Europe

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/: The US-led Western coalition carried out airstrikes on Monday on the local villages of Al-‘Amiriyah, Al-Burj, Al-Ra’i, and Tahrin, located near Al-Bab in northern Syria, Al-Masdar news portal has reported.

According to the report, the airstrikes were presumably delivered against the bases of the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia). Al Mayadeen TV channel reports that the airstrikes targeted illegal oil refineries to the northeast of Aleppo (some 360 km from Damascus).

No casualties among civilians have been reported.

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/: Aeroflot plans to open new long-range international flights to India's Goa and Mumbai, China's Chengdu, Japan's Osaka and Singapore, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian flag carrier Vitaly Savelyev told TASS on Tuesday.

"The international route network will be complemented in 2020 by new long-range flights from Moscow to Mumbai, Goa, Chengdu, Osaka and Singapore," the top manager said.

There are no direct flights for the majority of these destinations at present.

KIEV, November 26. /TASS/: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has described Ukrainian-Russian relations as very complicated.

"We have a very challenging situation with Russia," Zelensky told reporters at a joint briefing with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid in Tallinn. "We have launched dialogue [with Russia]," the Ukrainian president said. "Truly speaking, it will begin at the Normandy meeting of the four leaders (Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France)."

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/: The Russian military demonstrated the latest Avangard missile system with the hypersonic boost-glide vehicle to the United States, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Under the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, a US inspection group was shown the Avangard missile system with the hypersonic boost-glide vehicle on the territory of Russia on November 24-26, 2019," the ministry said in a statement.

26 Nov 2019; MEMO: Activists are fundraising for legal action to stop the European Union (EU) from trading with Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The organisers of the initiative, who describe themselves as “a coalition of anti-racist associations and committees within the Palestine solidarity movement in Europe”, are hoping to pressure the EU into banning trade with settlements.

26 November 2019; AFP: Russia's anti-doping chief said Tuesday he expected the country to be barred from all sporting competition for four years, after a bombshell recommendation from the World Anti-Doping Agency that shocked Russian athletes.

WADA's Compliance Review Committee recommended the ban on Monday, accusing Moscow of falsifying laboratory data handed over to investigators.

GENEVA, Nov 26 (NNN) — On the eve of a year in which nations are due to strengthen their Paris climate pledges, a new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report warns that unless global greenhouse gas emissions fall by 7.6 per cent each year between 2020 and 2030, the world will miss the opportunity to get on track towards the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. 

LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Tuesday on hopes of progress toward a trade agreement between the United States and China, the world’s biggest oil users, and predictions of a draw on U.S. crude inventories.

Brent crude LCOc1, the international price benchmark, gained 14 cents to $63.79 by 1144 GMT while West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was up 17 cents at $58.18.

PARIS (Reuters) - Thirteen French soldiers were killed in Mali when their helicopters collided at low altitude as they swooped in to support ground forces engaged in combat with Islamist militants, the French army said on Tuesday.

It was the biggest loss of French troops in a single day since an attack in Beirut 36 years ago when 58 soldiers died.

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark offered to take over Canada’s leadership of NATO’s non-combat training mission in Iraq from the end of 2020 until mid-2022, the Danish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

“With the contribution we will be able to deliver an even stronger effort in our fight against the terror group ISIL by training Iraqis,” Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said.

Denmark will present the offer at a NATO summit in London next week. It would send around 213 people to the mission which trains Iraqi security forces.