Israel said it would not fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon by the end of the weekend, the deadline it had agreed to in a ceasefire deal with Hizbullah. The Israeli government argued the militant group had yet to implement its side of the agreement, which was brokered in November. Lebanon said Israel’s decision would end the ceasefire; America is negotiating with both sides to save the deal.
Marco Rubio, America’s secretary of state, reportedly issued guidance freezing virtually all foreign assistance, including to Ukraine. The State Department cable apparently carves out exceptions for military and humanitarian aid to Israel and Egypt. The pause prohibits new government spending while Mr Rubio reviews whether aid programmes are “consistent” with Donald Trump’s “foreign policy”, according to the Associated Press.
While visiting North Carolina Mr Trump said he would sign an executive order “overhauling…or maybe getting rid of” America’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sends aid to states during disasters. In September Hurricane Helene caused severe flood damage in North Carolina; Mr Trump falsely claimed on the campaign trail that FEMA had squandered disaster-relief funds on housing for illegal migrants.
Ukraine said it hit several strategic sites near the border with Russia, including an oil refinery and a microchip plant, during overnight strikes on Friday. Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted 121 drones over several regions, including Moscow, making the attack one of Ukraine’s largest. Earlier Ukraine said that three people were killed in Kyiv by a Russian drone strike.
Tens of thousands of people protested against Robert Fico, Slovakia’s populist prime minister, in 20 cities across the central European country. The protesters—who numbered 60,000 in Bratislava alone, according to organisers’ estimates—called on Mr Fico to resign. Since taking office for the latest time in 2023 he has shifted Slovakia away from the EU and closer to Russia.
Monte dei Paschi di Siena, a problem child of the Italian banking system, proposed a “friendly” takeover of Mediobanca, a bigger rival, for $13.9bn. Italy’s government has been trying to consolidate the financial sector. Its plan to merge MPS with Banco BPM was scuppered by UniCredit, Italy’s biggest bank, which launched a hostile takeover of Banco BPM in November.
In October China sent two pandas to America for the first time in 24 years. After a period of quarantine they at last made their public debut to crowds at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Such panda-monium has a long history: China has offered countries the bears as gifts since the seventh century, often using them to emphasise political ties.
Word of the week: Shunto, annual wage negotiations between firms and unions in Japan. Read the full story.
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