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  • Mass evacuation continues in the Philippines after volcanic eruption

    Mass evacuation continues in the Philippines after volcanic eruption

    Mass evacuation continues in the Philippines after volcanic eruption

    A powerful eruption of the Kanlaon volcano began in the Philippines, causing a mass evacuation of 87,000 people. The authorities declared a danger zone within a 6 km radius and raised the alert level to the third level.

    In the central part of the Philippines, about 87 thousand people are being evacuated after a sudden and powerful eruption of the Kanlaon volcano. This is reported by the AR, according to UNN.

    Details

    The eruption, which occurred on Monday, caused a huge column of ash and a pyroclastic flow — a super-hot mixture of gases, ash and debris that descended its western slopes.

    Local authorities have declared a danger zone within a radius of six kilometers from the volcano. In the town of La Castellana, Negros-Occidental province, almost 47 thousand people are being evacuated. More than 6 thousand people have already been moved to evacuation centers, while others have found temporary shelter in the homes of relatives.

    Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government was ready to provide all necessary support to the victims, and the minister of social protection personally visited the affected region.

    We are ready to support families who were evacuated outside the danger zone,

    – Marcos emphasized.

    The authorities imposed a night curfew, closed schools and provided residents with masks, food and hygiene products. Air quality is also monitored due to the risk of toxic gas poisoning.

    The eruption lasted almost four minutes and caused serious interruptions in transport links. At least six domestic flights were canceled, a flight to Singapore, and two local flights were diverted.

    According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the alert level has been raised to third on a five-step scale. This means that the eruption can continue and be even more powerful.

    Volcanic landscape from above: Iceland on fire due to eruptionNov 22 2024, 04:37 PM • 18041 view

    Teresito Bacolkol, the country's chief volcanologist, said the eruption could have been caused by the accumulation of old volcanic materials or the rise of magma.

    "This is a one — time but large eruption," he said.

    Canlaon volcano, 2,435 meters high, is one of the most active in the Philippines. The last time it erupted was in June 2024, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate. In 1996, its eruption without warning claimed the lives of three tourists.

    The Philippines, which is located in the Pacific Ring of fire, regularly faces earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and typhoons, making the country one of the most vulnerable to natural disasters in the world.

    recall

    In November of this year, Typhoon Toraji hit the Philippines, forcing the evacuation of 2,500 villages and closing ports. This is the fourth typhoon in less than a month, with the previous three killing 159 people.

  • General Staff: Russia has lost 755,940 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022

    General Staff: Russia has lost 755,940 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022

    General Staff: Russia has lost 755,940 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022

    Russia has lost 755,940 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Dec. 10.

    This number includes 1,350 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

    According to the report, Russia has also lost 9,524 tanks, 19,596 armored fighting vehicles, 31,037 vehicles and fuel tanks, 21,064 artillery systems, 1,253 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,023 air defense systems, 369 airplanes, 329 helicopters, 20,107 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.

    Ukraine won’t trade young soldiers’ lives for better weapons, Zelensky says“The priority should be providing missiles and lowering Russia’s military potential, not Ukraine’s draft age. The goal should be to preserve as many lives as possible, not to preserve weapons in storage.”General Staff: Russia has lost 755,940 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022The Kyiv IndependentAbbey FenbertGeneral Staff: Russia has lost 755,940 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
  • 175 combat engagements on the frontline: where the occupants tried to break through the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defense

    175 combat engagements on the frontline: where the occupants tried to break through the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defense

    175 combat engagements on the frontline: where the occupants tried to break through the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense

    Over the last day, 175 combat engagements took place, with the largest number of attacks in the Pokrovsk sector – 51. The enemy carried out 37 air strikes and fired over 4,000 times, using 1,617 kamikaze drones.

    Over the last day, 175 combat engagements took place in the frontline, 51 of them in the Pokrovsk sector. Active combat also took place in the Kurakhove sector. This is stated in the report of the General Staff as of 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, UNN reports .

    According to updated information, the enemy launched 37 air strikes on the positions of Ukrainian units and settlements, dropping 57 guided aerial bombs. In addition, he carried out more than four thousand attacks, including 115 from multiple launch rocket systems, and used 1,617 kamikaze drones to hit.

    Over the past day, missile forces of the Defense Forces hit the control point of the Russian invaders.

    In the Kharkiv direction , the enemy conducted offensive operations six times in the areas of Glubokoe and Volchansk.

    The number of military clashes per day in the Kupyansky direction reached seven. The defense forces repelled the attacks of the invaders in the areas of Lozovaya and Zagrizovo.

    In the Limansky direction, our troops stopped 14 enemy attacks. The main efforts of the invaders were concentrated in the areas of Grekovka, Zeleny Gai, Nadezhda, Makeyevka, Torsky and Yampolovka.

    Two attempts of the invaders to move forward near Chasovy Yar and Orekhovo-Vasilyevka were stopped by Ukrainian soldiers in the Kramatorsk direction.

    In The Turkish direction the enemy tried to advance eight times in the areas of Toretsk, Shcherbinovka and Nelipovka.

    Fifty-one attacks over the past day were repelled by our defenders in the Pokrovsky direction. Enemy troops are most active near Mirolyubovka, Lisovka, Luch, Dachensky, Chumatsky and Shevchenko.

    The Defense Forces continue to hold the enemy in the Kurakhovsky direction. in the areas of Solntsevka, Starye Terny, Zarya, Dalny, Dachny and Kurakhovo, the invaders tried to sell Ukrainian defensive lines 40 times.

    Twenty-seven enemy attacks were stopped by our defenders in the direction of Konstantinopol, Novoselka and near Sukhoi Yalov, Storozhevoye, Neskuchny and Blagodatny in the Vremovsky direction.

    Seven unsuccessful attempts to seize the positions of our defenders over the past day were made by the enemy in the Dnieper direction.

    Plus 1,350 occupants, 5 tanks and 14 drones: General Staff updates data on enemy lossesDec 10 2024, 06:08 AM • 4544 views

    The operational situation in Volyn and Polessky directions without significant changes. No signs of forming enemy offensive groups were found.

    On the border with the Chernihiv region, the enemy maintains a military presence, conducts reconnaissance activities and artillery attacks.

    The Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct operations in Kursk Region, where the enemy conducted 11 assaults on the positions of Ukrainian units over the past day.

  • Zelenskyy on meeting with Macron and Trump: I told Trump that Putin fears only him and, perhaps, China

    Zelenskyy on meeting with Macron and Trump: I told Trump that Putin fears only him and, perhaps, China

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he told the US President-elect President Donald Trump that the Russian leader Vladimir Putin "fears only him and, perhaps, China".

    Source: Zelenskyy on Х (Twitter)

    Details: Zelenskyy also added that it is important to work together on how to end the war in Ukraine.

    Quote: "That is our top priority.

    During the meeting in Paris, this was exactly what we focused on and it was a very productive conversation."

    Details: Zelensky expressed gratitude to French President Emmanuel Macron and Trump.

    Quote: "I reiterate my gratitude to President Macron for organizing it, as well as my deep gratitude to President Trump for his strong resolve to bring this war to a fair end.

    This is the right approach, and it is important that all details are thoroughly worked out to ensure that peace is truly durable.

    We know that America has the capacity to accomplish remarkable things — things that others have not been able to achieve. To succeed in ending this war, we need unity — the unity of America, Europe, and everyone in the world who values security — as well as strong positions and guarantees for peace.

    I told President Trump that Putin fears only him and, perhaps, China. And that’s the truth — only decisiveness can bring this war to a just end and ensure lasting peace.

    Action is needed now to restore the proper international order."

    Background:

    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and US President-elect Donald Trump as productive, saying they all want to end the war in Ukraine fairly and as soon as possible.
    • Zelenskyy stated that in a conversation with Macron and Trump, in Paris, he emphasised that Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not want the war against Ukraine to end and must be forced to do so.

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  • Ukraine has approved the terms to receive a 40-year $20B loan secured by frozen Russian assets.

    Ukraine has approved the terms to receive a 40-year $20B loan secured by frozen Russian assets.

    FinancePolitics Ukraine has approved the terms to receive a 40-year $20B loan secured by frozen Russian assets. Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Ukraine has approved the terms to receive a 40-year $20B loan secured by frozen Russian assets.

    The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the terms of receiving a 40-year loan of up to $20B from the American Federal Financing Bank (FFB). This is part of the previously agreed upon G7 initiative to provide $50B to Ukraine that will be repaid using frozen Russian assets. According to the government resolution, the funds will be transferred to Ukraine through the Financial Intermediation Fund, established by the World Bank on October 10. The agreement provides for the conclusion of a certificate purchase agreement Ukraine, the FFB, and USAID with Ukraine as the borrower, a loan guarantee and repayment agreement between Ukraine and USAID, as well as Ukraine’s issuance of a debt certificate in favor of the FFB, secured by a USAID guarantee. The loan will bear interest at a rate of 1.3% per annum plus the current average rate on one-year US Treasury bonds, and its disbursement and repayment will be made from the proceeds of Russia’s frozen assets.

  • Biden is urged to commute death sentences for prisoners before Trump’s presidency

    Biden is urged to commute death sentences for prisoners before Trump’s presidency

    Biden is urged to commute death sentences for prisoners before Trump's presidency

    Religious and human rights organizations are calling on Joe Biden to use the right to commute death sentences before Trump's presidency. The pressure intensified after Biden pardoned his son Hunter.

    A number of human rights and religious organizations are calling on Joe Biden in the last days of his presidency to exercise the right to overturn the death penalty for American convicts. This is reported by The Guardian, according to UNN.

    Details

    It is noted that during Sunday prayers in Rome, Pope Francis voiced a request to stop the execution of prisoners. Immediately after that, hundreds of leaders of human rights unions published open letters to the owner of the White House calling for the non-death penalty, to the Trump presidency.

    Pressure on Biden only increased after the president exercised the right to pardon his son Hunter, who faced a long prison sentence for illegal gun possession and tax evasion.

    Biden has repeatedly publicly opposed the death penalty. But the first cadence of Donald Trump as president was marked by more executions than were carried out in the previous 10 terms of the head of state. In the last year of Trump's stay in the White House alone, 13 death sentences were carried out.

    recall

    The Biden administration is discussing the possibility of preemptively pardoning officials who may face prosecution under the Trump presidency. Potential candidates include Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley, Adam Schiff and Liz Cheney.

  • Russia’s defense spending surges to record levels, media reports

    Russia’s defense spending surges to record levels, media reports

    Russia’s defense spending surges to record levels, media reports

    Russia’s spending on “national defense” reached an unprecedented $43 billion in the third quarter of 2024, The Moscow Times reported on Dec. 9.

    From July to September, the Russian government spent an average of $3.29 billion per week, or $19.6 million per hour, on military maintenance and arms purchases, based on an exchange rate of 100 rubles per dollar.

    Both open and classified defense expenditures soared. Publicly disclosed spending totaled $13.81 billion, up 71% from the previous quarter, while classified spending surged 131% to $29.47 billion.

    This marks an 80% increase compared to the second quarter and a 53% year-on-year rise.

    This single-quarter defense expenditure is nearly triple Russia’s annual higher education budget of $15.46 billion and about 15 times the yearly budgets of regions such as Irkutsk ($2.7 billion) or Novosibirsk ($3.33 billion).

    Spending on military salaries, including substantial bonuses for contract workers, rose by 26% year-over-year to $6.14 billion.

    Additionally, expenditures on “military cooperation with foreign countries,” potentially including Iranian drones and North Korean munitions, reached a record $1.73 billion in Q3.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a federal budget on Dec. 1 with record defense spending over the next three years.

    In 2025, military expenditures will reach 13.5 trillion rubles ($126 billion), or over 6% of GDP, exceeding combined spending on education, healthcare, social policy, and the economy.

    While military spending is projected to decline slightly in 2026 and 2027, it will remain substantial at 12.8 trillion rubles ($114.9 billion) and 13.1 trillion rubles ($122.4 billion).

    Russia has spent $200 billion on full-scale war in Ukraine, suffered 700,000 casualties, Austin saysRussia has spent at least $200 billion on its war with Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a conference on Dec. 7 in California.Russia’s defense spending surges to record levels, media reportsThe Kyiv IndependentBoldizsar GyoriRussia’s defense spending surges to record levels, media reports
  • One Russian missile carrier without “Kalibr” is in the Black Sea

    One Russian missile carrier without “Kalibr” is in the Black Sea

    One Russian missile carrier without “Kalibr” is in the Black Sea

    There is one Russian carrier ship without Kalibr cruise missiles in the Black Sea. There are 6 enemy ships in the Mediterranean, 4 of which have 41 missiles on board.

    One enemy Kalibr carrier without cruise missiles is on combat duty in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian Navy reports, UNN reports.

    In the Black Sea, there is 1 enemy ship, which is the carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles, with a total salvo of 0 missiles, in the Sea of Azov there are no enemy ships,

    – the statement said.

    Details

    It is also reported that there are 6 enemy ships in the Mediterranean Sea, 4 of them are carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles, with a total salvo of up to 41 missiles.

    Over the past day, due to weather conditions, no passes through the Kerch Strait were recorded.

    Image

    Pletenchuk on the russian military-industrial complex and missile buildup: "Although lame, it works"Nov 15 2024, 10:16 AM • 15613 views

  • David Coote sacked by PGMOL with position ‘untenable’ as FA continue ‘betting probe’

    David Coote sacked by PGMOL with position ‘untenable’ as FA continue ‘betting probe’

    David Coote referees Liverpool

    Premier League referee David Coote has been sacked by the PGMOL after the refereeing body found his position to be “untenable” after a “thorough investigation”.

    Coote was suspended by the PGMOL on November 11 pending a full investigation as a video surfaced of him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp.

    He said: “Liverpool were s**t.

    “C**t, absolute c**t. Aside from having a right pop at me when I was reffing against Burnley in lockdown, he accused me of lying and then just had a right f***ing pop at me.

    “I’ve got no interest in speaking to somebody as f***ing arrogant. I do my best not to speak to him…my god, German c***t. F*** me.”

    Another investigation was opened two days later after a further video appeared which appeared to show Coote sniffing white powder with a rolled up bank note while officiating at the European Championship.

    READ MORE: Don’t be surprised if referees think you and your manager are c***s

    The PGMOL said Coote’s actions made his position “untenable”.

    “David Coote’s actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract,” the PGMOL said.

    “Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare.”

    Coote has the right to appeal the decision to terminate his employment.

    The FA has also been investigating allegations that Coote discussed giving a yellow card before a game. The allegations centre on an exchange of messages before and after Coote refereed the Championship game between Leeds and West Brom in October 2019, in which he booked the Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski.

    Coote’s post-match ‘message to a pal’ read: “I hope you backed as discussed”.

    It is also noted that ‘Coote accepts a discussion took place, but claims it was only banter and nothing improper took place.’

    Coote denied any wrongdoing and said the allegation was “false and defamatory”.

    More to follow.

  • White House believes fall of Assad regime in Syria indicates weakening of Russia and Iran – CNN

    White House believes fall of Assad regime in Syria indicates weakening of Russia and Iran – CNN

    Jon Finer, Deputy National Security Advisor to the White House, believes that the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria indicates the weakening of Russia and Iran.

    Source: European Pravda, citing Finer in an interview with CNN

    Details: Finer noted that Moscow and Tehran, the main pillars of the Assad regime, "were completely caught off guard by this [the fall of Assad's regime], but that wasn't just a mistake, and it wasn't just an accident".

    "[The Assad regime – ed.] had effectively become a Russian-Iranian joint venture inside Syria, and both of those joint venture partners were no longer able to provide the support that the regime needed in order to survive, and that's a big part of why it's no longer in power," he added.

    The White House official added that this is not Iran's first loss in the Middle East in recent months, recalling the Hamas and Hezbollah groups weakened by the war with Israel.

    "This is not a moment of strength for Iran, and what the implications are of that I'll let others speculate about, but that is, frankly, the result of work by the United States and our partners over the course of the last year that brought us to that moment," said Finer.

    On the other hand, the war in Ukraine has already "shown what kind of a security partner Russia can be to other countries," the advisor added.

    Background:

    • On 8 December, rebels in Syria announced that they had taken control of the capital, Damascus, signalling the end of more than two decades of Assad's rule. Assad is believed to be in Moscow.
    • Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Adviser, noted that the United States will work to protect the US against the terrorist threat that could come from Syria after the sudden overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime in the country.

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