First Thing: Amazon workers in 20 countries to protest or strike on Black Friday

Organizers demand better workers’ rights and climate action. Plus, Israeli killing of journalists in Lebanon could be war crime, experts say

Good morning.

Thousands of Amazon workers are expected to protest or strike in more than 20 countries during Black Friday and Cyber Monday to agitate for better workers’ rights and climate action.

Action is planned in big cities across the US, Germany, the UK, Turkey, Canada, India, Japan, Brazil and other countries. It is coordinated by the Make Amazon Pay campaign, which calls on Amazon – founded by the billionaire Jeff Bezos – to pay its workers fairly and respect their right to join unions, pay its fair share of taxes, and commit to environmental sustainability.

Spearheaded by the Swiss-based UNI Global Union for service industries and the activist umbrella group Progressive International, Make Amazon Pay is made up of more than 80 trade unions, anti-poverty and garment worker rights groups, and others.

What are organizers saying? Christy Hoffman, the general secretary of UNI Global Union, said: “Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy.” Amanda Gearing, a senior organiser at GMB, said: “Amazon represents everything that is broken about [the UK’s] economy. Insecure work, poverty wages and often unsafe working conditions.”

How has Amazon responded? A spokesperson said “we’re always listening and looking at ways to improve” but insisted “we remain proud of the competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and engaging, safe work experience we provide our teams”.

Hundreds flee north Gaza as IDF orders more evacuations amid intense airstrikes and ‘apocalyptic’ conditions

The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of new areas of northern Gaza, setting off a fresh wave of civilian displacements on Sunday as intense airstrikes continued across much of the territory.

The Israel Defense Forces said the evacuation orders for the Shujaiya neighbourhood were issued after Palestinian militants fired rockets at Israel on Saturday from a location within the densely populated district. Hamas’s armed wing said it had targeted an army base over the border.

The humanitarian situation in northern Gaza has been described as apocalyptic by humanitarian officials, with tens of thousands suffering acute lack of water, sanitation, food and medical supplies.

What’s the humanitarian toll of the war? After the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed 1,200 people and during which 250 were taken hostage, Israel has bombarded the territory with airstrikes and a ground invasion. Infrastructure has been decimated, the population displaced multiple times and brought close to starvation, and more than 44,000 people have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, with the UN Human Rights Office verifying nearly 70% were women and children. The death toll is understood to be an underestimate, with the UN estimating in May 2024 that more than 10,000 people’s bodies were under the rubble.

Republican senator: ‘We’ll have lots of questions’ for Trump’s controversial picks

A prominent Republican US senator pledged on Sunday that Congress would not give blanket approval to Donald Trump’s controversial cabinet picks ahead of the congressional confirmation process.

Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma predicted lawmakers in the upper chamber would have tough questions in particular for the former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who was chosen by the president-elect as director of national security for his second administration.

“We’ll have lots of questions,” Lankford, the newly-elected vice-chair of the Senate policy committee, told CNN.

What can Gabbard expect during her Senate confirmation? She faces a potentially rough ride, after being accused of spreading Russian propaganda over the war in Ukraine, prompting critics to ask if she might be a “Russian asset”, as well as her making a clandestine visit to Syria to meet the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, who is accused of war crimes.

In other news …

Legal experts say an Israeli strike that killed three journalists and wounded three more could be a war crime, in a 25 October attack in south Lebanon. Remnants of munitions found at the site revealed that at least one of the weapons was US-made.

The UK is facing continued flooding and disruption after being hit by the deadly Storm Bert.

China is increasingly unnerved about North Korea’s engagement with Russia, the US deputy secretary of state has said.

Stat of the day: Cop29 climate finance deal struck for $300bn-a-year – but criticized as ‘abysmally poor’

The climate finance deal agreed at Cop29 early on Sunday morning has been labeled a “travesty of justice”. Developing nations urged rich countries to provide $1.3tn-a-year to help with decarbonization and extreme weather. But the deal pledges $300bn annually, with $1.3tn just a target. Chandni Raina, a negotiator for India, said it was “abysmally poor”.

Don’t miss this: The cut-throat world of theatre combat choreographers

When a scene calls for violence, combat choreographers prevent actors getting injured. “Every step, every look, every moment is put together like a dance,” says Kate Waters, known as Kombat Kate.

Climate check: World will be ‘unable to cope’ with volume of plastic waste in 10 years, warns expert

This week sees the final round of UN talks on the first global treaty to end plastic waste. But Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, co-chair of a coalition of 60 nations, warned the world will be “unable to cope” with the volume of plastic waste a decade from now – unless countries act.

Last Thing: Greek man in his 80s starts night school after life of toil

In his dark suit and polished loafers, Vasillis Panayiotaropoulos cuts a dapper figure and is by far the oldest pupil attending the second night school of central Athens. “Everything I learn is interesting,” he says.

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