Published on January 19, 2024 at 6:47 amUpdated on January 19, 2024 at 5:29 pm.
The Israel-Gaza war, the Davos Forum, tensions in the Red Sea… all the news for this Friday, January 19 can be followed here.
> Key information for this Friday:
5:28 pm – Ukraine: EU prepares new sanctions against Russia for 2 years of war
The European Union plans to announce a 13th package of sanctions against Russia on February 24, the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, diplomatic sources learned on Friday.
Discussions are ongoing, these diplomats said on condition of anonymity without giving details. Sanctions should primarily concern individuals and entities, however, indicated a senior European official on condition of anonymity.
5:26 pm – In Gaza, nearly 20,000 children have been born “in hell” since the start of the war, according to UNICEF.
UNICEF reported on Friday that nearly 20,000 children have been born “in hell” in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian territory began more than three months ago.
Returning from Gaza, the target of sustained Israeli bombardment after the October 7 attack against Israel by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, she described several cases where she witnessed dire conditions for pregnant women, nursing mothers and their infants.
5:21 pm – Pakistan and Iran agree to “de-escalation” after exchange of strikes
Pakistan and Iran agreed on Friday to “de-escalate” tensions, Islamabad said, after exchanging deadly strikes with Iran this week.
“Both foreign ministers agreed that cooperation and coordination should be strengthened on counter-terrorism and other areas of common concern,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said after a telephone exchange between the heads of state. Diplomats of both countries.
5:07 pm – Competition Authority imposes fine of 167 million euros in 2023
The Competition Authority imposed fines of 167 million euros in 2023, a sharp drop in total compared to sanctions of 467.9 million for 2022 and 873.7 million for 2021. According to its president Benoît Coeur, the result of an action initiated several years ago. “We have several cases in our pipeline that will lead to important decisions in 2024,” he added.
37 controversial decisions were taken in 2023 and the authority took 266 merger control decisions compared to 257 in 2022, its president detailed. For 2024, the organization wants to publish an opinion in the spring on electric vehicle charging infrastructure and to better understand issues related to artificial intelligence (AI).
4:53 pm – USA: Consumer confidence in January highest since July 2021
American consumer sentiment rose in January to its highest level in nearly two and a half years, among both Democratic and Republican voters, encouraged by a decline in inflation that now appears sustainable.
An index measuring consumer confidence in January was 78.8 points, or 13% higher than in December, according to preliminary estimates released by the University of Michigan.
This was much higher than expected, as analysts had seen the index holding steady at 69.7 points. Reforms concern all age groups, incomes, educational levels and all geographical regions.
4:46 pm – Japanese space module SLIM “appears to have landed on the moon”
According to the telemetry data, “SLIM appears to have landed on the Moon. We are checking its status,” said Shin Toriyumi, a Japanese space agency official, during a live broadcast of what was heralded as a technical feat due to the degree of precision of the operation.
4:34 pm – Climate: ING Bank in turn targeted by legal case in the Netherlands
Milieudefence, the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth, which delivered a “historic” legal setback to Shell in 2021, announced the launch of a climate legal case against leading Dutch bank ING.
“ING (…) finances polluting companies with more money than all other Dutch banks combined,” the climate defense NGO said in a press release. “Friends of the Earth Netherlands returns to court with the support of thousands of people,” they announced.
4:13 pm – Josep Borrell (EU) says Israel finances Hamas
“Yes, Hamas was financed by the Israeli government in an attempt to undermine the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority,” EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell said in a speech to the University of Valladolid, without elaborating on the idea.
4:10 pm – Russia summons French ambassador over “increasing” role in Ukraine
Days after claiming responsibility for the strike on “French mercenaries”, Russia summoned the French ambassador to Moscow to formally reprimand Paris for its alleged “increasing involvement” in the conflict in Ukraine.
4:09 pm – USA: Housing resales in 2023 at lowest level in 30 years
The number of resales of apartments and houses in the United States reached its lowest level in nearly 30 years in 2023, the National Federation of Realtors announced, amid a sharp increase in interest rates by the Federal Reserve (Fed) during the year. (NAR).
In one year, the number of resales reached 4.09 million units, while interest rates on real estate loans continued to increase during the year, under the combined effect of the Fed and bond yield rate hikes.
4:07 pm – Baltic states to build defense systems on their borders with Russia and Belarus
The three Baltic countries agreed on Friday to arm their borders with Russia and Belarus
