🇷🇺 Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on a state visit

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹First footage of Vladimir Putin's arrival in Astana, Kazakhstan

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🎙❌ German ARD correspondents have been ordered to leave Russia as a mirror measure, Maria Zakharova, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said.

Earlier, Russia's TV Channel One reported that German authorities were closing its German bureau, and the correspondent and cameraman would have to leave the country in the first half of December.

Russia will be ready to issue accreditations to new ARD employees, but only after the German authorities create normal working conditions for Russian journalists, Zakharova said.

German Foreign Ministry says Berlin did not close Russia's Channel One bureau, and Russian journalists can continue to work in Germany. The ministry alluded that the reported expulsion of Russian journalists might have to do with visa issues.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹Footage of Putin and Tokayev heading to talks

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️The latest statements by the Russian Foreign Ministry:

▪️Moscow expects that after the test of the hypersonic Oreshnik missile, the West has no doubts about the potential of the Russian Federation;

▪️If US medium-range missiles end up on Japanese territory, Russia will be forced to take steps to strengthen its defense capability;

▪️At this stage, there is no need to discuss the details of how and where Russia could deploy medium-range missiles; the signal has been clearly sent.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🪖🗓🎉Russia celebrates Marine Corps Day
 
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree establishing Marine Corps Day — it will be celebrated on November 27.
 
Russian Marine Corps are formations of the Baltic, Black Sea, Northern and Pacific Fleets, as well as the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy. They are designed for combat operations in airborne landings and the defense of naval bases and coastal facilities.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Sputnik investigates: Why doesn't the US ban water fluoridation? (Part 1) 👉🏻 (Part 2)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump as health and human services secretary, has vowed to remove fluoride from public water systems in the US if his appointment is approved by the Senate.

“Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease," tweeted RFK Jr.

What is water fluoridation and who is peddling the practice?

◾️ Community water fluoridation was introduced in the US in 1945 and envisages adjusting the amount of fluoride in drinking water to a current recommended level of 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

◾️ CDC is part of the US Department of Health and the major agency that has led water fluoridation since 1975. Its declared goal is to increase the proportion of US people using fluoridated water.

◾️ CDC claims that water fluoridation prevents cavities and saves $6.5 billion in dental treatment costs for the nation annually.

◾️ Over 209 million Americans have access to fluoridated drinking water, as per CDC.

◾️ It's up to state and local governments to decide whether to fluoridate their community water. According to some estimates, US communities spend over $300 million annually on water fluoridation.

◾️ For its part, CDC - actively propagates water fluoridation across the US

🔸 supports infrastructure in states to promote water fluoridation

🔸 monitors coverage and quality of fluoridation

🔸 provides technical assistance to state fluoridation programs

◾️ CDC's FY2025 budget, requested by President Joe Biden, amounted to $19.7 billion, whereas CDC's department overseeing water fluoridation (Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) was assigned $1.5 billion, a 9% increase compared to FY2024.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Sputnik investigates: Why doesn't the US ban water fluoridation? (Part 2) 👉🏻 (Part 1)

Despite the CDC propagating community water fluoridation, the measure is surrounded in controversies with critics referring to numerous alleged health risks.

◾️ While the CDC claims community fluoridation led to a 25% reduction in cavities in children, international oral health data shows almost the same level of reduction in cavities in the countries which have not fluoridated their water over the past decades.

◾️ According to the WHO, prolonged exposure to high concentrations of fluoride (over 1.5 mg/L) could cause tooth enamel and skeletal fluorosis.

◾️ 2024 studies indicated that high exposure to fluoride for pregnant women could be associated with lower IQ in children as well as neurobehavioral problems.

◾️ Scientists warn that it is impossible to control the dose of fluoride each individual receives when consuming fluoridated water: first, water consumption varies; second, an average person also receives fluoride from sources other than the water supply.

◾️ Moreover, to fluoridate its water systems, the US uses technically-grade chemicals: fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6; also referred to as hydro fluorosilicate, FSA, or HFS), a by-product of the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers, which is used by most US water systems; sodium fluorosilicate (Na2SiF6); and sodium fluoride (NaF).

A 2014 study showed that HFS contains arsenic (As) – that could be responsible for lung and bladder cancer cases – whereas both HFS and NaSF have been shown to leach lead (Pb).

🔸On November 22, Florida surgeon general, Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, issued guidance calling to stop adding fluoride to the water supply.

🔸On September 24, a federal district court in California ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate fluoridation of drinking water to eliminate the “unreasonable risk” to health.

🔸Axios noted that even if RFK Jr assumes the position of health and human services secretary, he wouldn't be able to prohibit fluoridation. However, if the EPA recognizes it as a toxic substance, it could stop the practice.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🤝 Russia-ASEAN trade thrives: $17 bln turnover promises new opportunities

The First International Business Forum “World of Opportunities: Russia–ASEAN” has wrapped up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, an event that was covered by Sputnik along with other media outlets.

The total trade turnover between Russia and the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) has soared to about $17 billion in January-October 2024, Russia's Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Alexey Gruzdev underscored during the forum.

The Russia-ASEAN trade turnover in 2023 was $22 billion, a 14% increase compared to 2022, Head of Roscongress Foundation Alexander Stuglev said.

In particular, Russia’s trade turnover with

🇻🇳 Vietnam: increased by more than 50% to almost $2 million in the first five months of 2024 as compared to the same period in 2023.

🇮🇩 Indonesia: amounted to $4 billion last year.

🇲🇾 Malaysia: stood at $3.1 billion in 2023.

🇹🇭 Thailand: reached about $1.5 billion last year.

ASEAN nations’ сurrent exports to Russia mainly comprise mechanical engineering products, components, electronics, household appliances, textiles, agricultural and chemical products, while Russia provides ASIAN markets with energy raw materials, mechanical and chemical industry products (fertilizers), medicines as well as digital services.

Despite growing trade turnover, Russia and ASEAN are interested in expanding cooperation and changing its formats to include programs for collaboration in the field of nuclear energy, industrial software and local production of cars, Mr. Gruzdev emphasized.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇰🇿🇷🇺 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a joint statement to deepen their strategic partnership in the context of the new global order in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Ceasefire deal: Netanyahu's 'focus on Iran' could mean 'serious regional war' if backed by US

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there are three reasons why Israel concluded a ceasefire deal with Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah: to focus on Iran; to replenish weaponry stocks; and to isolate Hamas.

"It is not clear how Israel would focus more on Iran," Dr. Marco Carnelos, a former Italian diplomat and Middle East adviser, tells Sputnik. "Probably the Israeli prime minister hopes that with the incoming Trump administration a direct military pressure on Iran might be increased together with the US."

Dr. Tamer Qarmout, associate professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, dubs Bibi's focus on Iran as "cheap talk."

"How would the Israelis engage with Iran if they were not able to eliminate Hezbollah," Qarmout asks while talking to Sputnik. "We'll have to see the new [Trump] administration's take on Iran. But if this happens for whatever reason, this means a serious regional or even could be a global war."

The experts say Netanyahu has been cornered by the military leadership over heavy losses sustained by the Israeli Defense Forces in southern Lebanon, and snubbed his hawkish cabinet members to implement the deal.

"The devil is still in the details. We still have 60 days to see if this agreement will hold," Qarmout remarks. Still, "Israel would be able to shift its military power on to sources to continue its genocidal war on Gaza," he concludes.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇰🇿🇷🇺 Latest statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with Kazakh President Kassym Tokayev:

▪️Russia will increase gas supplies to Uzbekistan through Kazakhstan;

▪️The growth of the share of settlements in national currencies between Russia and Kazakhstan allows commercial transactions to be protected from the negative impact of external conditions;

▪️Putin said that he discussed the interaction of Russia and Kazakhstan in detail with Tokayev, exchanging views on international and regional issues;

▪️Kazakhstan has been invited to obtain the status of BRICS partner state;

▪️Russia and Kazakhstan managed to maintain and increase cooperation in the field of space research;

▪️Russia and Kazakhstan agree that new geopolitical realities require further strengthening of the security system in the Eurasian region;

▪️Russia and Kazakhstan emphasize their focus on strengthening cooperation within the CSTO and increasing the combat readiness of collective forces;

▪️Russia and Kazakhstan agreed to study the prospects for bilateral cooperation in the field of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔥 Wild diplomacy: BRICS leaders and their epic totem allies!

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt