December 11, Monday, 2023

1. Pro- Beijing candidates have swept almost all the seats in Hong Kong’s district council elections. The turnout in Sunday’s polls was a record low of 27.5 percent as pro-democracy parties were unable to field any candidates after a change in the election system. The turnout plummeted from the record high of 71.2 percent in the last elections in 2019 and was the lowest since Hong Kong was returned from Britain to China in 1997. 2. The White House says US President Joe Biden will meet with Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Tuesday. The White House said on Sunday that Biden invited Zelenskyy for talks to underscore the United States’ “unshakeable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal invasion.” 3. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed the legitimacy of the country’s military operation in the Gaza Strip, saying “justice is on our side.” The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had struck more than 3,500 targets in Gaza since December 1 when it resumed operations after a pause.