ANKARA
Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including Russian President Vladimir Putin saying a ceasefire in Ukraine is "possible" if Kyiv allows its citizens in Russia to vote in elections; a statement by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification saying famine conditions have been offset in Gaza while 1.6 million is expected to still face crisis-level hunger; and UN chief warning that Gaza hunger gains are 'fragile' as 1.6 million still face extreme food insecurity.
TOP STORIES
- Putin says ceasefire in Ukraine 'possible' if Kyiv allows its citizens in Russia to vote in elections
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to consider halting strikes deep inside Ukraine on the day of elections, should they be held.
Speaking at a special year-end news conference in Moscow, Putin conditioned the ceasefire on the participation of Ukrainians living in Russia in the elections.
"We are ready to consider ensuring security during the elections in Ukraine. At the very least, to stop, to refrain from strikes deep into the territory on the voting day," he said.
- Famine conditions offset in Gaza, but 1.6M to still face crisis-level hunger: IPC
Famine conditions in the Gaza Strip have been temporarily offset following a reduction in hostilities and improved access for humanitarian and commercial food deliveries, but the overall situation remains critical, according to new findings released by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
Between Oct. 16 and Nov. 30, around 1.6 million people, or 77% of the population analyzed, experienced high levels of acute food insecurity classified as IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse, said the analysis. That includes more than half a million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and over 100,000 facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5), the most severe classification.
While recent developments amid a fragile ceasefire, including a proposed peace plan and improved food inflows, have helped ease the most extreme conditions, the IPC warned that the outlook remains grave.
- UN chief warns Gaza hunger gains are 'fragile' as 1.6M still face extreme food insecurity
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that while famine in the Gaza Strip has been averted, the humanitarian situation remains extremely fragile, with more than 75% of the population facing acute food insecurity and critical risks of malnutrition.
"Famine has been pushed back. Far more people are able to access the food they need to survive," Guterres said at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York. "Gains are fragile, perilously so."
He said 1.6 million in Gaza, more than 75% of the population, are projected to face "extreme levels of acute food insecurity and critical malnutrition risks."
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Australia announced its largest gun buyback in decades after the recent attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, with the prime minister saying the plan would help get guns off the streets.
- EU leaders failed to reach an agreement on directly using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine, instead settling on a €90 billion ($105 billion) EU borrowing package to cover Kyiv’s financing needs for the next two years, the European Commission chief said.
- A Palestinian man was injured after an illegal Israeli settler ran him over with a vehicle in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestine’s official news agency Wafa.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said a €90 billion ($105 billion) EU financial package for Ukraine is in place, calling it a strong political message to Moscow as the bloc continues to debate the future use of frozen Russian assets.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said “common sense prevailed” after EU leaders agreed to provide Ukraine a loan of €90 billion ($105 billion) to cover its needs for the next two years.
- The French foreign minister welcomed the EU’s agreement on a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan package for Ukraine, describing it as “historic” and a sign that Europe is assuming greater responsibility for its security in the face of Russia’s war.
- The Israeli army launched airstrikes and artillery shelling on areas in the northern and southern Gaza Strip, witnesses told Anadolu.
- Security forces killed four militants and prevented terrorists from entering a military base in northwestern Pakistan after their accomplice carried out a suicide bombing, a security official said.
- Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit's lung disease has "worsened sharply this autumn," with doctors preparing her for a possible lung transplant, public broadcaster NRK reported.
- Russia and Ukraine announced they have conducted another exchange of bodies as part of agreements reached earlier this year in Istanbul.
- Finland expressed concern about US sanctions on two more International Criminal Court (ICC) judges, reiterating “strong support” for the Court and its officials.
- Doctors Without Borders said it is recording a sharp increase in respiratory infections in Gaza as the harsh winter compounds already dire living conditions, posing a serious threat to young children.
- Pakistan raised concerns about India's "weaponization of water," warning that New Delhi's actions "threaten" South Asian peace and security.
- More than 10,600 patients with severe health conditions have been medically evacuated from Gaza since October 2023, but thousands remain trapped without access to life-saving care, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin prodded the EU and Ukraine to take steps toward peace in Ukraine.
- Japan and New Zealand signed two agreements on defense cooperation and information security during talks in Tokyo, as the two countries move to deepen security ties amid regional challenges.
- Several survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein expressed distress during a private meeting earlier this week with female Democratic lawmakers on the piecemeal release of Epstein-related documents and images by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, four people familiar with the meeting told CNN.
- A German federal court overturned a ban imposed in 2023 on the right-wing extremist Hammerskins Germany group, media reports said.
- More than 50,000 people have been newly displaced in Sudan's Kordofan regions since late October as fighting intensifies, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned, saying civilians are fleeing in fear rather than by choice.
- Staff at the Louvre Museum ended a three-day strike that forced the famed Paris institution to close fully or partially since the start of the week, unions said.
- Belgium is on track to record its driest year in nearly 50 years, according to data by the Royal Meteorological Institute (KMI), marking a sharp contrast with 2024, the wettest since measurements began.
- France condemned US sanctions imposed on two more judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging Washington to withdraw all measures taken against the court.
- A drone believed to be a Russian-made Orlan-10 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was found in Türkiye's northwestern Kocaeli province, the Turkish Interior Ministry said.
- Three people were killed and five injured after a man carried out a stabbing attack and threw a smoke grenade at a metro station in Taiwan, said media reports.
- Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the US Justice Department will release "several hundred thousand" government records related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, but will miss a deadline for the publication of all related files.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington's immediate priority in Sudan is ending the fighting, as the country faces a deepening humanitarian calamity.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Turkish firm Karmod gears up for Türkiye’s 2026 rainwater harvesting regulation
Turkish plastic storage systems manufacturer Karmod said it is ready to meet new government requirements that will make rainwater harvesting mandatory in large-scale public and private buildings as of Jan. 1.
The regulation, introduced by the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry, is aimed at reducing water consumption and improving resource efficiency amid growing climate pressures.
Karmod said its rainwater harvesting storage tanks fully comply with the new rules and are already being supplied for projects preparing for the transition.
- Putin says EU 'not succeeding' in seizing Russian assets, calls attempt 'robbery'
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the EU is "not succeeding in carrying out" the expropriation of the frozen Russian assets.
Commenting on discussions about expropriation of Russian frozen assets in the EU at an annual news conference in Moscow, Putin said the effort is faltering due to the severe consequences the perpetrators would face, arguing that "theft" is an unsuitable definition for what the EU is trying to do.
"Theft is a secret appropriation, while they are trying to do it openly. It's robbery," he said.
- Armenia says first shipment of Azerbaijani fuel is crossing into country via Georgia
Armenia said the first shipment of Azerbaijani fuel is crossing into the country via neighboring Georgia.
Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan wrote on US social media company Facebook that a train of 22 wagons “carrying 1,300 tons of Azerbaijani-origin A95 gasoline” is crossing the border with neighboring Georgia.
He said the train is crossing into Armenia through the railway station in the town of Ayrum.