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Middle East conflict

Palestinian president vows to do his utmost to thwart Israel’s plans in Gaza — agency

Mahmoud Abbas slammed Israel’s "decision as a new crime in a chain of Israeli atrocities in the West Bank" and "demanded an immediate end" to these actions

TUNIS, August 8. /TASS/. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has pledged to continue his political efforts at all levels to halt Israel’s plans to expand its military operations in the Gaza Strip.

"The president reiterated his commitment to continuing political efforts at all levels, including through appealing to the UN Security Council, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to enlist international and regional support," the WAFA news agency quoted a press release from Abbas’ office after his phone call with King Abdulla II.

Abbas slammed Israel’s "decision as a new crime in a chain of Israeli atrocities in the West Bank" and "demanded an immediate end" to these actions. He stressed the need to "grant full responsibility over the Gaza Strip to the State of Palestine" and "cease fire immediately."

According to WAFA, after the phone call with the Jordanian king, Abbas spoke over the phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Earlier, the Israeli state-run Kan broadcaster reported, citing a statement from the Netanyahu government, that Israel’s war cabinet had approved the prime minister’s plan to gain full control of Gaza City and escalate operations across the Palestinian enclave. Under this plan, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will prepare for a comprehensive operation in Gaza while simultaneously delivering humanitarian aid to civilians outside active conflict zones.

The situation in the Middle East deteriorated sharply after armed supporters of the Palestinian Hamas movement from the Gaza Strip entered Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, killing residents of border settlements and taking hostages. The radicals called this attack a response to Israel’s actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel blockaded Gaza and launched a military operation in the strip to free the hostages and dismantle Hamas’s fighting capability. In March, Israel resumed fighting in the Gaza Strip, breaking a ceasefire established in January. Several rounds of negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States failed.

SANA reports on meeting between Syrian foreign, defense ministers and Putin in Moscow

The Kremlin press service has not yet reported such contact

Relations with US, nuclear arms, Russia's security: Ryabkov's statements

The deputy foreign minister stressed that Russia still has serious questions for the United States over Ukraine

Switzerland extradites Ukrainian suspected of 'espionage activity' to Germany

The German Prosecutor General's Office said that the suspect was detained on May 13 in the Swiss canton of Thurgau

US NATO envoy believes ball is in Russia's court in Ukrainian settlement

According to Matthew Whitaker, Washington is trying to find out the maximum that Russia is willing to do to end the conflict

IN BRIEF: Resuming nuclear tests, NATO threat: what Russia's military chief of staff said

The North Atlantic Alliance, under the pretext of a so-called Russian military threat, has "significantly increased" its military presence near Russia’s borders

Battlegroup South destroys a robotic system, 20 bunkers of Kiev forces

Five Ukrainian drones were shot down

Hungary refuses to ignore 'constitutional coup' in EU — minister for EU affairs

Janos Boka warned that the Hungarian government "will not sit idly by" as this happens

Game developer behind Call of Duty and Battlefield killed in US car crash — NBC

Vince Zampella was 55 years old

Iraq says Iran stops gas supplies due to 'extraordinary circumstances'

Ahmed Musa, head of the Iraqi ministry's press service, noted that Baghdad "has taken emergency measures to prevent a crisis at power plants until gas supplies resume"

Russian ship caught fire in Busan — Yonhap

One person was injured and remains in a grave condition in a local hospital, the news agency said

IN BRIEF: Kiev officials plan to flee, diplomats unlikely to return, Russia’s SVR reveals

According to the Foreign Intelligence Service, Ukrainian diplomats serving overseas are aware that there are no options to put an end to the Ukraine crisis on Vladimir Zelensky’s terms

German top diplomat says Russia’s military successes pose 'serious threat' to NATO

Johann Wadephul also noted that there was no point in providing Ukraine with security guarantees without clear commitments from the United States

US nuclear umbrella absolute guarantee for NATO allies — Rutte

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was responding to a question about whether European NATO allies need to bolster their nuclear deterrence capabilities

FSB detains illegal migration organizers in five Russian regions — press office

According to the FSB, the offenders legalized over 2,000 citizens from the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East

Globalist fake media machine attacks Trump, his peace efforts — Dmitriev

Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy commented on Donald Trump's opinion that the NYT newspaper poses a serious threat to national security and that its dissemination of false information should be stopped

Ukraine launches over 100 drones on Russia’s Belgorod region in past day

A man and his wife were injured in an FPV-drone attack on a car near the urban locality of Krasny Pakhar in the region’s Volokonovka municipality

Novorossiysk Commercial Seaport posts 13.1% drop in 2023 net profit under IFRS

The company’s assets gained 7.3% to $2.1 bln, while operating profit increased by 25.7% to $403.89 mln

Share of new heavy trucks from China on Russian market falls to 53% in 11 months

Imports of Chinese trucks weighing more than 16 tons into Russia dropped by 90%

National security secretary Umerov returns to Ukraine after long absence

He reported to Vladimir Zelensky about negotiations in the United States

Parties to negotiations on Ukraine discussing four final documents — US NATO envoy

There is a 20-point peace plan, together with sort of the multilateral security guarantees, the US specific security guarantees, and the post-peace economic growth and prosperity plan, Matthew Whitaker said

Ukrainian troops try to bypass Russian EWF systems using short-range UAVs — developer

According to the statement, such steps are an attempt by the enemy to complicate the operation of radio reconnaissance and electronic countermeasures, reduce the time of reliable detection, and increase the survivability of the command and control channel

Syrian foreign, defense ministers to visit Moscow for talks — SANA

The Syrian delegation will also include representatives of the General Directorate of Intelligence

Russian long-range aircraft upgrading improves weapons accuracy — Defense Ministry

The 111th anniversary of Russia’s Long-Range Aviation is marked on Tuesday

Serbia supports Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine, offers venue for talks — top diplomat

Marko Duric said that Belgrade strongly support US President Donald Trump’s peace plan and all other initiatives that may put an end to hostilities

Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs invites US to resume Artic cooperation

Alexander Shokhin noted that Japanese companies involved in the Arctic projects are not leaving Russia

Around 167,000 combat veterans already back from SMO zone — Kremlin

Sergey Novikov added that the integration of special military operation veterans into civilian life is one of the main challenges facing authorities at all levels and a comfortable environment for the fighters’ return must be created

Press review: Russia-US dialogue eyed in 2026 and EU seeks retreat after summit failure

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, December 23rd

Parade of Russian Father Frosts, Snow Maidens takes place in Mexico City

The procession, accompanied by Russian and Soviet New Year's songs, attracted genuine interest from local residents and tourists

Liquidation of Hezbollah’s military wing aligns with Lebanon’s security interests — MFA

"In accordance with the government plan, the process of disarming Shiite fighters must extend to not only the south but all other regions of the country," Lebanese Foreign Minister Yousef Raji said

Two SKorean delegations to visit North to honour Kim’s memory

Seoul does not intend to send to Pyongyang an official delegation of the funeral

Ukraine deal close, but most difficult issues remain unresolved — Finnish leader

According to media reports, Alexander Stubb has maintained close contact with US President Donald Trump

Polish prosecutor’s office receives Kiev's extradition request for Russian archaeologist

Alexander Burtyagin, who heads the North Black Sea region sector at the Ancient World department of the world-famous Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and heads the museum’s Kerch expedition, was detained on December 4

Ukrainian attacks kill 20 Russian civilians, injure over 70 in week — diplomat

Rodion Miroshnik clarified that Ukrainian strike drones were the most frequent cause of civilian deaths or injuries

Europe lacks money to sponsor Kiev, needs to look for compromise — French MP

According to Thierry Mariani, today, little depends on Europe as far as the Ukrainian settlement is concerned

Trump unlikely to complete 'Golden fleet' in two years — Politico

According to the report, the US Navy has long struggled with meeting both a schedule and a budget when it comes to shipbuilding

Kazakhstan ready to offer negotiation platform for talks on Ukraine — president

Kazakhstan calls on all involved parties to show patience, flexibility, professionalism and nevertheless continue to search for a peace formula

Russia no enemy of Europe — State Duma speaker

Russia has helped Europe grow by supplying affordable energy, making its economy more competitive, Vyacheslav Volodin added

Fire in industrial zone and 29 downed drones: Ukrainian UAV attack aftermath

There were no casualties

Russian scientists create 72-qubit quantum computer — Rosatom Quantum Technologies

According to Yekaterina Solntseva, Director of Quantum Technologies at Rosatom State Corporation, it is especially important that the scientists have taken another step toward progressively improving the reliability of operations

Gazprom Board approves investment cuts by a third in 2026

The approved financial plan will provide for coverage of Gazprom’s liabilities without deficit, in full volume, the gas holding said

Two US mercenaries eliminated in Ukraine — Newsweek

According to reports from the accounts of the families of the deceased, Jones and Zacherl were serving with international forces under the command of Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency

EU hindering, not helping Ukraine peace — Hungarian PM’s office

Gergely Gulyas reported that Prime Minister Viktor Orban had briefed his cabinet members in detail on the results of the Brussels meeting

West hindering peace deal in Ukraine — Georgian parliament speaker

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the defense ministry’s expanded board meeting on December 17 that European politicians are "whipping up hysteria" and "fearmongering" about an alleged clash with Russia

Special unit of Ukrainian International Legion neutralized — security forces

The Ukrainian command continues to use elite special forces as assault troops

Press review: Kiev's Western support weakens as experts weigh in on Putin’s Q&A statements

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, December 22nd

Putin warned Bush that NATO membership would split Ukraine — declassified documents

During their meeting in Sochi in April 2008, Bush asked the Russian leader why Russia opposes to Ukraine’s NATO membership

Russia to define its response to West’s intermediate-range missile deployment — diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov said that Russia had to scrap its unilateral moratorium on the deployment of ground-based short-and medium-range missiles

Global gas consumption gain 25 bln cubic meters in 2025

Gazprom pointed to the revision of priority developments in favor of hydrocarbons in some countries and international energy companies

Magnitude of Tuva's earthquake was over nine points

"There has been no such a powerful seismic event measuring 9.5 pointa in Tuva in the entire history of seisimic monitoring," Shoigu recalled

CSTO refutes information about Tajikistan’s appeal for assistance

The organization noted that Tajikistan’s interaction with its CSTO allies in the context of strengthening the border with Afghanistan is based on the relevant targeted interstate program approved at the 2024 session of the CSTO Collective Security Council in Astana

NATO seeking to invent pretexts to intervene in Ukraine — Russian MP

Leonid Slutsky recalled that Russia has repeatedly warned against deploying NATO military contingents to Ukraine

Russia hopes new UNESCO head to fix his predecessor’s mistakes — top diplomat

Sergey Lavrov praised Khaled El-Enany’s victory in the election for UNESCO director general as an "encouraging sign"

Russia’s Kazan still set to host of 2028 European Aquatics Championship

Vladimir Leonov, the sports minister of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, stressed that the Russian Republic of Tatarstan maintains partnership relations both with the World Aquatics and the European Aquatics federations

Russia to make more efforts to remove irritants in relations with US — senior diplomat

"Minimal progress has been made," Sergey Ryabkov added

None of BRICS members wants to leave association — Brazilian ambassador to Russia

Sergio Rodrigues dos Santos noted that BRICS is a constructive force in strengthening a multipolar world order that is becoming increasingly inclusive and democratic

Russia wants lasting peace for Ukraine, not temporary ceasefire — Russian senior diplomat

Addressing the prospects of the negotiation process on a Ukrainian settlement, Sergey Ryabkov refrained from speculating on "any potential linkages to electoral calendars in various countries"

Putin warned Bush that admitting Ukraine to NATO will lead to Russia-US confrontation

The Russian leader stressed that this would create a threat of NATO moving its military bases and various arms systems to the exact proximity to the Russian border

Trump, as he meets Zelensky, says US-Russia talks have been 'very great'

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump spoke by phone on February 12, discussing such issues as the prospects for a settlement in Ukraine

Datacenter capacity development to provide over 10% of gas demand growth by 2050

According to forecasts, global gas consumption will continue growing and gain more than a third by 2050

Trump says talks with Russia and Ukraine to resolve conflict are going along okay

"Everyone's tired of that war," the president added

FIE clears Russian youth fencers to compete under national flag

The Executive Committee of the IOC earlier recommended that international federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in youth competitions with national symbols in both individual and team disciplines

Deployment of Oreshnik in Belarus will not affect balance in Europe — defense minister

Viktor Khrenin emphasized that the deployment is a direct response to aggressive actions by Western nations

London recklessly provokes US into confrontation with Russia — UK journalist

Frank Wright said "it's not realistic for the Europeans or the British to win a war against Russia"

Resumption of air traffic between Russia, US long overdue — Russian MFA

Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of the North Atlantic Alexander Gusarov emphasized that this step would clearly demonstrate the improving dialogue between the two countries

Europe's biggest nightmare is Ukraine deal on Russia's terms — senior diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov said that nobody can rewrite history

Russia’s Novocheboksarsk minesweeper conducts patrol sweep in Baltic Sea

The ship's crew also practiced laying out contact and non-contact sweeps

Cisco destroys spare equipment parts in Russia worth $23.34 mln

Cisco Systems Inc. made a decision to stop all sales in Russia in March 2022, and in June of the same year to close its operations and leave the Russian market

Trump calls The New York Times ‘threat to national security’

According to the US leader, it is necessary to put an end to "fake articles and opinions"

Kiev acknowledges that it will probably lose Donetsk — JD Vance

The US Vice President suggested that territorial concessions "could be 12 months from now, it could be longer than that," stating that "territorial concession is a significant hold-up in the negotiations"

Kiev loses about 20 battalions in fighting near Vilcha — expert

Vitaly Kiselev added that, despite heavy losses and massive, combined attacks by the Russian army, the Ukrainian army brigades have "a very large number of soldiers that go AWOL"

Russian forces now occupy both banks of Seversky Donets River — military expert

Andrey Marochko said that significant success has been achieved in this area in a very short time

FACTBOX: What we know about terror attack on senior Russian general in Moscow

A parked car exploded at 12, Yasenevaya Street at around 7:00 a.m. Moscow time

Assassination of General Sarvarov in Moscow is terrible tragedy — Kremlin

The security services will conduct an investigation, Dmitry Peskov said

Vance indicates breakthrough in Ukraine talks between Russia, United States

The US vice president said that America would continue to make diplomatic efforts towards a Ukraine resolution

Russia to continue to help Syria maintain independence and unity, says envoy

Russia aims to continue the search for ways of the Syrian settlement in the interests of preserving the independence, Alexander Lavrentyev said

Russian intel chief reveals recent extended call with MI6 director

Sergey Naryshkin said the phone conversation was held "just a few days ago"

Debris of plane crash near Ankara located - NTV

According to the TV channel, the Falcon 50 crashed due to a technical malfunction

New German intelligence chief holds phone call with Russian counterpart — portal

The WDR broadcasting company’s investigative unit described the conversation as "a rare instance of direct contact between German and Russian agencies"

Medvedev curious about reasons for unexpectedly conciliatory statements from EU

The Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council noted that Boris Pistorius stated he doesn't believe a war between NATO and Russia is imminent, while Alexander Stubb acknowledged that Moscow has no interest in attacking member countries of the alliance

US Powerball national lottery jackpot reaches $1.7 billion

The largest jackpot in Powerball history, amounting to $2.04 billion, was drawn on November 7, 2022

US remains hostage to approaches it criticizes in case of Venezuela — UN envoy

Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya expressed hope that "Washington will be able to stop in time and avoid a fatal mistake"

Bank of Russia set dollar rate at 78.59 rubles for December 24

The official euro rate was lowered by five kopecks to 92.8137 rubles

Ukraine conflict likely to end in 2026 on terms unfavorable to Kiev — Politico

Foreign affairs columnist Jamie Dettmer doubts a €90 billion loan will be sufficient to keep Ukraine solvent

Security of Kaliningrad Region to be guaranteed by Russia’s full might — senior diplomat

"The Kaliningrad Region is an inalienable part of Russia," Sergey Ryabkov emphasized

US moves additional forces to Caribbean — media

At least ten Osprey tiltrotor aircraft that are used in special operations, as well as a C-17 large military transport aircraft have been deployed to the area

Russian expert questions CNN wolf story

According to Amirkhan Amirkhanov, the wolf population has increased in recent years in the European part of Russia and Europe in general

At least 5 people were on board plane that crashed near Ankara — Turkish interior minister

The Libyan Army Chief of Staff Muhammad al-Haddad was also on board the Falcon 50 aircraft

Expert slams as discrediting AP's claim about Russian anti-satellite weapons

Alexander Stepanov said that disinformation campaigns serve to hinder Russia’s peaceful space exploration efforts and to block its advancements in space defense

Traces of US involvement in cyberattack on Venezuela’s oil, gas company — Politico

According to the report, it looks like a preconceived attack

Platinum price on Nymex hits March 2008 high

The precious metal price was up by 10.14% at $2,301.2 per troy ounce

Italy becomes first NATO country to receive Rheinmetall’s Skynex air defense system

The contract is worth $86 million and includes an option to deliver up to three additional systems

About 70,000 Indians working in Russia — Russian ambassador to India

Denis Alipov added that "overall, the prospects in the Russian labor market are enormous"

Russian troops pressing Ukrainian army in Krasny Liman direction — expert

Igor Kimakovsky said that Russian forces are also successfully fighting near the settlement of Ozyornoye

Russian-made Snickers bars on sale in London despite sanctions

Employees at one of the stores said they did not know where the bars were made

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 160 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Belarus, Russia update main military-technical cooperation document

According to the press service, the amendments will allow for a more accurate approach to mutual product deliveries under the agreement, taking into account the current geopolitical situation

Russian reconnaissance drones penetrating deep behind Ukrainian lines — expert

Vitaly Kiselev added that the weather is also helping Russian forces operate in these areas

Russian stock indices rising on Tuesday - market data

The ruble-denominated MOEX Russia Index gained 0.35% to 2,725.38 points, while the dollar-denominated RTS Index surged by 1.28% to 1,092.52 points

Russia, China promote new world order standing back-to-back — Russian ambassador

Igor Morgulov highlighted that Moscow and Beijing have faced unprecedented Western pressures aimed at stifling their development

Macron betrays Merz on expropriation of frozen Russian assets — FT

"He knows that there will be a price to pay for that", also said a senior EU diplomat

Trump administration recalls heads of nearly 30 foreign diplomatic missions — news agency

According to its information, the heads of US missions abroad have been notified that their terms in their current positions will expire in January