57 migrants drown off Tunisia

At least 57 migrants drowned in a shipwreck off Tunis as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.  Reuters quotes the Tunisian Red Crescent saying 33 others, all Bengalis were rescued. More than 60 migrants have died in recent weeks in similar incidents off the Tunisian coast. 

France proposes Israeli-Hamas ceasefire

France 24 quotes the Elysèe saying that France has presented a resolution to the UN Security Council that aims for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in coordination with Egypt and Jordan. The US on Sunday had blocked a similar resolution. The Chinese ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun, said “China definitely supports efforts to end the crisis”.

EU calls for a ceasefire

Euronews says EU foreign ministers have called for an immediate cease-fire. According to the EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, Hungary was the only EU country not to support the EU declaration. However, Egypt and the UN were working to “restore calm”.

Growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The New York Times reports Gaza is facing a dire humanitarian catastrophe that is touching nearly every one of its two million residents. There is a shortage of clean water, and fetid wastewater from destroyed sewage systems is coursing through the streets. An Israeli airstrike has also damaged the only laboratory in Gaza that processes coronavirus tests. 

‘Ban Beijing Winter Olympics’ call

CNN says US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called on world leaders to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as a protest against the Chinese government’s human rights abuses. The Beijing Games are scheduled to begin on February 4 next year, six months after the Summer Olympics in Tokyo are due to end.

Campbell has baby girl

The Guardian reports British supermodel Naomi Campbell has announced on social media that she has welcomed her first child at the age of 50. She announced the birth on Instagram as she shared a picture of her hand holding the baby’s feet.

Darwin’s Arch collapses into sea

Darwin’s Arch, a famed natural rock formation in the Galapagos Islands, has collapsed into the sea as a result of erosion. Al Jazeera quotes Ecuadorean environmental officials saying the top of the arch had crumbled into the ocean but the two supporting columns were still standing. The 43-metre-high rock formation, named for British naturalist Charles Darwin, was a popular spot for scuba divers.