🇷🇺📑🇮🇷 New Russia-Iran treaty’s heavy focus on security issues result of West’s threats

“Both countries feel that the expansion of NATO and regimes affiliated with the West are potentially dangerous for the world and definitely dangerous for Iran and Russia,” renowned international affairs observer Dr. Mohammad Marandi told Sputnik.

Both countries “have a shared interest” in keeping NATO out of the Caspian Sea, and share concerns over the role the US, the EU and their regional allies have played recently in strengthening terrorists in Syria – posing a threat to the whole of Asia, Marandi stressed.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔸 Russia-Iran comprehensive partnership made possible by US antagonism

🔸 Inside the Russia-Iran Comprehensive Partnership Treaty: What’s in it and why it matters

🔸 Greenland wants sovereignty, not isolation - pro-independence MP

🔸 NATO instructors: All talk, no frontline walk

🔸 How LA missed chance to get Russia's world-class firefighting planes

🔸 Russophobia erases Poland’s memory of Soviet sacrifice in WWII

🔸 RedNote explosion: Millions of Americans discover a different China

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💲 How Trump’s Treasury Pick is linked to Soros and BlackRock

US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for treasury secretary Scott Bessent's known ties to Soros Fund Management and rumored links to BlackRock and other financial giants make his appointment intriguing.

Let’s explore his background:

🔸 Bessent's public financial disclosure report indicates that he holds investments in various assets, including a stake in BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF. He has committed to divesting from that and other holdings to avoid conflicts of interest if confirmed as Treasury Secretary.

🔸 In 2011, Bessent was hired as chief investment officer at Soros Fund Management, where he managed investments for one of the world’s most prominent hedge funds.

🔸 Soros, known for his substantial contributions to the Democratic Party, placed Bessent in a position of significant financial influence, raising questions about potential alignment in policy and strategy.

🔸 In 2017, Bessent made substantial contributions to both Trump and Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton’s election campaigns. In 2024, he made another significant donation to Trump’s campaign.

🔸 As treasury Secretary nominee, Bessent has advocated for tougher oil sanctions against Russia and criticized China’s economic practices. Observers speculate whether his time at Soros Fund Management shaped those viewpoints.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Coldest inauguration in 30 years

Bracing for icy weather, president-elect Donald Trump announced that his January 20 inauguration ceremony will be moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda.

Forecasts predict frigid conditions ranging from -7°C during the day to -12°C at night. That would make it the coldest inauguration since Ronald Reagan’s in 1985, when temperatures around -13°C forced the swearing-in to be held indoors.

By comparison, Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, though chilly, saw a relatively mild -1°C.

With gates opening at 6 a.m. and the ceremony set for 11 a.m., attendees are being advised to dress warmly.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺📑🇮🇷 New Russia-Iran treaty is a force multiplier for each country’s defensive power: here’s why

The treaty commits Russia “to provide Iran with assistance. What kinds of assistance? At the United Nations and in other international forums, we will defend Iran’s interests. We’ll supply Iran with the military equipment and weapons it needs to defend itself,” retired Russian Army colonel Viktor Litovkin told Sputnik.

As far as aggressors go, “we will not only not support them; we will not provide them with any assistance, including intelligence, or allow them to use our territory for raids. For example, we have our base in Armenia. We would not allow foreign planes to land there to attack Iran,” the observer said.

On the defense cooperation front, Russia could plug gaps in Iran’s powerful air defenses, via the sale of Sukhoi Su-30 jets, or deliveries of Pantsir, Tor, Buk or S-400 systems, for example. Russia, for its part, could benefit from Iran’s vast domestically-developed arsenals of missiles and drones, Litovkin said.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Palestinians in Jabalia, northern Gaza, anticipating the ceasefire, have begun clearing rubble and attempting to reopen roads despite lacking essential resources.

Airstrikes persist in northern Gaza, yet people are holding on to hope for an end to their suffering.

Footage from social media

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US Intel has been quietly boosting Ukraine’s drone arsenal since 2022

Since 2022, the US has been quietly sending intelligence officers to Ukraine to help kick-start and expand its drone production, according to a US media report, citing officials.

Along with technical know-how, Washington has funneled plenty of cash into the effort, including $1.5 billion last September to support manufacturers and secure parts.

The revelation aligns with Russia’s longstanding accusations of Western involvement in Ukraine – claims that officials in the West have repeatedly denied.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Boycotting Russian gas? Not when winter hits

European countries that vowed to ditch Russian gas are now buying more than ever, a European newspaper reports, citing Kpler data. In the first 15 days of 2025, the 27 EU nations imported 837,000 tons of fuel.

The spike comes as freezing weather drains LPG reserves and Ukraine halted supplies through the Druzhba pipeline. By January 7, gas reserves in EU stores fell below 70%, with withdrawals 30% higher than the five-year average.

Amid inflation, an energy crunch and a global recession, the Ukraine crisis and sanctions on Russia have only worsened supply disruptions and sent energy prices soaring.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Rare lenticular clouds crown Popocatepetl volcano

Witness the rare and breathtaking sight of lenticular clouds forming above Mexico’s towering 5,636-meter Popocatepetl volcano.

These unique, lens-shaped clouds, resembling stacked pancakes or disks, appear only under precise atmospheric conditions, making their presence a truly extraordinary phenomenon.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Los Angeles fire victim: Firefighters came to put out a fire in my house without water

Aaron Miller, a Los Angeles County resident whose home burned to the ground during the massive wildfires, told Sputnik that firefighters were unable to extinguish the blaze in his home because there was no water in the fire hydrants.

All that’s left of Aaron’s house are the remains of a brick fireplace and walls, a burned-out washing machine frame, and a melted fence. From the remaining charred pieces of wood, it is difficult to tell where the kitchen and bedroom used to be.

Aaron added that despite losing their home and all their belongings, he and his family were still lucky: "You see that house? That was my neighbor. He died."

Earlier, US media reported that fire hydrants in Los Angeles had run dry during the wildfires due to overwhelming demand on the water system and a key reservoir being offline for maintenance.

Since January 7, multiple wildfires have broken out in California, killing at least 25 people and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands. According to the US weather forecasting service AccuWeather, damage and economic losses from the wildfires could reach between $250 billion and $275 billion.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

The Baltic pivot: NATO’s northern gambit against Russia

“The actions of NATO in the Baltic Sea region demonstrate not only the alliance’s, but also the United States’ readiness to adopt a new approach to expand their interests,” Muhammed Saifuddin, an expert on Russia-NATO relations told Sputnik.

Commenting on NATO’s Baltic Sentry operation and its broader implications, he pointed out that recent agreements to station US bases in regional countries indicate a clear intent by Washington to turn the Baltic Sea and the Arctic into areas of confrontation with Russia.

“It’s evident that the West suffered a setback in Ukraine, and now the alliance seeks to ignite conflict in other parts of the world,” he added.

Saifuddin said past statements by Donald Trump, including remarks about Greenland, point to where the new US administration’s focus might lie.

“The US is making every effort to contain Russia’s growing influence in the Arctic,” Saifuddin said. “[NATO Secretary-General Mark] Rutte’s statements, meanwhile, are just an attempt to raise NATO’s profile at a time when Trump’s team seems inclined to shift attention to other alliances and emphasize cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.”

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨US Treasury to take emergency measures to avoid default🚨

Starting January 21, the US Treasury will implement emergency measures as the federal government hits its debt ceiling, The New York Times reported.

These measures will last until March 14, but Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned of “significant uncertainty” in managing payments and revenues during this time.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🌍🌍🌍 Nigeria joins BRICS as a partner country

🇳🇬 Nigeria is now the ninth nation to join BRICS as a partner state, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

This follows Indonesia’s addition as a full member and Thailand’s inclusion as a partner, marking another key milestone in the group's expansion!

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬 US invasion of Greenland makes no sense given Washington’s unlimited access – ex-foreign minister

"If the US attack Greenland, what would they attack? What's there to attack? The Danish Navy that's over in two seconds? And the next line of defense is the Americans. So... Americans shooting at Americans? The US have today unrestricted access to Greenland. So it [a military scenario] doesn't make any sense at all," Pele Broberg, the leader of the opposition Naleraq party in Greenland's parliament and former foreign minister, told Sputnik.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨Trump admin to launch deportation raids

A major deportation operation is set to begin in Chicago on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reports. The raids, involving up to 200 law enforcement officers, are expected to last a week.

Other cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, may soon follow.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹UK and France treat Ukrainians as second-class citizens – PoW

"I traveled around and observed the UK and France, how people there treat us – it’s as if we’re aborigines, some sort of lower class," captured Ukrainian border guard Alexander Bychko told Sputnik.

NATO instructors at the Warcop base and in La Courtine, while training Ukrainian military personnel, rely on outdated methods that do not align with the realities of modern military conflicts – particularly when it comes to the use of drones.

Europeans don’t understand how to operate under the new conditions, he explained.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🟠 New Russia-Iran treaty is a force multiplier for each country’s defensive power: here’s why

🟠 US Treasury to take emergency measures to avoid default

🟠 How Trump’s Treasury Pick is linked to Soros and BlackRock

🟠 US Intel has been quietly boosting Ukraine’s drone arsenal since 2022

🟠 LA fire victim: Firefighters came to put out a fire in my house without water

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💤 Sleepy from his own speech!

Joe Biden’s latest (and possibly last) public address entertained the crowd as he served up a new potential meme.

💯A classic SleepyJoe moment!

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt