STOCKHOLM, November 20. /TASS/: Finnish authorities plan to close the entire border with Russia on Wednesday night, the Iltalehti newspaper reported, citing sources.

According to the newspaper, the government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo may decide on Monday to close the remaining checkpoints on the border with Russia. These checkpoints are expected to be closed at 12:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday (10:00 p.m. GMT).

Spain Nov 19 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday demanded rapid changes in the operations of Ukraine's military and announced the dismissal of the commander of the military's medical forces.

Zelenskiy's move was announced as he met Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and coincided with debate over the conduct of the 20-month-old war against Russia, with questions over how quickly a counteroffensive in the east and south is proceeding.

MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/: The Russian authorities were able to prevent the economic collapse that threatened the country after the introduction of unprecedented sanctions in 2022, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin TV program.

"There was a threat of a collapse, we really had to mobilize all resources and internal forces in order to prevent this collapse," said the Kremlin representative, noting that the Russian economy was then hit by the burden of unprecedented sanctions.

YANGON, Nov 20 (NNN-MNA) – Two people were killed and three others injured, when a ship, docked behind a steel factory, in Insein township in Yangon, caught fire, an official from a rescue organisation said, yesterday.

After the fire was extinguished, on the double-decker ship, carrying cement, two dead bodies were found inside the ship’s oil storage tank, U Thurein Tun said, adding that, 15 rescue organisations came to the scene for rescue operations.

HOUSTON (Texas, US), Nov 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — SpaceX’s giant new rocket Starship on Saturday blasted off on its second test flight but ended prematurely with an explosion minutes after launch.

Starship successfully lifted off under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster at about 7:04 a.m. Central Time from SpaceX’s Starbase in the U.S. state of Texas, according to SpaceX.

Starship made it through a successful stage separation, said SpaceX.

Nov 19 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday demanded rapid changes in the operations of Ukraine's military medical system, as he announced the dismissal of the commander of the medical forces.

Zelenskiy's move was announced as he met Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and coincided with debate over the conduct of the 20-month-old war against Russia, with questions over how quickly a counteroffensive in the east and south is proceeding.

BRASILIA, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva extended best wishes to the newly elected government in Argentina, without making direct mention of President-elect Javier Milei, who has previously criticized Lula and labeled him an "angry communist."

"I wish good luck and success to the new government. Argentina is a great country and deserves all our respect. Brazil will always be available to work together with our Argentine brothers," he wrote on Sunday on X, formerly Twitter.

MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/: Russian forces struck Ukrainian troops and military hardware in 123 areas over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"Operational/tactical and army aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces inflicted damage on the Ukrainian army’s manpower and military equipment in 123 areas," the ministry said in a statement.

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Heavy fighting erupted Monday around a hospital in northern Gaza where thousands of patients and displaced people have been sheltering for weeks, as Israeli forces focus on clearing medical facilities that they say Hamas militants use for cover.

A shell struck the second floor of the Indonesian Hospital, killing at least 12 people, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza and a medical worker inside the facility. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

GAZA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 1.7 million people have been displaced within the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on Oct. 7, the United Nations (UN) said on Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted the continuous call by the Israeli army for the residents in Gaza City and its northern areas to evacuate and move southwards through a corridor along Salah al-Din Road, the main north-south traffic artery running the length of Gaza.

BAKU, Nov 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) –Azerbaijan refused to participate in normalization negotiations with Armenia that were planned in the US this month because of what Baku considered Washington’s “biased” view.

“We consider it impossible to hold the proposed meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington on Nov 20, 2023,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/: Another group of Russian citizens, evacuated from the Gaza Strip earlier, has been delivered to Russia.

A Ministry of Emergency Situations Il-76 plane flying from Cairo landed in Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. It delivered a group of 117 Russians, who previously evacuated through the Rafah checkpoint. During the flight, they were accompanied by Ministry medics and psychologists.