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

▪️The number of people killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip has risen to 18,608 with 50,594 injured, according to Gaza's Health Ministry;

▪️Hamas has stopped responding to mediators' proposals to resume negotiations on the release of hostages, CNN reports, citing sources;

▪️Israel to continue war against Hamas regardless of international support, according to Israeli foreign minister;

▪️Political and administrative future of Gaza Strip will be discussed only after achievement of "military goals", Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

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🇺🇸🪙The Federal Reserve left US interest rates unchanged during its policy meeting, marking the third time in a row for such a decision after 11 prior interest rate hikes to help ease inflation.

The 5.25%-5.5% range, in place since July, is the highest level in lending rates that the United States has practiced since 2001.

It was further indicated that three rate cuts were on the board in 2024, with another four in 2025. Three additional cuts were forecasted for 2026, with the ultimate goal being to cut rates to between 2% and 2.25%.

🇺🇸 Funding ‘other wars’ oversees depletes US resources and reserves

With the United States’ resources stretched thin between funneling arms to Ukraine and aiding Israel, Washington would likely be unable to even “fight a one front war right now,” says Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst in the Office of the US Secretary of Defense.

“And why fund other wars and other people when we can't even take care of our own?” he asks, noting how a growing number of Americans is becoming less and less thrilled about their government continuing to fund the regime in Kiev.

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🇮🇶🥾🇺🇸 Fifteen years ago on December 14, 2008, Iraqi journalist Mundtadar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. These shoes became a symbol of protest against US policy in the Middle East, against the war in Iraq, which by that time was already into its fifth year.

Al-Zaidi, in an exclusive interview with Sputnik, tells how this historical event affected his career.

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🇺🇸 House Republicans voted to formally authorize an impeachment inquiry into US President Joe Biden late Wednesday, a step lawmakers believe is needed to enforce subpoenas issued by the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees, which are heading the impeachment effort.

The vote, along partisan lines, saw Democrats overwhelmingly vote against the inquiry and all Republicans in favor of the measure.

The measure cleared the lower congressional chamber 221 to 212.

🇷🇺 🇲🇱 Russian language and culture center opens in Mali

"The work of the center will serve not only language and cultural education, but will also become a driving force for the emergence of new ideas, talents and common projects," said Oleg Yastrebov, Rector of Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.

The project aims to promote the expansion of humanitarian cooperation between educational organizations in Russia and Mali and the further development of bilateral relations between the countries.

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FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr slammed his own agency’s decision to deny Starlink a previously awarded $866 million subsidy to bring broadband internet to more than 640,000 homes, alleging it is a coordinated effort by US President Joe Biden’s administration to target Starlink owner Elon Musk after his purchase of Twitter.

Carr argues the FCC created an impossible standard for Starlink, requiring it to demonstrate it is already providing internet at the required speed in the area, though the previous standard only required 40% coverage by December 31, 2025. He says that no other company awarded subsidies in 2020 would meet that standard.

“The Biden Administration is choosing to prioritize its political and ideological goals at the expense of connecting Americans. We can and should reverse course,” Carr wrote.

❗️ Russian air defenses in the Naro-Fominsk urban district repelled an attack by a drone flying toward the Russian capital, with no casualties or destruction reported, said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

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🔥 Destroyed by precise hits

Russian paratroopers eliminate two Ukrainian tanks and one camoflaged gun using Lancet loitering munitions near Kleshcheyevka.

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🇮🇶🇺🇸 US hegemony must be stopped, it is absolutely unacceptable, Iraqi journalist Mundtadar al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush in 2008, told Sputnik.

He also compared the tragedy of the US occupation of Iraq and current catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.

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The US is heading towards a massive recession, possibly a depression, due to its endless printing of money to fund the military and dole out foreign aid, economist Mark Frost told Sputnik’s Fault Lines.

🗣 “I run the local Humane Society here and pet abandonments are at an all-time high. People show up and say ‘I can’t afford my cats and dogs, can you take them?’ and that tells me, combined with all the macroeconomic leading indicators that we’re heading into a severe recession, to the point where you might even use the depression word,” Frost explained. “If that happens[...] no one is going to care about Iran.”

Frost said that while he has voted for more Democrats in his life than Republicans, he cannot understand the Biden administration’s actions, calling them “economic suicide.”

“The problem is, we are going to have 40-50 million Americans that are going to land really hard and probably 10 million of them are just going to splatter on the concrete,” Frost explained.

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🇮🇶 A thrown shoe is a sign of extreme disrespect in Arab culture. Iraqi journalist Mundtadar al-Zaidi told Sputnik which of today's leaders and politicians he is ready to extend the contrary gesture to: a hand shake.

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📹 Assault units of the Russian Airborne Forces destroyed Ukrainian fighters during an attack on a strongpoint near the village of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye region. During the operation, two Ukrainian soldiers were captured (1:06).

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🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin's Annual Presser and Q&A Session: What Will the Focus Be?

Russian President Vladimir Putin will answer questions from Russians and journalists live on December 14, after 12:00 Moscow time (GMT+3).

"On December 14, Vladimir Putin will summarize the events of the year, it will be televised," as per presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. So what has this year been famous for?

▪️The NATO-backed Ukrainian counteroffensive failed, prompting deep divisions in the Western bloc;

▪️Russia has completely adapted to sanctions pressure, as well as expanded its global outreach, and shown economic growth;

▪️Western efforts to isolate Russia have proven futile as demonstrated during Putin's Mideast tour;

▪️Putin formulated new civilizational principles of Russia's future development and its role in the new multipolar world at the XXV World Russian People's Council;

▪️Putin announced his 2024 re-election bid.

The event has attracted enormous attention in Russia: the number of questions has surpassed 2 million. New questions are continuing to arrive around the clock.

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🇺🇸 Milley laughed off Zaluzhny's demand to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine - Washington Post

The incident occurred during a telephone conversation between former head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny after the leak of classified Pentagon documents in April 2023.

Zaluzhny assured him that the leak would be useful to Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official said. “How so?” Milley asked. “It doesn’t say we have F-16s there, so send us some of those ASAP,” Zaluzhny said. Milley laughed in response, the source said.

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💰 Due to the rise in world gold prices, Russian reserves of this metal reached a record 151.9 billion dollars, according to data from Russia’s Central Bank.

The value of Russia's investments in gold increased by 2.2% in November, which was the highest level in modern history. The previous high was $148.7 billion in October.

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📹 Russian Grad MLRS crews at night destroyed the positions of Ukrainian forces in the Krasny Liman direction in the special military op zone.

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👋 Dear subscribers! Don't forget to join our exclusive stream with Dimitri Simes Jr. from Sputnik International as well as Simeon Boikov (@AussieCossack) right after Vladimir Putin's Q&A session. We'll discuss the main highlights of the event with the Russian president, sum up the political results of the year, and more!

📣 You can find us on Telegram, Facebook, and Rumble.

📻 Tune in from the US to Radio Sputnik at 105.5FM, 1390AM (Washington DC) and 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1140АМ (Kansas City)

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

▪️ Ukrainian warehouses of missile and artillery weapons were destroyed in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions;

▪️ In the Kupyansk direction, five attacks by Ukrainian forces were repelled at Sinkovka, Kiev’s total losses amounted to 45 military personnel, a tank, and two armored vehicles;

▪️ In the Krasny Liman direction, an attack by a Ukrainian assault group in the Yampolovka area was repelled; enemy losses amounted to up to 180 military personnel;

▪️ In the South Donetsk direction, a blow was struck on enemy positions in the Novomikhailovka area, enemy losses amounted to up to 90 troops killed and wounded;

▪️ In the Donetsk direction, six attacks were repelled and Kiev lost up to 265 military personnel, while during a counter-battery fight, two Akatsiya self-propelled guns, three Msta-B howitzers, and a D-30 gun were hit;

▪️ In the Zaporozhye direction, a blow was struck against Ukrainian manpower and equipment in the Rabotino area, with enemy losses amounting to up to 45 military personnel;

▪️ In the Kherson direction, enemy losses amounted to up to 40 military personnel.

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🛫 The United Kingdom, Italy and Japan have inked an international agreement within the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) military program to develop a cutting-edge stealth fighter with supersonic capability that is expected to come into operation by 2035, the UK Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The supersonic stealth jet will be equipped with "a powerful radar" able to provide 10,000 times more data than current systems and deliver "a battle-winning advantage," the statement read.

Earlier, the Russian state corporation Rostec announced that Russia has completed scientific work on creating a test stand for testing the new generation PAK DA (Perspective Aviation Complex of Long-Range Aviation) bomber. The new bomber is being developed by Tupolev. It is expected to enter service in 2027.

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📹 Footage from the hall where Vladimir Putin's Annual Presser and Q&A Session will take place in 30 minutes

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