Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon meet for talks at the Igora ski resort complex in the Leningrad region.

The Kremlin stated earlier that the meeting would focus on key aspects of further developing bilateral relations across various sectors. Regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, are also on the agenda.

Additionally, the leaders plan to address matters related to migration.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🛰 The Parker Solar Probe is gearing up to set a new record

According to NASA, the spacecraft will reach its closest point to the Sun, known as perihelion, on Tuesday, coming within just 6.1 million kilometers of the star—nearly 10 times closer than Mercury.

Since its launch in 2018, Parker has repeatedly broken records, inching closer to the Sun with each orbit. It remains the only human-made object to venture this close to our star.

The next signal from the probe is expected on December 27, confirming whether it has successfully endured the extreme heat.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

European countries failed to heed the signal sent by Russia when it tested one of its latest missile systems, the ‘Oreshnik’, under combat conditions, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl told journalists.

"They did not understand President Putin's message, which was about not wanting to escalate toward nuclear war," Kneissl said. "He wanted to emphasize that there are many other options in the arsenal... with capabilities comparable to nuclear weapons. Yet, this signal was not heard."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

◻️ BlackRock bets on Bitcoin: Is the US dollar’s era over?

◻️ If Ukraine gambles on strikes against Moscow, it would face devastating blow – expert

◻️ What are Turkiye’s interests in Syria?

◻️ Pentagon’s African biolabs: Russia warns of global pathogen threat

◻️ Find out how the New Sahel bloc challenges Western neocolonialism

◻️ Trudeau’s track record of failures and scandals: why Canadians want him gone

◻️ Big Pharma influence, corruption and rape allegations: The hidden scandals of the WHO's history

◻️ Rising desertion crisis: Ukrainian army faces growing exodus

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US navy cruiser nearly shoots down second jet after F/A-18 is downed in apparent friendly fire

The US Navy cruiser USS Gettysburg, which apparently shot down an F/A-18 jet last week in a "friendly fire" incident, nearly hit a second jet on the same day, Fox News reports citing a source with knowledge. The second jet evaded a missile with defensive maneuvers.

The incident occurred during airstrikes on Houthi targets, sparking criticism of the Gettysburg’s crew training. Both pilots from the downed jet were rescued with minor injuries.

The Houthis, however, claimed responsibility for the attack.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Good news for treasure hunters – 250 sunken ships laden with riches lie off the coast of Portugal

According to archaeologist Alexandre Monteiro, just one of the ships could hold as much as 22 tons of gold and silver.

But the researcher lamented that Portugal currently lacks the means to protect the discoveries from treasure hunters, meaning anyone could potentially find one of the historic wrecks.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

‘A blow to victims’: Trump slams Biden for sparing 37 convicted murderers

US president-elect Donald Trump criticized outgoing President Joe Biden for commuting the sentences of federal death row inmates, calling it a disservice to the victims' families.

"Joe Biden just commuted the death sentences of 37 of the worst killers in our country. Relatives and friends of the victims are devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Biden changed the murderers' death sentences to life imprisonment without parole. They included some convicted of heinous crimes such as child murders and mass killings.

But the outgoing president excluded three high-profile cases — Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof and Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers.

Biden expressed grief for the victims and their families but justified the order by his opposition to the death penalty, stressing his desire to end its use at the federal level.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Revellers dressed as Ded Moroz, the Russian Santa Claus, invaded the Moscow metro. 100 festive characters greeted passengers of the capital’s transport network, treating them to some lively dances.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Russia's Roscosmos offers cosmodrome construction to equatorial nations

Russian state space corporation Roscosmos is deepening its international collaborative efforts, offering equatorial nations the opportunity to build cosmodromes, Director General Yury Borisov said.

Borisov explained that discussions primarily focus on cosmodrome construction with countries near the equator, while foreign partners also express interest in satellite development for telecommunications and Earth observation. This cooperation extends to cosmonaut training and the construction of national modules for Russia's upcoming orbital station.

Roscosmos is actively engaging with BRICS members and expanding its reach into new markets, including India, China, Iran, Algeria, South Africa, and several African nations.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt