African leaders blast Macron over troop withdrawal remarks

Senegal and Chad rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s claim that the removal of French troops was part of a coordinated decision, asserting their actions were sovereign choices. The French leader, speaking at an annual meeting of foreign ambassadors, stated that France had “proposed to the African heads of state to reorganize our presence” and that Paris had politely allowed the leaders to announce the changes first.

Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko called Macron’s remarks “erroneous” and emphasized that Senegal’s decision was made independently, as a free and sovereign nation. Meanwhile, Chad’s Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah accused Macron of demonstrating “a contemptuous attitude towards Africa,” adding that France’s 60-year presence in Chad primarily served French strategic interests rather than benefiting the Chadian people.

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Trump acknowledges Russia's concerns over Ukraine's possible entry into NATO

US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed his understanding of Russia's position opposing Ukraine's accession to NATO.

"So, you know, a big part of the problem was Russia for many, many years, long before Putin said you could never have NATO involved with Ukraine. Now they have said that that has been like written in stone, and somewhere along the line, [outgoing President Joe] Biden said, no, they should be able to join NATO. Well, then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep. But I can understand their feeling about that," Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, adding that "there were a lot of mistakes made in that negotiation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Ukraine's possible membership in NATO threatens Russia's security. In June 2024, Putin said that Ukraine's abandonment of its plans to join NATO was one of the conditions under which Moscow would be ready for a ceasefire and talks.

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Millions celebrate Orthodox Christmas as Putin attends Moscow church service

On January 7, millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world come together to celebrate Christmas, a day filled with joy and rich traditions.

The festivities begin on Christmas Eve, January 6, marked by a day of strict fasting, prayer, and eager anticipation. In the evening, churches hold special midnight services, where the faithful gather to celebrate this sacred holiday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated Christmas alongside Russian families, continuing his tradition of attending church services on this significant day. This year, he visited the Church of St. George the Victorious on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow to honor the occasion.

In his Christmas message, Putin spoke of the joy and hope that the holiday brings to believers, inspiring them to engage in acts of kindness. He also underscored the importance of traditions passed down through generations, highlighting their lasting significance in Russian culture.

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Zuck admits Meta* censorship ‘mistakes’, moves to copycat Musk’s ‘free expression’ playbook

Mark Zuckerberg has graciously acknowledged a massive amount of "mistakes and censorship" plaguing Meta's platforms. In a bold move to champion "free expression," he announced a change in moderation rules for Facebook and Instagram.

The new strategy? Meta will no longer independently "fact-check." Instead, it will hand that responsibility to users, taking a page from Elon Musk's X (where "Community Notes" lets users add context to potentially misleading posts). Clearly, the wisdom of the crowd is the perfect antidote to corporate overreach. What could possibly go wrong?

It's worth mentioning that many accounts - including Sputnik’s - were banned from Facebook and Instagram. Should we dare to hope for the resurrection of these accounts now that censorship is supposedly being abolished?

*banned in Russia for extremism

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How much is the battle against Russian natural gas costing Europe?

Even though the European allies have been loudly declaring for a while now how they have to steer clear of Russian energy imports, it turns out that walking the walk is not the same as talking the talk.

European states today purchase a “record amount” of Russian liquefied natural gas, Bloomberg notes, adding that these exports have surpassed those of the gas Russia used to ship to Europe via the pipeline that runs through Ukraine.

News of this development comes as the European Commission acknowledged this week that gas storage facilities in the EU are depleting at a faster rate than they did last year, following Ukraine's suspension of Russian natural gas transit to Europe.

Meanwhile, Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, noted that the price of natural gas in the European market has surged by 20% since Ukraine officially announced its decision to halt Russian gas transit last month.

In their determination to undermine Russia, regardless of the repercussions for their own economies, the European allies of the United States might very well be contenders for the noscript of the world's foremost champions of self-sabotage.

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Democrats end up with egg on their faces for ignoring Biden’s cognitive decline

The Democratic Party leadership in the United States has finally started catching massive flak for ignoring the elephant in the room for years now, namely, the senile old man now occupying the Oval Office.

Several Democratic senators had already warned that the public might demand more answers regarding Joe Biden’s cognitive acumen. Despite being notoriously gaffe-prone throughout his presidency, his colleagues have persistently portrayed him as a paragon of mental acuity, as noted by The Hill.

The discourse about President Biden's awareness got a massive reality check last June when he showcased his mental acuity—or lack thereof—during a debate with Donald Trump. One senator, speaking to The Hill, suggested that many of his Democratic colleagues remained oblivious to Biden's cognitive decline, noting that it had been some time since the president "came to the caucus." “The fairest statement about it is that we never saw him,” he contended.

The lawmaker acknowledged that the glaring contrast between the Democrats' depiction of Biden and his actual condition enabled Republicans to label their rival party as "corrupt" for failing to address Biden's mental decline sooner.

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"Not a snowball's chance in hell" - Trudeau on Canada becoming 51st US state

Canada's outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau finally responded to Trump's comments about Canada's entry as the 51st state.

"There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States. Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner," he wrote on X.

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🍴🎄 Belgium urges citizens: don't eat your Christmas tree!

Belgium's food agency has warned citizens not to eat Christmas trees, amid new advice from environmental activists to recycle the conifers on the dinner table, citing traditions from Scandinavia.

"In short, there are many reasons not to promote nor encourage the re-use of Christmas trees in the food chain," Belgium's federal agency for food chain security, AFSCA, said.

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💰 Canadian politician: You want to own Canada? How about we buy you?

In response to Trump's idea to take over Canada, Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested that Canada should buy two states from the US.

"I'll make him a counteroffer: How about if we buy Alaska and throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?" he told reporters.

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❗️ Contact Group will meet to define Ukraine's military needs through 2027 - Pentagon

The 25th Ukraine Defense Contact Group will determine the military needs of the Ukrainian military through 2027 at a meeting scheduled for January 9, the US Department of Defense said.

It will be the last UDCG meeting for acting US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

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Dugin: Trumpists will dismantle the Democratic Party, return to traditional values

The US under Donald Trump will be "free of liberals" and return to traditional values, Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin told Sputnik.

"They'll get to the point where they won't have Democrats. Because the Democrats are the source of this evil. I mean the Democratic Party. And democracy will be returned to a classic American principle: America is for Americans," Dugin said.

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French Defense Minister: Developing drones is the biggest challenge for 2025

It is 2025, and France finally admits that drones have become the backbone of modern warfare. But as French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in an annual address to the armed forces, France is lagging behind in this sector of the military industry.

"Every ground unit, navy ship or aircraft must be equipped with accompanying drones and a defense system against them. All weapons must be equipped with electronic warfare systems. However, we are not at our best in this regard, 2025 should be a breakthrough year, and developments in this field need to be accelerated," he stated.

He added that the transition to a "war economy" should help boost French military production, but the lack of a budget for 2025 is a "threat to the country's rearmament."

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