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00:00 ♪ ♪
00:13 This is CGTN, China Global Television Network.
00:19 ♪ ♪
00:31 Live from London, this is The World Today.
00:35 Hello, I'm Paul Barber.
00:37 Our top stories this hour,
00:38 aid groups warn the humanitarian situation in Gaza is hell on earth,
00:43 as the United Nations vows to continue ceasefire efforts.
00:47 Polls open in Egypt's presidential election,
00:50 overshadowed by a deepening economic crisis
00:52 and the fighting in neighbouring Gaza.
00:55 In Argentina, Javier Mele is sworn in as the country's new president
01:00 at the latest on Buenos Aires.
01:02 ♪ ♪
01:13 Not just a catastrophe, but hell on earth.
01:16 That's the latest stark warning from aid groups
01:19 about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
01:21 The United Nations says half the population is starving,
01:25 with conditions making deliveries of food almost impossible.
01:28 Israel is pushing ahead with its air and ground offensive
01:31 and has ordered more evacuations in the main southern city of Khan Yunis.
01:35 But the head of the World Health Organization says no-one is safe in Gaza.
01:41 As more and more people move to a smaller and smaller area,
01:46 overcrowding combined with the lack of adequate food, water, shelter and sanitation
01:54 are creating the ideal conditions for disease to spread.
02:00 On average, there is one shower unit for every 700 people
02:06 and one toilet for every 150 people.
02:11 Our correspondent, Nour Harazine, reports from central Gaza.
02:15 Well, yes, the situation here, the humanitarian situation, is just, you know, a catastrophe.
02:22 I mean, there is no access to clean water, there is no access to food,
02:28 there is no access to medicine, even the very simple--
02:32 if we're talking about the simple paracetamol painkiller here,
02:36 it is not available, not in the hospitals or in the private pharmacies around the Gaza Strip.
02:43 There is no diapers for the children, there is no milk for the toddlers,
02:48 there is no women's sanitary beds here for the women in Gaza.
02:53 I mean, yes, it is hell on earth, as you mentioned before.
02:59 People are starving, it is a war of starvation.
03:02 No one actually here on the ground, if you are displaced or whoever you are,
03:08 you do not have any access to food or water because the markets are empty,
03:15 the shelves are empty, there is nothing in the markets here.
03:19 At the same time, the Palestinian Health Ministry is warning of a spread of viruses,
03:25 a new pandemic because of the situation inside the hospitals,
03:29 as the hospitals became a shelter and a refugee camp for thousands of Palestinians here in Gaza.
03:36 However, this comes as there is a new effort to reopen the Karam Shalom border
03:43 between Gaza and Israel in order to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
03:48 Nothing has happened yet.
03:50 People are hopeful that the opening of this border will bring some relief
03:55 to the humanitarian situation here in Gaza.
03:58 When the latest seven-day humanitarian truce expired,
04:02 there were some optimistic statements from the Qatari foreign minister.
04:07 They said that the negotiations are intensifying, they could reach a new truce.
04:12 However, nowadays, what is happening here on the ground,
04:17 there are very intense battles between Hamas and Israel,
04:21 the big number of people killed here in Gaza,
04:24 and we are feeling actually that the past week was more intense than before the humanitarian truce.
04:32 So, reading what is happening here on the ground,
04:35 and also because there are no talks about recent negotiations between Hamas and Israel,
04:41 even though there is an international community pressure on both sides,
04:46 it seems like the Palestinians here on the Gaza Strip will not be enjoying
04:51 any short-term or long-term ceasefire any time soon.
04:56 Noor Harazeen reporting from Gaza.
04:59 Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuffed international calls to end the conflict
05:04 and says many Western leaders have what he calls an inconsistent attitude to Hamas.
05:10 Our correspondent Feng Yilei reports from Tel Aviv.
05:13 Well, I would say it is a clear gesture of rejecting international calls to end the Gaza war,
05:21 and the Israeli Prime Minister's position is that these calls are, as I said,
05:24 inconsistent with Israel's goal of eliminating Hamas,
05:28 which Israel considers as a terrorist organization.
05:31 And in his cabinet briefing, he explained that he had already had a communication to leaders of France,
05:38 Germany, and other countries that they cannot support for Hamas elimination,
05:42 while pressuring Israel to end the war.
05:45 And this stance indicates that Israel might not be ready to de-escalate the conflict immediately,
05:53 but instead will focus on what they perceive as national security imperatives.
05:58 And turning that word into actions, Israeli tanks are reported to have made significant advances
06:04 into the Canyon, the southern Gaza city, reaching the central area,
06:11 and also IDF has also conducted widespread strikes in Lebanon after troops hurt by Hezbollah attacks.
06:20 And also at the same time, the Israeli Prime Minister has just concluded a conversation
06:26 with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Netanyahu expressed his dissatisfaction
06:34 with the positions taken by Russian representatives at the UN and other international occasions,
06:41 seen as being against Israel's interests and actions.
06:45 And another major point of contention raised by Netanyahu was that the cooperation between Russia and Iran.
06:53 And I think these statements sort of also back the consistency as Netanyahu said.
07:05 Right, and meanwhile the United States has also pushed through an emergency sale
07:10 of more weapons to its close ally Israel. That will be welcome news then.
07:18 Well I should say overall, as you have mentioned earlier, the US is facing criticism from world leaders,
07:24 international rights groups, and UN officials for its veto and for not taking actions to halt the war.
07:30 And its isolated stance at the United Nations Security Council somewhat reflects growing tensions
07:36 between Washington and some of even its closest allies on this issue.
07:42 And Washington has also made several contrasting statements recently.
07:48 For example, some anonymous Israeli officials told media earlier that US President Joe Biden
07:54 had given Israel until the end of the year to finish its war against Hamas.
07:59 But at the same time, Deputy National Security Advisor John Finer claimed that Washington
08:06 has not imposed a firm deadline on Jerusalem. And also, meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken
08:17 reported last week that Israel likely has weeks, not months, to wrap up the fighting.
08:25 But US ongoing military support for the IDF, as you said, still continues with the Israeli Ministry of Defense
08:32 disclosing on Wednesday that the US has supplied Israel with 10,000 tons of arms and weaponry
08:40 since the beginning of the war, as he also held the arrival of the 200th cargo plane carrying military equipment.
08:47 And in addition, US media indicates that the US plans to sell more weapons to Israel,
08:53 as the Biden administration has approved a sale of over 100 million US dollars worth of tank supplies to Israel.
09:01 And that will bypass congressional approval. It is seen as a very contentious move.
09:08 Feng Yilei reporting from Tel Aviv. In the US, the University of Pennsylvania president Liz McGill
09:15 has resigned after her comments about anti-Semitism. McGill was criticized after refusing to say definitively
09:21 at a congressional hearing whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate the college's code of conduct
09:27 regarding bullying or harassment. The polls are open in Egypt's three-day presidential election.
09:34 Despite an ongoing economic crisis, incumbent Abdel Fattah el-Sisi looks set to win a third term in power.
09:40 Egyptians are grappling with near-record inflation, as well as fears of a spillover from the fighting in neighboring Gaza.
09:47 Some 67 million people are eligible to vote, but a government crackdown on dissent has meant Sisi has faced little opposition.
09:55 Our correspondent Adel El-Marouhi has more from Cairo.
09:58 Well, the voting has been so far going mostly smoothly. No major complaints have been announced.
10:04 We have four candidates running in the race. Each has their own committee that is monitoring
10:09 and monitors observers on the ground to monitor the flow of the voting.
10:15 There are about more than 11,000 ballot stations all across Egypt.
10:19 15,000 judges are monitoring these elections. That's one judge for every ballot box,
10:25 and even more in terms of hierarchy and management.
10:28 The entire election process will be stretching for three days. It will end on December 12th.
10:34 Right after that, the counting starts. This is a manual voting procedure on paper, so it's a manual counting process.
10:42 So the counting of the votes, which is expected to be in the tens of millions range, will take a lot of days.
10:48 It is expected that the final deadline to announce the results will be around December 18th.
10:55 This comes as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is witnessing three other opponents that are challenging his candidacy.
11:03 However, their popularity and the strength of the political parties they represent is incomparable to the magnitude of popularity the Egyptian president has.
11:11 This comes as Egypt is being challenged economically and regionally with numerous conflicts that are being around,
11:18 and economy definitely will be on the agenda.
11:20 After that, many measures are expected to be taken by the next president when the elections are over.
11:25 That was Adel al-Marouhi in Cairo. You're watching CGTN Still Ahead.
11:30 We're in Argentina as radical new president Javier Mele prepares for his inauguration.
11:37 [Music]
11:41 Ever wondered what's the difference between a bear and a bull market?
11:48 Where are the cash cows?
11:51 And who are the lame ducks?
11:54 And what exactly are black swans, grey rhinos, and unicorn companies?
12:05 Make sense of it all with Global Business, only on CGTN.
12:11 I think it should be more public operation.
12:15 I would like to hear more the voice of the developing countries.
12:22 Globalization has lifted more than a billion people out of poverty.
12:27 The great transition has to happen. It's a necessity.
12:32 For China and the United States, our important powers in the world.
12:38 What unites us is much more than what divides us.
12:43 And I believe China is committed to this agenda.
12:47 Join me, Juliette Maran, to set the agenda at these times every weekend on CGTN.
12:58 Events have consequences. Words create impact.
13:02 One more offensive in a long line of battles that's been ongoing for...
13:06 Just got to be careful here with some gunshots.
13:09 Excuse us, excuse us.
13:10 The world today matters, but your world tomorrow.
13:14 The number of casualties is growing quickly.
13:17 This is one of the hardest hit towns in the region.
13:21 The world today, every day, on CGTN.
13:27 (Music)
13:30 Hello, welcome back. A reminder of our headlines.
13:35 Aid groups warn the humanitarian situation in Gaza is hell on earth...
13:39 ...as the United Nations vows to continue ceasefire efforts.
13:43 Balls open in Egypt's presidential election...
13:46 ...overshadowed by a deepening economic crisis and the fighting in neighboring Gaza.
13:53 Leaders from around the world are gathering in Argentina...
13:56 ...for Javier Millet's presidential inauguration.
13:59 Millet was elected on a right-wing libertarian ticket...
14:02 ...promising a wide range of radical reforms.
14:05 Argentina is suffering its worst economic crisis in decades...
14:09 ...with inflation at 143%.
14:12 Jorge Jaini is a former Chilean government minister and ambassador to China...
14:17 ...and co-author of a book, "The Active Non-Alignment Option".
14:21 I asked him earlier how Millet's libertarian stance will be viewed on the world stage.
14:26 Well, we're already seeing the effects.
14:29 It has been announced that Argentina will not accept the invitation to join the BRICS group...
14:35 ...which had been extended at the summit held by the BRICS group in Johannesburg last August.
14:41 So, here we have already a first impact.
14:44 A second impact has been on the relations with Brazil.
14:48 President Millet expressed himself critically about President Lula in the campaign.
14:55 And as a result, President Lula has not defended the inauguration of President Millet.
15:02 The other point that is important to keep in mind, though, is something else.
15:06 More important than foreign policy is what will happen in domestic policy.
15:11 And the question that is being asked in Argentina is whether Mr. Millet will be another equivalent of Margaret Thatcher...
15:20 ...meaning somebody that will turn the country around into the right direction...
15:26 ...and be in charge of significant changes in Argentina's economy...
15:31 ...or whether he will be more like Liz Truss.
15:34 That is, that he will only be there for a short time and be unable to implement his very ambitious programme.
15:41 That, it seems to me, is the big question looming over President Millet's term that he starts today.
15:48 And Millet's camp has argued that Argentina can unspool its diplomatic ties with China...
15:54 ...while avoiding a negative impact on economic ties, especially on its export industry.
15:59 Is that possible?
16:01 I really don't think it is.
16:03 As a rule in today's world, political and economic relations are closely intertwined.
16:09 I would argue that is particularly true in terms of China and the way China handles its own foreign relations.
16:17 And, you know, let me give you only one example.
16:21 Argentina depends very heavily on the Argentine market to sell its soybeans, to sell its meat, to sell its grains.
16:29 In that sense, the Chinese and the Argentine economies are very complementary.
16:36 Mr Millet has said that he will put the relations with the United States front and centre.
16:41 And he's already visited the United States and has met with government authorities in Washington, D.C.
16:46 And one can understand that, because Argentina has a very heavy debt with the International Monetary Fund...
16:53 ...$45 billion, which it can't pay.
16:55 The United States must help to renegotiate that debt.
16:59 But the problem is the U.S. and the Argentine economies are not complementary.
17:04 The United States will not buy soybeans, grains or meat from Argentina.
17:08 So that is a significant challenge for Argentina.
17:11 The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is holding its first district council election since its reform of the electoral system.
17:19 299 candidates are running for 264 seats across the 7th district council.
17:25 The poll is closing midnight Sunday local time and votes will then be counted.
17:30 Back in July, the city adopted the district council amendments with the principle of patriots administering Hong Kong.
17:37 In the U.S., at least 6 people, including a child, have been killed by tornadoes and severe storms in the southeastern state of Tennessee.
17:45 Another 23 people are being treated in hospital.
17:48 More than 80,000 residents across the state have been left without power.
17:52 Officials are urging people to stay off the roads as they continue their search and rescue operations.
17:58 The COP28 climate talks in Dubai are now in a crucial phase before they conclude on Tuesday.
18:11 Sunday's talks have focused on food, agriculture and water, as food production is a major source of emissions.
18:17 Meanwhile, throughout the weekend, countries have clashed over a possible agreement to phase out fossil fuels.
18:23 This is jeopardising attempts to deliver the first ever commitment to eventually end the use of oil and gas in 30 years of climate talks.
18:32 Talk less and do more. That's the advice to COP28 delegates from Alain Richard Donouahi, the COP15 president and former Ivory Coast minister for water and forests.
18:45 "I think more and more countries are aware of the phenomenons of climate change and we need to take real decisions.
18:57 We have been talking a lot, we have been talking too much and we need to take real decisions that have an impact on the communities,
19:05 have an impact on our economies and on our security. So it's important that the politicians be aware, it's good.
19:16 But I think what is more important also, what is very important is that the communities themselves, the people,
19:25 be aware of what needs to be done and needs to be done now for fighting climate change and fighting against all the land degradation that we have,
19:36 the droughts, the desertification and the loss of biodiversity."
19:40 Yasser Hakim spoke with COP28 Director General in Dubai.
19:45 "One of the major talking points was the confirmation of Azerbaijan being the host of COP29.
19:54 It's a talking point because this is another oil producing country that is taking over another climate conference for two years in a row.
20:05 There were competitions from Bulgaria and Moldova, but it has gone to Azerbaijan after the two other countries have suspended their candidacy.
20:17 In the meantime, today was the last day of thematic themes in the conference.
20:24 Every day there was a theme, today was nature, agriculture and farmers' rights and climate action.
20:34 This final day has seen a lot of activities concerning deforestation, that was a focus of many of the sessions,
20:43 and how to try to legalize and try to stop the deforestation in many countries.
20:51 The UK has announced, among other countries, has announced a new set of laws to deal with this issue
20:58 and to criminalize companies that use deforestation for producing and trading in commodities, food commodities as well.
21:08 And therefore that was one of the issues.
21:11 Another was the UAE declaration on resilient food and sustainable agriculture
21:17 has seen a doubling of the investments allocated to 3.1 billion dollars since it was launched on the first day of the COP just two weeks ago.
21:27 And 152 countries have signed up for it.
21:31 But like you said earlier, the sticking point, if you can call it, is how to get a final resolution in place.
21:38 And the issues go around one big hurdle, which is fossil fuel phase, or to phase out fossil fuel.
21:49 And I spoke earlier with the Director General of COP28, Ambassador Majid al-Suaidi, and here's what he had to say.
21:58 There's a lot of views when it comes to the wording around fossil fuels.
22:01 We know that this is a complex issue that many, many different parties have views.
22:06 But we also need to have the ambition and the ambitious outcome, and we need to tackle the emissions from the energy sector in particular.
22:15 And so getting that right language is so, so important because that sends the signal to the private sector, to the non-state actors,
22:22 to the international community about our seriousness to tackle climate change.
22:28 Right. What he's saying here is that the differences in languages, what he means, what is happening is that there are countries,
22:35 around 80 countries, mostly developed nations and some of the countries in developing south,
22:41 have been calling for a phase out, total phase out of fossil fuels.
22:46 Whilst on the other side, there is another wording, we're talking about wording and languages, about energy transition.
22:54 What it means is that you do not phase out fossil fuels.
22:58 You have to first increase production in renewable energies, and slowly and gradually this would reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
23:08 But what phase out is the other way around. It means that you cancel fossil fuels while trying to increase production of renewable energies,
23:17 while renewable energy production is not increasing at a fast rate enough to take over the renewable energy.
23:25 So these are the differences here between developed nations calling for this,
23:30 oil producing nations are calling for a transition rather than a phase out.
23:35 Now how will this end? Well, we've got two days left for the COP28 that will end on the 12th,
23:42 but like previous years, this could extend for another day or two if no agreement has been reached by then.
23:49 Yasser Hakim in Dubai.
23:51 Well, let's return to our coverage of the inauguration of Argentina's new president, Javier Mele.
23:56 We can get the latest from our correspondent, Joel Richards in Buenos Aires.
24:00 Joel, Mele was elected on a populist ticket, wasn't he? Will he stick to his election promises?
24:14 Mele was sworn in just over an hour ago.
24:18 Congress's support is now flooding down the avenue here through central Buenos Aires to the Casa Rosada, the government house,
24:25 as the day's protocols and ceremony continues. What the supporters and the country has heard Javier Mele say
24:32 that a new era starts for Argentina. He says he will end decline, he will end the decades of failure in Argentina,
24:40 and he's promised an era of liberty and prosperity. To do so, he has promised austerity.
24:46 That's very much in line with what Javier Mele campaigned on, the libertarian promise.
24:52 He's really tore up the rule book in the campaign, often seen with a chainsaw, the metaphor for what he plans to do to the economy.
24:59 Since winning the elections, we have seen him tone down his agenda somewhat,
25:04 but today was a very clear message that what lies ahead for Argentina is austerity.
25:10 And as we said, he has toned down his agenda, but the key points remain for his economic plan for the country with austerity,
25:16 cutting away at state spending, but also for his political project, the libertarian, amongst the official guests for his inauguration today.
25:25 Former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro, Abascal, the leader of the far-right party in Spain, Vox, is also here.
25:33 So too, Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who upon arriving in Argentina said the right continues to rise in Europe and across the world.
25:42 So Javier Mele sworn in and very much looking to deliver on his promises in the campaign.
25:48 And touching more on those economic priorities, what are his biggest challenges in turning the economy round and what could derail his radical agenda?
25:58 The challenges are immediate. Argentina is in one of its worst economic crisis in decades.
26:11 Inflation is in the triple digits, running at around about 140% at the moment.
26:16 And that in fact is something that Mele has said will accelerate in the next couple of months because of the measures he will look to introduce and announce,
26:24 both today, Sunday, but also perhaps tomorrow on Monday.
26:28 The country's economy is in a dire situation, as we mentioned, with low foreign reserves.
26:33 And Mele, an economist and economist himself, very much looking to focus on that aspect.
26:38 The challenge will be, first of all, putting through these reforms and how they will be viewed by Argentina.
26:43 People voted for Mele because they want to change, but clearly the measures that he will look to introduce will hit people in the pocket.
26:52 There is a question of governability. Just three years ago, Javier Mele was a TV panelist.
26:56 He has a very short political career, so he does not have the stronghold in Congress.
27:01 So governability is an issue, the state of the economy an issue, and with that, the social climate with very high levels of poverty.
27:08 Joel Richards, reporting from Buenos Aires. Thank you very much.
27:12 China has started generating electricity at its largest onshore wind farm in the desert of the northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
27:21 More than 700 wind turbines are able to generate more than 10 billion kilowatt hours annually, equal to the output of nearly 3 million tons of coal.
27:30 China expects the project will reduce carbon emissions by more than 8 million tons.
27:35 It is also creating 1,000 jobs and $56 million in income for local residents.
27:41 Serbia has completed a pipeline project to Bulgaria, allowing the Balkan country to diversify its gas supplies and reduce dependence on Russia.
27:49 It also gives Serbia access to gas from Azerbaijan and from Greece.
27:53 The pipeline is capable of supplying enough gas to cover 60% of the country's annual needs.
28:00 And finally, Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Otani has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in what is the biggest deal in the sports history.
28:08 He agreed a 10-year contract worth an incredible $700 million, making him one of the richest athletes in the world.
28:16 The amount is 64% higher than baseball's previous record.
28:20 Otani became a free agent last month after leaving the Los Angeles Angels, where he won two of the past three American League Most Valuable Player awards.
28:30 And that's the world today. Thank you for watching. There's more news at the top of the hour.
28:34 Coming up next is Razor. For now, from all the team in London, it's goodbye.
28:39 (upbeat music)
28:42 (upbeat music)
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