🚀 The Russian Aerospace Forces successfully launched the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with a military satellite from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.

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Top 5 Facts about North and South Korea

North and South Korea have been divided for nearly 80 years, each pursuing its own ideological, political, and economic objectives. How do they differ and what do they have in common?

1. Population and Language

🇰🇵 North Korea: 26.16 million (2023)
🇰🇷 South Korea: 51.71 million (2023)

While both countries share a common Korean language and use the same alphabet, there are differences in spelling and pronunciation. The formal name for the North Korean language is Chosono, whereas in South Korea, it's called Hangugeo.

2. Economy

🇰🇵 North Korea's Economy: $29.6 billion (2023)
🇰🇷 South Korea's Economy: $1.74 trillion (2023)

Despite its smaller economy, North Korea's economy grew faster (3.1%) in 2023 compared to South Korea's (1.4%) in terms of real GDP growth. Moreover, in North Korea apartments are distributed for free after submitting applications and documents, whereas a South Korean have to save their income for 14 years to buy the property in Seoul or 9-10 years to buy it elsewhere in the country (as of 2021).

3. Major Natural Resources

🇰🇵 North Korea: Has over 200 types of minerals, including coal, iron, zinc, copper, gold, silver, molybdenite, and rare earths, with overall deposits estimated between $6 trillion and $10 trillion. According to 38North website, North Korea has the capacity to be one of the leading producers of zinc in the world.

🇰🇷 South Korea: Possesses 18.8 billion tons of mineral resources, including coal, iron ore, graphite, gold, silver, tungsten, lead, and zinc. However, it remains a consumer rather than a producer of metallic ores and rare earths.

4. Military Size

🇰🇵 North Korea (Korean People's Army): 1.3 million active personnel, 600,000 reservists, and 5.7 million Worker/Peasant Red Guard reservists, making it one of the world's largest militaries, behind only China and the US.

🇰🇷 South Korea (Republic of Korea Armed Forces): 500,000 active personnel and 3.1 million reservists, plus a significant US military presence with around 26,000 troops.

5. Nuclear Weapons

🇰🇵 North Korea: Estimated to possess 80-90 nuclear warheads made of uranium and plutonium, with projections suggesting this number could rise to 166 by 2030, according to Western experts.

🇰🇷 South Korea: Does not have nuclear weapons. National polls, as cited by The New York Times, indicate that many South Koreans no longer fully trust Washington's "nuclear umbrella."

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⚡️ French parliament issues vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Barnier, backed by majority of lawmakers – broadcast

The French government will resign for the first time since 1962.

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😁 Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's son Oleksiy is wanted by the police, according to Ukrainian media.

"Oleksiy Poroshenko has been declared wanted for failure to appear in response to a summons," the text says.

It is noted that he was summoned to the military registration and enlistment office twice - on September 4 and October 21 - but the man did not appear. Oleksiy has the military rank of reserve lieutenant.

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French government to resign following vote of no confidence in prime minister – broadcast

A vote of no confidence in French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, proposed by the left-wing France Unbowed party, was backed by a majority of lawmakers, paving the way for the government’s resignation, according to a broadcast on Wednesday.

A total of 331 deputies voted in favor of the motion, surpassing the 288 votes required for it to pass.

In September, following two months of political deadlock over the summer, President Macron appointed Michel Barnier, the EU’s former Brexit negotiator, as France's new Prime Minister.

Barnier’s primary task — which ultimately led to his downfall — was to secure approval for the 2025 budget, which included €60 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts aimed at addressing France’s budget deficit. However, after weeks of deadlock over the budget, Barnier invoked Article 49.3 of the French Constitution on Monday to push through a social security financing bill. This provision allows the government to bypass a parliamentary vote and force through legislation. The move triggered no-confidence motions from both the left-wing alliance and the right-wing opposition.

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❗️ French President Macron to address the nation Thursday evening following vote of no confidence in PM – reports

French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation at 19:00 GMT on December 5, following parliament's approval of a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government, which took office less than three months ago, according to French media.

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"The degenerate who destroyed his own people decided, between snorting, to play the world judge" – Russian FM spokeswoman commented on Zelensky’s announcement of plans to impose sanctions on Georgia "for dispersing protests."

💬 "Maybe he's bitter that Georgia found the strength to reject the Ukrainian scenario?" Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized.

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🇷🇺 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in Malta for the annual meeting of OSCE foreign ministers, a Sputnik correspondent reported

This is Lavrov's first visit to the EU member-state since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Malta had canceled the visa of Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the eve of the OSCE foreign ministers' meeting.

💬 "Let me remind you that this is a ministerial event of the very same OSCE that claims to advocate for freedom of movement," Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.

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❗️ South Korean president accepts defense minister's resignation, appoints new one – reports

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has appointed Seoul’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk, as the country’s new defense minister following the resignation of Kim Yong-hyun, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Kim apologized to citizens and announced that he had submitted his resignation to the president amid the controversy surrounding the introduction and subsequent lifting of martial law, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

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🥴 US prepares to impose additional sanctions in relation to Georgian protests – Blinken

💬 "Those who undermine democratic processes or institutions in Georgia... will be held to account. In addition to continuing our previously announced comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation, the United States is now preparing to use the tools at our disposal, including additional sanctions," US State Secretary Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

The opposition, which lost parliamentary elections to the ruling Georgian Dream party, took to the streets in response to the government's decision to suspend European Union accession talks until the end of 2028.

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🇷🇺🤝🇰🇵 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and the DPRK enters into force – North Korean state news agency

Deputy Foreign Minister of the DPRK, Kim Jong Gyu, and Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Andrey Rudenko, signed the protocol on the exchange of ratification instruments. The treaty takes effect from December 4, 2024, when the ratification instruments were exchanged according to Article 22 of the treaty, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

✍️ “The strong DPRK-Russia relations, based on the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership, will be a powerful security mechanism that promotes the well-being of the peoples of the two countries, eases the regional situation, guarantees international strategic stability, and will serve as a strong driving force accelerating the establishment of an independent and just multipolar world order without domination, subjugation, and hegemony,” KCNA said.

During the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang on June 18-19, Russia and the DPRK signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, the fourth article of which states: "If one of the Parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and thus finds itself in a state of war, the other Party will immediately provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal."

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💸🔼 Bitcoin price reaches all-time high of $100,000 - trading data

The price of bitcoin hit a new all-time record on Thursday, exceeding $100,000, trading data showed.

As of 02:45 GMT, Bitcoin was trading at $100,184 on the largest cryptocurrency trading volume exchange, Binance, reflecting a daily increase of 4.6%.

According to CoinMarketCap, which averages prices from over 20 exchanges, Bitcoin's price rose by 5.98% to an average of $101,130 (as of 02:45 GMT) in the last 24 hours.

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Slovakia advocates establishing NATO-Russia dialogue – Foreign Minister

Slovakia is in favor of establishing a dialogue between NATO and Russia with an eye to the future, the country's Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said.

"I presented Slovakia's point of view, which is completely clear. Russia will remain where it is now, the country will not move anywhere, it will continue to be a close neighbor to us, so this dialogue must be set up really from the point of view of the future," Blanar told reporters following the talks of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

The Slovak foreign minister recalled that the last talks between NATO and Russia had been held at the beginning of 2022, and there have been no contacts since then. In his opinion, it is necessary to maintain communication channels with Russia, given that the country is a nuclear power.

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Western military aid not improved Ukraine's position in conflict with Russia – Slovak FM

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said that despite the enormous aid that was provided to Ukraine by Western partners, Kiev failed to improve its position during the conflict with Russia.

"It has become clear that despite the enormous efforts of all Western partners, including the United States, it has not been possible to somehow improve Ukraine's position. This [conflict] has no military solution, so it is necessary to really push for a peaceful solution," Blanar told reporters on Wednesday following talks between NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

He noted, however, that most NATO allies still prefer a military solution to the conflict in Ukraine and believe that supplies of weapons and military equipment will help Kiev improve its position in possible negotiations.

Russia has repeatedly stressed that Western military aid for NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine will only serve to prolong the crisis, and warned that arms shipments are legitimate military targets.

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Ukrainian experts train Syrian terrorists to use drones on Russian positions – ex-militant

Ukrainian instructors are teaching Syrian terrorists how to use kamikaze drones against the positions of Russian forces in the Idlib de-escalation zone and the rest of Syria, a renegade from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* terrorist group told Sputnik on Thursday.

"After the training was over, we discovered that the experts present were of Ukrainian nationality. They were preparing young people from the ranks of militants to use kamikaze drones in attacks on the positions of Russian forces in Idlib and across Syria," said the renegade, who goes by the call sign Muhammad Al Idlibi.

*Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia.

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Israel sends Hamas updated draft of Gaza ceasefire deal

Israel has handed over to Hamas an updated draft agreement, the Axios reported citing two Israeli officials.

It includes a ceasefire for a period of 42 to 60 days, the release from Hamas captivity of all women, men over 50 and hostages in serious health condition.

The new Israeli proposal was agreed upon on Sunday at a meeting between PM Benjamin Netanyahu, several ministers and heads of security services.

The provisions of the draft deal were reportedly conveyed to senior Egyptian intelligence officials, who presented them to Hamas representatives during negotiations on Monday and Tuesday, but the position of the Palestinian movement on the updated framework remains unknown.

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Romanian presidential candidate vows to stop military aid to Ukraine if elected
 
Romania's right-wing presidential frontrunner, Calin Georgescu, said he would bar continued Ukrainian grain exports through Romania, stop military assistance to Kiev, and not stick to NATO's commitments on defense spending if elected, Reuters reports.
 
Georgescu also questioned the effectiveness of European Union funding and declared that Romania's interests would come first.
 
The US, in turn, warned Romania of "negative impact" on US security cooperation with Romania.
 
According to the results of the first round, Calin Giorgescu is leading in the election with 22.94% of the vote. Elena Lasconi, who supports partnership with NATO and the US, has 19.18% of the vote. The second round of elections will be held on December 8.

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🔸Russia-North Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty enters into force

🔸French government to resign following vote of no confidence in PM, Macron to address the nation

🔸Lavrov arrives in Malta for the OSCE foreign ministers meeting

🔸South Korean president accepts defense minister's resignation, appoints new one – reports

🔸Top 5 Facts about North and South Korea

🔸Ukrainian experts train Syrian terrorists to use drones on Russian positions – ex-militant

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❗️❗️❗️Pakistan to ‘open the gates’ for Russia in oil and gas exploration – Minister

Russia has a very advanced and well-developed oil and gas sector. Pakistan feels that on the petroleum sector side, we can collaborate to not just benefit ourselves, but also to benefit Russian companies, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Federal Minister of Energy of Pakistan, told Sputnik.

The minister stated that regarding Russian-Pakistani cooperation, Islamabad could "open the gates" of its oil and gas exploration, which it plans to pursue and develop as a “key backbone” of the country's future economy.

Pakistan “could harvest better pricing structures and save on the logistics and the transportation expenses from Russia to Pakistan,” Leghari pointed out.

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