Russia increases the budget for national defense in a record way
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record defense budget, allocating a third of total government spending, as the war in Ukraine drains resources from both sides nearly three years after it began.
The 2025 budget, released on Sunday, allocates about $126 billion (13.5 trillion rubles) to national defense - accounting for 32.5% of government spending.
This budget is about 28 billion dollars (three trillion rubles) higher than the previous record that was set this year.
The new budget for the next three years foresees a slight decrease in military spending for the years 2026 and 2027. Lawmakers in both houses of the Russian parliament approved the budget.
Russia's war in Ukraine is the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Moscow is currently making gains at several key points along the front lines and is fighting a counteroffensive in the Kursk region – the only place where Ukraine has had a major military success this year.
Rebels "invade" Syria: Chaos and terror among citizens
Thousands of rebels also dispersed into Aleppo, Syria in makeshift armored vehicles and trucks, a day after they entered the city.
The rebels did not face much resistance from government troops during the surprise offensive, according to residents and fighters.
Witnesses said two airstrikes on the outskirts of the city late Friday were aimed at strengthening the rebels and struck near residential areas. A war monitor reported that 20 fighters were killed.
Syria's armed forces said in a statement on Saturday that in order to cope with the major attack in Aleppo and save lives, they have redeployed forces and are preparing for a counterattack. The statement acknowledged that the rebels had entered large parts of the city, but said they had not set up bases or checkpoints.
Rebels were shot outside the police headquarters, in the city center, and outside the Aleppo Citadel. They tore down posters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, trampling some and burning others.
Attacks in Syria, Russian diplomat meets with President Bashar al-Assad
Iran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, has paid a visit to the Syrian capital, Damascus, to meet President Bashar al-Assad. This visit comes at a time when the Syrian army has launched counter-attacks to drive out the rebels who have taken control of Aleppo and some areas in Idlib.
The Syrian army launched a series of counterattacks on Sunday in the cities of Aleppo and Idlib to halt the advance of rebels who have made surprise moves.
Syrian state television claimed that government forces had killed approximately 1,000 rebels over the past three days, but did not provide evidence or further details.
The Syrian Civil Defenders, known as the White Helmets, a group operating in opposition-held areas, said Assad's army had carried out joint counter-offensive operations with Russian forces in the two towns.
Warplanes are believed to have struck the area, killing at least 18 people and injuring dozens more. Russia, which has long backed the Assad regime in the 13-year war, has not publicly commented on its involvement.
Trump chooses the new head of the FBI
Republican President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday he wants former National Security Adviser and loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI, signaling the departure of current director Christopher Wray.
Patel, who during Trump's first term advised both the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense, has previously called for the FBI to lose its intelligence-gathering role and purge its ranks of any employees. that refuses to support Trump's agenda.
"The biggest problem the FBI has had is coming out of its intelligence section. I would split that component and close the FBI's Hoover Building on day one and reopen it as a museum of 'deep state," Patel said in a September interview on the conservative Shaën Ryan Show.
By nominating Patel, Trump is sending a message that he is preparing to oust Wray, a first-time Republican appointee who has a 10-year term at the FBI that does not expire until 2027.
