January 5, 2023

*) UNSC to discuss troublemaker Israel minister's visit to Al Aqsa Mosque The UN Security Council will meet to discuss the controversial visit to occupied East Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound by a far-right Israeli minister. The 15-member council will convene at 3:00 pm at the United Nations headquarters in New York following a request by the United Arab Emirates and China. There have been fears the visit by Israel's new national security minister, firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir, could raise tensions in Palestinian territories. *) Ukraine seeks heavy weapons as US predicts intense fight in east Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for promising light AMX-10 RC armoured combat vehicles, saying it showed the need for other allies to provide heavier weapons. Zelenskyy said, "This is something that sends a clear signal to all our partners. There is no rational reason why Ukraine has not yet been supplied with Western tanks." Western allies moved toward supplying armoured battle vehicles to Ukraine but not the heavier tanks it has requested to fight Russia. *) Colombia suspends truce with ELN armed group The Colombian government said it was suspending a ceasefire it had announced with the National Liberation Army armed group, which denied agreeing to any such truce. The reversal dampened hopes for an imminent end to decades of violence that have continued to plague the South American country. Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared earlier that a temporary truce had been agreed upon with the country's five largest armed groups from January 1 to June 30. *) US: Family of 8, including children, found shot dead in Utah home Eight people, including five children, were found dead from gunshot wounds in a southern Utah home, US authorities said. They were found when police did a welfare check at the residence, according to a news release from city officials in Enoch. It doesn't provide any information about what happened or the motive. And finally… *) Pak