WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Israel-Hezbollah truce, Smithfield to close, and the warring Filipino political dynasties

 
today's Middle East story

Israel and Hezbollah agree ceasefire

What happened
Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed an imminent ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon after his full cabinet approved the deal yesterday evening despite opposition from his far-right allies. The announcement came hours after a series of Israeli air strikes that left dozens dead and injured near downtown Beirut. The agreement reportedly comes into effect today.

Who said what
The Israeli prime minister gave a televised address announcing his support of the proposal, which "appeared to be aimed primarily at rebuffing right-wing criticism of the deal in Israel", said The New York Times. Crucially, the ceasefire is "not the end of the war" between Israeli and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, with Israel reserving the right to "respond to any threat", said The Jerusalem Post. Netanyahu is throwing his weight behind the ceasefire in order to "focus on Iran, replenish depleted arms supplies and give the army a rest, and finally to isolate Hamas", said Reuters.

What next? 
The ceasefire is "very fragile" and "very difficult to maintain and sustain in the long run", Alon Pinkas, a former ambassador and consul-general of Israel, told Al Jazeera.

Hezbollah itself, which includes a broad social services organisation and political wing represented in the Lebanese parliament, will "remain active" in the future "by helping displaced Lebanese return to their villages and rebuilding areas destroyed by Israeli strikes", senior Hezbollah official Hassan Fadlallah told Reuters.

 
 
today's europe story

Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes

What happened
Russia said it was planning a response after Ukraine's armed forces hit a military and civilian airfield in the Kursk region with US-supplied, long-range Atacms missiles.

Who said what
The Russian defence ministry said Ukraine's latest Atacms strikes, which took place on 23 November and 25 November, targeted an airfield and military installations, wounding two servicepeople and damaging infrastructure. "Retaliatory actions are being prepared," it added.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that Ukraine had been given permission to use long-range weapons in Russia "on an immediate-need basis, and right now, understandably, that's taken place in and around Kursk".

What next?
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasised the need "to go further to change the trajectory of the conflict" in Ukraine during a visit to Athens yesterday. He urged alliance members to deliver on the commitments from Nato's July summit, including the supply of critical air defences, €40 billion (£33 billion) in funding this year and an increased investment in arms production.

 
 
Today's food story

London's 850-year-old food markets to close

What happened
London's oldest meat and fish markets are to close for good after a vote by the City of London Corporation yesterday.

The corporation, which owns the Smithfield meat market, had planned to relocate both Smithfield and Billingsgate fish market to a £1 billion development in Dagenham. But the court of common council, the main decision-making body for the corporation, voted to pull out of running both markets.

Who said what
Three King's Counsel barristers have warned that the vote to close the markets may have been "unlawful" without a review into how the closure would impact food supply in London.

In a letter to the corporation seen by The Times, Gregory Jones KC, Suzanne Ornsby KC and William Upton KC warned: "Understanding the social and economic importance of the existing markets is vital to any decision by the court to abolish them, as is the social and economic implications of doing so. The failure to have this information available would, we are concerned, be unlawful."

What next?
The authority wants to turn the Smithfield site into a mixed-use cultural development alongside the London Museum and redevelop the Billingsgate site as housing.

 
 

It's not all bad

The ecosystem of Australia's Lord Howe Island is thriving following a rat eradication campaign, with rare plants and wildlife staging a remarkable comeback. Birdlife is also thriving thanks to the efforts. The population of the flightless woodhen has quadrupled to 2,000, while cliff-nesting providence petrels are seeing hugely improved chick survival rates. Researchers have also rediscovered "extinct" species, like a weevil last seen in 1916. Scientists say that strict visitor caps have also been crucial to maintaining the island's pristine wilderness, with locals actively helping to preserve its unique biodiversity.

 
 
under the radar

Political dynasties at war in the Philippines

Philippines vice president Sara Duterte has claimed to have hired someone to assassinate the president in the event that she herself is killed.

Duterte is the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, who was then succeeded by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. She told a press conference on Saturday that her threat was "no joke", and that it also included Marcos's wife and cousin, who is speaker of the house of representatives.

"This country is going to hell because we are led by a person who doesn't know how to be a president and who is a liar," said Duterte. The broadside was the latest "dramatic sign of a widening rift between the country's two most powerful political families", said The Guardian.

The political feud is likely to come to a head with the approach of the 2026 mid-term elections. They will be seen as a "litmus test" of Marcos's popularity and a "chance for him to consolidate power and groom a successor" before his term ends in 2028, added The Guardian.

Many had expected Duterte to be the frontrunner, but the increasingly untenable conflict at the top of the country's politics "could hurt her chances", said the BBC. Filipino voters do not like to see their president and vice president fighting, Cleve Arguelles, president of polling firm WR Numero Research, told the broadcaster. Both sides will be hoping to win the parliament and local bodies, which will "boost their respective political agendas" and help them gain the upper hand in the power struggle, added the BBC.

 
 
on this day

27 November 1895

Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel signed his third and final will at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris. He bequeathed the vast majority of his fortune to the establishment of five prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace to "those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".

 
 
Today's newspapers

Labour's net-zero plans "were in chaos" yesterday after electric car sales targets were "blamed for the decision to close a Vauxhall factory in Luton", says the Daily Mail. Ministers have been "forced into talks" with manufacturers on the issue, adds The Times. The Guardian leads on the "historic" deal to end Lebanon's 14-month-old war. Back in the UK, the Daily Express claims that families face a £50 Christmas dinner bill after the government's Budget "mess" sent festive food costs "soaring".

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Complete faith in AI

A chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland has installed an "AI Jesus" that allows churchgoers to confess directly to the digital saviour. The multi-lingual avatar – dubbed "deus in Machina" – is an experiment intended to explore the intersection of spirituality and artificiality. Two thirds of parishioners reported having "spiritual experiences" with the bot, though one described it as a "gimmick", said The Independent. The installation sits within the confessional booth of Peter's Chapel, but people are advised not to disclose any personal information due to privacy concerns.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Elliott Goat, Sorcha Bradley, Tess Foley-Cox and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Fadel Itani / AFP / Getty Images; Russian Defense Ministry / Handout / Anadolu / Getty Images; Dan Kitwood / Getty Images.