Palestine, Venezuela, the Koreas.

Today's three stories you should know.

Oct 13, 2022

Palestine

A potential breakthrough today in a long-running feud between the most powerful Palestinian political factions. Hamas, Fatah and 12 other groups signed a reconciliation agreement in Algeria and pledged to hold legislative and presidential elections within a year. President Mahmoud Abbas’s Western-backed Fatah movement controls the occupied West Bank, while Hamas governs the besieged Gaza Strip. Schisms between the factions have prevented elections being held since 2006 and, according to some experts, weakened Palestine’s campaign for statehood.

Venezuela

Almost three-quarters of the six million Venezuelans who have fled to other parts of South America to escape poverty do not have adequate food and shelter, according to a new report. The UN’s migration agency said that 4.37 million of the Venezuelans who moved to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean often live on the streets or in substandard housing. More than 7.1 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela are now scattered across different countries, according to UN data.

The Koreas

More sabre-rattling on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea today scrambled warplanes after about 10 North Korean aircraft flew close to the border between the neighbors. The incident comes as the North is continuing with an almost unprecedented series of missile tests, which have been followed by the US and the South conducting joint naval drills. It can be hard to discern the significance of events like this because such military posturing is not unusual for Pyongyang, Seoul or Washington.