Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel's attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released from an upcoming new book ahead of the pontiff's jubilee year. It's the first time that Francis has openly urged for an investigation of genocide allegations over Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. In September, he said Israel's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon have been "immoral" and disproportionate, and that its military has gone beyond the rules of war.

The book, by Hernán Reyes Alcaide and based on interviews with the Pope, is entitled "Hope never disappoints. Pilgrims towards a better world." It was released on Tuesday ahead of the pope's 2025 jubilee. Francis' yearlong jubilee is expected to bring more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome to celebrate the Holy Year. "According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide," the pope said in excerpts published by the Italian daily La Stampa.

The summit of the Group of 20 leading economies in Rio de Janeiro produced a joint declaration that, while not totally endorsed by one of the group's members, succeeded in addressing most topics host Brazil had prioritised addressing both ongoing major wars, a global pact to fight hunger, taxation of the world's wealthiest people and changes to global governance.

Experts had doubted Brazil 's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva could convince assembled leaders to hammer out an agreement given uncertainty about the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump and heightened global tensions amid the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Further dimming prospects of consensus, Argentina's negotiators challenged some of the draft language - and ultimately refrained from endorsing the complete document. Looming large was news of Biden's decision to ease restrictions on Ukraine's use of longer-range US missiles to strike more deeply inside Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin was the summit's most notable absentee.

Typhoon Man-yi left at least seven people dead in a landslide, destroyed houses and displaced large numbers of villagers before blowing away from the northern Philippines, worsening the crisis wreaked by multiple back-to-back storms. Man-yi was one of the strongest of six major storms to hit the northern Philippines in less than a month and had sustained winds of up to 195 kilometres (125 miles) per hour when it slammed into the eastern island province of Catanduanes on Saturday night (Nov. 16).

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In Manila and offered his prayers, announcing an additional $1 million in humanitarian aid for typhoon victims. More than a million people were affected by the typhoon and two previous storms, including nearly 700,000 who fled their homes and moved to emergency shelters or relatives' homes, according to the Official of Civil Defense. Back-to-back storms and typhoons that lashed Luzon island in just three weeks left more than 160 people dead.

The US has been criticised by humanitarian organisations for deciding to supply Ukraine with landmines, as the war in eastern Europe rages on. Human Rights Watch director Mary Wareham said the decision marked a "shocking and devastating development" for those working to eradicate anti-personnel landmines. The approval from Washington is an attempt to slow down Russian troops, who have been steadily advancing into Ukraine's east in recent months. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) condemned the US decision "in the strongest possible terms".

"These horrific, indiscriminate weapons were banned by the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty given the devastating impact they have on civilians' lives and livelihoods," the statement from the ICBL's director, Tamar Gabelnick, added. Under the treaty, "there are no circumstances under which Ukraine as a state party may acquire, stockpile or use them", she added. More than 160 nations have signed the Mine Ban Treaty which commits to banning the production, use and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines.