The United States opposes a ceasefire in Gaza, believing that without a victory over Hamas it will only “perpetuate” the problem, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

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🔥 Professionals in action

📹 Russian artillerymen of the Vostok Battlegroup hit Ukrainian strongholds in Kleshcheyevka.

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🇧🇪 Thousands of people marched in the center of Brussels against the increasing manifestations of anti-Semitism in Europe.

The march, the route of which was kept secret until the last day, takes place under heavy police protection.

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📹 Russian forces raised their flag over Maryinka in the DPR

At the moment, assault groups are establishing a foothold in the populated area, strengthening positions, and conducting reconnaissance of the nearest forest belt and the populated area of Georgiyevka.

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🇩🇪 Germany imported 2.5 times less gas in January-September this year compared to the same period in 2021, but failed to make any savings as prices also grew 2.5 times, Sputnik has calculated based on data from the German statistical office.

German gas imports in the first nine months of 2023 dropped to 47.9 billion cubic meters from 65.9 billion cubic meters in the same period last year. For comparison, the country imported as much as 121.7 billion cubic meters of gas in 2021, data showed.

At the same time, the average annual price per cubic meter of gas has risen sharply from 0.18 euros ($0.19) in 2021 to 0.45 ($0.48) this year. As a result, Germany's gas import bill stood at 21.3 billion euros in January-September this year compared to 22.2 billion euros in the same period in 2021, despite the significant drop in supplies.

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🇺🇸 The United States has $1 billion left to replenish its own arms reserves that have been depleted by regular deliveries to Ukraine, the White House reported.

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🇭🇺🇺🇸 Allies of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán "will hold a closed-door two-day meeting with Republicans in Washington to push for an end to US military support for Ukraine" on Monday, according to the Guardian.

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Around the clock

📹 Russian unmanned aircraft crews of the Airborne Forces of the Dnepr Battlegroup conduct round-the-clock aerial surveillance of Ukrainian units on the right bank of the Dneper river in the Kherson region.

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🇷🇺🇩🇪 Lavrov says Russia not cutting diplomatic ties with Germany

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was not "breaking off" diplomatic relations with Berlin, pointing to the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the credentials of a new German ambassador.

On Monday, Putin swore in 21 new ambassadors, including those of Germany, the United Kingdom, and Turkiye.

"We are not breaking off any diplomatic relations... But we will tell them the truth," Lavrov told Rossiya 1 reporter Pavel Zarubin ahead of the ceremony.

In May, the German government announced that only one out of five Russian consulates in Germany would be allowed to operate, along with the Russian Embassy in Berlin.

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🇵🇸 Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Sunday called for imposing sanctions on Israel for its violence against Palestinians and holding the United States to account for supporting Israel's failure to abide by international law and UN resolutions.

"If Israel is above international law, I think Israel should be put on sanctions. Israel should not be allowed to continue violating international humanitarian law, international law [and] the United Nations resolutions … For the United States to block a United Nations Security [Council] resolution, one should hold the Americans responsible [for supporting Israel's violence] in Gaza and in the West Bank," he said at the Doha Forum.

Israel, as an "occupying power," is responsible for providing Palestinians with electricity, water, food and medical supplies, Shtayyeh said, describing Israel's total blockade of the enclave as a criminal act.

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⚡️ Biden invites Zelensky to visit White House on December 12

US President Joe Biden has invited his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to visit the White House on December 12 to discuss the US's support for Ukraine, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Sunday.

"President Biden has invited President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to the White House for a meeting on Tuesday, December 12 to underscore the United States’ unshakeable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine," Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The presidents will discuss Ukraine's "urgent" needs and Washington's support for Kiev, the official added.

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🇮🇱🇵🇸 IDF says hits 3,500 Hamas targets in Gaza Strip since end of ceasefire

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that it had struck over 3,500 targets of Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the end of ceasefire earlier in the month.

"Since Hamas violated the operational pause and the IDF resumed combat, the IAF [Israel Air Force] has struck over 3,500 terror targets in the Gaza Strip... Since the beginning of the war, over 22,000 terror targets have been struck in the Gaza Strip," the IDF wrote on Telegram.

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 Death toll in Gaza Strip from Israeli strikes amounts to almost 18,000

"The number of Gaza Strip residents killed due to Israel's aggression since October 7 has risen to 17,997, with 49,290 injured," Palestinian Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Qudra told a press conference.

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🚚 Truckonomics: Russia's 2023 HGV sales smash records

New truck sales in Russia are set to break all-time industry records by reaching an unprecedented 128,069 vehicles from January to November this year, an impressive 81.5% annual increase.

November saw 12,067 trucks sold in Russia, according to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Analysts predict that the end-of-year figures for sales will surpass the previous high of 128,900 recorded in 2012.

Leading the charge is the prominent KAMAZ brand, which secured the lion's share with 26,066 vehicles, holding a 20% market share. Other noteworthy contenders include Chinese manufacturers Sitrak (21,678), Shacman (18,540), and FAW (11,782).

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🇺🇸 “There are more militant groups than there were when we started the so-called ‘War on Terror’ in 2001”

In a rare display of dissent on US corporate media, Stephanie Savell of Brown University’s Costs of War project appeared on television Sunday to recount the tragic consequences of US militarism.

US armed forces have a “footprint” in 78 countries around the world consisting of as many as 900 global military bases.

Additionally 4.5 million deaths have resulted from American interventions since 2001 while the country backs 73% of the world’s dictatorships.

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🇺🇳 Emergency Special Session of UNGA to discuss Gaza to be resumed on Tuesday

UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis will convene the plenary meeting of the Tenth Emergency Special Session on Tuesday to discuss the situation around the Gaza Strip, spokesperson to the UN General Assembly President, Monica Grayley, stated on Sunday.

On Friday, the United States vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution that demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The resumption of the special session was requested on Friday by Egypt's permanent representative to the UN Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek Mahmoud and Mauritania's permanent representative to the UN Sidi Mohamed Laghdaf "in their respective capacities as Chair of the Arab Group and Chair of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation," Grayley added.

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🇮🇷 Iran calls on EU to take more effective steps to stop attacks on Gaza Strip

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian urged the European Union to take more efficient measures to prevent the continuation of the Gaza conflict and lift the blockade of the enclave, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated on Sunday.

"Amirabdollahian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, addressed a letter to Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In the letter, Amirabdollahian highlighted the recent positions of the European side, emphasizing the urgent need to establish an enduring ceasefire, halt the massacre of civilians in Gaza, and adhere to international humanitarian law," the ministry said in a statement.

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🇳🇱 The Netherlands resumed buying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia in September after a three-month hiatus, Sputnik calculated based on Dutch statistical data.

In April, Dutch Energy Minister Rob Jetten said that his country was working to halt all LNG imports from Russia, winding down all the existing contracts. Next month, Dutch imports of LNG from Russia, which had seen no interruptions before, declined by almost 30% and stopped completely in June. The pause lasted throughout the summer.

In September, however, the Netherlands bought 211.5 million cubic meters of Russian LNG for €109 million euros ($117 million). This drove Dutch imports from Russia up 5.4% month-on-month to $410.5 million.

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