One's loss is another's gain: scammers thrive as LA burns
 
Los Angeles Police Department warns of false job offers, phone scams, and fraudulent donations.
 

"In the aftermath of recent fires, scammers are actively targeting vulnerable individuals and families, exploiting their distress," LAPD cautioned.

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🔶Trump eyes Greenland because of “incredible natural resources,” Vance explains

🔶Israeli forces launch 5 strikes on southern Lebanon – reports

🔶Incumbent Croatian President Zoran Milanovic declares victory in runoff election

🔶Looters dress as firefighters to burglarize houses amid LA fires

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Starmer's England is 'deeply broken' - Musk slams UK justice
 
On his X page, Elon Musk compared two criminal cases opened in Britain:
 

"This guy [Andrew McIntyre] was sentenced to 7 years in prison for social media posts. The other guy was sentenced to a mere 6-months for raping a 9-year-old child!" Musk wrote.

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🇮🇷💥Iran's Egtedar-1403 air defense exercises
 
The exercises were conducted with the participation of the air defense units of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Fordo and Khondab areas; simulations of repelling attacks on these areas were demonstrated.
 
During the drills, the Talash, Khordad 15, Arman, and other Iranian air defense systems successfully counteracted the set goals.

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Blinken exploited Biden’s senility and brought US to brink of nuclear war – Scott Ritter

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is “a war criminal in every sense of the word,” former American Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter wrote on X, commenting on Blinken’s video, in which he praised the Biden administration’s work.

Ritter accused Blinken of being “singularly responsible for the deaths of more than a million people” as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.

“You took advantage of a mentally diminished president to take our nation to the brink of nuclear war with Russia, violating the Constitution's due process,” the ex-intelligence officer wrote, referring to the outgoing US President Joe Biden.

Ritter voiced hope that Blinken would be “investigated, charged, and found guilty of betraying” his country.

“And I hope you are given the justice you so richly deserve,” the ex-intelligence officer concluded. Blinken earlier told the New York Times that when it comes to the Biden administration, there’s allegedly “a very strong record of achievement, historic in many ways.”

These claims are clearly out of sync with Biden’s plummeting approval rating, which hit a new low in December, when just 34% of respondents ok'd his job as POTUS, according to a Marquette Law School national poll.

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❗️Six Ukrainian border guards surrendered to Russia on Christmas Eve — source
 

"The Ukrainian border guards surrendered at the border with the Belgorod region in the Kharkov direction. They made the right choice and stayed alive," a source in the Russian security forces told Sputnik.

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❗️Ukraine attempts drone strike on Russian TurkStream compressor station — Russia's MoD

On January 11, the Kiev regime attempted to target the Russkaya gas-compressor station located in the Krasnodar Region’s Anapa district using drones, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

This station plays a crucial role in supplying gas through the TurkStream. All the drones were downed, and the building and equipment of the gas measuring station sustained minor shrapnel damage.

After a swift cleanup, the station has resumed normal operations. According to the Defense Ministry, the aim of the attack was to disrupt gas supplies to European countries.

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Mohammed Sinwar aka Shadow is new Hamas chief
 
Hamas appointed its new leader, Yahya Sinwar's younger brother, Mohammed, head of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Wall Street Journal reports.
 
What is known so far about Hamas' newly appointed chief:
 
🟠Guerilla wars instead of children's  games
 
Mohammed Sinwar, believed to be about 50, joined Hamas at an early age and was considered close to the head of the movement’s armed wing, Mohammed Deif;

🟠Most seasoned commander
 
Sinwar is now Hamas’s most senior commander in Gaza, along with Izz al-Din Haddad, the military head in northern Gaza, according to political analysts;

🟠Knack for covert ops
 
He's got a nickname "Shadow," according to Arab officials, as he has operated mostly behind the scenes;

🟠Strategic thinking
 
Mohammed Sinwar was behind the long-lasting op that involved the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier and resulted in his brother’s release in a prisoner swap five years later.

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Let's add another star: Greenland citizens vote for joining US
 
More than half of Greenland's residents (57.3%) support joining the United States, while 37.4% are against it.
 
*Data from a survey conducted by the Patriot Polling research organization

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

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🇷🇺🪖 Key statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation:
 
◻️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 515 militants in the Zapad battlegroup’s combat zone
 
◻️ Russian forces hammered the enemy's military aerodromes and manpower
 
◻️ Ukrainian losses in the Yug battlegroup area amounted up to 285 soldiers
 
◻️ As a result of the actions of the Russian Sever and Dnepr battlegroups, Ukrainian forces lost up to 115 servicemen
 
◻️ Russian air defenses shot down six HIMARS missiles and 83 Ukrainian drones
 
◻️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 210 servicemen and a tank in the Vostok Battlegroup area

◻️ Russian forces have destroyed more than 20.5 thousand Ukrainian tanks since the beginning of the special operation

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❗️There are no substantive preparations for the meeting between Trump and Putin right now. There is a feeling that such a meeting would be necessary and useful, the Kremlin says.
 
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that many countries have offered "their services" in providing a platform where these contacts can take place. However, Moscow considers it premature to talk about this before the arrival of the new administration in the United States.

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Film creators of 'The Wizard of the Kremlin' have not contacted Kremlin; project details unknown — Kremlin spokesman
 
Earlier, the Deadline reported that British actor Jude Law will play the role of Russian President Vladimir Putin in French director Olivier Assaya's new film "The Kremlin Wizard," based on the bestseller of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli.
 

"We have indeed seen such reports, but we don't know anything about it. And of course, we don't know exactly what it might be about, what the plot is, and so on. And no one has contacted the Kremlin," Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may visit Russia in the first half of the year, the Yonhap news agency reports, citing South Korean intelligence

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UK deep state outing itself? Britain unveils 1984-themed coins

Paying tribute to a literary work that many have called a blueprint for today’s "post-modern" world, the UK has issued a commemorative coin with quotes from George Orwell's renowned dystopian novel "1984".

The coin was minted to mark the 75th anniversary of the author’s death. Featuring eerie quotes like "Big Brother is watching you" and "there was truth and there was untruth," these coins serve as a chilling reminder of the ongoing relevance of Orwell's warnings in today's world.

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No stealing from us - Belgian workers protest benefits cuts
 
Thousands of Belgians are protesting in Brussels, Belgium, against the plans of the next government to save on pensions and social benefits.
 

"Wage freezes, indexation reform, longer working hours and more precarious contracts, austerity, and cuts to public services and ecological investments: nothing will be spared for Belgians, not even pensioners," the trade union said.

 
Strike participants gathered at Place de l'Albertine in Brussels, having started to protest from Sunday morning. Multiple services across the country were stopped as a result of the demonstration.

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President of Central African Republic (CAR) Faustin Archange Touadera to visit Moscow on January 14 - presidential spokesperson
 
CAR president expects to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the Russian capital, the presidential spokesperson of CAR told Sputnik.

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US imposes new restrictions on export of advanced AI technologies
 
In order to "protect national security" and prevent the use of advanced AI technologies by countries perceived as "threats", the United States is imposing new restrictions on the export of advanced chips and artificial intelligence (AI) models, according to a document by the US Department of Commerce.
 
According to the department, the restrictions will help prevent the use of AI technologies for weapons development, cyber attacks, or mass surveillance by hostile states. At the same time, Washington's trusted partners and allies will have access to cutting-edge technologies.

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