Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew says Türkiye has made significant progress on minority rights over the past 20 years, improving conditions for the Greek Orthodox community and the Patriarchate.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit Israel for the first time on December 6–7.

Source: The Times of Israel

NEW: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung highlighted that defense cooperation is one of the strongest pillars of Türkiye–Korea relations.

Lee emphasized that Türkiye has become a global leader in unmanned aerial systems (UAS/drones), while Korea excels in advanced platforms such as tanks, artillery and naval systems.

Because these strengths complement each other, he believes there is major potential for new joint projects.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Burkina Faso: JNIM claims it has taken control of two VDP points in Kaya.

Mustafa Qırımoğlu, National Leader of the Crimean Tatars, on Trump’s Ukraine peace plan:

In the modern world, there has never been such a shameful draft agreement that so openly and brazenly violates international legal norms.

Those who wrote this agreement should be taken to court, because it contradicts international law.

It is a project that supports an occupying, rogue state.

President Zelensky will continue to fight for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

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Kremlin aide Ushakov:

The U.S. plan on Ukraine will be subject to modifications by Russia, Ukraine, Europe, and the United States.

Kremlin aide Ushakov:

Many provisions of the American plan on Ukraine, which Moscow has reviewed, appear acceptable.

Moscow has seen reports about a “European plan” on Ukraine — it is unconstructive and does not suit Russia.

Kremlin aide Ushakov:

Russia has received a signal from the United States to meet in person and begin discussions on the plan for Ukraine, but there are no concrete agreements yet.

BREAKING: The Trump administration has designated Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization.

Kenya: Former British soldier Robert Purkiss was denied bail in the extradition case over the 2012 killing of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru near a British army base.

NEW: US and Ukrainian officials say they made meaningful progress in Geneva on a peace plan to end the war with Russia.

The proposal has been cut from 28 points to 19, though key disagreements remain.

Source: FT

China's Xi:

The return of Taiwan to China is a key part of the post-war international order.

China’s Xi Jinping spoke by phone with Trump.

Source: Reuters, citing Xinhua

Saudi Arabia plans to open two more alcohol stores — one in an Aramco compound in Dhahran for non-Muslim foreign staff and another for diplomats in Jeddah — expanding on last year’s first “booze bunker” in Riyadh.

The new stores are expected in 2026, though no official timelines or regulatory changes have been announced.

Source: Reuters

Another corruption scandal in defense procurement of Ukraine

Czech company Reactive Drone is under investigation for selling Chinese drones to Ukraine at extreme markups—up to 20 times the purchase price.

According to Czech detectives, the firm bought drones for 36 million CZK but billed the Ukrainian military 692 million CZK.

Investigators say most of the money—638 million CZK—was then transferred to Chinese bank accounts instead of being taxed.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has not responded to inquiries about why it approved such unusually high prices.

NEW: The UK Ministry of Defence says its DragonFire high-power laser has successfully shot down drones traveling over 400 mph during trials in the Hebrides.

After confirming the system’s first beyond-the-horizon drone kills, the MoD signed a £316 million contract with MBDA UK to begin installing DragonFire on Type 45 destroyers in 2027.

DragonFire is intended as a low-cost “hard-kill” alternative to expensive anti-air missiles, though its performance depends on line-of-sight conditions and stable power.

Source: Tom's Hardware

Pentagon:

The "Department of War" has received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.).

In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.

A US- and Israeli-backed aid group in Gaza, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is shutting down.

It claims its mission is “complete” and that its model will be taken over by a US-led post-ceasefire force, but in reality it faced major criticism and a cash crunch.

GHF was accused by the UN and aid groups of militarising aid, using armed private contractors, and enabling Israeli policies that pushed Palestinians south.

Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinians around GHF distribution points.

Source: FT

US official to Al Jazeera:

Trump is open to the possibility of direct talks with Maduro.

We will see how things go if direct talks with Maduro take place and decide accordingly.

BREAKING: Trump:

President Xi invited me to visit Beijing in April, which I accepted, and I reciprocated where he will be my guest for a State Visit in the U.S. later in the year.

A federal judge threw out the indictments against James Comey and Letitia James, ruling that the interim US attorney who brought the charges was improperly appointed.

Source: CNN