❗️ Biden, Macron to expand defense cooperation on advanced capabilities, technologies that will be critical to defense in the future - joint statement

💬 ‘’[The US authorities] have a large influence on the African continent and they want to maintain that influence and what they've lost, they want to try to bring back. And I think they're also concerned about Russia and its influence in Africa, as well as China and other countries which have sought to develop bilateral relations with not only individual African countries but also with the African Union," Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African Newswire, comments on what makes Africa important to a country like France.

🎧Listen to more of Abayomi Azikiwe’s analysis in our podcast: Jeffries Replaces Pelosi, NYC Hospitalizes Mentally Ill, Macron in DC

❗️ The official statements made after the French president’s meeting with his US counterpart:

▪️ US and France to coordinate with allies on Ukraine aid, including the aim to provide "robust budget support".

▪️ Washington and Paris remain committed to addressing the effects of the conflict in Ukraine, build resilience to food and energy disruptions.

▪️ US and France to step up coordination on maritime security in Pacific Islands, boost support for air and maritime deployments by EU in region.

❗️ Macron on American Inflation Reduction Act that sparked EU trade concerns: US, France agreed to resynchronize approaches

❗️ Biden says he is prepared to talk to Putin if there is interest in ending the conflict in Ukraine

😍 📹 Just have a look at this young elephant and its cute way to escape the heat!

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Jeffrey Epstein's Estate Will Pay $105 Million to US Virgin Islands

Denise George, the US Virgin Islands' attorney general, on Wednesday said Epstein's estate will pay $105 million in cash plus half the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James, a private island bought by Epstein in 1998 near Great St. James (bought in 2016), where Epstein lived and allegedly committed many crimes.

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‼️US has issued fresh anti-North Korea sanctions against three individuals: Il Ho Jon, Su Gil Kim and Jin Yu

📹WATCH: Russian troops from the continue their tactical preparation in Belarus (video courtesy of Russia’s MoD)

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⚽World Cup Group E Round-Up:

Japan beats Spain 2-1

Germany beats Costa Rica 4-2

➡️Japan advances to knockout round as the winner of Group E, with Spain as runner-up. Despite its win against Costa Rica, Germany crashes out of second consecutive World Cup.

‼️ US Senate votes to force labor contract for rail workers to avert costly strike, measure now heads to US President Joe Biden

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🔺 "Europe building security not with Russia, but against it": highlights from Russian MFA brief on European security issues
🔺 Next, we'll talk with Max Reed, American Student Union president, about his visit to Venezuela
🔺 And, we turn out attention to the Tribal Nations Summit and the state of indigenous people in the USA

Not bad, huh? There's more! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 6pm EST|3pm PST|12am CET via the website or app

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“The blast threw me away from the door”: A woman describes how the Ukrainian Army shelled a residential building

US Court Rejects Trump Effort to Block DOJ From Using Classified Records in Probe - Filing

A US appeals court terminated a special master review process that former President Donald Trump requested to block federal investigators from using classified records seized from his Florida residence in an active criminal probe, a court filing revealed.

"The law is clear. We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant. Nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so. Either approach would be a radical reordering of our caselaw limiting the federal courts’ involvement in criminal investigations. And both would violate bedrock separation-of-powers limitations. Accordingly, we agree with the government that the district court improperly exercised equitable jurisdiction, and that dismissal of the entire proceeding is required," the 11th Circuit Appeals Court said in the court document.

📹WATCH: Russian troops equipped with 82mm mortars and large-caliber machine guns eliminate Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups who were trying to raid the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station (video courtesy of Russia’s MoD)

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An F-35B stealth fighter collapsed following a landing gear failure on the runway of a US military base in Japan, reports indicate.

Footage of the incident which was posted to social media Thursday shows the jet wobbling while being towed before face-planting onto the tarmac at the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.

Check out the story to see the video!

‼️Air raid warnings declared in two regions of Ukraine - ministry

Facebook Failed to Detect Death Threat Ads Against US Midterm Election Workers

Facebook* failed to block 75% of ads containing death threats to election workers during the US midterm elections, researchers have found.

The ads were released by the researchers "on the day of or day before the 2022 US midterm elections" to test Facebook, Youtube and Tiktok's moderation capabilities.

*Meta is banned in Russia over extremist activities.

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Idaho College Murders: Investigators Backtrack on Whether Four Students Were Targeted

US police have backtracked their earlier remarks, stating now that it remains unclear whether four University of Idaho students had been targeted in a quadruple homicide in November.

The case, which has enraptured much of the US, has only prompted more questions as investigators have released little information on the murders.

Officials were alerted to the case on November 13 after students and housemates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and fellow student Ethan Chapin were found fatally stabbed after returning from a night out.

UN: Over 300 Million Will Require Humanitarian Assistance in 2023

This year saw the most vulnerable social groups hit the hardest due to an overall economic slowdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions. An estimated 24% more people will require help in 2023, however, in "the biggest humanitarian program” the world has ever seen.

The United Nations’ annual Global Humanitarian Overview released on Thursday estimates that around 339 million people worldwide will need humanitarian assistance and protection next year.

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🤨A new report has suggested that the European Commission is calling on EU member states to impose a price cap of $60 per barrel for oil imported from Russia.

Read the full story to get all the details!