Category: World

Former Israeli defense minister accuses Government of ethnic cleansing policy in Gaza

Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon accused the current leadership of Ukraine of pursuing a policy that can be regarded as ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip. This is reported by AFP, reports UNN.

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Moshe Ya'alon said that Israel's actions are aimed at "clearing the Jabali area of Arabs." He also expressed criticism of the annexation policy, emphasizing that this is an illegal annexation of territories.

Ya'alon, who served as defense minister in the government of Benjamin Netanyahu from 2013 to 2016, resigned due to disagreements with the prime minister, saying he did not trust his actions.

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Official Israel categorically denies accusations of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, emphasizing the legality of its actions in the region.

Saudi Arabia renounces deal with us for reconciliation with Israel-ReutersNov 30 2024, 12:14 AM • 16210 views

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has agreed to record a podcast with American computer scientist and interviewer Lex Fridman.

Source: Zelenskyy and Fridman on X

Agreed. See you in Ukraine, @lexfridman

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 30, 2024

Details: Fridman tweeted on Saturday that he would love to record a three-hour podcast with Zelenskyy and was prepared to travel to Kyiv to do it.

"Agreed. See you in Ukraine," Zelenskyy tweeted back.

For reference: Lex Fridman (Alexey Alexandrovich Fridman) is an American computer scientist and podcaster of Ukrainian-Jewish descent who was born in Tajikistan and raised in Moscow.

Fridman started his podcast in 2018. It was originally called The Artificial Intelligence Podcast but was renamed The Lex Fridman Podcast in 2020.

Episodes of the podcast have featured, among others, US President-elect Donald Trump, businessman Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Fridman visited Ukraine during the full-scale war in the summer of 2022.

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Donald Trump intends to appoint cash Patel as the new director of the FBI after his inauguration. Patel will work under Pam Bondi, who is scheduled to become attorney general.

Trump said he plans to appoint cash Patel as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This is reported by CNN, reports UNN.

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The current director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, who has held this position since 2017, must leave his post ahead of schedule, as his term ends in three years.

Known for his legal career and investigative work, Cash Patel has long supported Trump's initiatives. If appointed, he will work under Pam Bondi, whom Trump plans to make attorney general.

Trump stressed that the goal of the new leadership of the FBI will be to return "loyalty, courage and honesty" to the bureau's activities.

The official appointment will depend on the approval process after his inauguration.

Trump appoints retired general Kellogg as special representative for UkraineNov 27 2024, 06:13 PM • 26716 views

The construction of fortifications near Zaporizhzhia and the adjacent settlements is almost complete. These modern defences include protection against Russian drones.

Source: Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, in a national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "The fortification lines that we set out to complete in the summer were completed on time. After that, together with the military command and the General Staff, we developed a new defence system for Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the defence of the oblast centre, Zaporizhzhia. And we have almost completed the construction of the defence of Zaporizhzhia city.

This is a multi-layer defence not only of the city of Zaporizhzhia but also of the nearest settlements in order to make Zaporizhzhia Oblast well-fortified so that the enemy would think several times whether they need to enter the territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast."

Details: Fedorov said that the fortifications that are currently under construction are significantly improved compared to those built even a year ago.

"Since the main threat today from the enemy comes directly from drones of various types, the defence should be [developed] primarily against drones, against FPV drones, which the enemy most often uses to attack the positions of our defenders," Fedorov said.

Background: On 24 November, The Economist wrote that fortifications are being meticulously constructed near the city of Zaporizhzhia in preparation for a potential Russian offensive, though some Ukrainian commanders believe that Russia is not yet ready for a large-scale attack on this front.

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At the meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Committee, more than 100 countries support restrictions on plastic production. Oil-producing countries oppose it, insisting on focusing only on waste.

At the meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Committee on the plastic restriction agreement, more than 100 countries support limiting production, but oil-producing countries want to focus only on waste. This is reported by Reuters, reports UNN.

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At the final stage of the fifth meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Committee in Busan, the negotiators enter into a complex debate.

More than 100 countries support the agreement, which provides for restrictions on plastic production, but several oil-producing states oppose it, demanding that the international agreement focus only on the problem of plastic waste.

This session of negotiations is scheduled to end on Sunday, but the final plenary session has not yet been scheduled for that morning. Various countries are trying to find a compromise on issues related to reducing plastic pollution, and despite the contradictions, the agreement has the chance to be an important step towards reducing environmental threats at the global level.

Scientists create durable, biodegradable edible plasticSep 12 2024, 10:44 PM • 14059 views

Olympic fencing champion Olha Kharlan has reacted to the election of Russian citizen Alisher Usmanov as president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE).

Source: Kharlan on Instagram

Quote: "FIE Congress Presidential Election decision … No, I'm not surprised. Unfortunately. Yes, I am disappointed in the fencing world. Disappointed in those who decided to play ‘this game’.

120 federations… that's a lot. So yeah. A lot of disappointment. No words anymore," Kharlan wrote.

The election took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Usmanov received 120 votes, while his sole opponent, Otto Drakenberg, president of the Swedish Fencing Federation, received only 26.

It should be noted that following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Usmanov resigned as president of the organisation in 2022 after being sanctioned by the EU and the UK. He had led the federation since 2008.

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In the Georgian capital, demonstrators burned an effigy of the chairman of the Georgian Dream party and threw fireworks at the parliament building. Through the broken windows, fireworks got inside, which led to a fire.

In Tbilisi, protesters burned an effigy of the head of the Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili and caused a fire in the parliament building. This is reported by echo of the Caucasus, reports UNN.

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In addition, during the rally, demonstrators threw fireworks at the parliament building. Some of them got through broken windows into the interior, which caused a fire.

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Protests in Georgia continue amid the political crisis caused by the decision of the government's Georgian Dream party to suspend the process of European integration. The protesters demand the resignation of the government, new elections and the country's return to the Euro-Atlantic path.

Protesters in Tbilisi build barricades: what is happening near the parliamentNov 30 2024, 07:40 PM • 7343 views

The United States has suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia following the Georgian Dream party's decision to suspend the country's EU accession process.

Source: US State Department statement

Quote: "The decision by Georgian Dream to suspend Georgia’s EU accession process goes against the promise to the Georgian people enshrined in their constitution to pursue full integration into the European Union and NATO. By suspending Georgia’s EU accession process, Georgian Dream has rejected the opportunity for closer ties with Europe and made Georgia more vulnerable to the Kremlin…

Georgian Dream’s various anti-democratic actions have violated the core tenets of our U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership, which was based on shared values and commitments to democracy, rule of law, civil society, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and anti-corruption efforts. As a result, the United States has suspended this mechanism."

Details: The statement said that the Georgian people overwhelmingly support integration with Europe.

The United States condemned "the excessive use of force by police against Georgians seeking to exercise their rights to assembly and expression, including their freedom to peacefully protest". The United States called on "all sides to ensure protests remain peaceful".

"We reiterate our call to the Georgian government to return to its Euro-Atlantic path, transparently investigate all parliamentary election irregularities, and repeal anti-democratic laws that limit freedoms of assembly and expression," the State Department said in a statement.

Background:

• On Thursday, 28 November, Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party confirmed that Tbilisi would not be negotiating EU membership "until the end of 2028". Several Georgian ministries have already criticised this decision. President Salome Zourabichvili later stated that the ruling party had declared war on its own people.
• On the evening of Thursday, a large demonstration took place under the walls of the parliament in Tbilisi and there were clashes with the police. Protesters were brutally dispersed with water cannons and tear gas.
• The protest continued on Friday evening, and police again resorted to violence against the protesters.
• On Saturday, protests resumed in Georgia against the decision of the Georgian Dream to abandon negotiations on joining the European Union. The protests are taking place at several locations in Tbilisi, including near the Georgian parliament and the building of the Georgian public broadcaster. In addition to Tbilisi, protests are taking place in Batumi, Zugdidi, Kutaisi and Telavi, with demonstrations planned in Kvareli and Gurjaani.

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Mass protests continue in Georgia over the authorities ' decision to postpone EU accession negotiations until 2028. In two days, 107 protesters were detained, 42 law enforcement officers received injuries of varying severity.

As a result of the protests in Georgia, which have been going on for two days, due to the fact that the authorities announced the removal from the agenda until 2028 of the issue of opening negotiations on the country's accession to the European Union, 42 law enforcement officers were injured.

This was stated by the deputy minister of internal affairs of Georgia Alexander Darakhvelidze, reports UNN.

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According to Darakhvelidze, 42 law enforcement officers were injured during two days of protests. They received injuries of varying severity, including burns and broken bones, and were taken to medical institutions. He said that 107 protesters were detained at the protests on Rustaveli Avenue.

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On November 28, the authorities announced that the issue of opening negotiations on the country's accession to the European Union was removed from the agenda until 2028.

This is expected to cause a sharp reaction from supporters of eurointergence – according to the latest polls, about 90% of voters in Georgia are like this. Large-scale protests have been going on in different cities of Georgia for two days now.

In Tbilisi, demonstrators are dispersed by Special Forces. The protesters resist, despite mass detentions and brutality of the security forces. Georgian president Salome Zurabishvili called on Europe to "wake up" amid the forceful suppression of pro-Western protests in Tbilisi.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that the country's authorities will not allow the scenario of the Ukrainian Maidan against the background of violent suppressionof protests.

A Russian missile attack killed four people and injured 21 on Saturday evening in the village of Tsarychanka in the Dniprovskyi district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Source: Serhii Lysak, the Head of Dnipro Oblast Military Administration on Telegram; Ukraine's Air Force; Volodymyr Zelenskyyʼs evening address

Quote from Serhii Lysak: "Three fires broke out as a result of an enemy attack on the Dniprovskyi district. A shop, an apartment building and a house caught fire. Rescue workers are containing the fire. There may be victims".

Details: At 17:26, the Air Force reported that a missile was targeting Dnipro. Media reported that an explosion rocked the city.

Updated: At 19:33, Lysak said that three people were killed and 19 injured in the Dniprovskyi district.

As for now, there is one child among the injured. The boy, 11, is in the hospital in moderate condition. The rest of the injured were also hospitalised. Six of them are in serious condition.

At 19:50, Lysak said that the number of injured had increased to 21, eight of whom were in serious condition. They have penetrating wounds, ​​internal injuries, and fractures.

Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that four people had been killed in the village of Tsarychanka in Dnipro Oblast as a result of a Russian missile strike.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "A rescue operation is underway in Dnipro Oblast after the missile attack. Civilian buildings were damaged: a residential building and a shop in the village of Tsarychanka. At this time, it is known that this Russian strike killed four people. My condolences."

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