With Friends Like These... Western Leaders who Met Zelensky in 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may be unpopular in parts of his own country, but he is the darling of Western politicians. As part of his constant appeal for handouts of cash and military arms, the former comedian and actor has addressed national parliaments by video-link and occasionally in person.

👉 Check out this Sputnik explainer to find out how many photo ops Zelensky has had with world leaders this year

Fentanyl Hybrids, Proxies Could Make 2023 Even Deadlier in America’s Opioids Crisis: Ex-DEA Official

The deadly opioids epidemic plaguing the US, which has contributed heavily to the one million+ overdose deaths the nation has suffered over the 20 years, may get worse in 2023 with the arrival of new fentanyl substitutes and even deadlier hybrids, such as opioids laced with heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine, former DEA deputy chief of staff Jim Crotty has warned, citing fresh Centers for Disease Control data.

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Rapes, Robberies and Falling Plane Parts: Things Japanese Civilians Living Near US Bases Worry About

The US has had troops in Japan since 1945. In recent years, a growing number of residents have protested these deployments, pointing to Grand Theft Auto-style antics, crimes and sexual abuse by individual US soldiers, the terrorization of entire communities from aircraft parts falling on residential areas, and even severe environmental pollution near bases.

👉 Read more about it here

‼️US Supreme Court issues stay on Trump-era Title 42 policy, allowing asylum seekers to be turned away at the US border

US aid to Ukraine is not charity, but “theft at gunpoint,” said says Don Debar, host of the Weekday World show on Radio Justice LA.

💬 “Charity does not involve coercion. You have the coercive police powers of the state taxing the American people. And we're talking about some real money here. Yesterday, they announced that 45 billion that we added to the NDAA is actually earmarked for Ukraine. So there is another 45 billion that definitely takes it up over $100 billion just since February to this country of 40 million or fewer people. I didn't vote for that. I don't think anyone on the planet voted for that. But it's happening, and there's absolutely no stake in it for us other than a strong possibility of a global war,” Debar added.

🎧 Listen to more of Debar’s analysis on how the blank check from US to Ukraine compares to the assistance Washington has provided to other nations in our podcast By Any Means Necessary

Pot, Meet Kettle: Tehran Trolls France Following Crackdown on Paris Protesters

France and its European and allies spent months condemning Iran for cracking down on anti-government protesters and blasting the Iranian government for its alleged excesses. On Saturday, Paris demonstrated the 'humane' and 'democratic' way to disperse a protest - by firing teargas and beating protesters with batons. These methods have not escaped the attention of Iranian officials maligned by France.

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Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of iconic actor Charlie Chaplin, is calling for an end of “Russian bad guys” cliché.

Speaking to British media about her role in the Netflix spy drama Treason, the actress said she was not very enthusiastic about the plot with bad Russians vs good Britons.

💬 “I’m so sick of the Russians being the bad guys that I can’t even describe it to you,” Chaplin said. “It will be great when the ideological war we are waging with Russia is a thing of the past,” she added.

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📹 Night patrol: Russian Su-30SM and Su-35S perform combat missions under the veil of darkness (video courtesy of Russia’s MoD)

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💬 "We spend all this money on Ukraine propping up a government that is disproportionately run by avowed Neo Nazis. And for what reason? Why do we spend all this money? Who's trying to attack the United States? No one," says Jon Jeter, an award-winning journalist and foreign correspondent, radio and television producer.

🎧 Listen to more of Jeters' analysis in our podcast: Why Does Biden Have Money For War But Not For Workers?

Russia's Grain Fleet: Why is West So Unnerved About Moscow Growing Independent?

Russia's intent to become independent from Western shippers and insurers has apparently hit a raw nerve in the West. Over the past several months, the US and European mainstream press has been discussing the trend using derogatory language.

Thus, Russia's fleet is usually called either "dark" or "shadow"; the transportation of Russian grain and crude by the nation's fleet is sometimes described as "smuggling"; Western reporters mince no words when casting doubt on the operability of Russia's insurers, while presenting zero evidence to back their concerns.

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‼️NATO Distributing Digital Weapons Uncontrollably Through Ukraine -Russian Foreign Ministry

NATO is actually distributing digital weapons uncontrollably through Ukraine, which is fraught with unpredictable consequences for the entire world, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said in an interview with Sputnik.

"It is necessary to clearly understand: the threats posed by Ukraine in the information space are of a universal nature. In essence, NATO is now carrying out an uncontrolled distribution of digital weapons through that country," Syromolotov said.

"This is fraught with unpredictable consequences for all members of the international community: today Russia is in the crosshairs, and tomorrow any other state out of favor with Washington could find itself in our place," he said.

🐖 Scientists aim to turn pig livers into fully functioning human organs

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🌴President Biden, who has already set a record for the number of days' vacation he has taken, is flying to the Caribbean to celebrate the New Year.

Back in September, the Republicans reckoned that the incumbent president rested more than 40 percent of his working time and in October, the American media cited statistics revealing that the head of state had spent 172 days - a quarter of his term - in the family residence, more days than had ever been spent by any other holders of the role.

The White House previously provided the reassurance that the president can carry out his work from anywhere. Biden will not return to the American capital this time until 2 January

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The Russian hacker group RaHDit published information on its website NemeZida on over 70 Ukrainian soldiers and officers responsible for cyberdefense and hacking operations.

🗣 "We are moving on to the second stage. Have a look, it is the elite of Ukrainian cyberforces: staff hackers, participants of regular interdepartmental competitions CTF ('Capture the flag') among security structures 404," RaHDit wrote on Telegram.

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👉 Follow our LIVE UPDATES on the Ukrainian crisis

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Whoopi Goldberg has apologized after receiving a backlash for repeating her statement in a recent interview that the Holocaust was not based on race.

🤨 Earlier, the actress was suspended from participating in The View chat show for saying that the Holocaust was not related to race, but rather the violence of "whites against whites" and "the inhumanity of man towards man".

Despite this contradiction and the subsequent apology, Goldberg happily repeated her controversial comments last week when it was pointed out that the Nazis definitely believed that the Holocaust was related to race. Now the pressure is mounting as some are calling for ABC to fire the host as rival networks home in on the anti-Semitism scandal

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Afghan Professor Tears Up Diplomas on Live TV Over Women Education Ban

🎓⛔️A video of a Kabul University professor is currently gaining worldwide attention on social media after the academic was seen tearing apart his diplomas during a live TV show, declaring that education holds little meaning now when his mother or sister couldn't study.

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🥶 An ice figure with a cardboard cut-out of Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the innoscription "Happy New Year" was installed against the background of the bridge in Khabarovsk, Russia

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