Year-end review: How did the US push deeper into Asia in 2023 while world focused on Ukraine & Israel?
While the world was distracted by the US-backed conflicts in Ukraine and Israel in 2023, Washington was quietly bolstering its military presence in Asia, which it calls the “Indo-Pacific” and considers to be a key theater for “great power competition” against Russia and China.
The US has accused both nations of seeking to overturn what it calls the “rules-based international order,” referring to the post-World War II global order in which the US calls the shots politically, socio-economically, and militarily.
In East and Southeast Asia, the US sought to pry nations away from their partnerships with Beijing and Moscow by casting them as threats to sovereignty that only a military showdown can deter, and to either sell them weapons or place military assets there.
👉 Read on to get the specifics
While the world was distracted by the US-backed conflicts in Ukraine and Israel in 2023, Washington was quietly bolstering its military presence in Asia, which it calls the “Indo-Pacific” and considers to be a key theater for “great power competition” against Russia and China.
The US has accused both nations of seeking to overturn what it calls the “rules-based international order,” referring to the post-World War II global order in which the US calls the shots politically, socio-economically, and militarily.
In East and Southeast Asia, the US sought to pry nations away from their partnerships with Beijing and Moscow by casting them as threats to sovereignty that only a military showdown can deter, and to either sell them weapons or place military assets there.
👉 Read on to get the specifics
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More than 42,000 people in the United States died as a result of gun violence in 2023, according to data collected by the Gun Violence Archive
Most of the deaths, 23,760, occurred as a result of suicide, the GVA data published Tuesday said. Another 18,507 people died of unintentional shooting, murder and defensive use, GVA said.
The figure includes 650 mass shooting incidents, 40 mass murders, 1,161 defensive use cases and 1,543 unintentional shootings, GVA said.
More than 1,600 children between the ages 0-17 were killed in gun violence incidents and 4,444 others were injured, added the association.
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Most of the deaths, 23,760, occurred as a result of suicide, the GVA data published Tuesday said. Another 18,507 people died of unintentional shooting, murder and defensive use, GVA said.
The figure includes 650 mass shooting incidents, 40 mass murders, 1,161 defensive use cases and 1,543 unintentional shootings, GVA said.
More than 1,600 children between the ages 0-17 were killed in gun violence incidents and 4,444 others were injured, added the association.
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Turkiye moves closer to final vote on Sweden's NATO bid
Turkiye may have just moved de jure closer to green-lighting Sweden's NATO membership, with the country's foreign affairs committee officially endorsing the bid. The development follows complex diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Ankara, with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan reluctant to admit Sweden to the alliance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned that NATO's expansion does not contribute to international peace and security, calling the policy a "relic of the Cold War." The Russian president also stressed that the US was doing its best to thwart Moscow's rapprochement with Europe.
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Turkiye may have just moved de jure closer to green-lighting Sweden's NATO membership, with the country's foreign affairs committee officially endorsing the bid. The development follows complex diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Ankara, with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan reluctant to admit Sweden to the alliance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned that NATO's expansion does not contribute to international peace and security, calling the policy a "relic of the Cold War." The Russian president also stressed that the US was doing its best to thwart Moscow's rapprochement with Europe.
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❗️Russia has developed a new kamikaze drone "Supercam" with a high degree of protection from electronic warfare systems, which is now being tested, the head of Rostec Sergey Chemezov told Sputnik.
He also said that the latest Russian howitzer, the Coalition, should soon appear in the field of its own defense to buy provide a significant advantage over NATO howitzers in range.
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He also said that the latest Russian howitzer, the Coalition, should soon appear in the field of its own defense to buy provide a significant advantage over NATO howitzers in range.
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🇩🇪🇱🇹Germany's army general warns of equipment gaps due to brigade's deployment in Lithuania
The Bundeswehr is currently only 60% equipped, "at the limit of what is acceptable," "lacking everything from "A" to "Z," "from artillery pieces to raincoats," Lt. Gen. Alfons Mais, the chief of the German Army Headquarters at Strausberg in Brandenburg, said in a letter addressed to German Defense Chief Gen. Carsten Breuer.
Last week, Lithuanian National Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, in Vilnius signed an action plan for the deployment of a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania by 2027, with up to 5,000 German troops with their families arriving in Lithuania.
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The Bundeswehr is currently only 60% equipped, "at the limit of what is acceptable," "lacking everything from "A" to "Z," "from artillery pieces to raincoats," Lt. Gen. Alfons Mais, the chief of the German Army Headquarters at Strausberg in Brandenburg, said in a letter addressed to German Defense Chief Gen. Carsten Breuer.
"The establishment of a new major brigade without additional investment would reduce this number to 55%," Mais is quoted as saying in the letter.
Last week, Lithuanian National Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, in Vilnius signed an action plan for the deployment of a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania by 2027, with up to 5,000 German troops with their families arriving in Lithuania.
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📹 Russian paratroopers destroyed a detachment of Ukrainian soldiers using FPV drones near Artemovsk (Bakhmut), the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.
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"Isn’t this preparing for war?": China has criticized Taiwan's decision to extend compulsory military service from four months to one year.
China has repeatedly spoken out about Taiwan's unity with the mainland, opposes the incitement of separatist sentiments and condemns all those who support them. Russia reaffirms its commitment to the "one China" principle and opposes Taiwan independence in any form.
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"Isn't this preparing for war, forcing Taiwanese youth to go to the front and become cannon fodder for Taiwanese independence?" said the official representative of the State Council Office of the People's Republic of China.
China has repeatedly spoken out about Taiwan's unity with the mainland, opposes the incitement of separatist sentiments and condemns all those who support them. Russia reaffirms its commitment to the "one China" principle and opposes Taiwan independence in any form.
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🇦🇷Argentine President Milei plans to save citizens from the "torture" of having to carry "bags" of money to pay in cash.
Milei promises to print banknotes in denominations of 20,000 and 50,000 pesos. Now the largest bill is 2,000, but that is barely enough to pay for coffee and a pastry in a cafe.
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Milei promises to print banknotes in denominations of 20,000 and 50,000 pesos. Now the largest bill is 2,000, but that is barely enough to pay for coffee and a pastry in a cafe.
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EU preparing $22Bln plan to sidestep Hungary's veto to fund Ukraine - reports
Since Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed an increase in the EU budget for 2024-2027, including 50 billion euros in macro-financial aid to Kiev, EU officials have been searching for alternatives to provide Ukraine with funds, and one model funded by debt has gained traction as the most practical way to sidestep Orban's objections, Financial Times reports.
The scheme requires EU member states to issue guarantees to the EU budget, enabling the European Commission to borrow up to 20 billion euros on capital markets for Kiev in 2024, sources told the media, adding that discussions are still underway.
The report also said that the scheme wouldn't require guarantees from all member states of the bloc as long as the main participants included countries with top credit ratings, allowing the EU to sidestep unanimous backing and Orban's veto.
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Since Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed an increase in the EU budget for 2024-2027, including 50 billion euros in macro-financial aid to Kiev, EU officials have been searching for alternatives to provide Ukraine with funds, and one model funded by debt has gained traction as the most practical way to sidestep Orban's objections, Financial Times reports.
The scheme requires EU member states to issue guarantees to the EU budget, enabling the European Commission to borrow up to 20 billion euros on capital markets for Kiev in 2024, sources told the media, adding that discussions are still underway.
The report also said that the scheme wouldn't require guarantees from all member states of the bloc as long as the main participants included countries with top credit ratings, allowing the EU to sidestep unanimous backing and Orban's veto.
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❗️Russian FM Sergey Lavrov will be interviewed live by Rossiya Segodnya* CEO Dmitry Kiselev on current issues of international politics on Dec 28 at 11:30 am local time
*Sputnik's parent media group
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*Sputnik's parent media group
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Liberation of Maryinka: why this development is so crucial and how the Russian army can benefit from it? Sputnik's experts explain.
• “Ukrainian forces turned that the town into a fortification, with firing positions for long-range artillery and multiple launch rocker systems that shelled the city of Donetsk. Now Maryinka has been captured, and thus the threat was moved away from Donetsk,” military analyst and retired Russian army colonel Anatoliy Matviychuk said.
• The Russian victory in Maryinka also means that Ukrainian forces suffered a huge blow to their morale, losing confidence in their ability to hold on to their positions, Colonel General Georgy Shpak, ex-commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, pointed out.
• The liberation of Maryinka marks the start of Russian forces breaking through into Ukraine’s multilayered defense in the area, which may be followed by further advances on the Artemovsk and Avdeyevka frontlines, according to Ret. Col. Rustem Klupov, a military analyst and Russian military intelligence veteran.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Monday that the Russian Armed Forces had freed Maryinka, a heavily fortified town in the DPR, which for years served as a key stronghold for Ukrainian troops.
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• “Ukrainian forces turned that the town into a fortification, with firing positions for long-range artillery and multiple launch rocker systems that shelled the city of Donetsk. Now Maryinka has been captured, and thus the threat was moved away from Donetsk,” military analyst and retired Russian army colonel Anatoliy Matviychuk said.
• The Russian victory in Maryinka also means that Ukrainian forces suffered a huge blow to their morale, losing confidence in their ability to hold on to their positions, Colonel General Georgy Shpak, ex-commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, pointed out.
• The liberation of Maryinka marks the start of Russian forces breaking through into Ukraine’s multilayered defense in the area, which may be followed by further advances on the Artemovsk and Avdeyevka frontlines, according to Ret. Col. Rustem Klupov, a military analyst and Russian military intelligence veteran.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Monday that the Russian Armed Forces had freed Maryinka, a heavily fortified town in the DPR, which for years served as a key stronghold for Ukrainian troops.
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Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the postponement of Christmas in Ukraine from January 7 to December 25
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WATCH LIVE: Lavrov and Indian External Minister Jaishankar hold meeting in Moscow
👉 Follow the live here or on Sputnik's website
👉 Follow the live here or on Sputnik's website
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Forwarded from Sputnik News India
🇷🇺 🇮🇳 Russian & Indian foreign ministers holding talks in Moscow, Sputnik correspondent reports from the scene
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🎙 Hello dear readers! We await you on the Sputnik stream today to discuss the decisive geopolitical events of the year.
Host: Dimitri Simes Jr., Deputy Director of Sputnik's English-language department
Guest #1: Scott Ritter, former US Marine intelligence officer and former UN weapons inspector
Guest #2: Prof. Michael Hudson, economist and former Wall Street analyst
🕛 Our stream starts in 2 hours (12:00 GMT). Watch us here on the Sputnik Telegram channel, on Twitter (X), and on our website. Stay tuned!
Host: Dimitri Simes Jr., Deputy Director of Sputnik's English-language department
Guest #1: Scott Ritter, former US Marine intelligence officer and former UN weapons inspector
Guest #2: Prof. Michael Hudson, economist and former Wall Street analyst
🕛 Our stream starts in 2 hours (12:00 GMT). Watch us here on the Sputnik Telegram channel, on Twitter (X), and on our website. Stay tuned!
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WATCH LIVE: Lavrov and Indian FM Jaishankar host press conference in Moscow
👉 Follow the live here or on Sputnik's website
👉 Follow the live here or on Sputnik's website
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