MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/: Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 ground attack plane and a Mi-8 combat helicopter over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"Air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 attack plane near the city of Dnepropetrovsk and a Mi-8 helicopter near the settlement of Zagryzovo in the Kharkov Region," the ministry said in a statement.

NEW YORK, Oct 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — The New York Police Department (NYPD) has enhanced security measures as rallies over the conflict between Israel and Hamas continue in the city.

“We are currently in a heightened threat environment and tensions have been rising since …October 7th. The NYPD is doing everything we can do to forestall future violence in our city. However, we know the ongoing events overseas may resonate with individuals domestically and that is hard to anticipate,” said NYPD in a statement.

KIEV, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country may receive F-16 fighter jets in the first half of 2024, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Thursday.

"Under the optimistic scenario, I think, it will be the first half of next year," Kuleba said.

The F-16 jets will be delivered to Ukraine after Ukrainian pilots complete the training courses and appropriate infrastructure is arranged, Kuleba said.

KYIV, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Kyiv's forces have made some headway against Russian forces in southern Ukraine but face new Russian attacks around the eastern town of Avdiivka, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday.

In an update on Kyiv's more than four-month-old counteroffensive in the south and east, military spokesperson Oleksandr Stupun reported an advance of 400 metres (0.25 mile) to the southwest of Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region.

PYONGYANG, October 19. /TASS/: Russia is ready to discuss and consider Turkey’s initiative to establish a guarantor system in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Moscow and Ankara staying in touch on the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Pyongyang.

"We are ready to discuss any constructive proposals. The said initiative <…> is clearly driven by the intention to de-escalate things and bring the situation back to normal," Russia’s top diplomat said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and other top Republicans want the U.S. to seal its borders against a potential mass exodus of Palestinians fleeing war in the Gaza Strip, suggesting that a surge of civilian refugees could allow extremists into the country.

But such an onslaught is highly unlikely.

TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian military official has urged regional countries to stop the United States from transferring arms and equipment to Israel from its bases in the Middle East, the official news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.

Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri made the remarks in a phone call with Qatar's Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, the IRNA reported, without disclosing the exact date of the phone call.

MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/: The West is seeking after establishing control over the global economy but the majority of countries understand that qualitative development is impossible in such conditions, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at the Made in Russia 2023 International Export Forum.

Fierce competition is underway in the world for the technology leadership and "for control over the global economy, in the first instance from the side of Western financial institutions," the Prime Minister noted.

HOUSTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA has begun contacting customers with crude supply contracts amid the temporary lifting of U.S. sanctions, two people familiar to the matter said on Thursday, moving to resume cash sales to global refiners.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix on Wednesday disclosed summertime subscriber gains that surpassed industry analysts’ projections, signaling the video streaming service’s crackdown on password sharing is converting former freeloaders into paying customers.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 19 (APP): UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East to ease the “epic human suffering” in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Later, the head of the UN health agency (WHO) said he welcomed the reported agreement between the US and Israel, which would allow food, water and medical aid into the ravaged enclave via the Egyptian border.

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country’s defense minister told ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.

Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals tried to stretch out ebbing medical supplies and fuel for generators, as authorities worked out logistics for a delivery of aid from Egypt. Doctors in darkened wards across Gaza stitched wounds by the light of mobile phones, and others used vinegar to treat infected wounds.