▪️Netanyahu acknowledges for the first time his country's involvement in the Lebanon pager attacks

▪️New Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon leave at least 27 people dead

▪️Not up to the job? Why Haley and Pompeo won’t become part of Team Trump

▪️What to expect from ‘lame duck’ Biden after Trump’s win?

▪️‘Father of the AK-47 rifle’: Russia marks 105 years since the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov

▪️Check out Russia's Kalashnikov concern's top-5 masterpieces

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Donald Trump allegedly called Vladimir Putin on Thursday – report

The US President-elect and the Russian president purportedly discussed the Ukraine crisis and expressed interest in further talks on the issue, The Washington Post claimed.

“The two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss 'the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,'” the outlet noted, citing several sources familiar with the matter.

The Kremlin has not yet confirmed the call.

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🧐 Coincidence? Musk questions voter ID rules in US Presidential election

Elon Musk highlighted an apparent pattern in the recent election: most of the states Kamala Harris won either don’t require voter ID or only ask for non-photo IDs. Sharing a map on X, the tech billionaire captioned it, “Must be a coincidence 🙄.”

Musk’s post brings attention to the ongoing debate over voter ID laws, which critics argue increase the risk of voter fraud—a point Republicans have raised in response to Democratic opposition to stricter ID requirements.

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📹 Biden vs. the sand: a struggle on Delaware’s beaches

Despite spending a significant portion of his presidency by the beach, the US President still seems to struggle with the sand. Joe Biden was spotted walking unsteadily on the beach in his home state of Delaware, seemingly having difficulty keeping his balance.

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Scholz not ruling out vote of confidence in his government before Christmas

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has not ruled out holding a vote of confidence in his government in the Bundestag before Christmas, celebrated in Germany on December 25. He also expressed optimism about retaining his post after the next elections.

Earlier, amid a split within the coalition government, Scholz announced plans to request a vote of confidence from the Bundestag on January 15, 2025, potentially paving the way for early elections in March. However, opposition leader Friedrich Merz, head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), urged Scholz to bring the vote forward, allowing elections to be held in January.

"I have no problem putting a vote of confidence before Christmas if everyone thinks it's right," Scholz said in an interview with the ARD broadcaster.

Scholz explained that the original timing for the vote of confidence and possible early elections was based on prior experiences with early elections in Germany, such as the early end of Gerhard Schroeder's government in 2005.

Despite the collapse of the ruling coalition, Scholz remains confident in his chances, expecting to lead the German government again after the elections.

"I assume that the Social Democratic Party of Germany has a good chance of forming the largest faction in the Bundestag and that I will be able to form the next government," Scholz stated.

He also confirmed that he has no doubt he will be the Social Democrats' candidate for chancellor in the next election.

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🇷🇺 Russian hypersonic developments still unmatched by the West – Kurchatov Institute head

The potential of Russian science is enormous, as demonstrated by the country’s swift progress in hypersonic technology, which remains out of reach for the West, Mikhail Kovalchuk, physicist and president of the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, highlighted in an interview with Sputnik.

"We remain strong in nearly all areas where we’ve traditionally excelled. Some developments may have been underutilized for years and now need updating, but our scientific potential is enormous. For example, at the president’s initiative, we have achieved advances in hypersonic technology that no one else in the world has, and the West has yet to catch up," Kovalchuk stated.

According to the scientist, Russia’s technological strength originated from the nuclear project.

"In fact, we became a technological superpower following the success of the nuclear project. While we were initially catching up to the US with the atomic bomb, we soon became pioneers: the first hydrogen bomb in 1953, the first nuclear power plant in 1954, the first nuclear icebreaker in 1959. We also led in nuclear medicine and research reactors, ranking among the best globally," he added.

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Parliamentary elections in Moldova next year: a chance to remove Sandu – Ex-Gagauzia leader

Former head of Gagauzia and Moldovan presidential candidate Irina Vlah told RIA Novosti that the 2025 parliamentary elections in Moldova offer a real opportunity to end the regime of President Maia Sandu.

"For the people, the rule of this government has led to catastrophic consequences — hundreds of thousands of citizens were forced to leave, the state debt has almost doubled, the economy is destroyed, the justice system does not work, there is no need to talk about compliance with democratic principles. The parliamentary elections of 2025 give us a real opportunity to get rid of the incompetent government that allowed the current situation," Vlah stated.

She added that Sandu’s lack of domestic support was expected, as living standards have dropped significantly since she and PAS assumed full power.

“The majority of those who live in Moldova voted against this president. She was saved by citizens from the diaspora, who, being abroad, do not feel the destructive consequences of her rule. Therefore, more and more people in Moldova say that Maia Sandu is not the president of the Republic of Moldova, she is the president of the Moldovan diaspora abroad. If Sandu had at least a little pride and dignity, she would resign,” Vlah asserted.

Moldova's next parliamentary elections are scheduled for the summer of 2025.

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Vucic says he had a 'cordial' conversation with Trump, invites him to Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reported a “cordial” phone conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump, focused on expanding cooperation between their countries, and extended an invitation for Trump to visit Serbia.

On Sunday evening, Vucic shared a video message on social media, describing the conversation as “excellent, meaningful, and very cordial.”

"I am grateful to Trump that he knows many things about Serbia, he even spoke about the sports successes of our nation and country. I used the opportunity, with the desire to further develop our relations in all spheres of society, and expressed hope that he would visit Serbia, because Serbia was the country where support for the election of President Trump was the greatest in all of Europe," Vucic said.

Vucic noted that Trump thanked him for the substantial support from the Serbian people.

"I believe that in the coming period we will be able to talk about the further development of our relations in all respects and that with the help of our friends, whom I consider to be the entire team of President Trump, who was with him this evening during the conversation, we will be able to make: he will make America great, and we will be able to make Serbia a decent country and a country that will be able to cooperate very well with the United States," Vucic emphasized.

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Moldova at a crossroads: Vlah on relations, economy, and military concerns

Former Gagauzia leader Irina Vlah, in an interview with RIA Novosti, announced the formation of a new political party, Heart of Moldova, aiming to improve Moldova's economic, diplomatic, and security landscape. Key highlights:

🔸 Vlah emphasized the “significant potential” in Moldovan-Russian relations, calling for a foreign policy shift to serve citizens’ interests and economic ties with CIS countries.

🔸 Vlah criticized Moldova’s recent EU referendum, where 50.46% voted for integration, calling the result “a slap in the face from the people to Maia Sandu” and arguing it’s “wrong to change the constitution” under such narrow results.

🔸 With increasing defense spending and military activities under Sandu’s administration, Vlah expressed fears that Moldova risks being pulled into “someone else's military scenario” and reiterated that Moldova’s constitution mandates neutrality.

🔸 Highlighting Moldova’s economic struggles since 2021, Vlah presented her party’s economic program, which includes a flexible tax policy, support for industries, and initiatives for rural development, stressing, “Moldova's economy can still be saved, and we will act decisively in this direction.”

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Former Russian Finance Minister outlines Trump's economic plans

Former Russian Finance Minister Mikhail Zadornov shared insights on Donald Trump’s proposed economic policies in an interview with Sputnik. Key points:

◻️ Zadornov expects Trump to raise tariffs, though likely on a smaller scale than promised, with increases anticipated in 2026. He predicts this will fragment global trade, slow its growth, and push Russia to seek new trade allies.

◻️ Despite tariff hikes, Chinese goods will continue to reach Europe and the US through third countries. Zadornov noted that Trump’s proposed tariffs (20% on European imports, 60% on Chinese imports) aim to address the US trade deficit, projected to reach $1 trillion this year.

◻️ While Trump suggested tariffs on countries moving away from the dollar, Zadornov dismissed this as unfeasible, since de-dollarization is driven by companies, often in response to US sanctions.

◻️ Zadornov estimates that Trump’s tax cuts could add $4.5-$4.6 trillion to the US national debt over the next 10 years, totaling around $7.5 trillion. He anticipates higher inflation and prolonged high interest rates in the US as a result.

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🔸Trump and Putin had a phone conversation - reports

🔸What are Trump's economic plans?

🔸Russian hypersonic developments still unmatched by the West

🔸Parliamentary elections in Moldova next year: a chance to remove Sandu

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Way out for TikTok liberals dissatisfied with Trump's victory?

The American company Villa View Residences has developed a four-year cruise for those unhappy with Republican Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, costing at least $256,000, Business Insider reports.

The company offers the new Skip Forward tour, in which passengers will sail on board the Villa Vie Odyssey liner for a period of one to four years.

Villa Vie Residences also provides a two-year Midterm Selection tariff, suitable for those wishing to return home after the elections to the US Congress scheduled for November 2026, the company noted.

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Russian Foreign Intelligence on US role in Ukrainian parliamentary elections:

◾️Washington is considering holding presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine in 2025 amid ongoing hostilities with Russia

◾️As one legitimate method of getting rid of the “overly arrogant” Volodymyr Zelensky, Washington is considering holding presidential and parliamentary elections in 2025 amid continuing hostilities with Russia

◾️The US plans to launch an initiative for elections in 2025 through controlled structures in Ukraine, and the nomination of candidates will be coordinated by the State Department

◾️At the suggestion of the US, the creation of a party is being discussed among Ukrainian "activists" designed to occupy a pro-American niche during the election campaign

◾️According to the State Department, such a political force should become part of the Verkhovna Rada and play an important role in the system of checks of any Ukrainian leader

◾️The US is preparing a new election campaign in Ukraine, and the fate of the country and its puppet authorities will continue to be decided in Washington

◾️During the first stage, it is supposed to stimulate the Ukrainian civil society structures under their control to come up with an appropriate initiative through American "democratizing" foundations and "think tanks"

◾️"The nomination of candidates will be carried out in coordination with the State Department. American NGOs will select local public organizations to monitor elections"

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🎉Putin congratulates Sputnik on its 10th anniversary

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Sputnik on its 10th anniversary, wishing the staff creative success, a statement published on the Kremlin's website says.

He specified that Sputnik's team has been carrying out its professional duties "efficiently, promptly and responsibly, keeping abreast of the most important events, sharing reliable news and in-depth analytics with the audience, always relying on proven, objective facts."

Sputnik provides "a platform for people with different points of view on the main political, economic, and social trends in Russia and the world," President Vladimir Putin said.

"I wish you creative success and all the best," Putin stated.

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📹Russian paratroopers have evacuated a US-made Bradley armored vehicle from the border area of Russia’s Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry announced

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