⚡️US Intel Files on Ukraine, Iran & UK Found Among Classified Docs in Biden's Private Office - Report

📌 A trove of US intelligence memos and briefing materials on Ukraine, Iran and the United Kingdom has been found among the classified documents from Joe Biden’s time as vice president at his private office, US media reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

▪️ It is believed that a total of 10 documents with classification markings dated between 2013 and 2016 were discovered on November 2, 2022, just days before the midterm elections.

▪️According to the reports, the files also contained personal family documents, including information about the president’s son Beau’s funeral arrangements.According to the reports, the files also contained personal family documents, including information about the president’s son Beau’s funeral arrangements.

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Coming back to the office after the winter break be like:

🐼 This panda resting on a tree at the Moscow Zoo is amusing netizens. We know you want the same now, right?😉

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🤔 Elementary schools closed across Scotland on Tuesday, with secondary schools to follow suit on Wednesday as teachers walked out to demand higher wages amid record inflation in the country, UK media reported.

▪️ The strike was confirmed by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) and the Teachers' Union NASUWT after last-ditch talks with the government failed on Monday.

💬 "While it is now too late to halt this week's strike action in schools, we hope that fresh talks may take place later this week to advance discussions towards an improved offer," EIS head Andrea Bradley said.

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‼️Canada to Buy US-Made NASAMS Missile System for Ukraine - Trudeau's Office

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told US President Joe Biden that Canada will purchase a US-manufactured National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for Ukraine, the Canadian government announced on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the two had a bilateral meeting on the margins of the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City.

"The Prime Minister informed the President that Canada will purchase a US-manufactured National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for Ukraine," the readout said.

Defense Minister Anita Anand said that "this is the first Canadian donation of an air defence system to Ukraine."

📹 The Russian Defense Ministry showed footage of Iskander missiles being launched at the military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the zone of the special military operation.

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Biden Mixes 'Salvation Army' Up With 'Secret Service' on Trip to El Paso

Joe Biden was surrounded by Salvation Army logos as he was introduced to a uniformed member of the international protestant charity group at a center for migrants it runs in El Paso, Texas. The president even seemed to imply that he had been an agent in Washington's elite VIP protection unit.

US President Joe Biden has flummoxed a Christian charity worker by confusing him with a Secret Service agent.

A video of Biden's latest gaffe emerged on Monday, ahead of his meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — dubbed "the three amigos."

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‼️Air raid warning issued in Kharkov region

DPR Head: Center of Soledar Now Controlled by Russian Forces

Acting head of Russia's Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, announced Tuesday evening that Russian forces had gained the center of the city of Soledar.

"According to the latest information, the center of Soledar is under the control of the Wagner division, and here the guys have gained ground on one side and the other. They are already effectively moving forward," Pushilin told Channel One.

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💬 "First of all, from a level of its significance, one of the Russian military priorities was to secure all of the Donbass, to secure the liberation of the entirety there. And being kind of right in the center of the Donetsk region, Bahmut has often been called the key to Donetsk. So, of course, all of that area has to be liberated. And if that's the linchpin, the center of it, that obviously needs to go as well. It is the linchpin of the entire second line of defense of the Kiev regime. After that, there's only one last defensive line in Donetsk of any major node between Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, further to the west," Mark Sleboda - international relations and security analyst said.

🎧 Listen to more of Mark Sleboda's analysis in our podcast: Bolsonaro Supporters Storm Brazilian Capital to Demand Overthrow of Lula

🤔Biden Says 'Surprised' to Learn Classified Records Were Found at His Private Office

US President Joe Biden said during a press conference in Mexico City that he was briefed about the classified documents found at his private office in Washington and was surprised to learn that there were government documents in his possession from his time as US vice president.

"I was briefed about this discovery and surprised to learn that there were any government records that were taken there to that office, but I don't know what's in the documents," Biden said during a joint press conference with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts on Tuesday. "My lawyers have not suggested I ask what documents they were. I've turned over the boxes. they've turned over the boxes to the [National] Archives and we're cooperating fully, cooperating fully with the review and which I hope will be finished soon."

💬 "Right now we see it escalating. The US has just provided a whole big new tranche of weapons. It's up the escalatory ladder. They're providing 50 Bradley fighting vehicles, a hundred APC's. Another 18, again, it's lighter on the artillery because they don't have it, but 18 Paladin, self-propelled howitzers, lots of missiles and armaments and other things going in. The western European countries are providing outdated infantry fighting vehicles. They are not quite vintage. These are models that were just being phased out of use. So they have them in stock and they're still fairly effective," Mark Sleboda - international relations and security analyst said.

🎧 Listen to more of Mark Sleboda's analysis in our podcast: Bolsonaro Supporters Storm Brazilian Capital to Demand Overthrow of Lula

‼️Finland to Consider Supply of Leopards to Kiev With Participation of Other States - Report

The Finnish government will consider the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine should there be a group of countries supporting the delivery of these tanks, local media reported on Tuesday.

Politico reported on Monday that France and Poland were pushing Germany to equip Kiev with its powerful Leopard 2 tanks.

The Yle broadcaster reported, citing sources, that Finland has yet to make any decisions on the delivery of Leopard to Ukraine. However, if there is a group of countries that supports the delivery of tanks, Finland will consider its participation in the delivery of equipment. The Finnish government is waiting for decisions from Germany and other major countries and will not be the first to decide on the delivery of Leopards. The delivery of German-made Leopards will require Berlin's re-export license, the report said.

🇩🇪Two German ministers have put forward a proposal to allow people to take food from supermarket garbage cans that is still decent for consumption.

▪️ Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann issued a statement in which they called on the justice ministers of all 16 German states to come up with a "practical solution" to the so-called "containering" problem.

💬 "If people take home food that has been thrown away without causing damage or unlawful entry, then, in my opinion, that should no longer be prosecuted,'' Buschmann said.

▪️ The ministers believe that in a situation where 11 million tons of food is thrown away every year, of which seven percent comes from too many retail orders, people should be allowed to take away expired food for sustenance.

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🇧🇷 Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has left a hospital in the United States against the advice of doctors after having been admitted with abdominal pain, the O Globo newspaper reported on Tuesday.

▪️ Bolsonaro was admitted to AdventHealth Celebration hospital in the US state of Florida with severe abdominal pain earlier this week.

▪️ In late December, Bolsonaro went to the US to spend New Year's Eve at former US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

▪️ Bolsonaro neither participated in the inauguration of his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on January 1 nor intended to hand over the presidential sash.

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The Pentagon's decision to train the Ukrainian military to operate Patriot missile defense systems confirms the involvement of the United States in the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov told reporters.

💬 "The decision of the US Department of Defense to organize a training course at Fort Sill in Oklahoma is another confirmation of Washington's de facto participation in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Nazi criminals from Kiev," Antonov said while commenting on the upcoming training course in the United States for Ukrainian servicemen to operate Patriot missile defense systems.

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📌 Peru’s Attorney General has opened an investigation into the country’s new leaders after over a dozen Peruvians were killed in confrontations with security forces.

💬 "The preliminary investigation is related to the alleged crimes of genocide, murder, and grievous bodily harm committed during the demonstrations of December 2022 and January 2023 in the regions of Apurimac, La Libertad, Puno, Junin, Arequipa, and Ayacucho," reads a statement issued by the office.

▪️ Much of the upper echelon of Peru’s new regime is reportedly being scrutinized, including its self-declared president, Dina Boluarte, Prime Minister Alberto Otárola, Interior Minister Victor Rojas, and Defense Minister Jorge Chavez.

Madonna Accused of Trafficking & Exploiting African Children by Charity

US superstar Madonna has been accused of being involved in the human trafficking and sexual exploitation of African children by the charity group Ethiopian World Federation (EWF).

EWF petitioned Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera to investigate a non-profit set up by the 'Queen of Pop' in 2006 called Raising Malawi which reportedly seeks to help orphans in the country. Madonna herself has adopted four Malawian children.

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🇫🇷 The French government plans to start raising the retirement age by three months per year from September 1, 2023, and, thus, increase it from the current 62 years to 64 by 2030, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said.

💬 "Starting from September 1, 2023, the official retirement age will be gradually increased by 3 months per year to reach 64 years by 2030. At the end of the five-year presidential term [of President Emmanuel Macron] it will be 63 years and 3 months," Borne said on Tuesday, while presenting a draft pension reform.

▪️ The French prime minister also stressed the need to "maintain a balance" between the number of working citizens and the steadily growing number of pensioners in the country.

▪️The government will index about 2 million pension benefits so that they reach 85% of the subsistence level and amount to 1,200 euros ($1,288) per month for those who have completed the minimum working experience of 43 years required for receiving a pension, Borne added.

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What percentage of people in Japan approve of government policy?

The rating of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government has dropped to the lowest figure among those surveyed, down by 3 percentage points compared with December, a poll released by the Japanese broadcaster showed on Wednesday.

The latest decrease in the approval rating marks the lowest since the establishment of Kishida's cabinet, although it was at the same level for the first time in November 2022, the poll showed.

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How Russia is Solving Africa’s Food Dilemma Despite Western Sanctions

While 350 million Africans are suffering from food insecurity, the collective West is continuing to ramp up sanctions over Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, disrupting established supply chains and facilitating an energy and food crisis. What’s worse, NATO countries are artificially prolonging the crisis, Africa experts told Sputnik.

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