❗️ On the night of November 16, Russian air defense systems destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region, and three more UAVs were intercepted over the Black Sea near the Crimean coast, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported

🇺🇸 A US guided-missile destroyer in the Red Sea shot down a drone launched from Yemen in the direction of the warship, a US Defense Department spokesperson said in a statement to Sputnik.

Last month, another US Navy warship, USS Carney, shot down three cruise missiles and several drones launched by Houthi forces in Yemen.

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🇷🇺 Moscow hopes that APEC will remain a purely economic forum despite attempts to politicize it, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, who is leading the Russian delegation to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, said.

"As for the politicization of the APEC format, such signals certainly reach us. But we hope there will be no politicization," Overchuk said, also expressing hope that APEC will remain a purely economic forum.

He added that the APEC format is supposed to be a very practical forum aimed at creating favorable conditions for business development.

Deputy Prime Minister indicated that Russia's trade with South American and Asian countries and China is growing, and Moscow notices their desire to trade and develop ties.

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❗️ The IDF reported striking the residence of Hamas Political Bureau head Ismail Haniyeh

Who built Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza?

With the IDF conducting several raids on Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital over the past week, Sputnik explored what is known about this medical complex, which Tel Aviv claims has underground facilities used by Hamas as a fortified command center.

▪️Al-Shifa (“healing” in Arabic) started out as an army barracks during the British Mandate for Palestine era, being turned into a hospital in 1946 during the closing years of British occupation.

▪️The Gaza City-based hospital expanded into an entire medical complex during Egypt’s administration of Gaza between 1953 and 1967.

▪️Israel took control of al-Shifa during the Six-Day War in June 1967, which was followed by the Jewish state totally overhauling the hospital complex in the 1980s.

▪️In 1983, as part of this sweeping refurbishment, “a secure underground operating room and tunnel network” underneath the Hospital’s Building Number 2 was constructed.

▪️Despite Hamas purportedly knowing about the hidden underground fortified areas built by Israel in the 1980s, there is currently no direct evidence of their use.

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❗️ The Chinese Foreign Ministry called Biden's words about "dictator Xi Jinping" irresponsible and wrong.

"There are always people with ulterior motives who try to provoke and undermine China-US relations, but this will not be successful," the ministry spokeswoman added.

🇵🇸🇮🇱 Latest updates on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

▪️ The Israeli army is expanding its operation in the al-Shifa medical complex to the southern part of the hospital, media reported.

▪️ The IDF reported striking the residence of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.

▪️ Israel's president said Israel cannot leave a "vacuum" in the Gaza Strip and must maintain a "strong force," media reported.

▪️ Biden said he told Israel it was wrong to occupy Gaza.

▪️ The UN Security Council should not stop at the adopted resolution on the Middle East, it is necessary to achieve a cease-fire, said the permanent representative of the People's Republic of China.

▪️ Some members of the UN Security Council do not have the courage to support a ceasefire in Gaza, the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN reported.

▪️ Israeli President said that joint measures with Cyprus are being discussed to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, media reported.

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❗️British Foreign Secretary David Cameron visits Zelensky in Kiev two days after the appointment

🎙 Check out AfroVerdict's new episode as the host joins the chairman of a Kenyan NGO who lays out all the details of British Army Training Unit Kenya's (BATUK) activities in Kenya and how his organization is fighting the presence of foreign forces in his country.

🇺🇸 The Pentagon failed its annual audit for the sixth consecutive year. Half of the Defense Department’s assets still don’t meet auditing standards.

An independent audit of the Pentagon’s accounting systems gave only seven out of 29 sub-audits a passing grade, the department’s chief financial officer told reporters.

The Pentagon's assets are estimated to be worth $3.8 trillion, alongside $4 trillion in liabilities. Some US lawmakers have recently called for greater transparency of Department of Defense spending amid growing evidence that Ukrainian officials are misusing American military and economic aid.

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😏 The next victim of "Zelensky curse"?

British Foreign Minister David Cameron went to Kiev for an audience with Ukraine's President almost immediately after the appointment. Well, how long will Cameron last in office after an infamous handshake ("Zelensky's black mark")?

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🐉 Russia's dragon teeth defense

📹 Russian army’s sappers demonstrated the operation of IMR-3 obstacle clearing vehicles in the special operations zone, a Sputnik correspondent observed the drills.

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The statement by US President Joe Biden about the need to create a sovereign Palestinian state is a substitution of concepts, the US itself has withdrawn from the discussion of the settlement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Biden said that a Palestinian state, existing alongside Israel, must be the endpoint of the current conflict in the Middle East.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 From Silk Road to cyberspace: Valdai International Discussion Club and East China Normal University meet in Shanghai

Highlighting the significance of this cooperation, the Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov stated, "On virtually all global issues, our countries have overlapping or very close positions. The relationship between Russia and China will only be strengthened and develop further."

The scientific conference on "Crisis and Global Transformation: China and Russia Facing the Challenges of a Changing World Order" is running from November 16 to 17.

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