🇷🇺🇹🇷 The use of the Turkish lira and the ruble in trade between Russia and Turkiye has significantly increased over the past few years, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said.

"Turkiye's exports to Russia in the Turkish lira have grown by 400% and Turkey's imports from Russia in the lira have increased by almost 150%, whereas the imports in the ruble have gone up by 260%," the minister said at a meeting of the Russia-Turkiye intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation.

Trade between Russia and Turkiye reached a record $68 billion in 2022, the minister also said, adding that it could reach some $56 billion in 2023.

During the commission's session, Bolat and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak to discuss prospects of the bilateral economic ties.

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A joint air defense system of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has been de facto created, as Russia has bilateral agreements with each of member states, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

"In fact, it [a CSTO air defense system] has been created at the bilateral level. We have an agreement and air defense systems with each of the states. This includes Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and, naturally, Belarus," Shoigu stated.

The system is "equipped and working," and there are exercises held to maintain it in combat condition, he said, adding that the system will be created de jure if necessary.

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🇷🇺🪖 Key points of Russian MoD briefing on progress of special military op in Ukraine:

▪️ In the Kupyansk area, the Russian Army repelled four attacks by Ukrainian troops;

▪️ In the Donetsk region, Ukrainian losses amounted to 200 soldiers; Russian forces repelled three Ukrainian attacks;

▪️Near South Donetsk, the Russian Army repelled an attack by Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian losses amounted to 80 soldiers;

▪️Near Krasny Liman, Russian forces repelled an attack by Ukrainian Special Forces assault groups;

▪️In the Rabotino area, the Russian Army defeated the personnel of the 33rd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces;

▪️Russian air defense systems shot down three Ukrainian planes and intercepted 17 HIMARS missiles and 53 Ukrainian drones during the day.

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How Ukraine conflict and Gaza war bring the right to power in Europe

While the Western proxy war in Ukraine led to the growing popularity of European conservative parties questioning the rationale of Kiev's militarization, the Gaza war has apparently bolstered the trend, international observers say, citing a "shocking" victory by Geert Wilders' Freedom Party in the Dutch elections.

Other European right-wing parties and movements are also doing well, seeing rising poll numbers and growing voter confidence. Given that, the forthcoming 2024 European Parliament election may possibly become an unpleasant surprise for the European liberal establishment.

👉 Check out Sputnik's article to find out more

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🇩🇪 Large-scale supplies of ammunition to Ukraine have reportedly led to an acute shortage of shells in the German armed forces (Bundeswehr). Because of this, the main units of Germany would only be able to hold out in battle for no more than two days, Johan Wadephul, vice chairman of the CDU/CSU opposition faction specializing in defense issues, told the DPA news agency.

According to him, a "reasonable" supply of ammunition to Ukraine "has now turned into a severe shortage in the Bundeswehr."

"Even when it comes to replacement procurement, the Bundeswehr is actually making a loss. As correct as the donations to Ukraine are in terms of material and ammunition. In the current security situation, it is unacceptable that there is no compensation," he added.

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The oil tanker Central Park, associated with Israel and owned by Zodiac Maritime, was seized off the coast of Yemen near the city of Aden, the Associated Press has reported, citing the private information and analytical firm Ambrey.

"A private intelligence firm says an oil tanker linked to Israel has been hijacked off the coast of Aden, Yemen, by unknown forces," the agency wrote.

According to Ambrey, cited by the agency, the US Navy appears to be involved in the situation and has "asked vessels to stay away from the area."

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Zelensky’s wife faces backlash after Kiev airstrike complaints

Olena Zelenskaya has been slammed online after she took to X (formerly Twitter) to rhetorically ask when explosions in Kiev would end.

Netizens were quick to mock Zelensky’s wife and did not hesitate to remind her about the suffering of the people of Donbass who live under constant shelling from Kiev since 2014.

Social media users also did not ignore the fact that the conflict could have been stopped much earlier and expressed their utter disbelief at Zelenskaya's ignorance regarding the current situation in the country.

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🇳🇱 A demonstration is taking place in Amsterdam against the supply of weapons to Ukraine by Western countries.

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Direct hit!

📹 Russia's drone operators destroyed a Ukrainian camouflaged artillery gun in the Novoivanovka area with loitering munition

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The Russian Embassy in London is asking the United Kingdom to comment on the statement by a senior Ukrainian lawmaker who said that former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was the one who convinced Kiev in 2022 not to negotiate with Moscow and continue the fighting instead.

Earlier, Davyd Arakhamia, the head of Ukraine's ruling Servant of the People party's faction in the parliament and the former chief negotiator with Russia, said that Johnson talked Kiev out of signing an agreement with Moscow to end the conflict in the spring of 2022.

Russia and Ukraine held a few rounds of talks in the early phase of the conflict but the negotiation eventually stalled.

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What adds to Israel’s state coffers?

Israel’s current financial might is thought to be the result of several factors, including:

▪️The US’ hefty contributions, which has totaled a whopping $260 billion since 1948;

▪️Economic reforms implemented in the aftermath of a crisis in the early 1980s;

▪️Heavy investment in research and development, which led to the developments in 2021, when Israel’s expenditure on R&D jumped to all-time record 5.6% of GDP;

▪️Exports of high technology, which brought about $17 billion to Israel’s state coffers;

▪️Tourism industry, where revenues are estimated to soar to $4,45 million in the next several years.

Check out our website for details

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

▪️Egypt has received a list of 13 Israeli hostages and 39 Palestinians who will be exchanged on Sunday as part of the Hamas-Israel agreement, according to reports;

▪️Netanyahu said that the ground operation will continue until the complete victory over Hamas during a visit to the Gaza Strip;

▪️Hamas has said it handed over 13 Israeli hostages, three Thais and one Russian to the Red Cross;

▪️Hamas has said it favors extending the truce after the end of the four-day period and seeks to increase the number of hostages released;

▪️Biden says he will urge Netanyahu to extend hostage release deal with Hamas via a phone call.

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Partners-in-Crime: how West and Zelensky dragged Ukraine into bloodshed

"It is true that Boris Johnson was the person who ordered Zelensky not to stop fighting, and as a result, it is Johnson and Joe Biden who are responsible for over 500,000 Ukrainian lives," Scott Bennett, a former US Army psychological warfare officer and State Department counter-terrorism analyst, told Sputnik, stressing that the Ukrainian president is equally guilty.

Leader of the Servant of the People faction Davyd Arakhamia named ex-UK PM Boris Johnson, as the Western leader who persuaded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to ditch a preliminary peace deal with Russia in March 2022 in Istanbul.

However, BoJO did not act alone: EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell said, "This war will be won on the battlefield," and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin unveiled his plan to bleed Russia white.

Check out Sputnik's article to find out more

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🇵🇰 🌐 Formidable Group: Why Pakistan Wants to Join BRICS

"Pakistan, like many other countries, has expressed interest to join it and has reached out to Russia, in particular, for support of its membership bid," diplomat at the Pakistan Embassy in Moscow said.

🗣 Former manager of Engro Corporation and analyst, Dr. Shahid Rashid, said that becoming a BRICS member might help Pakistan reduce dependency on traditional Western markets and give it opportunities to enter other members' growing consumer base.

Benefits for Pakistan of Joining BRICS

◾️ Collective economic might;

◾️ BRICS represents 40 percent of the global population;

◾️ Combined contribution of the five BRICS members to global GDP is 31.5%, and with its new members, the bloc is expected to contribute over 50% of the global GDP by 2030.

🗯 "The establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) by BRICS members aims to support infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging economies. So this initiative can help Pakistan by promoting economic growth and financial prosperity,” Rashid explained.

🤝 Considering Pakistan's current energy crisis and the need for more foreign direct investment to stimulate economic growth, becoming a BRICS member could be part of the solution to some of the country's political and economic challenges.

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🇺🇸💭 The American dream is dead?

The American Dream is the belief that everyone can achieve their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone.

According to a survey conducted by US media, only 36% of Americans say they believe the American Dream is alive today, compared to 45% who say it no longer exists and 18% who say it never existed.

Americans are also distrustful of the American system in general. Half of respondents say they believe the US economic and political systems are "stacked against people" like themselves. Less than a third, 30%, of voters think life in America is better than it was 50 years ago, compared to 50% who think it's gotten worse and 20% who say it's about the same.

The pessimism in the United States is understandable, as inflation outpaced wages for the second year in a row in 2022. Adjusted for inflation, real wages grew by only $0.18 from 1973 to February 2022.

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Pope Francis said he got pneumonia but was still planning to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai on December 1.

After the short announcement, the pontiff announced that the representative of the Vatican Secretariat of State, Paolo Luca Braida, who is the author of the pontiff's sermons, will speak for him.

The pontiff's pale face and weak voice gave away his illness. While Braida was reading the sermon, the Pope suffered a mild coughing fit.

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Join #AfroVerdict on World Information Day and get the African opinion on the place of African media in painting an accurate picture of the continent and more.

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📹 Russian paratroopers captured Ukrainian soldiers north of Artemovsk (Bakhmut)

After the artillery preparation the paratroopers advanced to the attack - those who resisted were eliminated, 4 soldiers were captured, the rest fled, throwing their weapons.

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🇺🇸 The US Senate will begin considering US President Joe Biden's $106 billion supplemental funding request on December 4, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

"I intend to bring the President’s national security supplemental package to the floor," Schumer claimed, adding that the consideration and adoption of the bill is "one of the most important tasks" that must be addressed by the Congress.

In October, the Biden administration submitted to Congress a $106 billion request to provide assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and some other countries. The amount includes around $61.4 billion for Ukraine and another $14.3 billion for Israel.

The US has spent more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine. And as Biden urges Congress to spend billions on assistance to other countries, the US is experiencing increasing food insecurity amid rising inflation.

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🇷🇺 On the occasion of Marine Corps Day, which commemorates the establishment of this branch of the Russian Armed Forces, we present a video showing the spectacular work of Russian marines.

The Russian Marine Corps has an impressive array of weapons and military hardware that helps it perform the most demanding missions. These include, but are not limited to: amphibious tanks with 125mm guns, BMP-3F amphibious infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, artillery systems, infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and drones.

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🇷🇺 Russia will test first naval drones in the special operation zone

The device is often referred to as "one-off boats", which can also act as kamikaze drones. These boats are difficult to detect due to their design and size.

The drone will be able to reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour (49.7 miles per hour) and have a payload of about 600 kilograms (1,322 pounds), with a range of more than 200 kilometers (124 miles).

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