😍 🐼 On January 22, people celebrate Chinese New Year. In the southwestern province of Sichuan, ten baby pandas sent Lunar New Year wishes with their keepers.

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💬 "I do think that we have to look at drugs as this huge commodity that has been intertwined with the US empire and really before that, the British Empire, going all the way back to the Opium Wars. Drugs are one of the three most lucrative commodities traded internationally. I believe it goes oil, weapons and then narcotics. This is a huge amount of money. And this money ends up in the Western financial system", Aaron Good, political scientist, author, and host of the American Exception podcast, says.

🎧Listen to more of Aaron Good's analysis in our podcast: GOP Candidate Arrest, Santos Committee Appointments, CA Insulin Suit

📹 Russia's MoD has published footage showing how tankmen of the Russian Armed Forces neutralize Ukrainian positions on the right bank of the Dnepr River.

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🇿🇦 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 South Africa to host second round of joint naval military exercises with Russia and China off its coast

🗣 “As means to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China, a multinational maritime exercise between these three countries ... will take place,” the South African National Defense Force said.

Dubbed “Mosi”, which means “smoke” in the local Tswana language, the naval exercises are expected to take place between February 17 and 27 at two locations, off the shores of the coastal city of Durban in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and off the coastal city of Richards Bay, which is located 110 miles (180 kilometers) from Durban.

The first such exercise involving the three naval forces took place in November 2019 off Cape Town.

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Ukraine Helicopter Crash: Kiev Abandoned Russian Mi-8s in Favor of French Pumas – Expert

The French helicopter Super Puma H225 has been dogged by technical problems since it made its maiden flight in 2000. The helicopter has been involved in an array of deadly crashes, Russian military expert Yevgeny Matveyev has told Sputnik.

His comments come after Ukrainian media reported on Wednesday that a French-made H225 helicopter that crashed near Kiev earlier that day had a spate of technical glitches.

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‼️Pentagon: No Sense to Give Abrams Tanks to Kiev at Moment Due to High Maintenance Cost

The United States believes it makes no sense to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine, considering high costs associated with their maintenance, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Thursday.

"The maintenance and the high cost that it would take to maintain an Abrams, it just doesn't make sense to provide that to the Ukrainians at this moment," Singh said during a press briefing.

Singh also remarked that a new security package for Ukraine would be "coming soon."

$2,500-a-Night Prostitutes Flock to Davos to 'Entertain' World Economic Forum Guests

More than a hundred prostitutes have travelled to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The call-girls are charging up to $2,500 a night to guests at the annual gathering of the rich and powerful at the exclusive Alpine resort.

One prostitute who used the name 'Liana' told a German national newspaper that she often services a US member of the exclusive club of financial and political elites. She said her client would pay $750 per hour with her or $2,500 for the night.

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Biden’s Approval Rating Inches Up to 43% From Record Low in July, Poll Shows

According to the poll, 43% of the voters approve of Biden’s performance, while 54% disapprove, thus maintaining a sense of stability throughout the fourth quarter. In July, only 40% approved and 57% disapproved of his job performance, making it his worst marks since taking office.

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🔺 First, we discuss United States' readiness to help Ukraine target Crimea
🔺 Next, we move on to the joint trilateral naval exercise between South Africa, Russia and China that will take place in February
🔺And, we talk about the documentary “MLK / FBI” and FBI connections to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination

And lots of other topics will be covered today! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 6pm EST|3pm PST|12am CET via the website or app

📻 Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

Over Half of Americans Rate Healthcare Quality as Subpar, Poll Shows

More than half of Americans assess healthcare quality in the country as subpar, the largest share in two decades, a new Gallup poll showed on Thursday.

"For the first time in Gallup’s two-decade trend, less than half of Americans are complimentary about the quality of US healthcare, with 48% rating it 'excellent' or 'good.' The slight majority now rate healthcare quality as subpar, including 31% saying it is 'only fair' and 21% - a new high - calling it 'poor,'" the pollster said.

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‼️Biden White House greenlights $2.5 billion in new military aid for Ukraine, Pentagon announces

The package, which amounts to the 13th installment, includes 59 Bradley and 90 Stryker vehicles as well as a variety of artillery, anti-armor and small arms munitions, a Pentagon statement details.

Additionally, the package includes eight Avenger air defense systems and ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems previously provided by the United States.

West is Pushing Kiev Into Threatening Vital Interests of Russia and Belarus, Lavrov Says

The West has turned Ukraine into a bridgehead for subversive activities against the Union State, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference after a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Sergey Aleinik on Thursday.

Russia's top diplomat stressed that Moscow and Minsk both share the view that the West is directly pushing Kiev into creating threats to the vital interests of Russia and Belarus.

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Philippine President Rules Out Reopening Former US Military Bases in Country

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior has ruled out the possibility of reopening former US naval base Subic Bay and Clark air base.

Speaking with British media on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Marcos said that reopening former US military bases is against the constitution of the Philippines, which forbids foreign bases on its territory.

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Report: CIA Chief Secretly Visited Ukraine Last Week to Brief Zelensky on Russian Military Plans

CIA Director William Burns reportedly held a secret meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev last week to brief him on US intelligence that possibly forecasts Russia's next plans in its special military operation.

Also discussed was Zelensky's concerns, primarily those on how long the US is expected to provide military assistance to Ukraine after Republicans, who have been critical about continuing providing such aid, took over the House of Representatives after the November midterm elections.

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Alec Baldwin to be Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter Over Fatal Rust Shooting

Alec Baldwin will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, New Mexico prosecutors announced on Thursday.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who worked as armorer on the set of the Western movie, faces similar charges. The prosecutors stated that they would file the criminal charges before the end of the month.

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📹 Russia's MoD has revealed footage showing Su-25 ground-attack aircraft in action as part of the special military operation.

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Philippine President: South China Sea Dispute Has Potential to Be ‘Disastrous’ for Entire World

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday that territorial disputes in the South China Sea “keeps him up at night” and said any conflict in the area would be disastrous for the world.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Marcos Jr. was referencing long-standing disputes between China and his country, along with other nations in and around the South China Sea, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.

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US Supreme Court: Impossible to Identify Person Who Leaked Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade

US Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley, who heads the high court’s security service, has revealed it was impossible to determine with certainty who handed US media a copy of the draft majority opinion for Dobbs v. Jackson, sparking nationwide protests.

“It is not possible to determine the identity of any individual who may have disclosed the document or how the draft opinion ended up with Politico,” the marshal said in a statement. “No one confessed to publicly disclosing the document and none of the available forensic and other evidence provided a basis for identifying any individual as the source of the document.”

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Does the LGBTQ Agenda Affect Children in Biden's America?

Lawmakers in the US state of Utah made headlines today with their efforts to limit minors' access to transgender health services such as puberty blockers and surgeries.

Ultra-conservative members of the US political establishment have been openly opposing the LGBTQ agenda promoted by NGOs and authorities in recent years.

So how exactly do LGBTQ matters look in the United States, and how does US society react to this situation?

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