November 17, 2021

*) Poles fire tear gas, water cannon at migrants on Belarus border Polish forces have fired tear gas and water cannon at refugees at the Belarusian border, sparking accusations from Belarus that Poland was trying to escalate the crisis. Up to 4,000 refugees and migrants are camped out on the frontier between Poland and Belarus in increasingly dire conditions and freezing temperatures. The European Union accuses Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko of orchestrating the crisis by luring people to the border to retaliate against the bloc's sanctions. *)Tensions stabilised at Azerbaijan, Armenia border Clashes on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border have ceased after both countries took steps to stabilise the situation. A statement from the Russian Defence Ministry said the border is currently back to normal. Azerbaijan had earlier said that the Armenian forces carried out “large-scale provocations” against the combat posts of the Azerbaijani army, injuring at least two soldiers. *) Saudi-led coalition in Yemen kills scores of Houthis The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has claimed that it killed 130 Houthi rebels in military operations in the past 24 hours. It also destroyed 16 military vehicles, the coalition said. But the Houthi rebel group maintains only 12 of its fighters were killed. *) UN Palestinian refugee agency faces 'existential threat' The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has fallen well short of its target to plug a 100 million dollar gap this year and secure long-term funding despite fresh pledges from donors. UNRWA warned it was facing an "existential" threat as it urged the international community to commit to more stable financing at a conference in Brussels on Tuesday. It said donors committed an extra $38 million for this year, leaving the agency some $60 million short. The UN agency needs to find $800 million a year going forward. And finally... *) 'Harry Potter' stars, excluding J.K. Rowling, to reunite for TV special "Harry Potter" stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Gri