RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants in Gaza’s two largest cities on Monday, with civilians still sheltering along the front lines even after massive waves of displacement across the besieged territory.

Israel has pledged to keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, dismantles its military capabilities and returns all of the scores of hostages still held by Palestinian militants after being captured during the Oct. 7 surprise attack into Israel that ignited the war.

DUBAI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - With the COP28 climate talks entering crunch time on Monday, U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell urged countries to come together to reach a final deal for the summit - where they were facing off over whether to call for an end to fossil fuels.

Stiell said there had been progress in resolving some disagreements over the last day, but warned that "each step back from the highest ambition will cost countless millions of lives".

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is set to convene an emergency special session on Gaza on Tuesday, said Monica Grayley, the UNGA president's spokesperson.

"President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, has just informed member states that he will convene the 45th plenary meeting of the tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on Tuesday, Dec. 12," the spokesperson said on Sunday.

MINSK, December 11. /TASS/: The Ukrainian conflict will end with talks with the West, Russian Ambassador at Large for Kiev regime crimes Rodion Miroshnik said on the air with CTV television.

"Negotiations will definitely take places; all the clashes necessarily end with talks. Clearly, negotiations will not be with puppets," the diplomat noted. "The West does not demonstrate the desire to come to terms so far. They do not say so far that they are ready to come to the negotiating table," Miroshnik said.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A series of loud explosions rang out in Ukraine’s capital early Monday followed by air raid sirens.

There was no immediate word on the origin of the explosions, but they sounded like air defense units firing into the sky.

Kyiv is routinely targeted by Russian drone and missile attacks.

Just over two weeks ago, Kyiv came under what Ukrainian officials said was the most intense drone attack since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

DUBAI, Dec 11 (NNN-KBC) — Oil rich Azerbaijan will host the next conference of the United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP29) in 2024, after days of marathon lobbying by the Eastern European nation.

The country managed to wither strong competition from Armenia, which was also bidding to host the 2024 round of the climate talks.

The development comes amid a stiff stalemate at the ongoing COP28 in Dubai, with only four days before the meet closes here in the United Arab Emirates.

DUBAI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The only thing Iran and Israel share is that both do not believe in a two-state solution, Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Monday via translation at an international forum in Doha.

During the forum, Amirabdollahian reiterated Iran's proposal that a referendum be held to determine the fate of Palestine, with only descendants of those who lived there prior to 1948 being permitted to vote.

BEIJING, Dec 11 (APP): A delegation consists of translation celebrities and foreign media hosted by the CICG Academy of Translation and Interpretation – “Experience the Vitality of Zhongshan Tour” went to Shenzhen-Zhongshan-Passage, Real Scene Exhibition Hall of the Cuiheng New Area, Hongrita Precision Components (Zhongshan) Co., Ltd. among other places.

MOSCOW, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza during a telephone conversation on Sunday, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"The discussion focused on the critical situation in the Palestine-Israel conflict zone, in particular, the disastrous humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip," the Kremlin said.

LONDON, December 11. /TASS/: The United Kingdom will supply two Sandown type minehunter ships to Ukraine, the country’s Ministry of Defense said.

"Defense Secretary Grant Shapps will announce the procurement of two Sandown Class mine countermeasures vessels (MCMVs) by Ukraine through UK Export Finance today in London," the ministry informed.

The United Kingdom together with Norway will form a new maritime coalition to comprise countries desirous of providing naval aid to Ukraine, the ministry noted.

GENEVA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board adopted a resolution on Sunday, urging for prompt and unobstructed humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip.

At the request of 17 member states, the Executive Board convened a special session at the WHO headquarters in Geneva to discuss the health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem.

GENEVA, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations said that it needed $46.4 billion next year to bring life-saving help to around 180 million people in desperate circumstances around the world.

The UN said the global humanitarian outlook for 2024 was “bleak”, with conflicts, climate emergencies and collapsing economies “wreaking havoc” on the most vulnerable.

While global attention focuses on the conflict raging in the Gaza Strip, the UN said the wider Middle East, Sudan and Afghanistan were among the hotspots that also needed major international aid operations.