December 29, Friday, 2023

1. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for global unity to make 2024 a year of building trust and hope. The UN chief released a video message for the New Year on Thursday. Guterres expressed a strong sense of crisis, saying, “2023 has been a year of enormous suffering, violence and climate chaos.”
2. Tokyo’s Haneda Airport was bustling from early on Friday as year-end travelers left for hometowns or vacations. This is Japan’s first year-end and New Year holiday season sine the government downgrade and COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal influenza. 3. Major shipping firms in Denmark and France have announced partial resumption of services through the Red Sea. Many international carriers have suspended passages through the sea amid concerns about attacks on ships by Yemen’s anti-government Houthi group. The group has attacked a number of vessels in recent months in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza.