North Korea has fired several cruise missiles from its east coast, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported citing the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

According to the report, the launch occurred at about 8 a.m. (23:00 GMT Saturday) off Shinpo Port. No further details were provided, citing an ongoing analysis.

"While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military has been closely coordinating with the United States to monitor additional signs of North Korea's provocations," the JCS told reporters in a text message.

Earlier this month, a spokesman for the North Korean National Defense Ministry said in a statement that Pyongyang had tested the still under-development "underwater nuclear weapon system Haeil-5-23" in the Sea of Japan in response to the joint three-day naval exercises by the United States, South Korea, and Japan involving a US nuclear carrier and other warships.

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A group of 43 prominent figures from throughout Israeli society have released a letter demanding the “immediate removal” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him “an existential and ongoing threat to the people and to the state of Israel.”

The missive calls the Israeli leader a “clear and present danger” to the country and claims “Israel has leaders capable of replacing him immediately.”

The letter was signed by six former Israeli military and security chiefs and three Nobel Prize winners, in addition to a number of CEOs, scientists, and former diplomats.

The statement comes amidst continuing societal upheaval in the country and the economic ramifications of Israel’s almost four month-long state of war. Last week Netanyahu voiced his opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state, a stance that may placate rightwing members of his coalition but will alienate his backers in the Biden administration.

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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has conducted training exercises to increase readiness on the northern border.

"In the last week, the Northern Command conducted intensive training to enhance readiness for combat on the northern border. As part of recent training programs for reservist battalions on the northern front, soldiers of the Northern Paratroopers Brigade (226) and Combat Engineering forces performed training exercises. The exercises prepared troops for combat in densely populated urban areas, winter weather conditions, and in the northern terrain," the IDF said on Telegram.

The IDF said the training combined tanks, combat engineering, infantry and artillery forces.

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“We get thousands of people into our recruiting stations every year that want to join the Navy but do not have an education credential,” said the branch’s chief of personnel Vice Admiral Rick Cheeseman.

Now, the Navy will accept some of those potential recruits lacking a high school diploma or GED after announcing they’re lowering their recruitment standards. The change in policy comes as the Navy reports having trouble meeting its yearly recruiting goals. The Air Force and Army also reported falling short by thousands of recruits last year.

Recent polling shows Americans’ confidence in the country’s armed forces has reached a two decade low.

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Biden's border 'reforms' are political posturing - expert explains

A bipartisan immigration bill endorsed by US President Joe Biden amid a standoff between Texas and the federal government “is solely designed to persuade gullible Republicans to support sending more money to Ukraine in return for non–existent ‘reforms’ at the border," Michael Shannon, a political commentator and Newsmax columnist, told Sputnik.

"Existing US law provides all the enforcement authority necessary to close the border. Leftists just refuse to use that authority," Shannon pointed out.

Commenting on POTUS' promise that the bill, if passed, would be "the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border," the analyst said the promise "indicates that Joe Biden remains an unrepentant liar."

The Biden administration "has no intention of closing the border, and even if they did, it's too late. What is required is closing the border AND relentless, mass deportations of illegals regardless of how long they've been inside the border breaking the law," Shannon asserted.

Biden on Friday pledged to stop crossings at the country's southern border when it's "overwhelmed" if Congress approves a bipartisan immigration bill giving him such authority.

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▪️North Korea has launched several cruise missiles from its east coast

▪️As Palestinians in Gaza face mass starvation, US & allies cut funding to UN relief agency

▪️Did Biden just admit he's not that smart?

More Stories:

▪️Elon Musk slams Biden's southern border policy, says president wants open US borders

▪️Biden's 'border reform' is bait for 'gullible Republicans'

▪️Israel is doomed? National leaders say Netanyahu poses 'existential' threat to country

▪️Facing recruitment challenges, US Navy removes high school diploma requirement

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Russia exported 76 billion cubic meters of natural gas to friendly countries, according to a presentation by First Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin for the Energy Day speech at the Russia exhibition and forum.

Of the amount, 23 billion cubic meters was sent through the Power of Siberia gas pipeline to China, as seen on one of the slides. The data includes both pipeline and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Gas supplies to Russian consumers in 2023 amounted to 501 billion cubic meters, in line with the presentation.

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Trump considering imposing 60% tariff on Chinese imports – the Washington Post reported, citing sources

The former president is considering options for starting a new large-scale economic attack on China if he returns to the White House, which, according to the report, could lead to a global trade war.

Experts asked by the newspaper said that such a move could lead to enormous disruption to both the US and global economies, which would be much more serious than the impact of the trade wars of Trump's first term.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Washington Post's request for comments. The US currently has a 25% tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have significantly deteriorated under the Trump administration, which started a trade war with China. Under incumbent US President Joe Biden, the situation did not improve, as a number of incidents, including a visit to Taiwan by then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the destruction of a Chinese balloon in US airspace, led to a new round of diplomatic confrontation.

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Why is EU’s reliance on US LNG without Russian energy fraught with risk?

Europe's soaring dependence on US liquefied natural gas (LNG) is “growing riskier by day” amid President Joe Biden's decision to halt the approval of new export permits for the fuel, Bloomberg has reported.

The news agency cited Ira Joseph, senior research associate at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, as saying that European reliance on US LNG will further grow if “more Russian gas does not reappear and the Qataris decide not to engage in a price war for market share.”

“The reward for Europe is a diverse set of US suppliers. The risk is a major change in US policy in the future,” Joseph pointed out, in an apparent nod to Biden’s possible flop in the November 2024 presidential election.

Last year, Ditte Juul Jorgensen, director general for energy at the European Commission, said that the EU’s self-harming intention to diversify from Russian natural gas means it will be forced to rely on America’s LNG for decades to come.

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'Bold historical revisionism' - Norwegian scholar slams von der Leyen's WWII comments

The EU is rewriting history with statements that Auschwitz was liberated by "allied forces," Glenn Disen, a lecturer at the University of Southeastern Norway, wrote on the social network X.

"Some bold historical revisionism from the EU. The Soviet Union was part of the Allied Forces, but it was only the Red Army that liberated Auschwitz," he said.

Earlier, the European Commission published a statement by Ursula von der Leyen dedicated to the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The statement includes Holocaust Remembrance Day dates and a historical note that states, "On January 27, 1945, the Allied forces liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp."

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