Mohammed bin Salman will not attend the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro due to a chronic ear canal disease. The decision could also be influenced by Putin's absence and the end of Biden's presidency.
The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has decided to skip next week's G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Bloomberg reports, citing an informed source, UNN .
Details
The most likely reason is that a flight of more than 14 hours from the Saudi capital Riyadh to the Brazilian city could worsen a chronic ear canal disease that the 39-year-old suffers from, according to the source.
The Saudi leader has in the past experienced ear congestion and inflammation that lasted several days after long-haul flights, the source said. He has previously canceled foreign trips at the last minute, including a state visit to Japan this year when his ailing 88-year-old father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, was being treated for pneumonia.
A spokesman for the Saudi government declined to comment.
Prince Mohammed is the prime minister and manages the day-to-day affairs of the kingdom in view of the Saudi monarch's poor health. Last year, he attended the G20 summit in New Delhi.
The absence of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and the fact that Joe Biden's presidency in the United States ends in two months may have influenced Prince Mohammed's decision, the source added.
AddendumAddendum
The Saudi crown prince, who enjoys a warm relationship with Donald Trump, was one of the first world leaders to call the US president-elect to congratulate him immediately after his victory earlier this month. The royal, as the newspaper notes, is also close to Putin. russia and Saudi Arabia, which are among the world's five largest oil producers, continue to work together to manage market supply through the OPEC+ coalition they jointly lead.
Putin, as the newspaper recalls, high-fived Prince Mohammed during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in 2018, when the Saudi prince was ostracized by many Western leaders after the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate.
The United States and its allies have since put Khashoggi's case behind them, given the kingdom's political and economic weight and its increasingly prominent role in global finance. The crown prince has launched his multi-trillion dollar master plan, known as Vision 2030, to open up the once ultra-conservative and mysterious country, reduce its dependence on oil, and propel it into the world's 10 largest economies, the publication notes.
Two of Alexander Lukashenko’s “challengers” in upcoming 2025 presidential elections drop out before race even starts, pledge support for Belarusian dictator.
Lukashenko pardons 31 political prisoners as pre-election police raids intensify.
Lukashenko allows the family to visit Maria Kalesnikava in jail, ending over 600 days of holding the prominent opposition leader incommunicado.
Ukraine, Russia ombudsmen meet in Belarus to exchange fallen soldiers’ bodies, discuss PoW humanitarian issues.
Rights groups push for international backing of Lithuania’s ICC referral over the Lukashenko regime’s abuses.
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Two of Lukashenko’s sham election rivals drop out of 2025 presidential election race
Two sham candidates in the 2025 Belarusian presidential elections — Siarhei Bobrykau, Belarusian Union of Officers chair, and former spokeswoman of the Interior Ministry, Olga Chemodanova — said on Nov. 12 that they were dropping out of the race and endorsing incumbent Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
The first presidential election in Belarus since the contested 2020 elections, which sent the country into an unresolved political crisis, is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2025. The regime-controlled Central Elections Committee allowed six token candidates to challenge Lukashenko.
Bobrykau justified his decision by saying he wanted to “ensure the cohesion of the officer corps, and to prevent the military ‘being in two minds’ about supporting the current head of state and our leader.”
Belarusian dictator Aleksander Lukashenko walks off the stage after delivering a national statement during the high level segment on day two of the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference at Baku Stadium on Nov. 12, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Chemodanova withdrew and similarly endorsed Lukashenko, saying that she, like other candidates, would form a “reliable rear” for him.
The monitoring campaign organized by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and Viasna Human Rights Center said in a statement that “such statements by fake presidential candidates are only to be expected, since they cannot exercise their right to participate in the country’s governance.”
The candidates dropped out without even starting to collect the signatures in their support, roughly a week after the Central Elections Committee registered initiative groups to support their candidacies.
The remaining registered candidates, Lukashenko himself and four loyalists — Anna Kanapatskaya, a sham candidate who took part in the 2020 presidential campaign; Siarhei Syrankou, the leader of the Communist Party of Belarus; Aleh Haidukevich, the leader of the pro-Lukashenko Liberal Democratic Party; and Alexander Hizhnyak, the leader of the Republican Party — have until Dec. 6 to gather over 100,000 signatures for their candidates in order to get on the ballot.
Lukashenko is seeking a seventh consecutive term in office after over four years of brutal crackdowns on civil society that have eliminated 1,700 non-profit organizations, outlawed all but four loyal political parties, and jailed Lukashenko’s main political opponents along with around 1,300 people who are now considered to be political prisoners.
The new electoral cycle unfolds while repression continues to haunt those who signed for alternative candidates in the 2020 elections, along with police raids, searches and arrests of people who took part in public protests.
31 political prisoners pardoned in Belarus amid sweeping police raids
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 31 political prisoners convicted on charges of “extremist activities” — even as police raids sweep the country ahead of presidential elections scheduled for Jan. 26, 2025.
Two women and 29 men were released, although their criminal records were not expunged, leaving them under strict control of the Internal Affairs Ministry, Lukashenko’s press office said on Nov. 7, without disclosing the names of those pardoned.
Three of the pardoned prisoners reportedly have disabilities, and 17 have chronic diseases.
Human Rights activists in Belarus report that prisoners had been deprived of timely and adequate medical help and suffered harsh detention conditions while in prison.
This is the fifth round of pardons since July 2024, bringing the total number of pardoned individuals to 146. Even so, nearly 1,300 political prisoners remain behind bars, and over the same period, Human Rights Group Viasna recognized 205 more individuals as having been jailed on politically motivated charges.
The release also coincided with nationwide police raids. Viasna reports that over 100 people, including 2020 protest participants, have been targeted since Oct. 31, which activists see as an intimidation effort ahead of Jan. 26, 2025 presidential elections. This will be the first presidential election since the 2020 mass public protests over the last poll, which was deemed not free or fair by the international community.
The contested presidential elections in Belarus in 2020 and subsequent nationwide protests sparked an unprecedented crackdown on civil society. Independent media and all but four regime-loyal political parties were eliminated, and Lukashenko regime opponents were jailed or forced into exile.
Seven political prisoners have died in custody.
Lukashenko allows family to visit opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava for the first time since her hospitalization in 2022
The father of prominent opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava has been allowed to visit her in a penal facility, breaking over 600 days of her being held in an incommunicado regime.
Photos of the meeting were posted on Nov. 12 by former opposition blogger Raman Pratasievich, who was captured by Minsk in the forced landing of a commercial flight in 2021.
He has since become a propagandist for the Lukashenko regime.
Former political prisoners recognized the location in which the pictures were taken as the prison hospital, the independent news outlet Nasha Niva.
It remains unknown whether Kalesnikava is undergoing treatment or was delivered to the facility from solitary confinement where she is reportedly held. Nasha Niva also claims video footage of Kalesnikava is to be aired on Friday, Nov. 15.
Kalesnikava, who led presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka’s campaign in 2020, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. In November 2022, she was taken to a prison hospital intensive care unit with a severe medical condition that had developed while she was in detention.
Following a brief visit by her father after that hospitalization, Kalesnikava’s family was unable to contact her for over 600 days. Incommunicado regimes were imposed on Kalesnikava as well as several other high-profile political prisoners, such as former presidential candidates Viktar Babaryka and Siarhei Tsikhanouskiy, veteran politician Mikalai Statkevich, and RFE/RL correspondent Ihar Losik.
Members of Kalesnikava’s family, who are actively seeking her release, say they were concerned for her life, and that prison food was unsuitable for her condition.
The family visit comes after BBC correspondent Steven Rosenberg questioned Lukashenko on Oct. 23 about Kalesnikava’s condition. In response, Lukashenko declared he was ready to consider Kalesnikava’s plea for a pardon. He claimed her family hadn’t been granted visits because “they didn’t want to visit her.”
Ukraine, Russia ombudsmen meet in Belarus to discuss humanitarian issues of war
Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Tatyana Moskalkova, met in Minsk on Nov. 8, to exchange lists of prisoners and letters from Ukrainian relatives to Ukrainian prisoners of war, and to discuss humanitarian issues amid Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
The meeting in Belarus, a co-aggressor state in Russia’s war against Ukraine, is thought to be the first since March 2022. While Belarus provided its territory for Russia’s offensive in February 2022, it has also been part of several Ukraine-Russia POW swaps.
During the meeting on Nov. 8, the parties also mutually repatriated the bodies of fallen soldiers. Kyiv received 563 bodies, while Russia received 37. One family was also reunited as a result of the meeting.
“I emphasize that I interacted with the Russian ombudsman to resolve humanitarian issues, return Ukrainians home, and obtain information about our citizens in Russia,” Lubinets said after the meeting.
The International Committee of the Red Cross also participated in the talks.
After supporting the Russian war against Ukraine, Belarus took part in exchanging 103 Russian prisoners of war from Ukraine in September, and another 95 in October.
Earlier, in July, the Lukashenko regime also released five Ukrainian citizens imprisoned in Belarus on politically motivated grounds as part of a Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap. Lukashenko claimed he had released a prisoner accused of a sabotage attack on a Russian radar and control aircraft in Belarus at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian prisoner was exchanged for Metropolitan Jonathan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, who had been sentenced to five years in prison for justifying, recognizing as legitimate Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Aiding Russia’s efforts to gain the release of a convicted Russian assassin, Vadim Krasikov, Belarusian dictator Lukashenko pardoned German citizen Rico Krieger, who had been sentenced in Belarus to capital punishment for espionage, and returned him as part of a historic East-West prisoner swap in early August 2024.
12 human rights organizations urge states to support Lithuania’s ICC referral against Lukashenko
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda speaks to members of the media during the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, U.S., on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the Viasna Human Rights Center of Belarus, and nine other human rights organizations have called on state parties to the Rome Statute to endorse Lithuania’s request to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the Belarusian authorities’ alleged crimes against humanity.
In the open letter published on Nov. 4, the civil society organizations urged ICC state parties to “strengthen” Lithuania’s referral and “send a united message” to the Belarusian regime that “the international community will not tolerate impunity for such crimes.”
The International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB), one of the organizations that signed the letter, reports that residents of Belarus have now sought exile in over 25 ICC State Parties, as well as at least 10 other States that have not ratified the Rome Statute.
Lithuania, which became home to Belarus’s exiled opposition and 60,000 of the Belarusian diaspora in the aftermath of Lukashenko’s brutal crackdown on dissent in 2020, on Sept. 30 formally requested that the ICC investigate the Belarusian regime for its alleged crimes against humanity.
The Lithuanian authorities maintain that by carrying out mass repression, Lukashenko’s regime has forced hundreds of thousands of Belarusians to flee the country and settle in neighboring states — which may constitute the crime of mass deportation.
According to a UN special rapporteur’s March 2024 report, around 300,000 Belarusian citizens have fled the country of under 10 million for fear of persecution.
Despite Belarus not being a party to the Rome Statute, the ICC has jurisdiction due to the alleged crimes being committed on participating nations’ territories. The ICC prosecutor general confirmed the receipt of the referral, claiming that a preliminary examination of the request is due, and its results will determine whether an investigation will be opened.
The head of the Kyiv RMA met with representatives of Poland to discuss support for Ukraine's Victory Plan. Security, energy issues and the restoration of Kyiv region's infrastructure were discussed.
The head of the Kyiv RMA discussed the importance of supporting Ukraine's Victory Plan during bilateral meetings with Polish officials. He met with Jacek Karnowski, State Secretary of the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy of Poland, and Adam Struzik, Marshal of the Mazovian Voivodeship, UNN reports.
"Achieving a just peace is a goal that unites not only Ukrainians but also our allies around the world. A set of decisive actions can stop the Russian aggressor. They are spelled out in the Victory Plan presented by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine is facing significant challenges. But we are fighting not only for our independence, but also for security in Europe," Ruslan Kravchenko said.
He added that such meetings are always a meaningful dialog and an opportunity to develop concrete solutions in the future. And also to convey to ordinary residents of these regions the key need of Ukrainians – a just peace based on the Victory Plan of our President.
The parties also discussed security and energy issues, involvement of Polish colleagues in the restoration of Kyiv region's infrastructure, and European integration processes.
"By the way, the Mazovian Voivodeship is a twin region of Kyiv region. Therefore, deepening interregional cooperation is a separate issue of the meeting. I am grateful to our Polish friends for their help! Only together can we ensure peace and development of Ukraine and the whole of Europe," said the head of the Kyiv RMA.
Liverpool are reportedly looking for cover for Virgil van Dijk, who could soon leave the club, and the defender himself has suggested Ajax man Jorrel Hato, who Arne Slot is already a fan of.
Liverpool will see Van Dijk leave at the end of the season if his contract is not renewed. The Reds icon is one of three major stars set to leave Anfield, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah.
Our friends at TEAMtalk have reported that the centre-back’s extension is close, but reports suggest Liverpool want to improve their backline anyway.
As per Rousing the Kop, bolstering the defence is an important topic for the Reds, and they have identified Ajax’s Hato as a long-term option to do so.
It is believed that the signing would help in the task of replacing Van Dijk, and the Dutchman himself is said to have offered advice about a new signing.
After consultations with him as well as manager Slot, Hato is now said to be a top transfer target for 2025 at Liverpool. Personal knowledge from the Netherlands is said to have aided the interest of both Reds men.
Hato is said to be ‘very high’ on the club’s list of defenders, due to the fact he can play as a left-back as well as he can play at centre-back, meaning he could also replace Andy Robertson.
Though it is believed that Hato will develop into one of the best centre-backs in the world, having already played three times for the Netherlands’ national team at 18 years of age, and that’s where he’s likely to be utilised at Anfield.
It’s unclear what fee he would command, but Liverpool’s interest is genuine and they will seemingly push hard for Hato when they decide the time is right to go after him, be that in January or the summer.
Nations League match interrupted after fans chant: Kosovo team leaves the field
The Kosovo national team left the field in the 93rd minute of the match against Romania because of pro-Serbian chants from the fans. The players refused to return to the field, and the match was interrupted with the score tied 0-0.
President Zelenskiy announces the testing of four types of new Ukrainian missiles. UAH 775 billion is allocated from the state budget for the production of drones in 2025.
Ukraine has four types of missiles, and they are currently being tested. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with Suspilne on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian Radio, UNN reports.
For almost three years, changes in the private and public sectors have led to the fact that we are definitely the most technologically advanced in Europe. When it comes to drones and electronic warfare systems, we have not yet achieved great results. But, nevertheless, we have them. We have four types of missiles and are currently testing them. Then there are naval drones, which have destroyed a large number of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
– Zelensky said.
The President believes that Ukraine is doing a good job in terms of technology and weapons.
"We have raised a lot of money from outside. And our budget, for example, includes UAH 775 billion for our drones and internal orders in 2025 alone. We already have this money. And this is only our money. And plus all other guaranteed finances from partners," Zelensky said.
Budget 2025: UAH 55 billion will be allocated for arms production more than last yearNov 12 2024, 10:31 AM • 29112 views
Addendum
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has crossed the mark of the first hundred missile weapons this year, and that this area is planned to be increased.
In October, Zelenskyy announced the successful flight test of a new Ukrainian ballistic missile.
The Estonian government has approved Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur's proposal to send a new military aid package to Ukraine.
Source: European Pravda, citing Estonian Defence Ministry
Details: The aid package will be drawn from the reserves of the Estonian Defence Forces, tailored to meet Ukraine's needs while ensuring Estonia's defence capabilities remain intact.
It will include naval uniforms, surveillance equipment, scopes, ballistic protection gear and various types of ammunition.
"This is not the final aid package," Pevkur noted. "We will soon launch an annual competitive support programme for Estonian companies, allowing Ukraine to benefit from goods produced by Estonia’s defence industry. This initiative will support not only Ukraine but also Estonia’s economy and security."
Background:
Estonia announced a €20 million military aid package for Ukraine in March.
Previously, Estonian officials stated that the country had almost exhausted its stockpiles of weapons and ammunition available for transfer to Ukraine.
At a session of the Georgian Central Election Commission, an opposition representative threw black paint on the chairman after the microphone was cut off. Despite the incident, the commission approved the election results, with Georgian Dream receiving 54% of the vote.
Georgian CEC Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili was doused with black paint during the commission's meeting, which approved the results of the parliamentary elections in the country, writes UNN with reference to "Real Time".
Details
There was reportedly a conflict between the head of Georgia's CEC and David Kirtadze of the opposition Unity-National Movement party. During Kirtadze's speech, Kalandarishvili cut off his microphone after the end of the regulated time. In response, the representative of the opposition party splashed a black liquid, presumably paint, at the head of the CEC.
"You don't hear the Georgian people, you don't hear the protesting students. You have taken away the future of Georgia, our future, and you are pushing our country towards russia. I can't even call you chairman, you are a 'dot ru'. You are a black spot," Kirtadze said.
The session was stopped, and after a pause, the CEC head appeared with an eye patch.
As a result, Georgia's CEC reportedly officially approved the results of the parliamentary elections held on October 26. According to the country's CEC, the ruling Georgian Dream party won almost 54 percent of the vote, thus securing 89 seats out of 150 in parliament.
Dissenters with the election results gathered near the CEC building in Georgia. After the end of the session of the commission, the protesters began to swing the fence. Police officers tried to force the protesters off the road and onto the sidewalk; detentions and clashes broke out.
Supplement
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili and opposition parties have not recognized the results of the country's parliamentary elections, amid hundreds of irregularities detected by observers and questions about the secrecy of the vote. Georgia's Central Election Commission and the ruling Georgian Dream party deny any fraud.
Analysts who have analyzed data from polling stations point to anomalies in the distribution of votes, which may indicate fraud: ballot stuffing, voter fraud or bribery in rural areas. Observers also noted similar irregularities in the Georgian elections.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in its report on the last elections in Georgia recorded "cases of vote buying, a widespread atmosphere of pressure and party-organized intimidation before and during the elections, especially in rural areas".
The non-profit observation organization "Fair Elections" (ISFED) recorded cases of drop-offs, bribery and "merry-go-rounds" among other violations.
Ukraine must do everything possible to end the war through diplomatic means, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a wide-ranging interview with Suspilne broadcast on Nov. 16.
During the interview, he told the broadcaster that he does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin wants peace but will instead use negotiations to reintegrate himself among Western countries that have isolated him since the start of the full-scale invasion.
"I don't think Putin wants peace at all. But this does not mean that he does not want to sit down with one of the leaders" to negotiate, Zelensky said.
"For him it destroys the political isolation that has been built since the beginning of the war. And it benefits him to sit down, talk, and not reach an agreement."
The previous day, Zelensky had warned that a phone call that day between Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – their first in nearly two years – risked opening a "Pandora's Box."
In the interview with Suspilne, Zelensky said that as president, he would only be able to negotiate seriously with the President of the United States, which Donald Trump does not become until he is inaugurated in January.
A necessary condition for negotiations, he added, is that Ukraine would not be "alone" with Russia, as just speaking with Putin was a "losing position."
He also said that the United States could not take a neutral position as a mediator: "America must maintain the position that Russia is an aggressor, that it has violated our territorial integrity and international law."
Regardless, the war in Ukraine will "end faster" under a Trump administration, Zelensky believes.
Zelensky also said that the country was "grateful" for the aid received, but still has not received half of the weapons allocated by the U.S.
Among its own domestically-produced weapons, the country is currently testing four types of missiles, he said.
When asked about the challenging situation on the frontlines, Zelensky acknowledged "slow, but nevertheless advancements" by the Russians. He cited fatigue among fighters, the slow pace of filling and equipping brigades, as well as delays on weapons deliveries from abroad.
Regarding mobilization, Zelensky said that in general, some things need to be adjusted but some things are going as planned, though there still is a need for more mobilization as the current figures are not enough.
Zelensky also said that the country expects combined strikes throughout the winter, but considers Ukraine is "a very good position" regarding its air defense systems.
President Zelenskyy stated the need to end the war diplomatically next year. He noted Russia's significant losses of 1,500-2,000 troops daily and the wait for manned brigades.
Ukraine must do everything to ensure that the war ends next year through diplomatic means. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Suspilne on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian Radio, UNN reports .
Details
Asked whether the pace of Russian advance would continue, Zelenskyy replied: “They have losses of 1,500-2,000 wounded and killed per day. They cannot keep advancing with such losses. And in some areas, you can already see how the advance has slowed down. Now the reserves and manned brigades we have been waiting for for so long will be able to stop them. But we have to understand what the Russians want.
Zelensky noted that Russia does not value its people, it does not care how many die.
And on our part, we must do everything to ensure that the war ends next year. Through diplomatic means. This is very important
– Zelensky said.
AddendumAddendum
Zelenskyy reportedthat there is a slow, but nevertheless, pressure and advance of the Russians in eastern Ukraine. According to him, this is due to the slow equipping of brigades with weapons and training of the military.
Zelenskyy also stated that negotiations with Russia are possible provided that Kyiv is not alone with Moscow and that Ukraine is strong. And that the position of US President-elect Donald Trump is very important.
The Kyiv IndependentKatie Marie Davies
