It is noted that Europe should play the main role in defending and supporting Ukraine

The ruble-denominated MOEX Russia Index lost 0.79% to 2,492.63 points

If the transit through Ukraine is completely stopped, Gazprom's pipeline exports in 2025 may decrease by only 5-7 bln cubic meters, the expert noted

On November 27, members of armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against government forces' positions in Aleppo and Idlib governorates

72nd aid package will include additional air defense, artillery, drones and armored vehicle

Events in Syria have created a window of opportunity to act against Tehran, according to the Times of Israel Read Full Article at RT.com

Russia’s Rosneft will reportedly supply nearly 500,000 barrels of oil per day to Indian private refiner Reliance in record-breaking deal Read Full Article at RT.com

Moscow’s diplomats in Damascus have spoken with envoys of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the group that has claimed power in Syria Read Full Article at RT.com

Ties between Moscow and Ankara have not been disrupted by the escalation in Syria, Russia’s Deputy FM Aleksandr Grushko has said Read Full Article at RT.com

The Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) has unveiled a QR Code bus payment system and introduced five low-floor buses, enhancing convenience and accessibility for its passengers. At the launch held at Victoria Bus Terminal, the SPTC chief executive, Jeffy Zialor, hailed the QR Code platform as a “cutting-edge addition to our cashless ticketing solution.” Accessible through the SPTC app on Android and iOS smartphones, the system allows commuters to scan a QR code to pay for their fares. “This platform represents our commitment to embrace technology so as to improve efficiency and convenience for our passengers,” Zialor said. The innovation builds on SPTC’s transition to cashless travel in July 2023, which eliminated cash payments for bus rides with the introduction of an obligatory bus card. The QR Code system was tested during a six-month pilot on Praslin, the second-most populated island, where 600 tickets were sold daily. Alex Etienne, SPTC head of Corporate Affairs, said the new system addresses previous issues with payment delays. “Previously, some of our customers had experienced a lag when paying for their fares on the app, but with the introduction of the QR Code, the money is immediately loaded onto their cards,” he explained. Themed “We Are Evolving,” the launch also showcased five new buses, the final delivery in a fleet upgrade funded through a credit line from the Indian government. In total, 59 Ashok Leyland buses, valued at $2.8 million, have been acquired under the agreement. The Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles, Kartik Pande, reaffirmed India’s support for Seychelles’ development goals, saying, “India is standing alongside Seychelles in any developmental need as it embarks on the environmental energy-efficient route.” The new buses are designed with fuel efficiency in mind, reflecting SPTC’s commitment to sustainability. Zialor emphasised, “SPTC remains committed to the reduction of our carbon footprint and we have eagerly joined the world in a much-needed strategy for decarbonisation.” He also revealed plans to include at least two electric buses in the fleet replacement programme for 2025-2026. Each of the five new 60-seater buses, measuring 12 metres long, features accessibility improvements such as flat floors, a kneeling mechanism, and wheelchair ramps. These additions ensure greater inclusivity for passengers with mobility challenges. Alesha Seraphine, a wheelchair user who tested one of the buses during a ride to Perseverance, expressed her satisfaction. “It has been over 25 years that I have not been able to board an SPTC bus, but the new ones are easy to use and will cut my current reliance on taxis,” she said. SPTC currently operates a fleet of 230 buses serving Mahe and Praslin, with the 59 new buses bringing the proportion of modern vehicles to over 30 per cent. The company provides services to around 50,000 commuters daily.

The African Union on Thursday urged Ethiopia and Somalia to implement «without delay» an agreement aimed at ending tensions between the neighbours over Ethiopia's access to the sea, calling the deal an «important act». The two countries have been at loggerheads since landlocked Ethiopia struck a deal in January with Somalia's breakaway region Somaliland to lease a stretch of coastline for a port and military base. In return, Somaliland -- which unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991 in a move not recognised by Mogadishu -- said Ethiopia would give it formal recognition, although this was never confirmed by Addis Ababa. Somalia branded the deal a violation of its sovereignty, setting international alarm bells ringing over the risk of renewed conflict in the volatile region. Following hours of Turkish-brokered talks, Ankara announced late Wednesday an «historic» agreement had been reached between Somalia and Ethiopia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he believed the agreement would help Ethiopia gain its long-desired access to the sea. Technical talks are set for next year. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had flown into Ankara for the talks following two previous rounds that made little progress. Speaking in the Turkish capital after the agreement, Mohamud said the neighbours had «mutual interests in cooperating together». «We belong to a region where peace and stability is first priority for our people's lives,» he said. African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat stressed the «important act» taken by the leaders to find a deal but emphasised the urgency to «implement, without delay, the relevant measures adopted». He did not give any indication in the statement, posted on X, of what measures had been agreed. East Africa's regional bloc IGAD (the Intergovernmental Authority on Development) also welcomed the agreement as an «important step». It «demonstrates a commitment to resolving bilateral issues amicably», IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said. - 'Reliable, safe access' - According to the text of the accord published by Turkey, the parties agreed «to put aside differences of opinion and contentious issues, and to move resolutely forward in cooperation towards common prosperity». They agreed to work closely together on commercial arrangements and bilateral agreements that would ensure Ethiopia's «reliable, safe and sustainable access» to the sea «under the sovereign authority of the Federal Republic of Somalia». To that end, it said they would start technical talks no later than the end of February which would be completed «within four months», with any differences to be dealt with «though dialogue, where necessary with Turkey's support». However, there was no detail on how the agreement might impact the controversial memorandum of understanding between Somaliland and Ethiopia, which has never been made public. Ethiopian authorities did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment about the future of the agreement with Somaliland. A source close to the Somaliland government said nothing had changed regarding the agreement with Ethiopia, noting: «Agreeing to work together to resolve their dispute is not the same as walking away from the MOU.» While Abiy has repeatedly insisted that his country must have coastal access, he told parliament earlier this year that Ethiopia had «no interest in getting involved in a war» over access to the sea. In response, Mogadishu has strengthened its ties with Egypt, Ethiopia's long-time rival. Somalia expelled Ethiopia's ambassador in April and said Ethiopian troops would be excluded from a new African Union peacekeeping force against Islamist Al-Shabaab insurgents that is due to be deployed on January 1. Ethiopia, which has the second largest population in Africa with 120 million people, lost access to the sea when Eritrea gained independence in 1993. © Agence France-Presse  

French politics was on hold Thursday during a day trip to Poland by President Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to name a new prime minister a week after MPs toppled the government. Macron had promised to name a replacement government chief within 48 hours after meeting party leaders at his Elysee Palace office Tuesday, participants said. But he remains confronted with the complex political equation that emerged from July's snap parliamentary poll: how to secure a government against no-confidence votes in a lower house split three ways between a leftist alliance, centrists and conservatives, and the far-right National Rally (RN). Greens leader Marine Tondelier urged Macron on Thursday to «get out of his comfort zone» as he casts around for a name. «The French public want a bit of enthusiasm, momentum, fresh wind, something new,» she told France 2 television. Former prime minister Michel Barnier, whose government had support only from Macron's centrist camp and his own conservative political family, was felled last week in a confidence vote over his cost-cutting budget. His caretaker administration on Wednesday reviewed a bill designed to keep the lights of government on without a formal financial plan for 2025, allowing tax collection and borrowing to continue. Lawmakers are expected to widely support the draft law when it comes before parliament on Monday. - 'Look to the future' - At issue in the search for a new prime minister are both policies and personalities. Mainstream parties invited by Macron on Tuesday, ranging from the conservative Republicans to Socialists, Greens and Communists on the left, disagree deeply. One totemic issue is whether to maintain Macron's widely loathed 2023 pension reform that increased the official retirement age to 64, seen by centrists and the right as necessary to balance the budget but blasted by the left as unjust. On the personality front, Macron's rumoured top pick for a new PM, veteran centrist Francois Bayrou, raises hackles on both left and right. For the left he would embody a simple «continuation» of the president's policies to date, Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure has said. Meanwhile Bayrou is personally disliked by former president Nicolas Sarkozy, still influential on the right and reported to have Macron's ear. Other contenders include former Socialist interior minister and prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, serving Defence Minister and Macron loyalist Sebastien Lecornu, or former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. But a name could still emerge from outside the pack, as happened with Barnier in September. Those in circulation «are names that have been around for years and haven't seduced the French. It's the past. I want us to look to the future,» Greens boss Tondelier said. - Far right 'not unhappy' - While the suspense over Macron's choice endures, there has been infighting on the left over whether to play along in the search for stability or stick to maximalist demands. Once a PM is named, «we will then have to have a discussion with whoever is named,» Socialist chief Faure said, saying the left must «be able to grab some victories for the French public». The Socialists' openness to cooperation has been denounced by their nominal ally Jean-Luc Melenchon, figurehead of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI). «No coalition deals! No deal not to vote no confidence! Return to reason and come home!» he urged on Tuesday. Hardline attitudes are not necessarily vote-winners, with just over two-thirds of respondents to an Elabe poll published Wednesday saying they want politicians to reach a deal not to overthrow a new government. But confidence in the elite is limited, with around the same number saying they did not believe the political class could reach agreement. In a separate poll from Ifop, RN leader Marine Le Pen is credited with 35 percent support in the first round of a future presidential election -- well ahead of any likely opponent. She has said she is «not unhappy» her far-right party has been left out of the horse-trading around government formation, appearing for now to benefit from the chaos rather than suffer blame for bringing last week's no-confidence vote over the line. © Agence France-Presse

For the first time in almost a quarter-century, federal regulators are trying to enforce a law that bars suppliers from charging different prices for the same product.

FBI at the Capitol riot? Nope. Joe Biden taking a bribe? Even more nope. New evidence that emerged Thursday via an inspector general report and guilty plea further debunk the claims.

Premier Doug Ford says that cutting off the energy supply to the U.S. remains a “last resort” amid the threat of a promised 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods but he is warning that his government is ultimately prepared to use “every tool” in its toolbox “to protect the livelihoods of the people of Ontario.”

This week, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann discuss what's left of the Democratic party after its 2024 election losses – from who's left in Congress and who will have positions of authority, to the fading presence of the party's biggest voices in recent decades. The crew breaks down who could step up as Democrats' ideological leader – and who definitely won't be in the picture. Then, what's the status of Trump's cabinet picks? Right now, it looks like the ones left standing will all make it to January confirmation hearings.

Get the latest news on the transition to the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump and a new Congress.

Nyeri County Commissioner, Ronald Mwiwawi, has directed all deputy Commissioners, chiefs and their assistants to organize frequent public barazas to address the surging suicide cases in the area.

Israel’s occupation of Syria demilitarized zone is a “violation” of the 1974 disengagement agreement, France and the UN have said Read Full Article at RT.com

Comedian Duncan Norvelle has died at the age of 66 - 12 years after suffering a stroke which left half his body paralysed.

In a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine, Donald Trump said he would pardon people convicted of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol within the first minutes or hours of taking the oath of office.

Warzone reporter Evgeny Poddubny becomes the first journalist in Russia’s history to receive ‘Hero of Russia’ title, state’s highest honor Read Full Article at RT.com

A senior US diplomat has urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down before his current term ends Read Full Article at RT.com

Poland is currently not planning deployment of its troops to the front line in Ukraine, the country’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said Read Full Article at RT.com

The Russian Defense Ministry has released a video of a Lancet drone strike on a Ukrainian self-propelled howitzer Read Full Article at RT.com

Cutting pensions, welfare and healthcare will ensure “safety” against Russia, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has argued Read Full Article at RT.com

The Prime Minister came out in support of sandwiches - and was revealed to be a fan of the tuna variety - after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said they are not 'real food'.

Spanish experts found dietary exposure to this substance could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, which includes strokes and heart attacks, by about two thirds in some studies.

Supreme Court overturned a Gujarat high court ruling, acquitting in-laws accused of abetting a woman's suicide. The court emphasized that harassment alone isn't enough for conviction; clear intent to provoke suicide is necessary. While acknowledging alleged cruelty, the court upheld charges, ensuring the trial continues.

TMC MP Sagarika Ghosh submitted a privilege motion against Union minister Kiren Rijiju for derogatory remarks towards opposition leaders. Rijiju's comments deemed opposition MPs «unworthy» of their positions after they moved a no-confidence motion against vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar. Ghosh's motion, backed by 60 opposition MPs, criticizes Rijiju's language and alleged misuse of his office.