🥴 New Orleans Police failed to prevent the attack because… the terrorist just drove AROUND the barriers – statement

💬 "This particular terrorist drove onto the sidewalk and got around the hard target. We did have a car there, we had barriers there, we had officers there, and they still got around," New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick excused at a briefing on Wednesday.

The bollards, installed on Bourbon Street 10 years ago, were malfunctioning and were being replaced at the time of the attack to avoid the risk of blocking passage during emergencies, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

💬 "We knew these were malfunctioning. So we did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it," Kirkpatrick lamented.

The replacement work was due to be completed in February, just in time for the Super Bowl, Cantrell claimed.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the terrorist attack has risen to 15, the FBI told Sputnik. Earlier, authorities reported that 10 people had been killed and 35 others injured in the attack.

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US Intelligence investigates links between New Orleans attack, Las Vegas explosion – Biden

US intelligence agencies are investigating a possible connection between the terrorist attack in New Orleans and the explosion of a Cybertruck near the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, President Joe Biden said on Thursday.

💬 "We are tracking the explosion of a Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well, including whether there are any possible connections with the attack in New Orleans," Biden said in an address to the nation, adding that there is nothing to share on the matter so far.

Earlier on Wednesday, the FBI identified the suspect in the New Orleans attack as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas. The agency added that symbols linked to the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS, banned in Russia) were found in his car.

💬 "The FBI also reported to me that mere hours before the attack, he posted videos on social media indicating that he is inspired by ISIS, especially [by their] desire to kill," the president said.

On Wednesday, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded near the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. One person died, and seven others were injured in the explosion, according to the Las Vegas Police Department, which confirmed that an investigation is underway.

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❌ Palestinian authorities suspend broadcasting of Al Jazeera – reports

Palestinian authorities have suspended the broadcasting of the Qatari network Al Jazeera, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Thursday.

The decision was reportedly made by a ministerial committee comprising the ministers of interior, communication, and culture, who ruled to halt the channel's broadcast in the country as well as the operation of its Palestinian office.

Al Jazeera has been accused of violating Palestinian laws, interfering in the country's internal affairs, and distributing misleading information.

The broadcaster condemned the decision, stating that it views the move as an attempt to conceal the truth about events in the West Bank, particularly in Jenin, where clashes have reportedly taken place between Palestinian security forces and armed groups.

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🔥WATCH: Russian drone units eliminate three Ukrainian tanks in the border area of the Kursk region.

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🪖Russian forces carried out more than 1,500 precision strikes and drone attacks on Ukrainian military targets in 2024, the Russian Defense Ministry reports.

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Religious persecution in Ukraine: A growing concern

Concerns about religious freedom in Ukraine are mounting, with indications that “democratic” Ukraine is targeting the canonical Orthodox Church as well as other religious groups.

Footage from Lvov reveals illuminated menorahs, set up to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, being targeted in acts that have raised serious questions about Ukraine's commitment to religious tolerance.

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🔍New Orleans terror suspect reportedly abandoned plan to kill his family after dreams

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect behind the New Orleans attack, had allegedly planned to murder his own family before a dramatic shift in his intentions, CNN reports, citing law enforcement sources.

Authorities are referring to videos the suspect allegedly recorded in his car during a trip to Louisiana. In the recordings, Jabbar reportedly spoke of his divorce and a chilling plan to invite his family to a “celebration,” where he intended to kill them.

However, according to the footage, his plans changed after experiencing a series of dreams that he claimed inspired him to align with ISIS.*

*Terrorist organization banned by Russia and other countries

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🟠 New Orleans attack: fresh details emerge

🟠 Cybertruck blast near Trump Hotel: latest updates

🟠 Top 5 locally-made weapons shaping the Middle East conflict

🟠 Only 16% of Germans believe Scholz to win elections – poll

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🗣‘This will have serious consequences for all of us in the EU’ – Slovak PM

With Ukraine's Naftogaz contract for Russian gas transit having expired, Gazprom halted supplies on January 1. Slovakia faces a potential 500-million-euro annual loss in transit fees due to alternative routes.

In response, PM Robert Fico has warned of cutting energy supplies to Ukraine unless a solution is reached.

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📹Most festive traffic violation: Father Frost caught red-handed

In a hilariously festive twist, Father Frost (Russian Santa Claus) was spotted cruising through downtown in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk!

Adorned with twinkling lights and ornaments, the "tree-mobile" spread holiday cheer and chuckles among passersby. However, local traffic authorities weren’t quite as jolly, raising eyebrows at this merry motorist's creative transport choice.

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🔍Suspect in Las Vegas explosion near Trump Tower identified as former US army veteran

Police have identified the driver behind the explosion near Trump Tower in Las Vegas as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, according to reports from KTNV-TV.

Livelsberger, who detonated a Tesla Cybertruck in the incident, is believed to have served in the US Army for 10 years.

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🔊The disruption of Russian gas supplies through Ukraine weakens Europe's economic potential and has a profoundly negative effect on living standards, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

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Main statements by the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:

🔊Transit halt: Ukraine refused to renew contracts with Gazprom and stopped transit of Russian gas to Europe as of January 1, 2025.

🔊Impact on Europe: The halt weakens Europe's economic potential and severely impacts the living standards of European citizens.

🔊Gazprom's compliance: Despite fulfilling its contractual obligations, Gazprom's gas supply was stopped due to Kiev's decision.

🔊Geopolitical motivation: The decision is geopolitical, with the United States benefiting from the redistribution of energy markets.

🔊Germany's economic struggles: Germany, Europe's largest economy, has suffered significant industrial losses due to higher gas prices following the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.

🔊Broader EU impact: Other European Union nations are now expected to face economic hardship as part of the fallout.

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