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Natural disasters

Floods in Mali claim 77 lives — prime minister

47,955 households, comprising 264,648 people, have been affected by floods

HARARE, October 10. /TASS/. At least 77 people have been killed, 148 injured and over 264,000 affected by floods in the Republic of Mali, the country's transitional Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga said, speaking at a meeting of the inter-ministerial crisis and disaster management committee.

"47,955 households, comprising 264,648 people, have been affected by floods. A total of 77 people have been killed and 148 injured," the malijet website quoted the prime minister as saying. He added that many residential houses, schools, and infrastructure facilities have been destroyed.

This year, around 4 million people have been affected by unprecedented floods across West and Central Africa. The hardest-hit countries include Nigeria, Chad, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Cameroon, Ghana, and Liberia, where hundreds of people have died and vast areas of crops have been destroyed.

Experts attribute the devastating floods to global climate change. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), average temperatures in the Sahel are rising one and a half times faster than in other regions. "The situation is dire," said Modou Dio, deputy head of the ICRC's West Africa office. "People are suffering from hunger, and the floods are only making things worse," he added.

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Natural disasters

Biden’s decision to use ATACMS against Russia may 'blow up in America’s face' — US expert

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Admiral Nakhimov cruiser to sail out on auxiliary engines in November

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Ukraine, not Russia, posing a threat to the Baltic region — Kremlin

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West’s decision on missile strikes gives Russia free hand to attack NATO bases — expert

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Biden's decision to use ATACMS on Russia threatens to kill Americans — Tucker Carlson

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US senator labels Biden’s approval for ATACMS strikes on Russia as unconstitutional

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Zelensky begs ‘for his country to be flattened’ — US journalist

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According to the report, the updated nuclear doctrine did not come as a surprise for Washington

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Russia to address NATO’s engagement in strikes deep inside country — SVR

Sergey Naryshkin observed that the military and political elites in the West are increasingly recognizing the gravity of Russia's intentions and the need for greater caution in their actions

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Russia to use revenues from frozen assets of Western investors — Finance Minister

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German defense minister says Ukraine reached parity in shells with Russia

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The New York Times reported on November 17 that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia

Washington refrains from naming those responsible for Baltic Sea cable rupture — DoS

Two underwater cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea on November 17 and 18

US Congressman urges to impeach Biden for allowing strikes deep into Russia

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At least 66 people killed in Gaza Strip by an Israeli strike — Al Jazeera

It was also reported that over 100 people were wounded

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Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh also declined a request to comment on the US permission to use ATACMS missiles for deep strikes on Russia

World Aquatics withdraws ban on participation of Russian athletes in relay races

Previously, Russian and Belarusian athletes were authorized to compete only in individual disciplines

More desperation in Zelensky's appeals, ex-NATO commander says

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Biden’s actions increase likelihood of escalation in Ukraine — PM

Viktor Orban asserted that the government’s mission is to prevent Hungary from being dragged into the Ukrainian conflict

Press review: Uranium costs soar as Moscow updates nuclear doctrine and US OKs attacks

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, November 20th

Ukraine has around 50 ATACMS missiles — The Times

According to the report, the Ukrainian military has sufficient launchers that are capable of firing them

Humanitarian situation in Gorlovka harsh as Ukraine targets key infrastructure — DPR head

More than 80,000 users were left without power in Gorlovka on Tuesday morning due to the Ukrainian armed forces' shelling

Pentagon confirms that US authorized use of antipersonnel landmines in Ukraine

Ukrainian side had committed to not using the mines in areas populated by civilians

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Belarusian TV to air documentary film about foreign mlitary invasion plan

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Russian embassy warns UK about dangers of calling for Moscow’s ‘defeat’

According to th statement, London is promoting new rounds of escalation

West fails to bring Ukrainian issue to forefront of G20 summit agenda — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister stressed that "no one from the countries of the world majority, the Global South, supported it"

NATO enters conflict, Russia has every right to attack its targets now — expert

Col. (Ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson confirmed to TASS that the launch of ATACMS missiles would be impossible without "US/NATO satellite feeds and/or personnel"

Indonesia accepts invitation to become partner state in BRICS, ambassador announces

In this role, Indonesia "will actively contribute to and participate in any initiatives of BRICS," Jose Antonio Morato Tavares emphasized

US uses veto right to block new UN Security Council draft resolution on ceasefire in Gaza

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Training Ukrainian troops makes France direct participant in combat — top Russian diplomat

"The same goes for talk about using French-made SCALP missiles [in Ukraine] which are identical to the UK’s Storm Shadow," Sergey Lavrov noted

Decision on strikes inside Russia seals US puppet Zelensky’s fate — commentator

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Moscow won’t allow US to silence UNSC as Washington backs Israel — Russian UN envoy

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Railroad development to strengthen ties with foreign partners — Russian PM

Mikhail Mishustin added that "it is necessary to modernize border crossings in coming years, including introduction of practice of electronic paperwork"

Putin sends message to those seeking to 'add fuel to fire' before Trump’s return — expert

The likelihood of a direct armed conflict with NATO is increasing because some individuals in the alliance are ready to raise the stakes ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Andrey Bystritsky emphasized

Up to allies to decide whether or not to authorize strikes inside Russia — NATO chief

"I would generally say let’s not communicate too much and not make our adversaries more wise than is necessary," Mark Rutte added

Six European countries accuse Russia of allegedly attacking security architecture

"Moscow's escalating hybrid activities against NATO and EU countries are unprecedented in their variety and scale," the statement reads

UK police say no video evidence of Russians’ involvement in Salisbury case

According to the report, CCTV cams were not installed on Christie Miller road in Salisbury

Allowing Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with US weapons irresponsible — Slovak PM

Robert Fico noted that authorizing the use of long-range weapons for strikes against Russia would not alter the balance of power in the conflict zone

Potential adversaries, criteria for use: Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine

Russia will also engage in nuclear deterrence against those countries that offer their territory, maritime zones, airspace, and resources for aggression against it

Trump's new presidency will be fundamentally different from his first — expert in the US

"It is therefore reasonable to expect him to govern for the next four years in a more emboldened, assertive way, and many of his outsider cabinet picks are indicative of precisely that kind of approach," the analyst believes

Sweden detected ship movements when cable damage occurred, minister says

According to the police, the situation is currently being monitored and work is underway to determine measures that need to be taken

Ex-UK Labor party leader wants PM to clarify situation with Storm Shadow missiles

Jeremy Corbyn called for de-escalation of the situationin Ukraine and the search for a diplomatic solution to achieve peace