🚗 NYC launches rush hour congestion charges

Drivers entering parts of Manhattan during rush hour will be charged $9, according to New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

In New York, named the most congested city by Inrix in 2024, drivers spend 101 hours a year stuck in traffic.

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⚖️ 'QAnon Shaman' hopes for Trump pardon 4 years after Capitol storming

Jacob "Shaman" Chansley told RIA Novosti he hopes US President-elect Donald Trump will keep his promise to pardon the protesters.

Chansley, best known for entering the US Capitol wearing his distinctive horned fur hat and face paint, quickly became famous as the "public face" of the events of January 6, 2021. His iconic image spread like wildfire across global media, leaving an unforgettable impression.

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📱 Farage refuses to cede leadership after Musk tweet

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is rejecting Elon Musk's call for him to step down. The clash follows Musk's praise for the founder of the far-right organization English Defense League Tommy Robinson, whom Farage has criticized.

Reform UK came third in the July 2024 election with 14.3 percent, but won only five seats because of the UK's electoral system.

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⚡️North Korea fires unidentified ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, Yonhap reports, citing ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff

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🦬 Jan. 6 Shaman: Bull horns ended my political career

Jacob Angeli, formerly known as Jacob "QAnon Shaman" Chansley, tells Ria Novosti that the storming of the Capitol ended his political career.

He previously told Sputnik of his congressional ambitions, but never completed the registration.

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❗️Ukraine intends to undertake a "bloody provocation" against Russia; several dates are being considered, including in January - on the eve of Trump's inauguration (January 20), Vladimir Rogov, Chairman of the Commission of Russia’s Public Chamber on Sovereignty, Patriotic Projects, and Veteran Support, told Sputnik.
 
The purpose of the provocation is to get an improvement in their negotiating position, as it is called in Zelensky's office, as well as new financial assistance and shipments of weapons.
 
According to him, a provocation could be an attempt by the Ukrainian armed forces to launch an offensive on one of the sections of the front line.

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West's support for Ukraine exceeds $300 bln
 
Support for Ukraine from the United States, the IMF, the World Bank, the EU, and other international funds, countries, and individuals has already exceeded $300 billion in 2022-2024, according to a report by the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
 
Over the past 10-15 years, the Ukrainian economy has undergone significant structural shifts from large business to small business and from energy-intensive heavy industry to agriculture.
 
Despite significant socio-economic difficulties and the degradation of industrial potential, the Ukrainian economy demonstrates a fairly high level of adaptability to external and internal shocks. But the ability to self-develop is almost lost.


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Trudeau's time is up? Canada's PM is expected to resign this week - report
 
After months of being under pressure to step down, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to announce his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party this week as he "couldn't survive the political fallout," Bloomberg reports, citing sources.
 
More than 20 members of the Liberal Party have publicly called for Trudeau's resignation, and even more have said in private meetings that the prime minister has no choice but to leave.
 
According to the article, sources do not know whether Trudeau will resign immediately after the announcement or will remain in charge of the government until a new party leader is elected, who will automatically become the prime minister of Canada.

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Jan 6 Shaman says top Capitol riot prosecutor ‘smart to resign’ before getting fired

Matthew Graves, who was in charge of the Capitol Riot investigation, made a good move when he announced his resignation prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration, Jacob Angeli, Shaman, told RIA Novosti.

Graves announced in late December that he would resign as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia effective January 16. Trump has repeatedly criticized Graves and stood out against the prosecution. Angeli became the face of the riot due to his extravagant outfit, which included bull horns and a fur headdress.

"He's smart to resign. It's like quitting before you get fired, basically," Angeli said in an interview.

Prosecuting all the January 6 participants was his "only job", so he will be "useless" when Trump who promised to pardon his supporters who took part in the Capitol riot comes in, Angeli added.

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🇨🇳🐙🤖Octobot? Robopus? China develops an octopus tentacle robotic arm
 
The new development made by the Chinese University of Science and Technology can grab any object dextrously: from an egg to an ant.

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📹💥Watch: Russian drones eliminating manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Krasnoarmeysk area

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❗️The Russian Defense Ministry announced the liberation of Kurakhovo.

It is the largest settlement in the southwestern part of Donbass.

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Germany to reduce economic and military support to Ukraine compared to 2024 - report
 
Berlin will transfer to Kiev about 40 Leopard 1 tanks, Gepard missile defense systems, about 15 IRIS-T medium- and short-range air defense systems, Dachs engineering tanks, drones, and artillery shells, according to a report by the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
 
Germany is the second-largest aid donor to Ukraine, after the United States.


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More statements by the Russian Defense Ministry concerning the liberation of the settlement of Kurakhovo:
 
🟠During the liberation of Kurakhovo, the Ukrainian troops lost 80% of their personnel (more than 12,000 militants), about 3,000 units of various weapons and military equipment, including 40 tanks, the ministry added.

🟠Ukraine attracted nationalists, foreign mercenaries, and units of elite brigades of the Ukrainian forces to defend Kurakhovo.
 
🟠The liberation of Kurakhovo deprived Ukrainian troops of the opportunity to shell Donetsk and made it difficult to provide logistical support to their units

🟠Ukrainian forces have concentrated 26 battalions of 15,000 soldiers in Kurakhovo
 
🟠After the liberation of Kurakhovo, the Russian Armed Forces entered the operational space; this will increase the pace of the liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic
 
🟠Kurakhovo, before being liberated by Russian troops, significantly limited the maneuverability of attack aircraft of the Russian Armed Forces.

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▫️Russian forces liberate key city of Kurakhovo in Donbass

▫️West's support for Ukraine exceeds $300 bln

▫️Trudeau's time is up? Canada's PM is expected to resign this week

▫️North Korea fires unidentified ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan

▫️'QAnon Shaman' hopes for Trump pardon 4 years after Capitol storming

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'Hellish mix of neo-Nazism and terrorism with drug nonsense' - Russian FM spokeswoman on Zelensky's interview with American journalist Lex Fridman
 
Maria Zakharova criticized Zelensky's three-hour interview, where he openly declared his Russophobia, saying, "He's not thinking straight anymore."
 

"And the fact that he, according to him, offered Trump 'other people's money in exchange for weapons' testifies to Zelensky's deep-rooted corrupt ties with the Anglo-Saxons, which the Kiev regime had Biden firmly hooked on: steal and kill, and then steal again - a bloody scheme mastered since the time of Burisma," she concluded.

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New Syrian authorities demand Kurdish fighters lay down arms

The interim Syrian government held talks with representatives of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), demanding that they disarm, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.

Two meetings have taken place between the new Syrian authorities and representatives of the PKK, who reportedly sought recognition as a division or corps within the official Syrian army in exchange for disarmament. The new Syrian authorities did not accept any conditions, the Turkish newspaper said.

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❗️Ukrainian forces attempted to attack the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and Energodar with eight drones; all drones were destroyed - Russian Defense Ministry

When one of the downed drones fell, it exploded and caught fire on the roof of the NPP training center, the ministry added.

There are no victims and destruction after the attempted attack; the radiation situation is normal.

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❗️Russian troops have liberated the Dachenskoye settlement in the Donetsk People's Republic, Russia's Defense Ministry announced

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:    

▪️Ukrainian losses in the area of responsibility of the Russian Yug Battlegroupgroup, where the city of Kurakhovo was liberated, amounted to 265 militants and a Leopard tank;
 
▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 550 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Russian Zapad combat group;
 
▪️Ukrainian troops lost up to 150 fighters in the area of responsibility of the Russian Sever and Dnepr Battlegroups;

▪️Russian air defense systems shot down a Hammer bomb, 12 HIMARS shells, and 115 drones of the Ukrainian forces.

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Pfizergate: What is EC chief von der Leyen accused of?

A court in Liege, Belgium, is due to consider whether European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has legal immunity against corruption charges related to her murky involvement in the purchase of coronavirus vaccines.

What is the scandal all about?

🟠In 2022, US media reported that von der Leyen had communicated with Albert Bourla, chief executive of the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, about clinching a long-term contract to purchase 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines worth €35 billion ($37.6 billion), even before they passed clinical trials.

🟠Negotiations on the deal were conducted informally in late 2020 via SMS messages and without prior consent of EU member states.

🟠The European Commission President also texted her husband, Heiko von der Leyen, who serves as the medical director at Orgenesis, a company that collaborates with Pfizer. All the messages were then accidentally deleted, Ursula von der Leyen claimed.

🟠As a result, she has been accused of “usurpation of functions and noscript,” destruction of public documents, and high-level corruption charges that were initiated by Belgian lobbyist Frederic Baldan.

🟠The first hearing on his complaint was held on 17 May 2024, when the Liege court confirmed that the so-called Pfizegate case is in line with its jurisdiction and should not be handed to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), created on the initiative of von der Leyen herself, due to an obvious conflict of interests.

🟠The second hearing slated for December 5 was actually disrupted due to a demarche by the EPPO, which sent a counter-request to the court for von der Leyen's immunity. The EPPO argues that von der Leyen has immunity from prosecution for corruption.

🟠European Commission spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker said on January 5 that von der Leyen had canceled all “external engagements” in the coming days after contracting “severe pneumonia.”

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Israel handed over the published list of hostages to mediators last July, according to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's office

The list of names of 34 hostages that the Palestinian movement Hamas is allegedly ready to release, published in the media, was not prepared by the movement, but was handed over by Israel to mediators six months ago, the office of Israeli PM said.

"The list of abductees published in the media was not passed on to Israel by Hamas, but was originally passed from Israel to intermediaries as early as July 2024. To date, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment from Hamas regarding the status of the abductees on the list," the office said.

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