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Middle East conflict

Israeli strike on Gaza kills five Palestinian reporters — media

According to the report, the strike occurred in the early morning hours, targeting a parked car clearly marked as belonging to the press

DUBAI, December 26. /TASS/. At least five Palestinian journalists have been killed in an Israeli attack in the central Gaza Strip, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV channel reported.

The Israeli military reportedly struck a vehicle belonging to the Quds News Network satellite television channel, which was parked near the Al-Awda hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The channel confirmed that five journalists were killed in the attack.

Al Jazeera reported that the strike occurred in the early morning hours, targeting a parked car clearly marked as belonging to the press. The journalists were sleeping in the van outside the hospital, as one of them was waiting for his wife to give birth at the medical facility.

The Israeli army's press service stated that the air force targeted a "terrorist cell," alleging that the deceased were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad armed group. However, the military provided no evidence to support this claim, the TV channel noted.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 250 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as retaliation for the aggressive actions taken by Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, launching air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria before starting a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave.

Ex-Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh died at age of 92

"He was being treated for age-related medical conditions," the All-India Institute of Medical Studies informed

Russia expects to restore pre-pandemic level of tourist flow to Vietnam — ambassador

Gennady Bezdetko noted that in order to achieve this goal, the parties must also resolve issues related to the full restoration of direct air traffic between the two countries as soon as possible

Turkey to help new Syrian authorities create regular Armed Forces — Defense Ministry

The defense ministry also noted that the experience of Turkey, which has an "exemplary army" and a powerful defense industry infrastructure, will significantly contribute to strengthening Syria’s security and defense capability

Roscosmos to meet BRICS space agencies’ representatives — CEO

Russia assumed the presidency in BRICS since January 1, 2024

Press review: US, Israel aim to curb Turkey’s gains while Moscow, Tehran strengthen ties

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, December 24th

Denmark to strengthen control over Greenland after Trump’s words — top defense official

Denmark plans to increase the number of personnel at the Joint Arctic Command in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk

Syrian authorities introduce curfew in Latakia, Homs after Alawite protests

Previously, a curfew was imposed in another large Syrian city, Homs, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. local time

Russian emergencies minister expects more natural disasters due to climate change

The Russian emergencies minister, Alexander Kurenkov, added, that weather anomalies are becoming more and more frequent

Contract for gas transit to EU cannot be renewed before New Year — Putin

According to the Russian President, an option of concluding contracts for delivery through third parties - Turkish, Hungarian, Slovak, Azerbaijani companies - is possible

Putin says Biden in 2021 proposed to postpone Ukraine's admission to NATO

The Russian leader recalled that the US President spoke about Ukraine's unreadiness to join the alliance

Russia not setting preconditions for talks on Ukraine — Lavrov

The foreign minister stressed that Russia was deceived "when they stated that NATO would not expand eastwards and when they emphasized their commitment to resolve [the conflict] based on the UN Charter"

Bosphorus transit suspended due to malfunction of tanker en route to Russia

The Cordelia Moon is 274 meters long and 50 meters wide

Astana, Moscow, Baku will not hide information on plane crash — Senate speaker

Maulen Ashimbayev warned against premature conclusions concerning an external impact on the plane based on photographs, noting that certain forces were trying to derive dividends

Yemeni ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa put out of service by Israeli strikes — source

Damage also came from sweeping fires that were set off by strikes on oil tanks in both ports

Russia has no illusions that Ukraine conflict can be resolved easily — top diplomat

"We have never stated that the incoming administration of [US President-elect Donald] Trump will necessarily give a start to negotiations on global security, on Ukraine," Sergey Lavrov noted

Russia sends diplomats to Kazakhstan to help survivors in plane crash — MFA

Maria Zakharova stressed that the Russian Foreign Ministry would provide all information as soon as it received it

CIA station in Kiev targeted in recent Russian attack, military expert reveals

According to Alexander Stepanov, strikes are systematic efforts to gradually wipe out the military capabilities of Ukraine

At least four Syrian law enforcement employees killed in operation near Homs

According to Al Watan, the Department of military operations in Damascus sent major reinforcements to the Homs Province in order to eliminate the remaining supporters of former president Bashar Assad

Russia 10 years ahead of whole world with research into 4th generation nuclear power

The BREST-300 fast neutron reactor is due to be launched in 2026-2027 and to go on stream in 2028

Oboronlogistics company blames loss of its ship Ursa Major on terrorist attack

The Ursa Major dry cargo ship wrecked in the Mediterranean Sea

Gazprom Group's production in 2024 to reach around 416 bcm of gas — CEO

This is 61 bln cubic meters of gas more than in 2023, Alexey Miller said

Russian-Iranian partnership agreement to be inked on January 17 — ambassador

The comprehensive strategic partnership treaty is expected to mark a significant step forward in the development of relations between Russia and Iran, which are growing rapidly

Russian gas is most profitable for Europe in terms of price and logistics — Novak

In conditions of competing China, Europeans pay significantly more for US LNG than for Russian gas, the official noted

Regional authorities confirm deaths of five people in Magdeburg Christmas market attack

A BMW driver ploughed his car into an outdoor Christmas market in downtown Magdeburg on Friday night

Lukashenko says he discussed gas supplies to Europe with Putin, Russia ready to sell them

The Belarusian leader believes that Germany should restore relations with Russia for the sake of its own economy

Almost 440,000 Russians sign up for military service this year — Medvedev

"The results of work over the year can already be assessed," the politician said

Russian prime minister approves list of countries imposing destructive attitudes

It includes the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan and other states

Gazprom plans to produce gas at some fields for another 110 years — CEO

According to Alexey Miller, Gazprom is the world leader in terms of gas reserves

More than 20 countries show interest in BRICS — Kremlin aide

Yury Ushakov noted that uncontrolled expansion of the association would break its backbone

Decision-making centers in Kiev may be targets of Russia’s strikes, says Lavrov

Moscow selects targets for strikes on the territory of Ukraine, proceeding solely from threats to Russia, the foreign minister stressed

Russian forces break through Ukrainian defense lines in Kharkov Region — expert

Marochko added that the operation allowed Russian troops to "expand their zone of control" in the area

Crew of plane that crashed in Kazakhstan lost control due to system failure

Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev noted that the information was also received that "after providing data on the weather in Makhachkala and Baku, the crew decided to fly to Aktau"

Israel intends to ‘cut off tentacle’ of Iran's ‘axis of evil’ in Yemen — Netanyahu

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces’ press office said that Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi regime on the west coast and in the interior regions of Yemen

EU to impose new sanctions on ‘Russian shadow fleet’ over Baltic Sea incident

In addition, the European Union is strengthening protection of the bloc's undersea cables

Kazakhstan’s Aktau Airport was aware of oxygen cylinder blast before plane’s crash

KazAeroNavigation’s flight director immediately notified all emergency services

Ukrainian agents attempted to deliver booby-trapped documents to Archangel Project head

The project's curator Vitaly Romanov noted that the bomb was defused, and no one was injured

Biden tasks Pentagon with boosting military aid to Kiev

In recent months, the United States has provided Ukraine with hundreds of air defense missiles, and more are on the way, the White House’s press service released

Lavrov sees ceasefire in Ukraine as road to nowhere, calls for reliable agreements

The top Russian diplomat pointed out that those accords should first and foremost address the root causes of the Ukraine crisis

Russian cancer vaccine to be free of charge — top oncologist

It is planned to launch it in general circulation in early 2025

Russia imposes state of federal-level emergency due to fuel oil spill in Black Sea

Alexander Kurenkov noted that "this classification will enable the deployment of additional resources and personnel from federal executive authorities and state corporations, as well as provide necessary financial assistance to the affected entities from the Russian government’s reserve fund"

No panic aboard crashed Azerbaijan Airlines plane, eyewitness says

The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190, en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25

Mine removal at Donetsk airport to start in 2025 — official

In 2014, the Donetsk airport was one of the hottest spots of the confrontation between Ukrainian forces and Donbass militias

Russia to donate 1 million euro to UN Climate Convention

The document says that the goal of the payment is to ensure the representation of Russian staffers in the convention’s secretariat

FSB foils series of assassination attempts on senior Russian defense officials

The bombs intended for killing high-placed Russian Defense Ministry officials were disguised as a power bank and a document folder, the FSB press office specified

Russia ready for talks on Ukraine, only if those discuss essential topics — Lavrov

"We are open to any negotiations, provided they essentially discuss the core causes [behind the Ukraine crisis] and the key principles put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin in June," the top diplomat said

EAEU countries sign agreement on single customs transit system

The EEC stressed that the adoption of the document contributes to the development of the union's transit potential, an increase in the level of security of cross-border deliveries and an increase in trade turnover between the countries of the Eurasian Five

Bank of Russia lowers dollar exchange rate for December 27 to 99.23 rubles

The official yuan exchange rate was lowered by 13 kopecks to 13.47 rubles

Scientists present Russia's first 50-qubit cold atom quantum computer — MSU

The experiment that allowed testing the supercomputer prototype took place on December 19, the Moscow State University said

Termination of transit of Russian gas to kill Ukraine’s gas transport system — experts

Moreover, Ukraine will have to reorganize the flows of gas on the domestic market and resolve respective issues with keeping pressure in the eastern and central parts of the gas transport system, experts added

Putin gathers CIS counterparts for informal summit

During the meeting, the Russian leader will summarize the results of Russia's CIS chairmanship in 2024

WHO chief says unhurt in Israeli air attack on Yemen airport

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that he had arrived in the Yemeni capital to negotiate the release of UN staff and to assess the humanitarian situation in the country

No politics behind current absence of Russian ambassador in US — Lavrov

The top diplomat stressed that it was not a demarche

Gazprom to supply about 31 bcm of gas via Power of Siberia to China in 2024

Gazprom Alexey Miller recalled that on December 1 Gazprom had brought the Power of Siberia pipeline to its maximum design capacity of 38 billion cubic meters of gas per year

Russian MFA says West could try to pull off some military 'scheme' in Belarus

A presidential election campaign is starting in Belarus on January 1, with the election scheduled for January 26

Putin calls EAEU one of self-sufficient pillars of multipolar world

Opening the meeting, the Russian president invited participants to discuss pressing issues and outline plans for the future

Russia’s GDP growth will be 3.9-4% by year’s end — Deputy PM

Alexander Novak reiterated that the Russian economy was currently experiencing sustainable and dynamic development

Russia expects free trade zone agreement between EAEU, Iran to come into force in 2025

Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk reiterated that Iran is an important partner for Russia

Finnish police detain oil tanker on suspicion of damaging communication cables

It is also reported that the Eagle S "noticeably slowed down" presumably at the moment when the cable between Finland and Estonia was damaged

Lukashenko, Putin discuss regional security, bilateral relations

The presidents also talked about cooperation between the countries in a variety of areas, including economy

Zelensky as commander-in-chief loses trust of army, population — MP

Aleksandr Dubinsky recalled the unsuccessful financing of Ukraine in the middle of the year

Murmansk Region's business resident invests in glamping on Lake Imandra

The tourist complex will unite ten domed houses each to accommodate up to four people, a sauna, a geo-dome restaurant and a pier

Share of national currencies in commercial deals between CIS countries exceeds 85% — Putin

According to the Russian president, cooperation between CIS states in the currency and financial area is expanding

Putin praises results of EAEU leaders' meeting

The EAEU comprises Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan

Russian troops liberate Novy Trud community in Donbass region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 245 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed six enemy howitzers in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Russia bans cryptocurrency mining in 10 regions until 2031, restricts in three more

The purpose of such restrictions is to maintain the balance of energy consumption taking into account the needs of industry

El Al suspends Tel Aviv - Moscow flights

The airline will assess the situation in the upcoming weeks and will decide whether the flights will resume depending on the assessment

Russia discusses security of citizens, embassy with new Syrian authorities — Lavrov

"In general, we are interested and ready for dialogue on other issues of our bilateral relations and issues on the regional agenda," the Russian foreign minister emphasized

Russia practically eliminates remnants of Ukraine’s Air Force — source

The source said that attempts to recruit more pilots in Poland and other Eastern European countries were not particularly successful

Russian forces pound Ukrainian military airfields, ammo depots over past day — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 380 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed six enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Number of education clusters in Murmansk Region doubles

The region plans to create in 2025 another two clusters by integrating organizations of secondary professional education and enterprises working in the region

Lavrov welcomes Trump team’s statements about willingness to resume dialogue

It is up to the US to take the first step towards restoring contact with Russia because it was Washington that suspended it after the launch of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian foreign minister stated

Uzbekistan plans to join Eurasian Development Bank in 2025 — president

On December 6, EDB head Nikolai Podguzov said the bank’s board made all decisions necessary for Uzbekistan's accession

Lavrov cautions against challenging Russia's resolve

The top Russian diplomat remarked that Russian President Vladimir Putin had extensively addressed this matter during his combined year-end press conference and Q&A session on December 19, among other instances

US-made Abrams tanks in Taiwan won’t help island — China’s defense ministry

The Chinese People's Liberation Army will comprehensively strengthen military training to prevent a separatist plot by supporters of Taiwan independence and interference by outside forces, according to Spokesman Zhang Xiaogang

IN BRIEF: Putin talks to reporters about Oreshnik missile, natural gas transit

Russia could use Oreshnik again if need be, but the country is seeking to end the conflict in Ukraine, the Russian president said

Putin says he receives information about frontline situation round the clock

There is always something new at certain sections of the front, the head of state emphasized

Rescue workers recover bodies of all those killed in Kazakhstan plane crash

The ministry confirmed an earlier statement by the Kazakh authorities that the crash had killed 38 people

Putin, Kim Jong Un exchange gifts

Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said that the North Korean leader received a new Aurus luxury vehicle and a tea set, while the Russian president was gifted several pieces of art depicting his likeness

Kremlin will not speculate about causes of plane crash near Aktau — spokesman

Dmitry Peskov recalled that the day before during the informal summit of the CIS, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered deep condolences to the families and friends of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured

Houthis say attacked US aircraft carrier in Red Sea, shot down US fighter jet

According to the Houthi spokesman, the strike on US vessels was delivered with the use of "eight cruise missiles and 17 drones"

Russian stock market closes with growth in leading indices

By the of the trading session, the MOEX index rose by 1.23%, while the RTS index rose by 1.63%

Plane crash in Kazakhstan claims 38 lives

29 people had been hospitalized

Two people preparing attempts on Russian military officials' lives recruited in Ukraine

One of the detainees stated that he had moved to Ukraine, where he was recruited by Ukrainian special forces

Russia may increase number of regions where cryptocurrency mining is banned

The Russian government earlier approved the list of regions and territories where mining will be banned from January 1, 2025

EAEU leaders approve 17 documents following summit in Leningrad region

These include an agreement on the single customs transit system, a decision on the entry into force of the free trade agreement with Iran, and an order on the functioning of the single services market within the EAEU

Astana format to be useful for Syria at this stage, Russia ready to work — Lavrov

The foreign minister expressed confidence that "the new Syrian authorities will be able to determine in what concrete form, in what forms the Astana format can support the processes that have now begun in Syria"

Oreshnik missile systems still few, but they are enough — Putin

According to the head of state, the system's serial production has begun

Bosphorus traffic resumes after broken tanker is towed away

The 274-meter Cordelia Moon tanker, which suffered an equipment failure, was safely towed and anchored at the Ahirkapi anchorage

Russia's international reserves fall by $8.4 bln over week to $609.8 bln — Bank of Russia

International reserves, which are highly liquid foreign assets at the disposal of the Bank of Russia and the Russian government, consist of foreign currency funds, special drawing rights, a reserve position in the IMF and monetary gold

Russia’s Chechnya ships 200 ‘Jihad mobile’ vehicles for special military operation

The authorities of Chechnya handed over 200 "Jihad mobile"

Press review: Middle East may host Putin-Trump talks as experts probe Kazakhstan crash

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, December 26th

Azerbaijan Airlines plane tried to land twice at Aktau airport before crash

The Aktau air traffic controller promptly performed all necessary measures for the aircraft’s landing

Australia contacts Russia regarding captured mercenary — diplomat

Maria Zakharova emphasized that "Canberra obediently follows in the footsteps of the collective West, which pursues a Russophobic policy"

Putin's principles of Ukrainian settlement stem from international law — Lavrov

The top Russian diplomat drew attention to the fact that "the Kiev regime plays into the hands the West, which needs to remove such a strong competitor as Russia from the international scene"

Continued terror attacks by Kiev to be met with increasingly tougher response — Lavrov

The top Russian diplomat expressed disappointment that virtually none of the Western nations have joined Russia’s condemnation of these attacks, including the leaders of international organizations like the UN, OSCE, or UNESCO

Georgian president demands appointing snap elections within week

Salome Zourabichvili also promised to announce her further plans on Monday

Russian fighters control about 40% of Terny in Donetsk region, military expert says

Andrey Marochko added that Russian servicemen have advanced east of Yampolovka, bringing the distance between that village and Russia’s frontline positions to less than 1.2 miles

US disrupts payment of Russian contribution to ICRC budget — Foreign Ministry

This is another example of a harmful impact of unlawful restrictive measures, the ministry said

IDF blows up 2-km-long Hamas tunnel in northern Gaza Strip

According to the IDF, Hamas has been using this tunnel as a shelter for a long time

Israel says strikes on Yemen serve to retaliate for earlier Houthi attacks

The country’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the Houthi rebels "the centerpiece of Iran's axis of evil"

Gazprom to supply record 390 bcm of gas to consumers via gas transportation system in 2024

This is a record for the entire history of observations