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Middle East conflict

Gaza death toll since October 2023 nears 51,000 — health ministry

Over the past 24 hours, 39 people were killed and 118 others were hospitalized in the enclave, the ministry added

CAIRO, April 14. /TASS/. Almost 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in early October 2023, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported.

"The number of people killed since the hostilities resumed in the enclave in October 2023 has risen to 50,983, with 116,274 people injured," the ministry wrote on its Telegram channel. Over the past 24 hours, 39 people were killed and 118 others were hospitalized in the enclave, the ministry added.

Tensions escalated again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages. In retaliation, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza, aiming to dismantle the political and military infrastructure of Hamas and secure the release of the hostages.

On March 18, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported widespread strikes on Hamas strongholds in the Gaza Strip, thus ending the ceasefire established in January this year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel had renewed military operations in Gaza after Hamas rejected the US proposals put forward by mediators and US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff. The office stated that the Israeli military had resumed strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza to secure the release of hostages and that the army would escalate its campaign in the enclave. The radicals have blamed the United States for the resumption of Israeli aggression.

Latest POW exchange between Russia, Ukraine was largest since conflict began — UAE

Since taking on the role of mediator at the start of 2024, the UAE has overseen the exchange of more than 3,700 POWs

Russian Finance Ministry to hold federal loan bonds auctions on April 16

Settlements under transactions made at the auctions will be performed on the next business day

Russian foreign trade surplus down to $14.8 bln in March 2025 — Central Bank

The current account surplus in March 2025 amounted to $10.7 bln, compared to $6.7 bln a month earlier

Latest POW exchange between Russia, Ukraine was largest since conflict began — UAE

Since taking on the role of mediator at the start of 2024, the UAE has overseen the exchange of more than 3,700 POWs

France, UK, Germany can help achieve peace in Ukraine, top US diplomat says

Marco Rubio pointed out that the White House was in constant contact with London and Paris on settling the Ukraine issue

Europe must understand that US may leave Ukrainian settlement process — State Department

That said, Spokeswoman for the US Department of State Tammy Bruce noted that there is "a lot of enthusiasm" following the Paris meeting on the matter

St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation brings Holy Fire to Russia

The descent of the Holy Fire takes place on the eve of Easter according to the Julian calendar

Starbucks files applications to register 14 trademarks in Russia

The company wants to register Starbucks, Starbucks coffee, Frappuccino, and other brands

Komi Region reports growth tendency in SMB development dynamics

At the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the government to adjust parameters for incentives offered to small and medium-sized businesses in the Far North, and to expand the list of industries for such incentives

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

Ukraine appoints notorious former ambassador to Germany as envoy to UN

The new envoy is replacing Sergey Kislitsa, who was dismissed on December 21, 2024

Russia's economy grows despite more than 28,000 sanctions imposed — deputy PM

As an example, Alexey Overchuk named the Russian aviation industry, where "regional jets made the first flight with all Russian parts, including Russian engines" as well as agriculture, where Russia remains "the world's number one exporter of grain"

Putin-Lukashenko meeting scheduled to be held on May 28

According to the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, no media statements are planned following the meeting

Ukrainian conflict resolution process is heading in right direction — Kellogg

The special envoy also addressed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent remarks suggesting that Washington might limit its efforts to resolve the crisis if progress stalls

Zelensky aide's remarks on ceasefire ring cynical as Ukraine attacks ZNPP — diplomat

On April 17, a Ukrainian delegation led by Yermak met with US and European representatives in Paris to discuss a possible settlement to the conflict in Ukraine

Holy Fire descends in Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

The Holy Fire symbolizes the light of Christ's resurrection

Palm oil imports become important vector of Russian-Indonesian cooperation

More than 90% of palm oil coming to Russia are from Indonesia, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Alexey Gruzdev said

Iran won’t engage in contacts with new Syrian authorities until they restore order — MFA

According to Abbas Araghchi, the Syrian issue was raised during his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov

Putin congratulates military, all Orthodox Christians on Easter

He urged Gerasimov to pass along his best wishes to the soldiers, expressing gratitude for their dedication, sacrifice, and heroism in service of the Fatherland

Death toll from Myanmar earthquake may exceed 3,000, says prime minister

The number of people confirmed dead in Myanmar has currently reached 2,719, with 4,521 others injured and 441 more unaccounted for

White House describes data leak scandal as ‘tired gameplay’ by anti-Trump forces

Communications Director Steven Cheung described the situation as a "witch hunt"

Oil product sales on St. Petersburg Exchange rise by 7.3% in Q1

Trading volumes for fuel oil on the exchange grew by 7.4% in the Q1, reaching 0.496 mln metric tons, while sales of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) increased by 2% to 0.638 mln metric tons

Ruble’s real effective exchange rate up 7.1% in March — Central Bank

The ruble’s real effective exchange rate increased by 19.2% in January-March in annual terms

Kiev’s allies want to coordinate Ukraine ceasefire plan in London — newspaper

According to the New York Post, in order to attract Russia to negotiations on the said proposal, Washington may offer Moscow an easing of anti-Russian sanctions and possibly the unblocking of Russian assets frozen in the West

Russia’s Battlegroup Center eliminated over 315 Ukrainian troops in 24 hours

The battlegroup’s spokesman Alexander Savchuk added that the enemy lost two tanks, three armored combat vehicles, five motor vehicles and a field artillery gun

Ukraine’s military describes Kupyansk frontline situation as tense

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said that the Ukrainian troops were now in defense

Trump concedes NATO at war against Russia in Ukraine

US president made the statement at a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin

Over 300 Houthi targets hit by US in Yemen since mid-March — TV

Al Jazeera television channel did not say however which targets were hit but noted the Houthis still have potential for attacks on US warships and commercial vessels

Samara University patented small AIST-3 satellite platform

The patented small-size AIST-3 satellite platform is a complex of onboard systems and equipment

Putin instructs to consider buyback mechanism for departed brands by May 15

Companies that left the Russian market after February 22, 2022 will be subject to this measure

US has other things to focus on following three years of support to Ukraine — Rubio

According to the US Secretary of State, the administration of US President Donald Trump has done more in 80 days than former US President Joe Biden ever did

Polar Lithium may build road to deposit using concession mechanism

The concession mechanism, where a private investor invests in infrastructures, and the state compensates for the expenses in the future, operates in the Arctic and the Far East

US to monitor compliance with agreements reached in Riyadh, Zelensky says

He pointed out that agreements on a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a ban on strikes against energy sites had been reached in Saudi Arabia

Russian forces liberate Oleshnya in Kursk Region — top brass

The total losses of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk Region have exceeded 75,000 servicemen, the Russian Defense Ministry added

Russian rescuers arrive in quake-hit Myanmar

The rescuers are setting up a field camp as well as an airmobile hospital to receive those affected by the earthquake, a TASS correspondent reports

Russia says requests closed UN Security Council session on energy strikes moratorium

First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky reiterated that the moratorium had been faithfully observed by the Russian side

US offers easing of anti-Russia sanctions as part of Ukrainian settlement — Bloomberg

The proposals presented by the US to its allies in Paris also imply that all territories liberated by Russia remain under Moscow’s control, while "Kyiv’s aspirations of joining NATO would be off the table"

Russia's Kucherov wins Art Ross Trophy, 10th in NHL history with at least three

Nikita Kucherov is one of three Russians in history to win the Art Ross Trophy, along with Yevgeny Malkin and recently crowned goals king Alexander Ovechkin

Iran makes clear to US it has no intention to restore JCPOA — MFA

The second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran concluded on Saturday after nearly four hours of discussions in Rome, mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi

China to take required measures to protect its interests if US introduces harbor fee

China urges the US to follow principles of the market economy and fair competition, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce stressed

Vulin not included in Serbia’s new cabinet because of Western pressure on Vucic — source

"Aleksandar Vulin has been removed from the government because of pressure from Brussels," the source pointed out

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr wipes out up to 85 Ukrainian troops in 24 hours

The battlegroup’s spokesman Roman Kodryan added that the enemy’s losses included nine motor vehicles

Participants in Easter marches in Germany oppose arms supplies to Kiev

The primary issues on their agenda include disarmament, and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East

Houthis attack US aircraft carriers Harry Truman, Carl Vinson — spokesman

Yahya Saria also said that "the US military buildup and continued aggression against Yemen will only lead to more attacks"

Zelensky claims that Kiev is ready to observe ceasefire

He added, "If complete calm prevails, Ukraine offers to extend the ceasefire beyond Easter Sunday hours on April 20 onward"

Russian forces hit test site of Ukrainian Sapsan missile defense system — top brass

Russian servicemen have liberated the Shevchenko settlement in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Defense Ministry said

Russian forces take control over section of important road in Sumy Region — expert

Distance-wise, about five kilometers of the Yunakovka-Oleshnya highway is under fire control of the Russian Armed Forces

Russian soldiers eliminated Ukrainian militants who shot civilians in Kursk region

During one of these clashes, fighter eliminated two Ukrainian soldiers in hand-to-hand combat

Dogs gifted by Kim Jong Un reside with Putin, appear well — spokesman

The dogs were presented to the Russian president during his visit to North Korea on June 18-19, 2024

Chinese stocks rise after further escalation of China-US tariff conflict

The CSI 300 Index rose by 1.31% to 3,735.12 points

Erdogan points to sporadic ceasefire violations in Syria’s Idlib

The Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria has been recording single cases of violations since the ceasefire took effect on March 6

Healthcare crisis in Gaza reaches catastrophic levels, Health Ministry warns

The enclave is running out of medications to treat cancer and blood diseases

IN BRIEF: Putin declares Easter truce, holds meeting with chief of General Staff

TASS has reviewed the key points of the meeting

Three civilians injured when Ukrainian troops shell Belgorod Region

The villages of Bezymeno and Golovchino in the Graivoron district were also attacked

Bank of Russia raises dollar exchange rate to 82.59 rubles for April 17

The official yuan exchange rate has been raised by 12 kopecks to 11.28 rubles

Putin shows respect for feelings of believers by announcing Easter truce — legislator

Slutsky expressed confidence that the Russian armed forces will strictly adhere to the ceasefire agreements

US delivers massive airstrikes on Houthi infrastructure in Yemen

The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah television channel reported at least 15 attacks on the Marib governorate

Russia does not exclude Europe from Greater Eurasian Partnership — MFA

"Even though Europe says that it does not want to trade with Russia, introduces all sorts of restrictions, their businesses want to and many continue to do so, despite the political position of their countries," Head of the Department of Economic Cooperation at the Russian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Birichevsky noted

Russia to resolve Ukraine conflict quickly if EU, US 'wash hands of it' — Medvedev

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the United States could withdraw from the negotiation on Ukraine if the parties sabotaged it

AI could replace most programmers within the next year — ex-Google CEO

Eric Schmidt believes that AI models will quickly evolve to perform a greater number of highly specialized tasks that only humans can currently complete

Gas price in Europe up 1.6 times in Q1 2025

Gas prices grew during the heating season from November 2024 to March 2025 by 36% in annual terms to $501 per 1,000 cubic meters

RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev calls Easter truce ‘one step toward peace’

Putin announced Easter truce from 18:00 Moscow time on April 19 to 00:00 Moscow time on April 21

Israel Defense Forces reports eliminating Hezbollah artillery commander

According to the statement, Mohammed Adnan Mansour headed a Hezbollah artillery unit in the Taybeh area in southern Lebanon

Putin's 30-hour Easter truce ceasefire comes into force

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Gerasimov "issued instructions to all group commanders in the special military operation zone to cease fire and pause combat operations"

One settlement left until full liberation of Kursk Region from Ukrainian troops — sources

The Defense Ministry said that the Russian Armed Forces had liberated Oleshnya

Russia’s Battlegroup West eliminates over 260 Ukrainian troops, Starlink stations

The battlegroup’s spokesman Ivan Bigma added that the enemy’s losses included three armored combat vehicles, 10 motor vehicles

Russia’s Medvedev says European troops to return in coffins if deployed to Ukraine

Earlier, Andrey Yermak, the head of the office of Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, said he along with the Ukrainian defense and foreign ministers, Rustem Umerov and Andrey Sibiga, respectively, had arrived in Paris for talks with senior US officials

Russian forces start demining border areas of Kursk Region

The ministry also said that the sappers have a lot of work to do

Russian forces advance near Volchansk despite serious Ukrainian counterattacks — expert

Andrey Marochko noted that at the moment the Russian forces are currently engaged in active fighting in the area of Volchanskiye Khutora

Pakistan completed preparations for first freight train from Russia — Ambassador

The two countries have never had the rail service before

Gaddafi’s defence minister killed in Libya - doctors

Gaddafi was earlier reported captured by the forces of the Transitional National Council on Thursday

Norway to provide another 335 million euros to buy artillery rounds for Ukraine

According to the official, this amount equals about 10% of the money the EU plans to provide

US to decide on military presence in Europe after contacts with Russia — Pentagon chief

Pete Hegseth said that US President Donald Trump will make a determination about the force structure of US troops in Europe

Western intel agencies aid anti-government forces in Afghanistan — SVR

According to Sergey Naryshkin, the West is trying to maintain instability in Afghanistan in order to advance its own geopolitical interests

Qatar interested in growth of tourist flow from Russia

Qatar intends to promoting itself as a tourist direction in various Russian regions

US Senate idea to tax countries working with Russia could cripple global economy — expert

In his opinion, US President Donald Trump "continues to be under severe pressure"

MOEX Index down 0.25% as morning trading session opens

The Moscow Exchange resumed its morning trading session on the Equities and Derivatives markets on January 27

Crimea's 18th-century incorporation gave Russia lasting strategic edge — Russian lawmaker

In 2018, Russia marked the day Crimea, Taman and Kuban became a part of the Russian Empire as a commemorative date on the Russian calendar

Aquatic bioresources catch in Russia reach 1.4 mln tons in 2025 — federal agency

The Russian fleet caught 76,084 metric tons of aquatic bioresources in exclusive economic zones of foreign countries, convention areas and the open part of the World Ocean

Israel carries out airstrikes on Syrian military airfields in 2 provinces — report

The report gave no indication of the damage, if any, from the attacks

Sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia blocked — European Commissioner

The document includes a draft oil embargo

Demobilization would strip Ukraine of one-third of its army, senior commander says

According to Alexander Syrsk, Ukraine cannot rotate troops due to problems with recruiting new servicemen

International Trade Center forecasts global trade dip due to mutual duties

"Global trade could shrink by 3%, with significant long-term shifts in trade patterns and economic integration," Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton noted

Moscow breaks temperature record for April 18 — lead meteorologist

According to Roman Vilfand, the previous record was set in 1921

Russia, Iran certain that effect of illegal sanctions can be reduced to zero — Lavrov

The top Russian diplomat underscored that coercive restrictions tend to generate more issues for the states that implement them than for the countries they target

Russian stocks up as main trading session opens

The MOEX Index (with additional IMOEX2 ticker) lost 0.25% as morning trading session started reaching 2,812.65 points, according to trading data as of 7:00 a.m. Moscow time (4:00 a.m. GMT)

ISS end won't mean end to space cooperation, Putin assures

The People’s Republic of China has huge plans, interesting and promising ones, the Russian leader noted

Press review: Iran, Russia, China plan talks as US and China intensify trade conflict

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, April 8th

US envoy says territorial issue could be partially resolved in Russia’s favor

According to Steve Witkoff, the territorial issue was the focus of his talks with the Russian leader

Zelensky's attempt to act like ‘tough guy’ at meeting with Trump insulted everyone — media

"Now Zelensky will have to figure out how to fix this on his own. We can’t fix it for him," senior US official said

Kiev will not become part of NATO, it’s out of the question — Trump’s special envoy

US President Donald Trump suggested earlier that the Ukrainian conflict may have been triggered by Kiev’s ambitions to join the alliance

Lavrov arrives in Ashgabat to take part in ministerial meeting of Caspian littoral states

The Azerbaijani, Iranian, Kazakh, Russian, and Turkmen foreign ministers will meet on June 28

Japan protests what it thinks is Russia’s growing presence in Kurils

"A protest has been submitted via diplomatic channels," Takeshi Iwai stressed

Kiev troops attempted to kill British mercenary who surrendered to Russians — officer

In his words, they fired conventional 120mm mortar rounds, silent munitions and at least one FPV drone with a fragmentation charge

Electric vehicles may account for 10% of the Russian car market by 2030

According to Avilon CEO Alexander Nikonov, premium electric vehicles will account for one-tenth of that market share

US leadership understands root causes of Ukrainian conflict — Kremlin aide

However, a longstanding anti-Russian sentiment - built over many years and decades - hinders their ability to pursue reasonable solutions, Yury Ushakov said

Russian firm unveils AI-powered 'smart assistant' for African hotel industry

According to the developer, this solution allows guests to order meals or services from their hotel room using voice commands, without needing to contact the front desk

US declassifies over 10,000 pages of documents about assassination of JFK's brother

The files are published with minimal editing for privacy reasons, including the deletion of social security numbers and taxpayer identification numbers

US’ threats to abandon talks on Ukraine directed against Kiev rather than Moscow — Axios

The European diplomats pointed out that during talks in Paris, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has not mentioned "increasing the pressure on Russia"

Ukraine's Defense Ministry acknowledges issue of forced mobilization, shortage of recruits

Ukraine introduced martial law and general military mobilization on February 24, 2022, extending them several times since then

Over 100 mosques, three churches destroyed in Gaza in Israel’s strikes — Hamas

It condemned the strike on the Great Omari Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the Gaza Strip, which led to its partial destruction