Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov | According to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, the possibility of a military confrontation between Russia and the United States/NATO is not ruled out, but the likelihood of an escalation entirely depends on the actions of the group. ● "It depends on the North Atlantic alliance. Entirely and completely, the choice is on the side of NATO. We are ready, as it has already been demonstrated, to defend our national interests with all means at our disposal," he said, responding to a question about whether an armed conflict between Russia and the bloc could be expected in the future. ● Ryabkov noted that endless encroachment on Russian interests in the "core" direction for Russia is a "dangerous path." 💬 "The people who continue to test us on our strength apparently believe that there are no limits to their own 'gambling,' the game of raising the stakes. But they may find themselves among the losers," the diplomat emphasized. "I don't think that Russia-NATO relations will be restored." ● Read more in Sergey Ryabkov's exclusive interview with Izvestia. (Translation: DeepL.com + Proofreading: grammarly.com)

■ Ryabkov reiterated Russia's position that a possible escalation depended on the action of the alliance (Reuters)

Kissinger had been active past his centenary, attending meetings in the White House, publishing a book on leadership styles, and testifying before a Senate committee about the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. In July 2023 he made a surprise visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. | Former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died on Wednesday at his home in Connecticut at the age of 100, Kissinger Associates, Inc said in a statement. Kissinger died at his home in Connecticut, according to a statement from his geopolitical consulting firm, Kissinger Associates Inc. No mention was made of the circumstances. Kissinger had been active past his centenary, attending meetings in the White House, publishing a book on leadership styles, and testifying before a Senate committee about the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. In July 2023 he made a surprise visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the 1970s in the midst of the Cold War, he had a hand in many of the epoch-changing global events of the decade while serving as national security adviser and secretary of state under Republican President Richard Nixon. The German-born Jewish refugee's efforts led to the U.S. diplomatic opening with China, landmark U.S.-Soviet arms control talks, expanded ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and the Paris Peace Accords with North Vietnam.

■ Good Riddance: The ghoul is finally dead (MoA)
■ Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies (Rolling Stone)
■ Kissinger's Controversial Legacy (Sputnik)
■ Henry Kissinger dies at age 100 (RT.com)
■ Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dies at age of 100 (TASS)
■ Henry Kissinger dies at 100; key figure in China-US icebreaking in 1972 (Global Times)

The four-day humanitarian pause has quietened the skies over Gaza but has shone a light on the suffering of displaced Palestinians. | Ayman Harb, a father of three children, stuck it out with his family in the Gaza City neighbourhood of Shujayea for more than a month of the war, even as Israeli bombs and tanks destroyed the besieged enclave’s largest urban centre. ● Last week, just before a four-day humanitarian pause came into effect, he decided the family had to flee. One of his sons has cerebral palsy and requires an oxygen tank, and the Israeli soldiers threatened to shoot Harb if he did not throw away the oxygen. Now in central Gaza, Harb has but one dream — for the truce to turn into a full-fledged ceasefire that allows him and his family to return home.

■ Turkish President Erdoğan vows swift action for Gaza cease-fire, hostage release (aNews)
■ Israel’s Savagery Is So Shocking It’s Sometimes Hard To Take In (Caitlin Johnstone)
■ A Blunt Message for Israel (Samuel Moncada, Venezuela’s ambassador to the U.N.)

The past few weeks haven’t been kind to Volodymyr Zelensky, with the official admission by his top commander that Ukraine’s NATO-sponsored counteroffensive has failed complemented by debates in Washington and Brussels about just how long the West can continue to prop up the Kiev regime with cash and military equipment. | Talk in Western media about the possibility of a peace deal with Russia and increasing political and media criticism of Volodymyr Zelensky at home signals that he’s lost his value as a puppet for Western elites and that they’re preparing to dump him, French politician Florian Philippot believes. 💬 “Now that Zelensky is no longer useful and annoys NATO with his stubbornness as the theater of conflict has moved on to the Middle East, the Deep State wants to get rid of him,” Philippot wrote in a social media post. As evidence, the Gaullist politician pointed to a recent report in Germany’s Bild newspaper on the existence of a “secret peace plan” scenario and plans by Washington and Berlin to pressure Zelensky into negotiations with Russia, as well as “growing political and media criticism against Zelensky” in Ukraine itself, causing the leader, in fear of his safety, to begin firing people left and right.

Local lawmakers have condemned the slogan as “racist poison” and an effort to “create fear” among immigrants | Police in Northern Ireland have launched a hate crime probe after graffiti reading “Irish lives matter” was left on a wall in Belfast, a phrase thought to reflect anti-immigrant sentiment following several similar incidents in the area. ● Local authorities confirmed the vandalism in west Belfast on Wednesday, with police inspector Andrew Matson saying the graffiti and other anti-immigrant signage would be treated as “hate” incidents.

■ Irish government asked social media to censor posts during Dublin riots (RT.com)
■ Ireland needs all her sons and daughters to stand up 🇮🇪 (11/29/23)
■ Irish Lives Matter som hatbrott (Joakim Andersen)