😠 Return to office? Chaos ensues for US federal employees

Thousands of employees of the Social Security Administration have been ordered to be back in the office by Monday as part of US President Donald Trump’s push to end telework, NBC News reports.

Despite the memo being published on January 20, no one seems prepared. As SSA workers scramble for childcare, the IRS is running out of desk space, and the Department of Labor is dealing with clogged sinks, per The American Prospect.

Meanwhile, other agencies are facing shortages in everything from WiFi to toilet paper.

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🔍What US seeks in return for recognition of Somaliland

One option on the table is the republic's agreement to accept residents from Gaza, according to AP.

This comes amid reports of ongoing talks between the US, Israel, Somaliland, Somalia and Sudan, regarding relocation plans for Gaza’s residents.

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🔊LIVE NOW: Lukashenko addresses the Russian Federation Council

👉 Watch live in our Telegram

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❗️Russian troops liberated the settlement of Goncharovka in Russia's Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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❗️Putin met with Trump’s special envoy, Witkoff, last night, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated. 

More statements by Dmitry Peskov:

🟠The American side provided Putin with additional information, while Putin relayed messages and signals to Trump through Witkoff.

🟠Peskov denied reports that the US special envoy, Kellogg, was removed from the Ukraine talks at Russia's request, asserting that Russia has no interest in meddling in US internal affairs.

🟠Putin supports Trump’s position on Ukraine but highlighted key issues that need joint solutions.

🟠Both Russia and US recognize the importance of a conversation between Putin and Trump.

🟠There are reasons for cautious optimism regarding the potential progress on the issue.

🟠The exact timing of their discussion has not been finalized yet.

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❗️The Russian unstoppable 'Oreshnik' missile will soon be included in the arsenal of the Belarusian army - Lukashenko

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❗️Russia and Belarus can come to a single parliament if they are ready, Lukashenko said

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🇷🇺🪖Key statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's weekly briefing on the special military operation's progress:

▪️Russian troops liberated 28 settlements in in Russia's Kursk region.

▪️The Russian forces carried out 15 successful group strikes targeting military airfield infrastructure, ammunition depots, production facilities, storage warehouses, and command centers for strike drones.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 3,540 soldiers, three tanks and 23 armored fighting vehicles in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 1,085 troops and four tanks in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Vostok.

▪️Russian aviation shot down 27 JDAM bombs, two Neptun-MD missiles, 17 HIMARS missiles and 1,135 drones.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 1,815 militants, three tanks and 16 armored fighting vehicles in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 1,585 servicemen in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 440 troops, a tank and five warehouses in the Russian Dnepr Battlegroup's combat zone.

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🔍Finnish court sentences former Donbass volunteer to life in prison

Russian national Voislav Torden (Yan Petrovsky), who served in the Rusich volunteer unit fighting in Donetsk and Lugansk in 2014-2015, has been sentenced for “war crimes.”

1️⃣Torden has denied the charges, and his defense team plans to appeal the sentence.

2️⃣A former comrade-in-arms condemned the court’s decision, saying “for some reason, the court is keeping silent about what ‘war crimes’ exactly” he is alleged to have committed. “But with the way enemy media operates, they would have been shouting about his war crimes from every direction anyway.”

3️⃣Torden’s defense argues that he is a victim of “POLITICAL PERSECUTION” and claims that the testimonies of Ukrainian witnesses were distorted.

4️⃣The Russian Embassy in Finland in January expressed hope that Torden would be acquitted, “based on the far-fetched nature of the charges and OBVIOUS LACK OF EVIDENCE.”

5️⃣The prosecution accused Torden’s unit of killing 22 Ukrainian soldiers, wounding four, and using a Ukrainian flag at a checkpoint to deceive enemy forces. They also alleged that Torden’s unit fired on a truck and a passenger vehicle, and launched a missile. Prosecutors used ONLINE MATERIALS AS EVIDENCE.

Torden was detained in Finland in July 2023 for violating immigration rules, with Finland’s Supreme Court rejecting an extradition request by Ukraine.

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