lengthy statement on Nov. 12 in which she anticipated a verdict against her and denounced an attempt to “proscribe” her.
Fernández, who has repeatedly claimed to be the target of “lawfare” (judicial and political harassment), argued that the “Vialidad” case was a “show” and that its “real objective” was to permanently disqualify her from holding public office.
She criticized the judges’ lack of impartiality, highlighting their connections to former Argentine President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019).
On Wednesday Fernández added that the Argentine court’s decision to uphold her sentence was a punishment for being a woman.
“When you’re a woman, everything is 20 times harder, and if they punish me for anything, it’s not just for everything I’ve done, but also because I’m a woman. They can’t stand to argue with a woman and not be able to prove themselves right,” she said during a meeting with women in the town of Moreno, in the province of Buenos Aires.
Meanwhile, Argentine President Javier Milei posted through his X account:
“Today (under this government), Argentine justice confirmed the sentence and perpetual disqualification from public office of the former president. Today we can say without any doubt that Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is guilty of acts of corruption.”
In addition to confirming the sentence for the crime of fraudulent administration of public funds, the court rejected the prosecution’s request to also convict her for the crime of criminal association and upheld the sentences of other individuals involved.
The aforementioned include businessman Lázaro Báez (six years in prison), former Public Works Minister José López (six years), and the former Public Works Secretary, Nelson Periotti (six years), among others.
The judges upheld the acquittals of former Minister of Planning and Public Investment Julio De Vido, former Public Works Undersecretary Abel Fatala, former Santa Cruz Public Works official Héctor Garro, and Carlos Kirchner, cousin of the late former President Néstor Kirchner and former federal planning official.
KYIV, Ukraine (DT) — Russian glide bombs, drones and a ballistic missile smashed into cities in southern and eastern Ukraine on Monday, officials said, killing at least six civilians and injuring about 30 others.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia has recently intensified strikes that have long tormented civilian areas, in an apparent effort to unnerve Ukrainians and wear down their willingness to keep up a war that is approaching its 1,000-day milestone.
“Every day, every night, Russia commits the same terror,” Zelenskyy said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. “Except that an increasing number of civilian objects are becoming targets.”
Both Russia and Ukraine are waiting to see how Washington will change its policy on the war after Donald Trump takes office as the U.S. president in January. The U.S. is the biggest provider of military help to Ukraine but Trump has chided the Biden administration for giving Kyiv tens of billions of dollars of aid.
The Ukrainian army intends to expand its mobile units, which are primarily tasked with shooting down drones, in the regions most frequently targeted by Russian strikes, Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
He also said that Ukraine is working on producing its own glide bombs as part of a domestic missile program. Russian glide bombs have significantly impacted the battlefield, as their destructive power reduces settlements to rubble and makes it increasingly difficult for Ukrainian forces to hold their defensive fortifications.
Ukrainian forces are being slowly pushed backward in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia is bringing its greater military might to bear. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would conduct a “substantial reinforcement” in areas near the Donetsk settlements of Kurakhove and Pokrovsk, where Ukraine’s army is in danger of being overrun.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine is holding its positions in Russia’s Kursk border region, where Western and Ukrainian officials say Russia is being helped by thousands of newly arrived North Korean troops. He said Russia has deployed some 50,000 troops to Kursk.
Also in Donetsk, near the settlement of Hirnyk that was recently captured, the Russians have damaged a dam at the Kurakhiv reservoir, regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said.
The local water level in the Vovcha River has risen by 1.2 meters, though no homes have been affected, and possible flooding threatens both the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, he said.
“We continue to monitor the water level in the river and are prepared for any developments,” Filashkin said.
The development revived memories of the collapse of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine in June 2023, killing hundreds of people. An Associated Press investigation found the collapse was likely caused by Russian forces.
The major cities struck Monday by Russia are close to the approximately 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.
Russian drones hammered the southern city of Mykolaiv, killing five people and injuring a 45-year-old woman, local authorities said. Around two dozen people sought psychological help following the attack that damaged houses and stores, officials said.
Mykolaiv, located about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the front line in the Kherson region, frequently comes under Russian attack.
An overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia, also in the south, with three powerful glide bombs killed one person and injured 21, including a 4-year-old boy, Ukraine’s National Police said.
The strikes partially destroyed a two-story apartment building and damaged a dormitory.
A five-story apartment building in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine, was hit by a Russian ballistic missile, injuring at least eight people. Emergency services were searching through the rubble, Oleksandr Vikul, head of Kryviy Rih Military Administration said.
The missile destroyed all five stories in one part of the building, he said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s intelligence agency claimed in a statement it destroyed a Russian Mi-24 assault helicopter parked at the Klin-5 airfield in the Moscow region. The claim could not be independently verified.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that 17 Ukrainian drones were destroyed over the Russian regions of Kursk, Belgorod and Voronezh overnight and in the morning.
Gaza (DT) – Israeli forces sent tanks into the western side of Gaza’s Nuseirat camp on Monday in a new incursion into the enclave’s central area, and Palestinian medics said Israeli military strikes had killed at least 11 people since Sunday night.
Residents said Israeli tanks opened fire as they rolled into that sector of the camp, one of the Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee sites, causing panic among the population and displaced families.
One resident, Zaik Mohammad, said the tanks’ advance was a complete surprise. “Some people couldn’t leave and remained trapped inside their homes, appealing to be allowed out, while others rushed out with whatever they could carry as they fled,” Mohammad, 25, who lives one kilometer away from the targeted area, told Reuters via a chat app. With the war in Gaza now in its 14th month, Israel is focusing its operations in the north and centre in what it says is a campaign to stop Hamas militants waging attacks and to prevent them from regrouping.
Tens of thousands of Palestinian residents have been told to evacuate the areas, fueling fears that they may never be allowed to return. The already slim chances of a ceasefire receded further at the weekend when mediator Qatar said it was suspending its efforts until both Israel and Hamas showed greater willingness to reach an agreement.
In attacks overnight and into Monday, medics said seven people were killed in Nuseirat in two separate Israeli airstrikes, one that hit a tent encampment.
In the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, where Israeli forces have operated since Oct. 5, medics said four people were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
At Kamal Adwan Hospital near Beit Lahiya, medics said Israeli fire from a drone wounded three medical workers in the facility. There was no Israeli comment on Monday’s violence. The Israeli military said it killed a senior commander of the Islamic Jihad group, an ally of Hamas, Mohammad Abu Skhail, in a strike on Saturday at a command center inside a compound that previously served as a school in Gaza City. Palestinian medics said the attack killed six people.
Baku, Azerbaijan (DT) – The COP29 climate conference kicked off Monday in Baku, in Azerbaijan, with a call to the world to raise the climate finance goal in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
“Colleagues, we are on a road to ruin. But these are not future problems. Climate change is already here (…) We need much more from all of you,” COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev,” said in his opening remarks.
The opening of the summit, the world’s largest gathering to discuss climate change, was also addressed by the president of the previous summit in Dubai (COP28), Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, among others.
The conference will be held in the capital of Azerbaijan until Nov. 22, and will be attended by the top political leaders from across the world to try and increase the climate finance goal, among its main objectives.
The three leaders insisted on the need for global cooperation to make a greener world and mitigate global warming.
UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, 11 November 2024. EFE/EPA/ANATOLY MALTSEV
They also stressed on the need to increase funding and provide countries with greater tools to improve emission mitigation and adaptation to increasingly catastrophic climate shocks.
“COP29 is a moment of truth for the Paris Agreement. It will test our commitment to the multilateral climate system. We must now demonstrate that we are prepared to meet the goals we have set ourselves,” said the COP29 president.
Al-Jaber, on his part, spoke of the need to make financing easily accessible to developing countries, and called for unity especially in the current world scenario with conflicts in different parts..
“I urge you all to prove once again that we can unite, act and deliver (…) Let positivity prevail and let it power the process. Let actions speak louder than words,” he underlined.
Finally, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Stiell called for a consensus on a new global funding target for the fight against climate change because “no country is immune” to global warming.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Simon Stiell speaks during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, 11 November 2024. EFE/EPA/IGOR KOVALENKO
“Here in Baku, we must agree on a new global climate finance goal. If at least two thirds of the world’s nations cannot afford to cut emissions quickly, then every nation pays a brutal price,” he warned.
“So, let’s dispense with the idea that climate finance is charity. An ambitious new climate finance goal is entirely in the self-interest of every nation, including the largest and wealthiest,” he said.
“We must work harder to reform the global financial system. Giving countries the fiscal space they so desperately need,” Stiell further said.
He underlined that if the necessary changes were not brought about, the entire global economy would be brought to its knees, and that they “cannot leave Baku without a substantial outcome.”
Kalikot, Nepal (DT) – A tragic jeep accident in Kalikot’s Raduneta area of Palata Rural Municipality-3 has resulted in the deaths of seven passengers and injuries to 13 others.
According to Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the Chief District Officer of Kalikot, the Bolero jeep, which was carrying 20 passengers, veered off the road and plunged 500 meters down the hillside at around 2:30 PM on Sunday. Ten passengers were confirmed dead at the scene, while others sustained injuries.
The jeep was traveling from Thirpu in Palata to its destination when the accident occurred. The injured, some in critical condition, were airlifted by a Nepal Army helicopter from Surkhet to Karnali Provincial Hospital in Surkhet for medical treatment.
Authorities have initiated an investigation into the cause of the accident, though preliminary reports suggest that the difficult terrain and weather conditions may have contributed to the crash. Rescue operations were conducted swiftly, with local residents and the Nepal Army providing immediate assistance.
As of now, further details on the identities of those involved in the accident are awaited.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene and transported the injured to local hospitals, where some remain in critical condition. The victims, most of whom were passengers aboard the bus, include both locals and travelers.
This incident adds to a growing number of road accidents in Nepal, highlighting the need for improved infrastructure and safety measures.
Lahore, Pakistan (DT) — Pakistan’s dense smog has turned roadways into deadly paths, sparking a series of tragic accidents and casualties across multiple districts. Reduced visibility has led to a chain of fatal crashes, as police and hospitals brace to manage the spike in emergencies.
In Punjab, heavy fog on the Bahawalpur-Ahmedpur East highway resulted in a two-trailer collision, injuring two people. Nearby, on Lodhran-Dunyapur Road, motorcyclist Muhammad Ramzan, 48, was killed by a trailer, with rescuers citing low visibility as a contributing factor.
In another tragic incident, a speeding car struck two laborers near Adda Jaalwala, killing Abdul Rehman, 50, and critically injuring Muhammad Mohsin, 30. Police have detained the car driver. Meanwhile, in Burewala, a head-on collision between an oil tanker and a dumper truck claimed the life of tanker driver Muhammad Saifullah, 50, and severely injured two others.
The smog-induced visibility issues also claimed lives in Toba Tek Singh, where 18-year-old Tayyab Hussain and his mother, Ishrat Bibi, 45, were killed when their motorcycle collided with a parked tractor-trolley. In Sheikhupura, a passenger coaster crashed into a mini-truck, injuring nine, with three victims in critical condition.
Medical facilities are responding to the crisis, with Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur setting up a dedicated smog counter and a five-bed ward to treat smog-related injuries and respiratory issues. Motorway police continue to urge drivers to avoid unnecessary travel and proceed with caution as smog persists across the region.
Moscow, Russia (DT) – Aviation authorities temporarily closed Domodedovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo international airports in the Moscow region on Sunday due to potential risks of drone attacks.
“In order to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights, temporary restrictions have been introduced for the operation of Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports starting from 08:03 Moscow time, November 10. The airports are temporarily not accepting or sending flights,” the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency said in a statement.
Sheremetyevo International Airport was later shut down, too.
Aircraft crews, air traffic controllers, and airport services are taking all necessary measures to ensure flight safety is a top priority, according to the statement.
According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, seven more drones were shot down in the regions of Domodedovo, Ramenskoye and Kolomna on Sunday morning, bringing the total number of downed drones to 32.
Jerusalem, Israel (DT) – At least 36 Palestinians were killed, including 13 children, after Israeli fighter planes bombed a house in Jabalia in northern Gaza where displaced people were also taking refuge, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The house was totally destroyed and several people are still under the rubble while the injured have been taken to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, the agency added.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that its operation in Jabalia was ongoing and that they had killed dozens of militants and dismantled “sites of terrorist infrastructure” in the past 24 hours.
The troops also located weapons and a tunnel shaft in Beit Lahia, the IDF added.
The north of the enclave has been under siege since early October, when Israeli troops resumed their offensive there, claiming that Palestinian Islamist group Hamas was trying to regroup in the area.
Since then, at least 1,800 people have died in the north of the Strip, which includes Jabalia and its refugee camp, Beit Lahia and Bei Hanoun, according to the latest official figure published by the Palestinian authorities on Tuesday.
On Saturday, Israel’s defense chief Herzi Halevi said that his troops had killed some 1,000 Palestinian militants during their offensive in the area, which he described as “a significant achievement that deals Hamas a severe blow.”
Between 75,000 and 95,000 people remain in northern Gaza while tens of thousands have fled to Gaza City because of the Israeli offensive, according to estimates by the UN refugee agency for Palestinians.
In Jabalia and its refugee camp alone, which has the largest population of the three besieged cities, 70,000 people fled to the capital or moved to Beit Lahia or Beit Hanoun after the entry of Israeli troops.
Beijing, China (DT) – Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Beijing on Saturday, expressing the readiness to work with the new Indonesian government to continue promoting self-improvement, solidarity and win-win cooperation among major developing countries.
Prabowo is in China for a state visit at the invitation of Xi.
Xi noted that Prabowo visited China in his first overseas trip right after he was elected in March and chose China as the first country to visit after taking office, which speaks volumes about the great importance he attaches to developing relations with China and demonstrates the high level and strategic nature of China-Indonesia relations.
Xi went on to point out that the adherence to strategic autonomy, mutual trust, mutual assistance, win-win cooperation, fairness and justice represents not only a summary of the experience in developing bilateral ties over the past decades, but also an important principle that should be followed for ensuring the sustained and stable development of bilateral relations in the future.
“China is willing to work with the new Indonesian government to build on past achievements, promote building a community with a shared future with regional and global influence, and continue to write a new chapter of seeking self-improvement via solidarity, and boosting coordination and mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation among major developing countries,” said Xi.
Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 9, 2024. Xi held talks with Prabowo, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing on Saturday. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)
Xi stressed that the two sides should consolidate higher-level strategic mutual trust, increase high-level exchanges and cooperation between governments and legislative bodies and at the sub-national level, strengthen exchanges of governance experience, firmly support each other in exploring modernization paths suited to their national conditions, and firmly support each other in upholding respective core interests and major concerns.
Xi called on the two sides to further improve the layout of strategic cooperation and foster cooperation regarding the “five pillars” of politics, economy, people-to-people and cultural exchange, maritime affairs and security.
Xi urged the two sides to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, continue to operate well the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, advance cooperation on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and the “Two Countries, Twin Parks” project, strengthen cooperation in such areas as digital economy, advanced manufacturing and the circular economy, carry out joint maritime development, and continuously deepen all-round mutually beneficial cooperation.
China is also ready to work with Indonesia to build more projects for the benefit of the people, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in poverty reduction, medicine, grain cultivation and fisheries, provide support for the training of scientific personnel and the development of vocational education in Indonesia, and introduce more facilitation measures to expand personnel exchanges, Xi said.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the next year marks the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, Xi noted, adding that as major developing countries, emerging markets and major members of the Global South, China and Indonesia should jointly champion the Asian values featuring peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration, enrich the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit with the imperatives of the new era, lead countries in the Global South to unite and strengthen themselves, and steer global governance in a fairer and more equitable direction.
China is ready to carry out closer multilateral strategic coordination with Indonesia, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and inclusive economic globalization that benefit all, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, Xi said.
Prabowo said that under the complex and volatile international situation, Indonesia hopes to work with China to further strengthen all-round strategic coordination, become closer comprehensive strategic partners, and build a community with a shared future that has regional and global influence.
Indonesia is willing to continue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with China, improve the “five pillars” cooperation framework, and strengthen all-round cooperation throughout the industrial chains in infrastructure, energy minerals, medicine, agriculture, housing, joint maritime development, food security and poverty reduction, he added.
Prabowo said Indonesia unequivocally adheres to the one-China principle, and firmly supports China in its efforts to maintain development and stability in Xinjiang. He also expressed appreciation for China in upholding fairness and justice on the Palestinian question.
Indonesia follows an independent and non-aligned foreign policy, and will not join any military alliance or “exclusive bloc” against a third party, Prabowo said, adding that the country is willing to enhance coordination with China in such multilateral frameworks as the G20, to make positive contributions to safeguarding the common interests of the Global South and promoting a multi-polar world.
After the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as joint development, blue economy, water conservancy and mineral resources.
The two sides issued a joint statement on advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership and the China-Indonesia community with a shared future.
