World News Roundup: UK Prime Minister Sunak's favourability hits all-time low - YouGov; Spain's PM wants EU enlargement talks with Ukraine before year-end and more
"I kicked off the Spanish presidency with a trip to Kyiv and I hope to close it with the opening of accession negotiations with this country, now that the European Commission's report is known," Sanchez told a plenary session of the European Parliament. Pakistan court indictment hits ex-PM Imran Khan's election ambitions Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan pleaded not guilty to charges of leaking state secrets under an indictment on Wednesday that dealt a new blow to his chances of contesting Pakistan's general election in February.
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Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Japan's military needs change, sexually assaulted ex-soldier says
Japan's military will need sweeping changes to root out harassment, ex-soldier Rina Gonoi said on Wednesday, a day after a Japanese court found three of her former colleagues guilty of sexually assaulting her. "I don't want to tear down the Self-Defence Forces, but it's exactly because I am so grateful to them that I want to see fundamental change," Gonoi, 24, said at a news conference in Tokyo.
Israel suffers worst combat losses since October, diplomatic isolation
Israel announced its worst combat losses for more than a month on Wednesday after an ambush in the ruins of Gaza City, and faced growing diplomatic isolation as civilian deaths mounted and a humanitarian catastrophe worsened. Intense fighting was underway simultaneously in the north and south of the enclave, a day after the United Nations demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel's "indiscriminate" bombing of civilians was costing international support.
Congo opposition candidate suspends presidential campaign after violence
One of the main opposition candidates for Congo's presidential election next week, Moise Katumbi, suspended part of his campaign on Wednesday after violent clashes at one of his election rallies. Live rounds were fired and several people were injured as Katumbi addressed supporters in the coastal town of Moanda on Tuesday, marking an escalation in tension ahead of the Dec. 20 vote.
UK Prime Minister Sunak's favourability hits all-time low - YouGov
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is the most unpopular he has been since moving into Downing Street with his net favourability rating slipping by 10 percentage points since late November, a YouGov survey showed on Wednesday. The polling, carried out between Monday evening and Tuesday morning this week, showed that 70% of respondents said they had an unfavourable opinion of Sunak, compared to only 21% with a favourable view.
Spain's PM wants EU enlargement talks with Ukraine before year-end
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday he hoped to open enlargement talks between the European Union and Ukraine before the end of his country's six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU on Dec. 31. "I kicked off the Spanish presidency with a trip to Kyiv and I hope to close it with the opening of accession negotiations with this country, now that the European Commission's report is known," Sanchez told a plenary session of the European Parliament.
Pakistan court indictment hits ex-PM Imran Khan's election ambitions
Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan pleaded not guilty to charges of leaking state secrets under an indictment on Wednesday that dealt a new blow to his chances of contesting Pakistan's general election in February. The charges are related to a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan's ambassador in Washington last year, which Khan is accused of making public.
US and UK impose additional sanctions on Hamas officials
The United States and the United Kingdom on Wednesday imposed a fourth round of sanctions on individuals in Turkey and elsewhere linked to the Palestinian Hamas militant group, the U.S. Treasury Department said. The sanctions target eight individuals who perpetuate Hamas’s agenda by representing the group's interests abroad and managing its finances, the Treasury said in a statement.
Nations strike deal at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels
Representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed at the COP28 climate summit on Wednesday to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst of climate change, a first of its kind deal signaling the eventual end of the oil age. The deal struck in Dubai after two weeks of hard-fought negotiations was meant to send a powerful signal to investors and policy-makers that the world is united in its desire to break with fossil fuels, something scientists say is the last best hope to stave off climate catastrophe.
Security breach in Indian parliament, man jumps into lawmakers' area
A man jumped into the lawmakers' area of the lower house of India's parliament on Wednesday, in a major security breach on the 22nd anniversary of a deadly attack on the complex. TV channels showed a man wearing a black jacket jump from the visitors' area into the lawmakers' seating area, climbing over tables of lawmakers.
Ukraine says 53, including 6 children, hurt in Russian missile strikes on Kyiv
Russia's second missile assault on Kyiv this week injured at least 53 people, damaging homes and a children's hospital, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded for more help for his country. The windows of residential apartment blocks were blown out and frightened residents streamed out onto the street to assess the damage. Missile debris blew a large crater in the ground and destroyed parked cars.
(With inputs from agencies.)