Category: World

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.

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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.

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.

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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".

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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.

"Coalition for Change" gets 19 parliamentary mandates, ‘United National Movement’ – 16, ‘Strong Georgia’ – 14, ‘For Georgia’ – 12 parliamentary mandates.

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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has explained that rotations on the front line cannot take place as long as reserve brigades are not equipped with weapons and equipment. This is why soldiers on the front line are forced to retreat due to the Russian advance and their own fatigue.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with Ukrainian Radio

Quote: "The guys on the front line are standing there, and they need rotation to rest, take a break, and so on.

Other brigades are supposed to take their place. But imagine, these other brigades are not properly equipped. Are we supposed to throw them there like cannon fodder, like the Russians do? No one wants that; they are just standing still.

The guys [from the front line – ed.] get tired, they retreat. They are being attacked with aerial bombs, and they’re exhausted. They ask if they can take steps back, and the military leadership allows it.

Because our stance is that the human comes first, and then the land.

People must be confident that when they withdraw, a well-equipped brigade will take their place, ready for the oncoming attack.

We had an agreement on the number of these brigades, but their staffing is happening very, very slowly."

Details: Zelenskyy emphasised that, due to the lack of equipment, new brigades are not being created.

However, he added that reserve units have been formed with experienced personnel who have already fought in the war.

Zelenskyy said that instances where new brigades are being formed while the stronger brigades lack personnel are rare occurrences.

The president predicts that once the reserve brigades are fully equipped, the Russian advance in Ukraine’s east will come to an end.

Background: Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine had not received even half of the weapons officially allocated by the United States and that Europe had helped Ukraine just as much as the US.

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The leaders of China and Japan held their first meeting to discuss issues between the two countries. Japan asked for the ban on seafood to be lifted and for the security of Japanese in China to be strengthened.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at their first meeting that China hopes Japan will “properly address” important issues such as history and Taiwan, Chinese state media reported on Saturday, UNN reported citing Reuters.

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Xi urged the two Asian neighbors to protect the global free trade system as well as stable and unimpeded production and supply chains when they met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Lima, Peru.

Ishiba told Xi he wanted to build a “constructive and stable” relationship, but asked him to lift the ban on Japanese seafood imports and to increase security measures for Japanese citizens in China following recent deadly knife attacks, and expressed concern about Chinese activities at sea.

According to a Japanese report on the meeting, Ishiba asked Xi to release Japanese citizens detained in China.

It was the first meeting between Ishiba, who took office in October, and the long-ruling Chinese leader.

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In recent months, Chinese and Japanese officials have taken steps to reopen several consultative negotiation platforms for the first time in years, indicating a possible resolution of tense relations.

In recent years, China and Japan have been at odds over issues such as territorial claims, trade tensions, and Beijing's anger over Tokyo's decision to dump treated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, leading to a seafood ban.

Also raising concerns about anti-Japanese sentiment in China are two recent attacks in China – a knife attack that killed a 10-year-old Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen in September and a knife attack that killed a Chinese woman who was trying to protect a Japanese mother and her child from an attacker.

Joe Biden met with the leaders of South Korea and Japan: what they talked aboutNov 16 2024, 07:14 AM • 7040 views

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects support from US President-elect Donald Trump in case of talks between Kyiv and Moscow regarding the war and he described a "strong Ukraine" as the foundation of those talks.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with Ukrainian Radio

Details: The main condition, according to Zelenskyy, is a "strong Ukraine", whether on the battlefield or in diplomacy.

He also said support for values and justice will be support for Ukraine and neutrality on the part of the mediator is not possible in this case.

Quote: "That Ukraine will not face Russia alone, under the condition that Ukraine is strong. What kind of talks can we have with a murderer? If we talk to Putin and we are in the current situation, not strengthened, it's a losing status for Ukraine from the very beginning. This is not about a just peace. Certainly, there is nothing to do at those talks if you are in a weak situation.

Trump's position is very important and the US attitude towards Ukraine is also crucial. They are on Ukraine's side today. This is important…

You can't speak abstractly, 'I'm a mediator, so I cannot choose one side or the other'. This cannot happen when it’s about cases where international law was violated.

The US must maintain its position of supporting Ukraine about Russia being the aggressor. This status must remain. Then we also have to think. This is one of the key points to consider from the very beginning, which is very important on any talk platform. There must also be elements of our Victory Plan."

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In an 8-round boxing match in Arlington, 27-year-old blogger Jake Paul defeated the legendary 58-year-old Mike Tyson. The judges unanimously awarded the victory to Paul with the scores of 80-72, 79-73, 79-73.

On the night of November 16, a fight between legendary boxer Mike Tyson and his opponent, popular blogger Jake Paul, took place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This was reported by Sport 24, UNN writes.

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It is noted that the fight lasted 8 rounds. Mike Tyson entered the ring without any pomp, while his opponent drove there in a car.

The first two rounds were more successful for Iron Mike, but in the third round, Jake Paul stepped up and landed several powerful punches. Tyson staggered but managed to stay on his feet.

In the fourth round, the young boxer hit Mike's liver, but there were few punches in general – Paul was trying to exhaust the 58-year-old legendary athlete.

Although Jake was more proactive and active, it was clear that he lacked skills. At the same time, "Iron Mike" spent the final part of the fight mostly on the defensive and didn't move in the ring.

"Paul could have easily knocked out the legend, but he didn't, probably because he felt sorry for him. In the end, Jake Paul won by unanimous decision – 80-72, 79-73, 79-73," the publication writes.

Mike Tyson slaps boxer-blogger Jake Paul in a battle of willsNov 15 2024, 08:59 AM • 100358 views

Residential infrastructure in the city of Kyiv was damaged in the Russian drone attack on the night of 15-16 November.

Source: Kyiv City Military Administration

Quote from Kyiv City Military Administration: "As a result of a Russian drone attack, damage to residential infrastructure was recorded in the Obolonskyi district of the capital."

Details: The administration noted that the falling debris damaged balconies and windows in the high-rise residential building.

Aftermath of the Russian drone attack on Kyiv. Photo: Kyiv City Military Administration

Quote from Kyiv City Military Administration: "There was no information about the alleged fire. There is no information about the casualties. The operational report is being updated and confirmed."

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More than 12,000 Netflix users in the US reported problems with the service. The failure occurred during the broadcast of a boxing match, and the company has not yet commented on the situation.

On Friday evening, November 15, thousands of Netflix users in the United States faced interruptions in the platform's operation. This is reported by the American news agency Reuters, according to UNN.

According to Downdetector, a website that monitors outages, more than 12,000 users have complained about problems with the streaming service.

Mike Tyson slaps boxer-blogger Jake Paul in a battle of willsNov 15 2024, 08:59 AM • 100343 views

Downdetector collects information about outages by analyzing status messages from various sources, including real-time user complaints.

It is known that buffering problems occurred during the broadcast of the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson on Netflix.

Netflix has not yet made an official statement about the incident.

Netflix plans to make a series based on the Scooby-Doo cartoon – mediaMay 1 2024, 01:24 AM • 129583 views

Protesters in the main city of occupied Abkhazia, Sukhumi, broke through the fence around the complex of "government buildings" and partially seized them on the afternoon of 15 November, protesting against the approval of an "investment agreement" with Russia.

Source: European Pravda citing Ekho Kavkaza (Echo of the Caucasus), a Radio Liberty project

Details: The security forces allegedly did not resist the entry of protesters and leaders of the Abkhazian "opposition" into the territory of the "government complex".

The protesters tore down part of the fence around the "government" building complex and entered the territory adjacent to the "parliament" building, then the building itself, and the administration of the so-called president, Aslan Bzhania.

Following this, the protesters set up a coordination council "to find ways out of the political crisis". In particular, they sent representatives to the so-called president of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, demanding his resignation.

On Friday evening, Bzhania responded with a refusal, saying that he and the leadership were "in place" and would "make every effort to eliminate the consequences of these events".

Background:

• A protest against the ratification of the Russian-Abkhazian "investment agreement" was held in Sukhumi earlier. There were fights with the local police.
• Amid the protest, Abkhazia's "parliament" cancelled the session that was to vote on the ratification of the investment agreement with Moscow, and the "president's" administration promised to withdraw it.

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