Latest world news News: Today’s Live Updates 02-Dec-2023

Five Republican senators, led by Marco Rubio, have called on President Joe Biden's administration to ban travel between the US and China amid a surge in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children in China. The senators argue that travel restrictions should be implemented until more is known about the dangers posed by the new illness. The World Health Organization (WHO) has requested China to share more information on the situation. The surge in respiratory illnesses comes as China prepares for its first full winter season since lifting strict COVID-19 restrictions in December 2020.

US Senator John Fetterman has called for the expulsion of Senator Bob Menendez from the US Senate due to his involvement in a bribery scheme. Fetterman made this statement following the recent expulsion of Rep. George Santos from the House of Representatives. Fetterman argued that Menendez's actions were worse than Santos', who was expelled due to charges of wire fraud, identity theft, and credit card fraud. Menendez faces federal charges for accepting bribes from businessmen in return for using his power and influence to help them and the Egyptian government. Fetterman is among the 14 Senate Democrats calling for Menendez's resignation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to expand the country's armed services amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The total number of armed forces will increase to 2.2 million people, of which 1.3 million will be servicemen. This will add 170,000 people to the number of servicemen. The decree cites the ongoing war in Ukraine and the "expansion" of NATO as reasons for the increase. However, the Defense Ministry clarified that this is not a mobilization. Putin previously ordered an increase in the size of the armed forces to 2.04 million people in August 2022, just before Russia declared a "partial mobilization."

The weeklong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has ended, and fighting has resumed. Questions are now emerging about who remains in captivity in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli military, 136 hostages remain in Gaza, including 119 men and 17 women and children. Of the hostages, 11 are foreign nationals. Families of the hostages who have not been released are desperate for their loved ones to come home and are concerned about their well-being. The military has reported that four hostages have died in captivity, including the oldest person held hostage. Families are anxiously waiting for news about their relatives and pleading for their safe return.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched South Korea's first spy satellite from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday. The launch comes after North Korea successfully launched its own military reconnaissance satellite last month. SpaceX ended its livestream of the mission shortly after liftoff, without showing the deployment of the South Korean payload. South Korea has contracted with SpaceX to launch a total of five spy satellites by 2025, in an effort to accelerate its goal of having continuous surveillance over the Korean peninsula. North Korea has not released any imagery from its satellite, and its full capabilities remain unknown.

Conservationists in New Zealand have registered the first wild kiwi births in Wellington in over 150 years. Two brown kiwi chicks were found in the suburb of Makara, just 25 minutes from the city center. This brings the total number of kiwis in the region to 65. The Capital Kiwi Project aims to restore a large-scale wild kiwi population to Wellington and protect them from predators such as stoats. Kiwi populations have declined at an average rate of 2% per year, largely due to predation. Around 95% of wild-born kiwis in New Zealand are killed before reaching adulthood.

Israeli shelling killed three people in southern Lebanon on Friday, according to Lebanon's state news agency. This comes as the truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed, leading to a resumption of hostilities at the frontier. Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, later announced that one of its fighters was among those killed. The group conducted several attacks on Israeli military positions at the border in support of Palestinians in Gaza. The Israeli army stated that its artillery struck sources of fire from Lebanon and intercepted two launches. Sirens warning of possible incoming rockets sounded in several towns in northern Israel, prompting residents to seek shelter.