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Ten people were killed and 30 injured when a vehicle plowed into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street.
According to ABC News, citing police, the driver's actions were likely intentional, and the suspect has not yet been apprehended.
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According to ABC News, citing police, the driver's actions were likely intentional, and the suspect has not yet been apprehended.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping may be “remembered as the architects of a new international financial architecture”, Adriel Kasonta, a London-based foreign affairs analyst and former chairman of the International Affairs Committee at the Bow Group think tank, told Sputnik.
When it comes to Russia’s role in BRICS development, Moscow “has been a driving force behind this coalition of powerful emerging economies”, Kasonta pointed out.
▪️The organization has already transformed into “a significant force on the global stage”, which is evident in the increasing interest from non-Western countries wanting to join BRICS, according to the analyst.
▪️“The inclusivity of the BRICS project, which contrasts with the exclusivity often found in neoliberal Western institutions, makes it even more appealing to emerging countries that seek to take control of their own geo-economic futures.”
▪️BRICS “offers a renewed opportunity for formerly colonized countries to define their economic future without being further exploited by past colonial powers”, Kasonta concluded.
2024 saw the accession of new members to BRICS, in addition to Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa. The group currently includes these five members plus Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
The group’s summit that took place in the Russian city of Kazan in October set criteria for new members and touted plans to expand the role of BRICS’ National Development Bank, among other decisions.
#2024Overview
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Sputnik International
Ten people were killed and 30 injured when a vehicle plowed into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street. According to ABC News, citing police, the driver's actions were likely intentional, and the suspect has not yet been apprehended. 📌 Subscribe…
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US president-elect Donald Trump and X CEO Elon Musk dance at a New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
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Some 450,000 politicians and activists are taking part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul on Wednesday, condemning Israel’s military operations, non-governmental organization TUGVA, one of organizers, said.
"There are 450,000 our citizens here today, adults and children, who stand with humanity and the Palestinian people," TUGVA’s chair, Beytullah Cicen, told the broadcaster Haberturk.
"We have come here today to condemn genocide in Gaza and to express our solidarity with Palestine. We have seen the Hagia Sophia reopened [for worship] and the Umayyad Mosque [in Syria] liberated, and we are here today in support of the Al-Aqsa Mosque," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son Bilal said at the rally.
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Sputnik International
New Orleans Mayoress LaToya Cantrell has described the incident, where a pickup truck rammed a crowd of New Year’s revellers, as a terrorist attack.
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On a lighter note, let’s look back at some of the cringiest moments of 2024. From the vibrant presidential race to the nightmare that was the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the outgoing year was certainly one to remember.
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The US Secret Service, reeling from years of crisis, has been thrust back into the spotlight following the assassination attempts on Donald Trump last year.
Nearly 40% of agents now have less than five years of experience, compared to 13% in 2015, the Washington Post reports.
According to the publication’s analysis, the proportion of agents with 11 to 15 years of experience – essential for training and leadership – has dropped from almost a third to just 8%.
The "massive experience drain" has left the agency ill-equipped to manage rising security demands.
Attempts to raise staffing from 7,900 to 9,600 by 2025 have failed, with personnel numbers falling to 7,700 in 2023 due to burnout, favoritism and inadequate resources.
The 2024 presidential election campaign exposed these weaknesses as agents faced overwhelming workloads and were unable to meet critical training goals.
A 2014 White House recommendation that agents spend 25% of their time in training has never been met, averaging only 3% to 7%.
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⚡️At least 2 people have died and at least 22 have been injured as a result of a fireworks explosion in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
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Sputnik International
⚡️The driver of a car that plowed into a crowd of people in New Orleans, US, was shot and killed by police, ABC News reported, citing authorities.
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From January 1, 2025, Switzerland has banned face-covering garments – including niqabs, burqas and balaclavas – in public spaces, levying fines of 100 to 1,000 Swiss francs ($110 to $1,100).
The new law follows a 2021 referendum where 51.2% of voters supported the measure.
The move aligns Switzerland with France, Austria, Belgium and Denmark, which have enacted similar bans.
France introduced the so-called ‘burqa ban’ in 2011. Exemptions to the Swiss include wearing veils, masks and scarves at religious sites, during carnivals and for protection from cold weather.
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Fears of a new energy crisis rekindled in Europe as Ukraine halts Russian gas transit
Fears of a new energy crisis have been rekindled in Europe with the end of Russian gas supply through Ukraine.
The winding down of cheap and reliable Russian gas transit will fuel energy costs, inflationary pressures, and the cost-of-living crisis, experts cited by Xinhua have warned.
The cessation of Russian gas transit “will likely intensify cost pressures for Slovenian industries, and by extension, raise consumer prices," stressed Joze P. Damijan, professor of economics at the University of Ljubljana.
Europe still hasn’t recovered from its shortsighted move to drastically cut its dependence on Russian gas, which had triggered a massive spike in inflation and economic slowdown.
Gazprom ended gas transit through Ukraine on January 1 following the expiration of the five-year contract with Naftogaz. The Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline had transported about 15.5 billion cubic meters of gas last year, accounting for approximately 4.5% of the total gas consumption in the EU, according to Gazprom. Moldova and four EU countries – Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic – received Russian gas via this route.
Balkan Stream, fed by the Turkish Stream pipeline, now remains the only source of Russian pipeline gas for Europe.
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Fears of a new energy crisis have been rekindled in Europe with the end of Russian gas supply through Ukraine.
The winding down of cheap and reliable Russian gas transit will fuel energy costs, inflationary pressures, and the cost-of-living crisis, experts cited by Xinhua have warned.
"If there is a crisis in energy supply, Europe will be the most affected and this will weaken its economic power even more," Croatian political analyst Robert Frank noted.
The cessation of Russian gas transit “will likely intensify cost pressures for Slovenian industries, and by extension, raise consumer prices," stressed Joze P. Damijan, professor of economics at the University of Ljubljana.
Europe still hasn’t recovered from its shortsighted move to drastically cut its dependence on Russian gas, which had triggered a massive spike in inflation and economic slowdown.
Gazprom ended gas transit through Ukraine on January 1 following the expiration of the five-year contract with Naftogaz. The Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline had transported about 15.5 billion cubic meters of gas last year, accounting for approximately 4.5% of the total gas consumption in the EU, according to Gazprom. Moldova and four EU countries – Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic – received Russian gas via this route.
Balkan Stream, fed by the Turkish Stream pipeline, now remains the only source of Russian pipeline gas for Europe.
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The performance of US Abrams tanks in Ukraine was a major military failure of 2024, Military Watch writes.
"With the Abrams having seen relatively little high intensity combat in its history, but having been widely hyped by Western and Ukrainian sources as a game changer for the war effort, the rapid attrition rates which Ukraine’s small fleet faced, much as was the case for its Leopard 2 and other Western tanks, did much to undermine the reputation of the tank class," the magazine says.
Ukrainian forces kept using Abrams tanks despite heavy losses, speeding up the attrition rate. Ukrainian troops described the Abrams as the "number one target" for Russian forces in a summer 2024 report by CNN, bemoaning problems like weak armor, technical problems and ammunition shortages.
Abrams tanks were exhibited in St Petersburg in November, along with other captured Ukrainian equipment including US Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and M113 armored personnel carriers, French AMX-10 light tanks and Turkish Kirpi mine-resistant vehicles.
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New Orleans car ramming attack: key details and updates
A pickup truck drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans during New Year’s celebrations, resulting in a tragic loss of life and injuries.
What we know:
🔸 Casualties: Ten people have been confirmed dead and at least 35 others hospitalized with injuries, according to an official statement from the City of New Orleans.
🔸 The incident: A white pickup truck ploughed into revellers on Bourbon Street at high speed, eyewitnesses told CBS News.
🔸 Police statement: The suspect bypassed barricades designed to stop vehicle access to Bourbon Street in what was described as “very intentional behavior” by New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, who noted that the driver appeared to be “trying to run over as many people as he could.”
🔸 Gunfire exchange: After ramming the crowd, the driver began firing a weapon from inside the vehicle. Police returned fire.
🔸 Injured officers: Two police officers were wounded in the firefight, but are in a stable condition, Kirkpatrick said.
🔸 Suspect's status: The driver was shot and killed by police, ABC News reported, citing authorities.
🔸 Explosives found: The FBI reported finding improvised explosive devices at the scene, though it remains unclear if they were connected to the attack, a bureau spokesperson told Fox News.
Reactions from officials:
🔹 Mayoress LaToya Cantrell called the attack a likely “terrorist act.”
🔹 Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry condemned the “horrific act of violence.”
The incident is under active investigation, with local, state and federal authorities working to uncover the driver’s motive and circumstances.
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A pickup truck drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans during New Year’s celebrations, resulting in a tragic loss of life and injuries.
What we know:
Reactions from officials:
The incident is under active investigation, with local, state and federal authorities working to uncover the driver’s motive and circumstances.
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