⚡️ Biden, Zelensky to hold talks on Ukraine's weapons requests

Is There Chance of Revival? Russian Envoy Says It's Premature to Call JCPOA Dead

Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in an interview with Sputnik expressed his opinion on the situation around the JCPOA, the IAEA Board of Governors resolution on Iran, and Iran's nuclear program.

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📹 🇫🇷 Police fire tear gas at protesters in Paris

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📹 Pierre de Gaulle, grandson of revered French statesman Charles de Gaulle, has slammed the West’s dangerous decision to deploy heavy weapons in Ukraine.

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💬"As an old school journalist, you always follow the money, right? So someone has to lay out their credit card to do something at some point. And those are things that you can still track. It's great that this news is coming out and would be better if we found out exactly who possibly within the Biden administration is doing this. What I'm loving is that it's still January and all the stuff is still pumping out. We couldn't wait to take back the House so that we can start talking for real again. I think that's what's happened in the last two months, is that more and more of these stories are coming out. We're deflating Biden's balloon", Angie Wong, political pundit and national media spokesperson for Veterans for America First, says.

🎧Listen to more of Angie Wong's analysis in our podcast: Who Carried Out the Drone Strikes in Iran?

Hunter Biden Supporters Reportedly Mulling Legal Defense Fund

Supporters of Hunter Biden are in preliminary talks to create a legal defense fund to help pay the mounting legal fees of the US president's son as he faces a long-running federal tax investigation and new inquiries by the Republican-majority Congress, American newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Sources estimate that his legal debt is already in the millions of dollars and will likely grow. Biden, a former investment manager, also lacks a steady source of income after being mired in various scandals. His fledgling career as an artist has only resulted in the sale of about a dozen paintings.

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Tehran Cautions US Against Launching Attack on Iran After Blinken’s Threat

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has warned the United States against infringing on Iran’s territorial integrity after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken threatened the Islamic Republic over its nuclear ambition.

"The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman underscored that the US government too well knows that Iran will not tolerate any aggression against its territory and interests and will respond to aggressors decisively and in a manner that would make them regret their action," the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

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What’s New in US’ Latest Rhetoric on China?

With the US and China still maintaining diplomatic contacts, engagement between the two countries came to a standstill following the August 2022 visit by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, despite protests by Beijing.

Recent days have seen US officials express fresh unfriendly rhetoric (sometimes stern) toward China, in a sign of escalation of political and economic tensions between the two countries.

Let’s take a closer look at what exactly they said

🦓 Today the world marks International Zebra Day

❄️ Zebras at the Moscow Zoo, although far from their native habitat, enjoy wintertime in Russia. Three beautiful zebras - Deborah, Mia, and Leyla - are not afraid of the cold weather and joyfully play outside even in low temperatures.

📹 Today, on their own day, these magnificent animals are actively warming up outdoors for their own pleasure and for the happiness of zookeepers

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Italian Lady Held for Punching Crew, Walking Half-Naked on Abu Dhabi-Mumbai Flight

✈️ Police told media that the woman, identified as Paola Perruccio, had an economy class ticket, but demanded she be transferred to the business class. After getting a 'no', she allegedly punched a crew member and spit on another one.

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📹 Russia’s MoD has revealed footage showing Russian 152mm Giatsint self-propelled guns in combat as part of the special military operation

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UK Authorities Readying Plans for Troops Deployment During Firefighters Strike, Reports Say

The UK authorities are preparing plans for troops deployment during firefighters strike over wage raise amid skyrocketing cost of living, UK media reported on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) announced that majority of its members had supported protest actions. The FBU gave the authorities 10 days to come up with a new offer regarding the wage raise, otherwise firefighters across the country will go on strike, their first since 2003.

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‼️ US actor Alec Baldwin has been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting that took place on the set of the film "Rust."

Charges were also filed against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who supervised weapons on the film set.

The filing by Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies came some two weeks after the official first indicated charges were imminent.

Over 75% of Americans Dissatisfied With Nation: Poll

More than 75% of Americans express dissatisfaction with the way things are going in their country, but the share of those experiencing "intense" dissatisfaction has declined, a fresh Gallup poll revealed on Tuesday.

"Continuing a two-decade trend, most Americans remain dissatisfied with the way things are going in the US -- 23% say they are satisfied, and 76% are dissatisfied," the pollster said.

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‼️Report: US Prepping $2.2Bln Ukraine Weapons Package, Including Longer-Range Rockets

The United States is preparing to provide Ukraine with a new $2.2 billion weapons package, including longer-range rockets for the first time, Reuters reported, citing two US officials familiar with the matter.

The US will provide Ukrainian forces with longer-range rockets despite previous concerns by the Biden administration about providing Kiev with systems capable of striking deep into Russian territory, the report said on Tuesday.

The package will also include other weapons and munitions, the report added.

🔺 We start off with details on the extent of the US bioweapons program in Ukraine that have been accumulated by the Russian military
🔺 Then, Joe Lauria will join us to talk about real disinformation disclosed in yet another explosive batch of Twitter files
🔺 And finally, Margaret Lowers will talk about Latin American countries’ resistance to US and EU pressure to send weapons to Ukraine

The Critical Hour will cover these and more stories! 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

Minsk Agreements Were a Ruse That Gave Kiev Time to Rearm, Ukraine’s Ex-President Admits

The February 2015 Minsk peace deal was just a sham that gave Ukraine’s post-Maidan coup authorities time to rearm and create an anti-Russia coalition, former President Petro Poroshenko has admitted.

“This document gave Ukraine eight years for building up [its] army, for building up [the] economy, and for building up [a] global pro-Ukrainian, anti-Putin coalition,” Poroshenko said in a BBC documentary ennoscriptd “Putin vs. the West.”

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EU Members Divided Over Ukraine's Accelerated Accession to Bloc, Media Reports

EU member countries remain divided over the feasibility of speeding up Ukraine's accession to the bloc, which makes its membership unlikely in the near future, the European news website reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

The news website, which covers EU news, cited a draft communique of consultations between EU and Ukrainian diplomats, which will take place later this week.

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FBI Searched Penn Biden Center for Classified Docs in Mid-November, Media Suggests

The FBI searched the Penn Biden Center offices in mid-November after Biden's lawyers found approximately ten documents with classified markings originating from Biden's time as Vice President there on November 2, according to American TV broadcaster, who cited sources familiar with the matter on Tuesday.

The search, which did not require a warrant and was not previously disclosed, was conducted with the cooperation of Biden's representatives, the report said. It is unclear whether the FBI found any additional classified material during the mid-November sweep.

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‘Really Silly Actions’: US Efforts to Isolate China’s Tech Sector Will Backfire, Expert Says

The US has pushed its own businesses and those of its allies to “decouple” from China as part of Washington’s effort to pursue “great power competition” with Beijing and Moscow. However, with the global economy more integrated than ever, cutting the world’s second-largest economy out from the rest is essentially impossible.

The US has expanded its efforts to isolate China’s tech sector from advanced technology used by Western firms, especially high-end semiconductors and the microchips they’re used to make. Taiwan and South Korea have faced extensive pressure to limit sales to China, but more recently Washington has pressured Tokyo and Amsterdam, too. Meanwhile, Chinese tech firms have been rushing to adapt.

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Putin Instructs Gov't to Sign Agreement With Belarus on Creation of Joint Combat Centers

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an instruction on Tuesday to negotiate and sign an agreement with Belarus on the creation of combat training centers for joint military training.

The document was published on the Russian government's official legal information portal.

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