❗️73 year–old centrist Francois Bayrou appointed new prime minister of France - Elysee Palace

Bayrou served as minister of education and was a presidential candidate in the 2002, 2007 and 2012 elections.

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📹 THROWBACK: In 1990, then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat chose an interesting way to suggest that Israel had expansionist plans and - among other territories - was going to claim “half” of Syria.

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❗️The Russian Army liberated seven settlements this week, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD's weekly briefing on the special military operation's progress:    

▪️The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 12,000 soldiers in a week in all areas of the special operation;

▪️Over the past seven days, 15 group strikes were carried out on energy facilities that ensure the operation of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, as well as airfields, arsenals and deployment points;

▪️Russia's Black Sea Fleet aircraft and boats destroyed eight unmanned boats in a week;

▪️Ukraine lost up to 1,830 soldiers in Russia's Yug Battlegroup's combat zone;

▪️Ukraine lost up to 2,230 soldiers, seven tanks, and 33 armored vehicles in the Sever Battlegroup's combat zone;

▪️Ukraine lost up to 290 soldiers in the Dnepr Battlegroup's combat zone;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down 279 drones over the week.

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Six Syrian Druze villages want to become part of Israel - reports

The heads of six Druze communities in southern Syria held a meeting near Hermon earlier this week to propose that their villages be annexed by Israel, local media reported.

The Druze have made such a decision out of fear that Sunni-led armed opposition would oppress them as a national and religious minority.

Moreover, there is a Sunni bias in Syria that the Druze are collaborating with Israel, since Syrian and Israeli Druze are related by family ties.

The majority of Druze villages in southern Syria are in the buffer zone currently occupied by the Israel Defense Forces.

In a separate development, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu recently met with Sheikh Mawafek Tarif, the leader of Israeli Druze community, to discuss the safety of the Druze people in Syria.

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💬 Israel alone won’t be able to decide the fate of Druze community in Syria – ex-Knesset member

“There is great concern throughout Syria because there is uncertainty about the future and future relations with all the groups in Damascus. The Druze are loyal to their homeland and their state, so I don't think this is possible. Also, Israel alone will not be able to decide this fateful issue,” Akram Hasson, an Israeli Druze politician who served as a member of the Knesset in several spells from 2012 to 2019, told Sputnik.

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❗️Ukrainian losses in Russia's Kursk region in one day amounted to more than 200 militants and three tanks were destroyed (including two British Challengers), the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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Bearing the burden: How EU’s move to scrap Russian energy backfired

The EU plans to end Russian fuel ties for good, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen has told US media. Let’s take a look at how abandoning Russian energy supplies has already ridden roughshod over the bloc.

▪️EU countries had to pay $204 billion extra on natural gas over the past 20 months after cutting themselves off from cheap Russian pipeline gas.

▪️Household electricity prices increased in ten EU countries in the first half of 2024, compared with the first half of last year. The highest price tags were registered in Germany, Ireland, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

▪️Last year saw average household electricity prices in 22 EU members increase to $30.3 per 100kWh – up from $26.5 per 100kWh for the same period in 2022. “These prices were the highest recorded by Eurostat,” per the statistical agency.

▪️Europe’s benchmark natural gas prices surged last month to the highest since November 2023, increasing to $47.83 per MWh.

▪️In 2023, Latvia and Romania saw the highest jumps in gas prices, jumping 139% and 134%, respectively. In total, price tags increased in 20 EU members at the time.

▪️The average British household spent $1,202 on wholesale gas over the past 12 months - $1011 - more than in a typical year.

▪️In a sign of their “energy poverty”, the number of Europeans “unable to keep their homes adequately warm” has surged over the past several years, standing at 6.9%, 9.3% and 10.6% in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

Sources: data from Eurostat, the European Commission, OilPrice.com and the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit non-profit organization.

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Global South to account for 75% of trade with the Eurasian Economic Union in 2024

Nations from the Global South will represent three quarters of the Eurasian Economic Union's trade turnover by the end of 2024, the Minister of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Andrey Slepnev told Russian media. He added that the share of EU states has shrunk by 2.5 from 40% before 2022.

What other priorities does the Eurasian Economic Union have?

🇨🇳 Emphasis on China. China is a crucial partner for the Eurasian Economic Union, accounting for one-third of its trade turnover. Notably, 95% of settlements with China are conducted in national currencies. Additionally, trade with Turkiye and India is expected to reach $60 billion by the end of the year, with the majority of settlements made in national currencies.

🇦🇪 The UAE as a gateway to the Persian Gulf. The EEU plans to establish a free trade agreement with the UAE, aiming for a trade turnover exceeding $13 billion. Cooperation with the UAE will provide access to the Persian Gulf market and beyond, thanks to the country’s extensive partnership network.

🇮🇷 Iran on the way to the North-South corridor. The Eurasian Economic Union also seeks a free-trade agreement with Iran, a key nation in the North-South Transport Corridor. Besides, Iran has extensive experience in substituting imports and withstanding sanctions while developing its own technologies.

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Foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine? European politicians are at loggerheads

French President Emmanuel Macron recently sat down with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to discuss the possible deployment of a foreign peacekeeping force in Ukraine, in what followed the Paris talks on the matter between US President-elect Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The developments come as some senior European politicians seem to be at odds over the issue.

Who is backing the scheme?

▪️EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas: Soldiers from EU countries could one day serve in Ukraine, so “I think we should really not rule anything out.”

▪️German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock: “Of course everything that serves peace in the future” would be “supported by the German side with every effort.”

▪️German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius: “We are preparing, we're considering scenarios, but we are doing so in complete confidentiality."

Who is opposing the idea?

▪️Friedrich Merz, potentially Germany’s next chancellor: Talk of a German peacekeeping mission in Ukraine is “irresponsible.”

▪️Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz: Sending Polish troops to Ukraine is “out of the question at this point.” “Various scenarios are on the table. We will proceed as an alliance. NATO must play a key role here, not individual countries.”

▪️Poland’s PM Tusk: “I want to cut short speculation on the presence of troops from this or that country in Ukraine after a possible peace agreement or in the case of a cease fire. We discussed it, and decisions on any actions will be taken in Warsaw, only in Warsaw. And for the moment nothing like that is planned."

Macron, meanwhile, remains on the horns of a dilemma, where he is facing pressure from the US and the EU’s apparent reluctance to further be involved in the Ukrainian conflict.

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Middle East on fire: Who fights whom?

Several Middle Eastern countries are experiencing escalating conflicts and persistent warfare between neighboring states.

▪️Syria. In civil war since 2011, Syria is witnessing an escalation. It includes the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, continued fighting between the armed opposition and the Kurdish SDF, the growing strength of ISIS* terrorist cells, and Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights buffer zone and part of the Quneitra province.

▪️Lebanon. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has escalated in recent months from sporadic skirmishes on the Lebanese-Israeli border to IDF airstrikes and rocket attacks across the entire country.

▪️Palestine. The Gaza Strip struggles with a humanitarian catastrophe due to Israel's complete blockade and endless airstrikes. After a number of its leaders were assassinated, Hamas has shown minimal military activity. Israel continues military raids on the West Bank settlements, searching for Hamas supporters, but eventually civilians suffer severely.

▪️Israel. Israeli territory is subject to regular missile and drone attacks from Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis and Iran. The IDF have mobilized reservists to conduct military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria simultaneously.

▪️Iraq. ISIS* terrorist cells are still present in Iraq. The Axis of Resistance forces there support military efforts against Israel. The IDF has repeatedly struck Hashd al-Shaabi bases in the suburbs of Baghdad. During Israeli missile attacks on Iran, Iraqi air defenses shot down some of the missiles flying through the country's airspace.

▪️Iran. Iran has exchanged missile strikes with Israel several times. Tehran is also involved in the escalation in Syria, since the IRGC military advisers worked with the Syrian Arab Army.

▪️Yemen. As part of the Axis of Resistance, the Houthis regularly attack southern Israel and have blocked ships' passage to the Red Sea port of Eilat. The IDF, in turn, has bombed Houthi-controlled areas several times, including the port of Hodeidah.

*designated a terrorist organization

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Biden's administration lost half a million migrant children - NYC mayor

“We can no longer ignore the chaos caused by the Biden administration’s lack of leadership on this issue… We have 500,000 children who have sponsors in this country that we can't find,' New York's Democrat Mayor Eric Adams has said.

"We don't know if they're doing child labor, sex crimes, being exploited, 500,000 children," he reiterated.

He added that while he was committed to working with “anyone who can help us, the current administration has failed to act, and it’s time for a change in strategy."

This came following his meeting with Tom Homan, Donald Trump's incoming 'border czar'. During the meeting, Adams expressed his willingness to collaborate with the incoming administration.

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Why Israel now seeks to wipe out Syria’s anti-air capabilities?

The obliteration of Syria’s air defenses by Israeli airstrikes does little to Iran’s security, Russian military expert Yuri Lyamin of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies think tank tells Sputnik.

Syrian anti-air capabilities during Bashar al-Assad’s reign served as a source of early warning for Iran and helped keep the Israeli air force in check, he explains. The collapse of the Syrian Arab Republic deprived Iran of this asset.

“It should be noted, however, that Syrian air defense has already been weakened by Israeli strikes – many radar stations and air defense systems were destroyed in the past few years,” Lyamin remarks, pointing out that Syrian defenses did not hamper the October 26 Israeli attack on Iran.

According to Lyamin, Israeli strikes on Syrian military infrastructure are simply meant to weaken Syria, to ensure that it remains weak no matter who ends up seizing power there.

With the Syrian army basically ceasing to exist and other armed groups in the country lacking adequate air defenses, Israeli aircraft can now attack whichever targets in Syria they want with impunity, he notes.

Lyamin also warns that reports about US President-elect Donald Trump allegedly mulling strikes against Iran to prevent the latter from developing nuclear weapons may not be just efforts to put pressure on Tehran.

Some of Iran’s key nuclear sites are hidden so deep underground, he explains, that, nuclear weapons aside, they could only be destroyed by the “most powerful bombs” that only the US strategic bombers can carry.

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❗️The Kiev regime is using the latest IAEA resolution on nuclear power plants to try to distract the world's attention from its recent attack on the agency's employees, said Russian FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Zakharova noted that the Ukrainian resolution is non-binding and does not require implementation, and that documents with references to it will be legally null and void.

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❗️The Western minority that did not express condolences over the deaths of Russian journalists has completely exposed itself, Russian FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said after disapproving of a recent UNESCO report on journalist safety.

"We thank all those involved and concerned who sent letters in support of colleagues, expressed protest. Your efforts were not in vain, the fake report was not approved, but only taken into account," she wrote on her Telegram channel.

The UNESCO report on impunity for crimes against journalists in 2022-2023, which does not mention the dead Russian journalists, was not approved for the first time, despite pressure from the West, according to Russia's permanent representative to the organization, Rinat Alyautdinov.

According to the diplomat, most UNESCO member states did not agree with the odious report, demonstrating the unity of the countries of the Global South.

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😱 Hegemon’s official message

💬 “asfasfasdfasfdasdfasfasfasfsadffffffffffffffffffffasdfsfsafsfdwfgasdgbdfbgdsgasdgdsbdb,” the US Department of Defense (DoD) wrote on its official website.

Secret message? Accident? Keyboard nap? The world is left to wonder…

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