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Ukrainian forces have captured two North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops in Kursk border region, President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered an exchange. Watch this report for more details!

Russia-Ukraine War: Zelensky Offers To Exchange North Korean Soldiers With Ukrainians | World DNA

Donald Trump has said that a meeting is being arranged between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump, Zelensky to meet soon: Kyiv

Donald Trump has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed interest in meeting with him. The discussions are ongoing to arrange the meeting, signaling potential shifts in US-Russia relations and international diplomacy.

Donald Trump confirms Putin wants to meet and talks are being arranged

According to a French army official, several Ukrainian soldiers have abandoned their posts while undergoing training in France. The report from AFP states that members of the 155th Mechanized Brigade, which was intended to be an elite unit for Ukraine and was trained and equipped by France, have deserted. This brigade, named ‘Anne of Kiev’ after the daughter of the medieval prince Yaroslav the Wise who wed French King Henry I, was personally reviewed by French President Emmanuel Macron in northeast France last October.

Russia-Ukraine War: Ukrainian Soldiers Go AWOL in France, Military Urges Recruits to Return to Base

As winter sets in, Ukraine’s army faces new and difficult challenges on the battlefield. Harsh weather conditions and the need for adapted strategies are testing the resilience and preparedness of Ukrainian forces amid ongoing conflict.

Russia-Ukraine War: Winter Battlefield Poses New Challenges for Ukraine’s Army

Russia-Ukraine War: Over 100,000 Ukrainian Troops Charged With Desertion

In an interview, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence in President-elect Donald Trump's ability to broker peace talks with Russia. Watch this report for more details!

Russia-Ukraine War: Putin does not want me to have good ties with Trump says Zelensky

Russia strongly condemns the use of US-made missiles on its soil, escalating tensions in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Russia-Ukraine War: Russia opposes use of US-made missiles on its soil

Ukraine launches a U.S.-backed ATACMS missile as part of its ongoing offensive, marking a significant escalation in the conflict.

Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine fires U.S.-backed ATACMS missile in strategic strike

Russia threatens retaliation after claiming Ukraine launched US-supplied missiles in recent attacks.

Russia-Ukraine War: Russia vows retaliation over Ukraine's use of US-supplied missiles

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, former U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to push for peace, but his statements are raising concerns about potential compromises on Ukraine’s sovereignty. Analysts worry about the implications of Trump's approach to the conflict.

Russia-Ukraine war: Trump's peace promise fears of Ukrainian compromise

Russia launched a devastating aerial attack on the heart of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, intensifying the ongoing conflict. The strike targeted key locations, causing significant damage and raising concerns over the city's safety and security as the war continues.

Russia-Ukraine War: Russian Aerial Attack On The Heart Of Ukrainian Capital

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict marks the end of Europe's reliance on Russian gas, as countries seek alternative energy sources. With pipelines cut off and supply routes disrupted, Europe is now navigating a critical shift toward energy independence and diversification.

Russia-Ukraine: Europe's Russian Gas Era Comes To An End

In a significant boost to its naval power, North Korea revealed its latest warship which is equipped with advanced missile technology.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen inspecting the new destroyer at a facility as per the images released by state media, according to the Telegraph report.
The analysts, according to the report, believe that the warship was at the Nampho Dockyard, located on the west coast of the country.
The initial images of the incomplete warship indicate that it will have a beam of around 50 feet and an overall length of approximately 330 feet. At over 3,600 tonnes, it will represent a substantial expansion of North Korea's naval capabilities, overshadowing its current largest vessel, a 1,360-tonne frigate.
The naval warship is &ldquo;likely a destroyer and the largest warship ever constructed in the DPRK [Democratic People&rsquo;s Republic of Korea]&rdquo;, Joseph Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Seoul-based NK News.
&ldquo;Weapons-wise, the large aperture immediately forward of the bridge would imply [plans to install a] possible vertical launching system&rdquo; for missiles.
This comes as North Korea and Russia are strengthening ties following a security pact in the year 2024.
Since Russia&rsquo;s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Pyongyang and Moscow have frequently professed their military, political, and cultural ties.&nbsp;
In June this year, when Putin visited North Korea, the two nations signed a landmark defence pact. The pact came into effect in December and obligates them to provide military support in case the other is invaded.
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korean-investigators-vow-to-execute-arrest-warrant-against-yoon-suk-yeol-before-jan-6-8582785" rel="dofollow">Also read: South Korean investigators vow to execute arrest warrant against Yoon before Jan 6</a>
<h2>North Korea's Kim sends New Year greetings to 'dearest friend' Putin</h2>
Kim Jong Un sent New Year&rsquo;s greetings to Vladimir Putin, hailing the Russian president as his "dearest friend" and comrade, as per state media reports.
&ldquo;The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un extended the warm New Year greetings to Putin, his dearest friend and comrade, offering warm greetings of best wishes to the fraternal Russian people and all the service personnel of the brave Russian army on behalf of himself, the Korean people, and all the service personnel of the armed forces of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea),&rdquo; the message said.&nbsp;
Recalling the &ldquo;meaningful journey&rdquo; of the two countries in 2024, Kim also expressed his &ldquo;willingness to design and push ahead with new projects.&rdquo;
(With inputs from agencies)

World: North Korea revealed its latest warship equipped with advanced missile technology. Images showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen inspecting the new destroyer.

In a significant boost to its naval power, North Korea revealed its latest warship which is equipped with advanced missile technology. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen inspecting the new destroyer at a facility as per the images released by state media, according to the Telegraph report. The analysts, according to the report, believe that the warship was at the Nampho Dockyard, located on the west coast of the country. The initial images of the incomplete warship indicate that it will have a beam of around 50 feet and an overall length of approximately 330 feet. At over 3,600 tonnes, it will represent a substantial expansion of North Korea's naval capabilities, overshadowing its current largest vessel, a 1,360-tonne frigate. The naval warship is “likely a destroyer and the largest warship ever constructed in the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]”, Joseph Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Seoul-based NK News. “Weapons-wise, the large aperture immediately forward of the bridge would imply [plans to install a] possible vertical launching system” for missiles. This comes as North Korea and Russia are strengthening ties following a security pact in the year 2024. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Pyongyang and Moscow have frequently professed their military, political, and cultural ties. In June this year, when Putin visited North Korea, the two nations signed a landmark defence pact. The pact came into effect in December and obligates them to provide military support in case the other is invaded. Also read: South Korean investigators vow to execute arrest warrant against Yoon before Jan 6 North Korea's Kim sends New Year greetings to 'dearest friend' Putin Kim Jong Un sent New Year’s greetings to Vladimir Putin, hailing the Russian president as his "dearest friend" and comrade, as per state media reports. “The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un extended the warm New Year greetings to Putin, his dearest friend and comrade, offering warm greetings of best wishes to the fraternal Russian people and all the service personnel of the brave Russian army on behalf of himself, the Korean people, and all the service personnel of the armed forces of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea),” the message said. Recalling the “meaningful journey” of the two countries in 2024, Kim also expressed his “willingness to design and push ahead with new projects.” (With inputs from agencies)

North Korea's Kim unveils country's largest warship in significant boost to naval power: Report

In his New Year address, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia will continue to move forward in 2025, despite ongoing challenges and international pressure. His speech highlighted Russia’s resilience and commitment to its goals, setting the tone for the country's direction in the coming year.

Putin In New Year Address Says: Russia Will Move Forward In 2025

At least 31 combatants have been killed in Syria since Sunday in ongoing battles between Turkey-based groups and Kurdish-led forces. Watch in for more details!

Syria: New Authorities Launch Operation Against Pro-Assad Militias

Russia is set to abandon a moratorium on deploying intermediate and shorter-range nuclear missiles, citing U.S. Plans to deploy similar weapons globally. The two countries control over 90% of the global nuclear arsenals.

The New Nuclear Arms Race

A new report calls for NATO to take more decisive actions to support Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia. The report emphasizes the need for stronger military and political backing to help Ukraine defend itself and counter Russia's aggression.

Russia-Ukraine War: NATO Must Take Decisive Actions To Support Ukraine, Says Report

Syria’s new authorities have arrested a military justice official who under ousted president Bashar Assad issued death sentences for detainees in the notorious Saydnaya prison, a war monitor said Thursday. Watch in for more details!

Syria: Deadly Clashes Continue Amid Power Struggle Post-Assad's Ouster

Russia’s new intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik, recently fired at Ukraine, was developed using advanced manufacturing equipment from Western companies, despite sanctions.

Russia-Ukraine War: Moscow Uses Foreign Technology Missile Despite Sanctions

Syria: New Power Tussle Flares Up | World News | WION Fineprint

Syria: Protests Erupt Over Shrine Desecration Amid HTS Violence | World News | WION

Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is "striving" to end the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian President mentioned that the government is ready to deploy intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missiles or other more powerful intermediate-range weapons if necessary.

Russia-Ukraine War: Putin open to peace talks with Ukraine in Slovakia

Washington, US
Former US national security adviser John Bolton said on Tuesday (Dec 24) that a major international crisis is "much more likely" in US President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming term given his "inability to focus" on foreign policy. 
Bolton, who was also a US ambassador to the United Nations, slammed Trump for his lack of knowledge, interest in facts, or coherent strategy. 
John Bolton was also Trump's longest-serving national security adviser and served from April 2018 to September 2019.
He further described the president-elect's decision-making as driven by personal relationships and "neuron flashes" rather than a deep understanding of national interests. 
He also dismissed Trump's claims he made during this year's presidential campaign, in which he said that only he could prevent a third world war while bringing a swift end to the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/makes-no-sense-trump-hits-out-at-biden-for-death-sentence-commutations-786553">Also read: 'Makes no sense': Trump hits out at Biden for death sentence commutations</a>
“It’s typical Trump: it’s all braggadocio,” Bolton told the Guardian. “The world is more dangerous than when he was president before. The only real crisis we had was Covid, which is a long-term crisis and not against a particular foreign power but against a pandemic."
“But the risk of an international crisis of the 19th-century variety is much more likely in a second Trump term. Given Trump’s inability to focus on coherent decision-making, I’m very worried about how that might look," he added. 
He further recalled that earlier he believed that like other US presidents, the weight of the responsibilities, certainly in national security, the gravity of the issues that he was confronting, the consequences of his decisions, would discipline his thinking in a way that would produce serious outcomes.
“It turned out I was wrong. By the time I got there, a lot of patterns of behaviour had already been set that were never changed, and it could well be, even if I had been there earlier, I couldn’t have affected it. But it was clear pretty soon after I got there that intellectual discipline wasn’t in the Trump vocabulary," he continued.
Watch | Trump Is Teasing US Expansion Into Panama, Greenland &amp; Canada
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On Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bolton said that he believed that he had a friendship with Putin. 
“I don’t know what Putin thinks his relationship is with Trump but he believes he knows how to play Trump, that Trump’s an easy mark. Trump doesn’t see that at all," he said. 
“If you put everything on the basis of personal relations and you don’t understand how the person you’re talking about on the other side views you, that’s a real lack of situational awareness that can only cause trouble," Bolton added. 
(With inputs from agencies)

Bolton, who was also a US ambassador to the United Nations, slammed Trump for his lack of knowledge, interest in facts or coherent strategy. 



Washington, US Former US national security adviser John Bolton said on Tuesday (Dec 24) that a major international crisis is "much more likely" in US President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming term given his "inability to focus" on foreign policy. Bolton, who was also a US ambassador to the United Nations, slammed Trump for his lack of knowledge, interest in facts, or coherent strategy. John Bolton was also Trump's longest-serving national security adviser and served from April 2018 to September 2019. He further described the president-elect's decision-making as driven by personal relationships and "neuron flashes" rather than a deep understanding of national interests. He also dismissed Trump's claims he made during this year's presidential campaign, in which he said that only he could prevent a third world war while bringing a swift end to the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. Also read: 'Makes no sense': Trump hits out at Biden for death sentence commutations “It’s typical Trump: it’s all braggadocio,” Bolton told the Guardian. “The world is more dangerous than when he was president before. The only real crisis we had was Covid, which is a long-term crisis and not against a particular foreign power but against a pandemic." “But the risk of an international crisis of the 19th-century variety is much more likely in a second Trump term. Given Trump’s inability to focus on coherent decision-making, I’m very worried about how that might look," he added. He further recalled that earlier he believed that like other US presidents, the weight of the responsibilities, certainly in national security, the gravity of the issues that he was confronting, the consequences of his decisions, would discipline his thinking in a way that would produce serious outcomes. “It turned out I was wrong. By the time I got there, a lot of patterns of behaviour had already been set that were never changed, and it could well be, even if I had been there earlier, I couldn’t have affected it. But it was clear pretty soon after I got there that intellectual discipline wasn’t in the Trump vocabulary," he continued. Watch | Trump Is Teasing US Expansion Into Panama, Greenland & Canada × On Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bolton said that he believed that he had a friendship with Putin. “I don’t know what Putin thinks his relationship is with Trump but he believes he knows how to play Trump, that Trump’s an easy mark. Trump doesn’t see that at all," he said. “If you put everything on the basis of personal relations and you don’t understand how the person you’re talking about on the other side views you, that’s a real lack of situational awareness that can only cause trouble," Bolton added. (With inputs from agencies)

Major global crisis 'much more likely' in Trump's second term due to..., says his ex-NSA

Moscow
Russia’s top Islamic body has reversed a ruling allowing Muslim men to have multiple wives. The move came after the move by the Council of Scholars of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia triggered a backlash on social media, as officials pointed out how the ruling didn’t conform to Russian laws.
Polygamy is outlawed in Russia and goes against “our core morals and traditional values,” said Nina Ostanina, the head of the parliamentary family affairs committee.
The Islamic body earlier on Dec 17 issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, outlining conditions and circumstances under which Muslim men can have more than one wife. The document said a Muslim man could have four wives if “equal material support” is guaranteed to all, along with separate living space. One of the conditions was that the husband will have to give “an equal amount of time” to each of them.
Watch: Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine Launches Aerial Attack On Ukraine
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The main condition for allowing polygamy is a fair and equal treatment of all wives by their husband,” the document said. It acknowledged that “religious Islamic marriage is not recognized by the state and creates no legal consequences,” stressing that the fatwa “does not replace the norms of Russian marital law.”
Soon after the document became public, it was severely condemned by officials as well as Russian commoners. Russian state-backed outlet RT quoted Kirill Kabanov, a member of the presidential Human Rights Council, as accusing the Islamic body of brazenly violating Russia’s constitution.
Also read: <a data-ved="2ahUKEwistuic17-KAxWysFYBHZufD4UQxfQBKAB6BAgMEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/create-more-passionate-content-putin-pitches-for-alternatives-to-porn-785435" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/world/create-more-passionate-content-putin-pitches-for-alternatives-to-porn-785435&amp;ved=2ahUKEwistuic17-KAxWysFYBHZufD4UQxfQBKAB6BAgMEAE">‘Create more passionate content,’ Putin pitches for alternatives to porn</a>
On Monday (Dec 23), the Islamic body was notified by the Prosecutor General’s Office that the ruling was essentially unlawful and it went against “the state family policies.” Soon after, the body said it was withdrawing its document allowing polygamy, citing backlash from the public and the official order.
“It is God’s will. The Council of Scholars sees no sense in joining a debate on the matter,” the council’s chairman, Shamil Alyautdinov, wrote on Telegram.
It is to be noted that Muslims make up for around 10 per cent of Russia’s total population, with the highest concentration in regions like Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia in the North Caucasus, and Tatarstan and Bashkortostan in western Russia.
(With inputs from agencies)

The Islamic body issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, earlier on Dec 17 outlining circumstances under which Muslim men can have more than one wife. The document said a Muslim man could have four wives if “equal material support” and separate living spaces were guaranteed to all.



Moscow Russia’s top Islamic body has reversed a ruling allowing Muslim men to have multiple wives. The move came after the move by the Council of Scholars of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia triggered a backlash on social media, as officials pointed out how the ruling didn’t conform to Russian laws. Polygamy is outlawed in Russia and goes against “our core morals and traditional values,” said Nina Ostanina, the head of the parliamentary family affairs committee. The Islamic body earlier on Dec 17 issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, outlining conditions and circumstances under which Muslim men can have more than one wife. The document said a Muslim man could have four wives if “equal material support” is guaranteed to all, along with separate living space. One of the conditions was that the husband will have to give “an equal amount of time” to each of them. Watch: Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine Launches Aerial Attack On Ukraine × The main condition for allowing polygamy is a fair and equal treatment of all wives by their husband,” the document said. It acknowledged that “religious Islamic marriage is not recognized by the state and creates no legal consequences,” stressing that the fatwa “does not replace the norms of Russian marital law.” Soon after the document became public, it was severely condemned by officials as well as Russian commoners. Russian state-backed outlet RT quoted Kirill Kabanov, a member of the presidential Human Rights Council, as accusing the Islamic body of brazenly violating Russia’s constitution. Also read: ‘Create more passionate content,’ Putin pitches for alternatives to porn On Monday (Dec 23), the Islamic body was notified by the Prosecutor General’s Office that the ruling was essentially unlawful and it went against “the state family policies.” Soon after, the body said it was withdrawing its document allowing polygamy, citing backlash from the public and the official order. “It is God’s will. The Council of Scholars sees no sense in joining a debate on the matter,” the council’s chairman, Shamil Alyautdinov, wrote on Telegram. It is to be noted that Muslims make up for around 10 per cent of Russia’s total population, with the highest concentration in regions like Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia in the North Caucasus, and Tatarstan and Bashkortostan in western Russia. (With inputs from agencies)

‘It’s God’s will,’ Russia’s top Islamic body withdraws ruling that allowed men to have four wives

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