Venezuela Ready to Normalize Relations With US, Maduro Says

"Venezuela is prepared, fully prepared to take steps towards a process of normalization and regulation of diplomatic, consular, and political relations with this US government and with the government that may come," Maduro said in a Sunday interview with journalist Ignacio Ramonet.

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🌫 Ship traffic through the Dardanelles in Turkey suspended due to dense fog

Kim Jong Un Pays Tribute to Memory of North Korea’s Former Leaders

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on the occasion of the New Year, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports.

Kim Jong Un and other participants in the Sunday ceremony laid flowers at the statues of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

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🥺 US actor Jeremy Renner remains “in critical but stable condition” after he sustained injuries in a weather-related accident while plowing snow”, his spokesperson has revealed.

▪️ The spokesperson added that Renner’s family is with him “and he is receiving excellent care” after reportedly being airlifted to hospital.

▪️ The location of the Sunday accident has not been confirmed yet.

▪️ The 51-year-old Hawkeye star owns a ranch above Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada mountain, which was hit by a winter storm on New Year’s Eve that left about 35,000 local homes without power.

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Number of Immigrants Facing Deportation From US Jumps By Nearly A Third – Report

A new report suggests that contrary to mainstream media narratives, efforts to deport immigrants from the US have continued at a record pace.

The number of immigrants facing deportation in 2022 soared by 29% to 4.7 million, according to a report released by the US government Friday.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials reportedly blamed record numbers of migrants arriving at the southern US border for the “significant… increase” in deportations.

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Merkel and Hollande’s Confessions Represent ‘Formalization of Betrayal’ by West Says Russian Senator

A top Russian legislator said the recent admissions by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande that they had no intention of honoring their commitments under the Minsk agreements represent a “formalization of betrayal… by the West” of the people of the Donbass.

An influential member of Russia’s Federation Council wrote that the former EU leaders admitting they never intended to honor the Minsk agreements means they have the blood of the thousands of victims of the Donbass civil war on their hands.

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📹 Four people were killed and another 13 were injured in a collision between two helicopters in Australia.

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📹 Russia's MoD has published footage showing engineering sapper units operating during combat as part of the special military operation.

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Relations Between Prince William and Harry ‘Hanging by a Thread’: Report

Relations between Prince Harry and his brother William are up in the air ahead of the publication of the Duke of Sussex’s tell-all book slated for next week, a UK media outlet has reported.

The outlet cited unnamed sources as saying that “things are hanging by a thread as it is after the past few months, and from the sounds of it Harry's memoir is unlikely to help.”

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📹 The farewell ceremony for Benedict XVI has began at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

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🕯 Fans greeted Pele's coffin by kneeling down and setting off firecrackers.

▪️ The body of the footballer was taken to the stadium of the Santos club, where the farewell ceremony will be held today

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❗️A suspect in a machete attack on police officers in New York wanted to join the Taliban*, American media reported, citing the law enforcement.

📌Last week, New York city police said that Trevor Bickford attacked the police with machete near Times Square on the New Year's Eve injuring three officers. The perpetrator was arrested after getting shot in the shoulder.

▪️According to the media, the 19-year old man carried a diary where he expressed his wish to join the Taliban and "die as a martyr."

▪️The suspect is in custody and remains under police guard at a hospital where he is treated for a gunshot wound.

*Taliban is under UN sanctions over terrorism

🤔South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday that people were fed up with summits between the leaders of South Korea and North Korea that were "for show only," though there should always be an open door for talks between the two counties.

🗣"I think the people are a little fed up with summits that are for show only. We have to start with dialogue on humanitarian issues, and open the door to contact and dialogue between South and North," the president was quoted by South Korean news agency as saying.

📌Yoon noted that there was no reason to reject the idea of summits, though prior discussions had to take place so as to ensure a useful outcome of the meeting.

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📹 At least four people have died and 13 people have been injured as a result of a collision of two helicopters on Monday near the eastern Australian city of Gold Coast, local media reported.

▪️ The collision reportedly occurred in mid-air as one helicopter was landing, while the other was trying to take off.

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⚡️Ukrainian Army has shelled the temporary deployment point of one of the units of the Russian forces in the Makeyevka area with HIMARS, two rockets have been shot down, the Russian Ministry of Defense reports.

"As a result of shelling of the temporary deployment unit by four missiles with high-explosive warheads, 63 Russian servicemen were killed. All necessary assistance and support will be provided to the families and relatives of the deceased military personnel," the ministry said in a statement.

❗️The Russian MoD’s briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️Russian Forces performed a high precision strike temporary deployments of foreign mercenaries in the DPR and in the Kharkov region, eliminating more than 70 foreign mercenaries and wounding more than 100 foreign mercenaries;

▪️The Russian Army eliminated up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed two Ukrainian armored combat vehicles and three other vehicles near Kupyansk;

▪️Russian troops eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three armored carriers and two pick-up trucks near Krasny Liman;

▪️Russian Forces eliminated up to 70 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed four infantry combat vehicles and five other vehicles near Donetsk;

▪️The Russian Army eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three armored combat vehicles and two pick-up trucks in the DPR;

▪️Russian troops destroyed two Ukrainian artillery ammunition depots;

▪️Russian Forces destroyed two US-made M777 artillery systems in the DPR;

▪️The Russian Army destroyed a Krav self-propelled howitzer in the Kherson region, as well as four Ukrainian D-30 howitzers in the DPR;

▪️Russian air defenses destroyed 15 Ukrainian UAVs.

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📹 🇮🇹 Last Generation eco-activists poured paint on the facade of Rome's Senate building.

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🇹🇷Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Monday that Athens was trying to present its issues in bilateral relations with Ankara as Turkey's problems with NATO and the United States.

📌The minister noted that Turkey and Greece had been holding bilateral consultations on trust building measures and cooperation in NATO and accused Athens of sabotaging these meetings recently.

▪️According to Akar, Athens is trying to present its problems in relationships with Ankara "as Turkey's issues in its relations with NATO, the US and EU," while also using them so as to distract people from domestic scandals.

▪️In response to Greek politicians' calling Turkey a threat, the minister said that Ankara is a reliable ally and does not threaten anyone.

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⚽️Saudi football club Al Nassr's manager Rudi Garcia has claimed that he wanted to add Argentine great Lionel Messi to the recent acquisition of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. The remark may potentially upset his team’s latest celebrity recruit.

▪️When asked by reporters about Ronaldo’s arrival, Garcia remarked that he wanted to “take Messi” as well, referring to the 2022 FIFA World Cup best player.

▪️At least one media outlet has since argued that the manager’s words might not sit well with Ronaldo, since Garcia supposedly suggested that he wanted to sign Messi first before going after CR7, favoring the former over the latter.

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🇷🇺Russian energy giant Gazprom exceeded its annual obligations for gas supplies to China in 2022 and reached a fundamentally new level of supplies from January 1, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said on Monday.

💬"In 2022, regular supplies went beyond the daily contract quantities, at the request of the Chinese side, and, as a result, we exceeded our annual commitments," Miller said in a statement, published by the company in Telegram.

📌In addition, Gazprom began to supply the daily volumes envisaged by the contract with China for 2023, a few days before the schedule, from December 31, the executive noted.

💬"Therefore, Gazprom reached a fundamentally new level of gas supplies to China from January 1, 2023," Miller specified.

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Japan Scrambles Military to Keep Track of Chinese Naval Movements in Pacific

Japanese Armed Forces moved in response to maneuvers by a Chinese aircraft carrier and several other warships that sailed into the Pacific past the Okinawa islands in December.

Japan has deployed military aircraft and warships in order to keep tabs on Chinese naval movements in the Pacific, Japanese authorities announced on Monday.

The move follows a Chinese naval group comprised of the aircraft carrier Liaoning and five other warships which sailed from the East China Sea into the Western Pacific, passing between Okinawa Island and the island of Miyako-jima in December.

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