Inflation in Russia will be lower this year, as the government will nearly meet its 4.0 - 4.5% target, Bloomberg Economics reported on Monday, citing Aleksandr Isakov, its leading expert on Russia and Central and Eastern Europe.

Isakov said that if the country’s central bank avoids a sharp reduction of the key interest rate from the current 16%, consumer price index inflation will be in line with objectives.

“The Bank of Russia’s key rate has peaked. Policymakers’ next job is avoiding premature easing. While most central banks face the same task in 2024, the Bank of Russia has fresh experience of what this mistake may cost. Its front-loaded easing in 2022 resulted in a ruble rout and drove price growth to triple its 4% inflation target in 2023. If it keeps the policy rate above 12% throughout 2024, inflation will come down to 4.7% year-on-year in December 2024,” Bloomberg Economics’ latest quarterly outlook on global monetary policy quoted Isakov as saying.

The Bank of Russia more than doubled the key rate in 2023 to 16% in a series of consecutive hikes, citing high inflationary pressure. In December, the regulator signaled that the end of the tightening cycle may be approaching. Central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina warned, however, that “until we are confident that there is a steady downward trend in price growth and inflation expectations, the key rate will stay high for as long as necessary.”

The regulator may start lowering the rate in March or April, Isakov said in December in an analysis piece for the Russian weekly Argumenty i Fakty. By December 2024, the key interest rate may ebb to 12-13%, he added.

The Bank of Russia will hold its next key rate review meeting in February.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

A Romanian court will reconsider the seizure of assets from controversial ‘manosphere’ guru Andrew Tate, who faces charges linked to human trafficking and other sex crimes in the East European country. The assets include cash, luxury cars and other items worth an estimated $4 million.

The Bucharest Court of Appeals accepted Tate’s legal challenge on Monday, overturning a previous ruling which rejected a request to return the assets. In the new decision, officials were ordered to reconsider the seizure of property, which will remain in government custody until a final assessment is complete.

The ruling means that Tate – as well as his brother Tristian, who also faces charges in Romania and owns some of the property seized – can return to court to make fresh arguments to reclaim the assets.

In a social media post, Tate hailed the “smart judge” for agreeing to reconsider the asset seizures, adding that prosecutors would have to prove that he had made his money illegally. “They won’t prove a thing because it never happened,” he added, also claiming the seized property was worth $27 million and included homes, cars, gold and cash.

Police were seen removing the assets from one of Tate’s properties near Bucharest in January 2023, including luxury vehicles and multiple watches reportedly worth millions.

Romanian authorities charged the Tate brothers with rape, human trafficking and forming an organized criminal group last year, and had previously detained the two dual US-UK citizens before releasing them into house arrest. They are no longer in custody, but are barred from leaving the country while the legal case plays out.

A former champion kickboxer, Andrew Tate became a prominent social media figure after he appeared on the British reality show ‘Big Brother’ in 2016. He has maintained a brash and abrasive persona on social media, boasting about his wealth while encouraging his young male followers to pay for courses in which he promised to help them overcome their lack of success with money and women.

Critics have accused Tate of spreading misogyny and having a bad influence on young men. He denies all allegations.

Sweden’s top officials have urged their people to prepare for a possible war, amid the rising tensions with Russia. The ministers made their statement at the multi-day Folk och Forsvar National Conference in Salen.

In his speech on Sunday, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom hailed his country’s expected membership in the US-led NATO military bloc as “the biggest change in Swedish security policy in more than 200 years.”

Billstrom warned that “Russia will constitute a serious threat to the security of Sweden and Europe for the foreseeable future.” He admitted that Stockholm “must be realistic and assume – and be prepared for – a drawn-out confrontation”

Echoing his sentiment, Defense Minister Pal Jonson declared that “war can also come to us.” He claimed that Ukraine is acting as “Europe’s shield” during its conflict with Russia.

Last year, Sweden ditched its centuries-old policy of non-alignment in favor of joining NATO, citing Russia’s ongoing operation in the neighboring state, which was launched in February 2022. Sweden’s Nordic neighbor Finland has done the same, having joined NATO in April 2023.

Speaking on his country’s future role in NATO at the same annual conference last year, Kristersson affirmed that “having nuclear weapons on our own territory in peacetime is in the cards.”

Moscow has repeatedly stated that NATO’s continuing expansion towards Russia’s western borders, as well as the refusal to rule out Ukraine’s membership in the future, are among the key causes of the ongoing conflict. Russia sees NATO as a threat to its national security.

Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has accused the West of turning Europe into an “arena for confrontation.” The accession of Finland and Sweden will “have a negative impact on the situation in Europe,” he warned.

Moscow has also stated that the deliveries of weapons and money to Kiev makes NATO countries de facto direct participants in the conflict.

At least 21 people were injured in a suspected gas explosion at a Texas hotel, the Fort Worth Fire Department (FWFD) said. One person was initially reported as missing, but has since been located. 

According to officials, they received calls about a “type of explosion” inside the Sandman Signature hotel in downtown Fort Worth shortly after 3:30 pm local time. At least two floors of the building’s facade were blown out onto the street and into a parking lot, local media said.

FWFD spokesman Craig Trojacek told reporters that, although a gas leak has occurred, it is too early to say if it has led to the blast. 

“There is a smell of gas here in downtown. We’re not sure if the smell of gas was caused [by] the explosion or the fire itself, or if that's what caused the explosion,” Trojacek said. 

According to the fire department, 26 rooms were occupied at the time of the blast, and “several people were extracted from the basement that weren't able to get out on their own.”

🚨BREAKING: huge explosion has taken place at a hotel in Fort Worth, Texas.

This story is still developing. pic.twitter.com/4CIYwR2v4c

— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) January 8, 2024

Three of the injured victims were working at Musume, the restaurant inside the hotel. “Luckily, Musume was closed during the time of the explosion, so we had no customers dining and limited employees working,” said Josh Babb, co-founder of Musume, as quoted by CBS Texas.

The 245-room hotel was built in 1920 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to its website. 

Hundreds of neo-fascist activists have performed Nazi salutes during a ceremony in Rome, sparking outrage across the country.

On Sunday evening, people gathered outside the former headquarters of the now-defunct Italian Social Movement (MSI) party to commemorate the 46th anniversary of the death of three teenage activists.

The black-clad attendees extended their right hands and chanted “present” three times. They then shouted “For all fallen comrades!”

Known locally as the Roman salute, the gesture is closely associated with the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, who aligned Italy with Nazi Germany during World War II.

Alla fine sono solo ragazzi che vogliono stare insieme e divertisti.#AccaLarentia pic.twitter.com/pooZia2be6

— Barabba (@BarabbaMarlin) January 8, 2024

“The Roman salute is an unacceptable insult and outrage, particularly to the memory of all the victims of Nazi-fascism,” Victor Fadlun, the president of the Jewish community of Rome, wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“For us – the Jews in Rome – that gesture, because of its symbolic value, is like rubbing salt into our wounds,” Fadlun added. “It is nonsense to believe that it can be an appropriate tribute.”

The ceremony was swiftly condemned by multiple politicians, with Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies Sergio Costa promising to request the Prosecutor’s Office to check whether “any crimes have been committed during the commemoration, including the advocacy of fascism.”

The opposition parties also demanded that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly denounce the incident. Meloni has been dogged by accusations of sympathies for the far-right, given that her party – Brothers of Italy (FdI) – was co-founded by a group that was the successor to the MSI. Meloni has denied any ties to fascism.

Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani said that the displays of the fascist salute must be “condemned by everyone,” and that “according to the law, one cannot make apologies for fascism in our country.”

The rally marked the anniversary of the so-called Acca Larentia killings, when two young members of a neo-fascist militia were ambushed and killed by a left-wing group in 1978. The murder sparked clashes with police, which led to the death of a third neo-fascist activist.

Police in the US capital announced on Monday that someone had falsely reported a shooting at Judge Tanya Chutkan’s home. She is the judge overseeing the federal trial of former US President Donald Trump on charges related to the 2020 election.

The Metropolitan Police Department received a call around 10 pm on Sunday and sent officers to Chutkan’s Washington, DC home, a spokesperson told reporters. They quickly established that the shooting had never happened.

The incident comes less than a week after anonymous bomb threats were made against officials and government buildings in eight US states – Alaska, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Mississippi – all of which turned out to be unfounded.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday called the threats “deeply disturbing,” unacceptable and threatening “the fabric of our democracy,” according to AP.

Chutkan was appointed to the bench in 2014 by President Barack Obama. She is overseeing special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump on federal charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. Trump has denounced the case as a politically motivated attempt to block him from the 2024 ballot.

One such false police report sent officers to the Long Island home of billionaire currency speculator George Soros on New Year’s eve. A week prior, on Christmas, two Republican members of Congress – one in New York, another in Georgia – were “swatted” as well.

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has fumed about what she said was the FBI’s inadequate response to the harassment. 

“The FBI can do so many things, has even abused FISA to spy on hundreds of thousands of Americans, but cannot figure out who wants me killed by a hail of bullets fired by a SWAT team responding to murder-suicide calls supposedly coming from me,” she told reporters at the end of December. “Thankfully, my local police are far too smart, know me well, and know exactly what these swatting calls are.”

United Airlines has discovered inadequately secured door plugs on the Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes that it grounded in the wake of last week’s midair blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight, raising new safety concerns about an aircraft that was previously suspended from flying following two deadly crashes.

“Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug -- for example, bolts that needed additional tightening,” United said in a statement. “These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service.”

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the grounding of all 737 MAX 9 airliners for safety checks after a door plug blew out in midair during an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday. The crew was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, where the flight originated, and several of the 171 passengers suffered injuries.

The FAA said all MAX 9s will remain grounded until operators complete enhanced inspections and take any needed corrective actions. “The FAA’s priority is always keeping Americans safe,” the agency added.

A separate agency, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), is investigating the midair blowout. The door plug, which blew out at an altitude around 16,000 feet, was found by a Portland schoolteacher in his backyard.

Alaska Airlines had previously stopped using the plane that suffered the blowout on trips to Hawaii because a warning light indicating a possible pressurization problem had lit up on several previous flights, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters on Sunday. The aircraft was restricted to shorter flights over land so it could “return very quickly to an airport” if the warning light lit up again, she said. However, she added, the NTSB hasn’t yet confirmed a connection between the previous pressurization warnings and Friday’s blowout.

New safety concerns surfaced last month, when Boeing urged 737 MAX operators to inspect their planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system. The warning came after an unidentified airline found a rudder bolt with a missing nut during routine maintenance work.

Pro-Palestinian activists interrupted US President Joe Biden’s campaign speech at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina on Monday.

Emanuel AME is a historically black church, where a pastor and eight parishioners were killed in a racially motivated attack in 2015, when Biden was vice president. As one of the main themes of Biden’s 2024 campaign, Democrats have chosen to accuse his main challenger, former US President Donald Trump, of being a racist and a danger to democracy.

As Biden spoke, however, a group of protesters rose up from one of the back pews to heckle him about not caring for Palestinian lives in Gaza. They chanted “Ceasefire now!” as security escorted them away. After about a minute, Democrats attending the campaign event started a chant of “Four more years!” to drown them out.

When the noise subsided, Biden said he had been “quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza.”

VIDEO: Protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza interrupt US President Joe Biden's speech at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, United States on January 8, 2024. pic.twitter.com/tmMYZ4QhgB

— Kyle Mazza (@KyleMazzaWUNF) January 8, 2024

Israel launched a major air and ground offensive against the Palestinian enclave after the October 7 incursion by Hamas militants, which claimed the lives of around 1,200 Israelis. According to the local Hamas-run authorities, over 22,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since.

The US has provided Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with full diplomatic support, as well as money and weapons, while publicly urging restraint. Israel has rejected calls for a truce with Hamas, vowing to “eradicate” the group. Israeli officials have further argued that a comprehensive ceasefire would only help Hamas recuperate and stage further attacks.

The White House policy has caused significant backlash among Muslim Americans. Pro-Palestinian activists protested on Monday outside the church as well. 

A large group of Pro-Palestine protesters shouted and chanted for a cease-fire in Gaza at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, where President Biden was speaking on Monday.https://t.co/VP0xtpG5ks pic.twitter.com/dYqevzUFow

— NTD News (@NTDNews) January 8, 2024

The Biden administration has boasted of being “the most diverse” ever, including many Arab Americans and Muslims. Some of them have complained of a climate of fear and a “culture of silence” about Palestinian suffering, while several government officials have publicly resigned in protest.

Biden is said to be counting on the African American vote to propel him to victory in November. His struggling 2020 candidacy was boosted by a victory in the South Carolina primary, reportedly delivered by Congressman James Clyburn, an influential House Democrat. In return, Clyburn demanded “a black woman” as Biden’s running mate, which led to Kamala Harris getting the job.

Nearly two-thirds of US voters see the record influx of illegal aliens streaming across the nation’s southern border as not just a crisis, but an “invasion,” a new Rasmussen Reports poll has found.

The survey released on Monday shows that 65% of voters believe their country is being invaded. A majority of respondents in every demographic category – including 73% of Hispanics, 74% of blacks, 63% of women, 55% of Democrats, 80% of Republicans, and 70% of voters under age 40 – agreed with the statement that it’s ‘very accurate’ or ‘somewhat accurate’ to call the flood of illegal migrant crossings an invasion. Just 15% of US adults believe that it’s ‘not at all accurate’.

Even more voters, 72%, believe the situation at the border is a “crisis.” Similarly, 70% of Americans, including 63% of Democrats, see border security as a vital national security interest, the poll shows.

“Let’s be clear: What’s happening at the border is an invasion – at the invitation of Joe Biden,” Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, said. Representative Mary Miller, an Illinois lawmaker who was part of a congressional delegation that toured key ports of entry last week, called for lawmakers to cut off funding to the government until the Biden administration secures the border.

Border Patrol officers encountered over 300,000 illegal immigrants crossing into the US in December, an all-time high. Illegal crossings have surged since Biden took office in January 2021 and began dismantling the immigration policies of his Republican predecessor, former President Donald Trump.

Trump, who is polling as the leading Republican presidential candidate for November’s election, has vowed to launch the largest deportation operation in American history if voters send him back to the White House.

Senator Marsha Blackburn and other Republican lawmakers have pointed out that while the Biden administration pleads unsuccessfully to get more help from Mexico in slowing the migrant influx, the president has sued the state of Texas for trying to help secure its part of the border. The administration has fought the state in court to remove border barriers and sued Texas last week over a new law enabling local police to arrest migrants for entering the country illegally.

At least three civilians were wounded on Monday by a Ukrainian artillery attack on the city of Belgorod, according to the regional governor. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that Czech-supplied Vampire launchers were used in the strike.

Missile defenses engaged and destroyed ten incoming projectiles, whose origin the MOD identified as an RM-70 Vampire launcher, provided to Ukraine by the Czech Republic over the past two years. The same system was involved in the December 30 attack on the city that killed 24 civilians, including children, and injured over 100.

“Our air defense system worked over Belgorod and the region,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. “Ten aerial targets were shot down on approach to the city.”

Missile alert sirens went off at around 9:30pm local time. The authorities warned residents to seek shelter and stay away from windows. According to preliminary reports, three people, two men and a woman, were injured by shrapnel and taken to a local hospital for medical care.

Gladkov reported the damage on the ground as broken windows in two apartment buildings and a private home, three cars damaged by shrapnel, and four trucks caught in a fire caused by the debris.

Belgorod Region borders Kharkov Region in Ukraine and has been under sporadic shelling by Kiev’s artillery for months. Ukrainian long-range rocket attacks have been nearly constant since December 30, when missiles with cluster warheads targeted the holiday market in the center of the city of Belgorod, about 40km from the Ukrainian border.

Moscow has accused the US and UK of helping plan the strike. A security source also told RT that the attack had been personally ordered by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and carried out by the neo-Nazi Kraken Regiment based in Kharkov.

Russia has responded to the Belgorod massacre by repeatedly striking key Ukrainian military-industrial complex sites, missile and ammunition warehouses, and depots of equipment sent to Kiev by the US and its allies. 

Africans should stop chasing foreign lifestyles and instead focus on their own creativity and heritage, Nike Davies-Okundaye, a renowned Nigerian textile designer and founder of the biggest art gallery on the continent, told RT in an exclusive interview released on Monday. The people of Africa need to see just how rich their homelands are and take pride in this, she added.

Davies-Okundaye is the founder of the Nike Art Centre, Lagos, a massive gallery housing thousands of pieces of art that offers visitors a glimpse of the cultures of Nigeria. The gallery also has branches in Abuja, Oshogbo, and Ogidi. The textile designer is also known for her work in art education and philanthropy. She is said to have taught thousands of artists and funded the development of workshops and businesses in various regions of the country.

“I always wanted people to see that our culture and our heritage is our pride,” Davies-Okundaye said, adding that people often “do not know what we have [in our country].” Some do not even speak their native tongues, she added.

Society should educate the younger generations about the importance of their native language and culture, Davies-Okundaye insisted, adding that the appeal of someone’s heritage might eventually catch up with them no matter how far from home they travel.

According to Davies-Okundaye, many African Americans are returning to find out more about their heritage. “They are tracing their roots to Ghana or Liberia. Our roots should not die off,” she said.

“When we do not help ourselves, no one is going to help us, no one is going to promote us,” Davies-Okundaye believes. African culture should also become more prominent in the media and find new ways to present itself to the world, she said.

“We need more media to showcase the creativity of Nigeria, to help us, to showcase our work, to show people what we are doing in our own country,” she added.

Davies-Okundaye also urged young people to stop chasing money and instead follow their hearts. “Whatever you know you’re good at, do it well. Do not let anybody say: ‘this cannot bring you money.’ Do not do it because of money, do it because it makes you happy,” she said.

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed shot down Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request that he pay unemployment benefits to Palestinians who’d been barred from entering Israel, Axios reported. Angered by the request, Sheikh Mohammed reportedly told the Israeli leader to ask Ukraine’s lavishly-funded president instead.

Netanyahu approached the Emirati leader “a few weeks ago” and asked him to pay unemployment benefits to more than 100,000 Palestinian residents of the West Bank who had been unable to travel to their jobs in Israel since October, Axios reported on Monday, citing an unnamed Israeli official and another anonymous source.

Sheikh Mohammed was taken aback by the request, the anonymous source said. Arguing that Netanyahu had created the problem himself by banning these workers from traveling between Palestinian and Israeli territory, he refused to pay.

“Ask Zelensky for money,” Mohammed reportedly jibed at Netanyahu. The Ukrainian president “gets a lot of money from many countries so maybe he would be able to help,” Mohammed explained to the Israeli leader, in Axios’ words.

Netanyahu’s decision to approach Abu Dhabi was apparently one of desperation. Shortly after the travel ban was imposed, the Israeli Defense Ministry recommended that a certain number of Palestinian workers be allowed to enter Israel, in order to avert the collapse of the West Bank’s economy and the potential violence that would follow. 

The Israeli economic cabinet, led by hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, rejected the advice. Despite pressure from the defense ministry and the Shin Bet intelligence agency, Netanyahu refused to bring the matter to a vote in his security cabinet after Smotrich – who hails from an illegal Jewish settlement in the West Bank – and several other far-right ministers threatened to resign and collapse his government, per Axios’ sources.

The West Bank is governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA) rather than Hamas, and as such has been spared the wholesale destruction visited on Gaza by the Israeli military over the last three months.

Kiev is prepared to consider the possibility of slapping banking restrictions on Ukrainians who evade military service, said the head of the National Bank of Ukraine, Andrey Pyshny.

The Ukrainian parliament is currently working on preparing amendments to the mobilization law. President Vladimir Zelensky has told lawmakers that the military has requested up to 500,000 more troops to make up for losses on the battlefield. 

A government request submitted last month would lower the age of conscription from 27 to 25 and eliminate exemptions for disabilities, among other things. Proposals have been floated to draft women as well.

“We have taken note of this bill, and I think that when it is worked out in parliament, we should have discussions and an exchange of views,” Pyshny told the Ukrainian outlet Zerkalo Nedeli. “If the need arises, and it is likely to arise, we will take part in the discussion. I think it will lead us to the optimal solution.”

Ukrainians living abroad who have not registered for military service may also be denied consular and banking services under the proposed law, according to Batkivshchyna party MP Vadim Ivchenko, who sits on the parliamentary committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence. 

Kiev has already demanded that EU countries hosting Ukrainian refugees send back the men capable of military service, although most have refused to do so.

Ukraine has struggled to replace the battlefield losses in the conflict with Russia. While the Russian Defense Ministry has estimated Kiev’s losses at over 383,000 killed, wounded and missing, former prosecutor-general Yury Lutsenko put that number as high as 500,000 in an interview last week.

General Valery Zaluzhny, commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told lawmakers last week that everyone mobilized will get 80 days of training but unless he gets more troops somehow, “there will be no one to defend the state.”

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has stepped down, setting the stage for President Emmanuel Macron to form a new government amid a public uproar over pension reforms and other controversial policies.

Borne, who took office as the second female prime minister in France’s history in May 2022, submitted her resignation to Macron on Monday. She will remain in her position to handle “current affairs” until a new cabinet is formed, according to a government statement.

Macron thanked Borne for her service, saying she had “implemented our project with the courage, commitment and determination of a stateswoman.” However, that project hasn’t gone over well with many ordinary French citizens, who launched massive protests and strikes over the pension reforms, which included an increase in the country’s retirement age to 64 from 62.

Macron’s ruling party also faces public outrage over soaring inflation and failures to curb illegal immigration. Heading into France’s EU parliament elections in June, Macron’s Renaissance party is trailing Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party by ten percentage points, according to the latest poll data. Macron won a second term by defeating Le Pen in France’s April 2022 presidential election.

As PM, Borne frequently deployed a controversial constitutional provision called the 49:3 clause in order to force the passage of new laws without parliamentary votes. Mathilde Panot, who heads the France Unbowed party, accused Borne of leaving behind a “badly damaged democracy.” She added, “No matter who the monarch replaces her with, we demand a vote of confidence in parliament.”

Under France’s system of government, the president sets policies and the prime minister oversees the day-to-day management of the government. French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Education Minister Gabriel Attal are reportedly among the top candidates to succeed Borne as prime minister.

We are hearing more and more suggestions that Kiev should get ready for a compromise peace. In particular, there are mountings calls to cede territory to Russia.

Two things have changed in both the West and Ukraine: First, there are now growing demands for a “plan B,” as the former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko calls it, and, more importantly, the taboo on talking about this need is gone.

Given Ukraine’s difficult and dangerous – not to mention that things could quickly get much worse – military, financial, and political situation, these calls are no surprise. The real question is not why this is happening, but what it may mean for the future: Do these calls signal a real readiness to make peace? And if so on what terms? And is it a realistic prospect?

Let’s start with a voice from the West: James Stavridis – a retired American admiral, former military head of NATO, and dean emeritus of the prestigious US Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy – has used his perch as a Bloomberg columnist to ask how the war will end. He finds that Ukraine is unlikely to retake what has been lost to Russia and, in effect, recommends it “consider temporarily or even permanently ceding Crimea and the ‘land bridge’ connecting it to Russia.”

A few months ago, such a statement would have been scandalous; now it’s part of the new normal. Despite the fact that it directly contradicts Ukraine’s official war aims, namely, to make no territorial concessions at all. And note that such a scenario is what Stavridis pitches as the desirable outcome of continuing Western support: This is a former NATO commander telling the West that the new best-case result is a compromise peace that Kiev officially abhors.

What do we hear from Ukraine? The single most resonant statement there has come from Timoshenko. Once a cunning and energetic top player in Kiev politics and still leader of her own ‘Batkivshchyna’ party, she has clearly not given up trying for a comeback: Recently, she made headlines by resisting a new mobilization law and launching an offensive against LGBTQ politics. The two issues have little in common except they both show her angling for popular appeal: On the mobilization law she poses as the defender of the next cohort of young recruits to go into the meatgrinder (she suggests sending police and other “siloviki [security professionals]” instead…); and regarding LGBTQ, she presents herself as upholding traditional values.

And then there is Aleksey Arestovich. A former adviser to Zelensky and top promoter of war against Moscow, when it could still have been avoided, he has recently made a splash by suggesting that Ukraine and Russia should make peace and then unite against the West. That would be yet another way of ending the war, if it were realistic.

But what about the conditions that Stavridis, Timoshenko, and Arestovich foresee?

The former NATO commander is an example of how even those in the West who have rediscovered some realism, still suffer from wishful thinking as well. Stavridis’ scenario for ending the fighting involves not only Ukraine ceding territory to Russia, but also Moscow acquiescing in Kiev acceding to EU and NATO membership. If he is serious about this, then he is outlining what is a perfect non-starter for Russia. As its President Vladimir Putin has just reiterated, Moscow’s war aims still include Ukraine’s neutrality.   

Timoshenko’s ideas don't look much more hopeful. She may have only one real aim: to embarrass Zelensky and his “leadership.” Her “plan B” is still a plan “of victory,” and her rhetoric has remained generally strident: In a recent op-ed, she insists that Ukraine has “already won” multiple battles, such as being acknowledged as part of “the West” (good luck with that…), achieving domestic unity, and dismantling Russian influence. And yet, she is a wily operator: Could her list of victories already claimed also be read as signaling that, perhaps, for now at least, more may not be needed?

Which one is the real Arestovich: the one calling for an anti-Western alliance with Russia, the one who says (on a YouTube channel that he seems to assume no one in the West will ever hear about) that that was merely a bluff to cajole the West, or the one who hovers high above such tactical plays to ponder the very big picture, namely, how to secure global peace?

And yet, here as well, things may be more complicated: In the same interview and following the recent revelations of former Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Chaly, Arestovich also spends much time on the great missed opportunity of the Istanbul talks in spring 2022, confirming that Moscow then offered very advantageous conditions to Kiev and that peace was almost made. A “parade of unexpected generosities” from Russia he now calls what was on the table then.

Before Istanbul, Arestovich was also involved with the Minsk Agreements. Between the spring of 2015 and early 2022, Minsk II in particular, endorsed by the UN, could have served as a basis for a peaceful resolution of the then comparatively small-scale conflict. Yet neither the Ukrainian leadership nor its Western sponsors were interested in making the deal work, as Ukrainian politicians boasted at the time (usually on Ukrainian media) and Western leaders admitted in retrospect. It is no surprise to find Arestovich deriding the Minsk Agreements as a “trap” and a “dead end.” Yet while that merely confirms the Ukrainian obstructionism we already knew about, it is still interesting to note that, for him, Kiev got much better out of the Istanbul talks.

In that sense, Arestovich’s new statements about Istanbul 2022 can be read as implying future possibilities as well: If peace was so close once, it cannot be entirely impossible now. Yet the former presidential adviser also warns – realistically – that terms as good as were available then to Kiev are not likely to return. Indeed, he confesses his pessimism as to finding an end to the war soon.

The “Plan B” team is daring to join the debate, albeit cautiously. That’s good news. But a closer look is disappointing. We find few serious, concrete, and explicit suggestions as to how to make peace. Stavridis, who has the freedom to be the most outspoken, combines his realistic call for territorial concessions by Kiev with NATO membership for Ukraine, an idea that he must know will never fly in Moscow. Timoshenko and Arestovich remain ambiguous, even self-contradictory. And none makes a genuine effort to think through what Stavridis – in his most insightful aside – at least mentions: that any plans will depend on Russia agreeing.

Two F-16 fighter jets practiced airstrikes over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday, in what the US embassy in Sarajevo described as a show of force in support of the country’s central government amid ongoing tensions with Bosnian Serbs.

US Army Special Forces operators and members of the Bosnian military acted as forward air controllers on the ground, guiding the jets as they flew over the Brcko and Tuzla areas in northern Bosnia. The two F-16 were accompanied by a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling plane.

The “training event” was also intended to “demonstrate the US commitment to ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of [Bosnia],”  the embassy said, adding that the US “will not stand by while the Dayton Peace Agreement and [Bosnia’s] institutions are challenged.”

The US-brokered deal ended the 1992-95 civil war by partitioning Bosnia between the Serb Republic (Republika Srpska, RS) and the Federation run by the Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) and Croats. Monday’s demonstration came as Republika Srpska authorities celebrated its founding on January 9, 1991 – a holiday the Muslims have sought to ban as divisive.

RS President Milorad Dodik has objected to what he described as repeated violations of the peace agreement and the Bosnian constitution, saying the entity will declare independence if they continue.

Republika Srpska officials mostly shrugged off the US show of force on Monday, proceeding with their January 9 celebrations. 

“As far as I’m concerned, they could have joined our parade and flown their F-16s over Banja Luka alongside our helicopters,” Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic told reporters. “We won’t waste our time on them, let them do their jobs and we’ll do ours.”

In his speech, President Dodik insisted that the Serbs “want peace and stability and do not threaten anyone,” but will not allow anyone to infringe on what is theirs.

“To Serbs in these lands, freedom has never been a philosophical concept but an existential one, driving so many of our actions,” he said. “We don’t want war. We want Republika Srpska to remain our oasis of freedom.”

Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije noted that a ban on celebrating January 9 – the feast of St. Stephen the Martyr – would effectively mean a ban on Orthodox Christianity.

“We don’t impose our way of life on anyone, but we cannot renounce our patron saint in any way, for that would be giving up our faith and ourselves, what is ours by the laws of both man and God,” he said.

Public support for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has fallen to record lows, the tabloid Bild reported on Monday, citing a fresh survey conducted by the INSA polling institute. Almost two-thirds of Germans want him to resign before the next federal election, scheduled for October 2025, the data suggests.

As many as 64% of respondents told INSA that Scholz should vacate his position and hand it over to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who is a fellow Social Democrat. Less than a quarter of Germans opposed that prospect.

Scholz would also lose an election versus any of his major rivals, the poll showed. Only 23% of Germans would support the current chancellor against Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Merz himself would enjoy the backing of 26% of voters.

Soeder currently serves as governor of Germany’s most populous state and is known for his criticism of Scholz’s policies. In November, he warned that Germany was in a “serious crisis,” particularly slamming the chancellor’s cabinet over its budget and police failures, adding that the “government has gone bankrupt.”

The Bavarian politician also criticized the federal government’s strategy of using only subsidies to combat price hikes resulting from forgoing Russian energy supplies. He also criticized Berlin for, as he said, prioritizing military aid to Ukraine over the nation’s own security.

Scholz has been losing public support for quite some time. In early December, a YouGov poll showed that 74% of Germans believed he was doing a poor job as chancellor, with only 20% seeing his performance in a positive light. As many as 73% said they were unhappy with his entire cabinet.

Some 77% said they placed little or no trust in the way Scholz is governing Germany. Even among SPD supporters, this figure reached 60%. Later in the month, Der Spiegel reported that Scholz’s personal approval had slipped to just 30%, down from 44% in June 2023.

On Monday, Bild described Scholz as “the most unpopular chancellor of all time.”

A senior commander of Hezbollah’s elite special forces unit has been killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon, ratcheting up tensions as West Jerusalem’s war with Hamas threatens to expand to a second front.

Hezbollah’s military media office confirmed the death on Monday of Wissam al-Tawil, deputy head of the militant group’s secretive Radwan commando unit. He and another Hezbollah fighter were reportedly killed when a sport-utility vehicle in which they were riding was struck by a missile in the Lebanese town of Majdal Selm, about four miles north of the Israeli border.

Al-Tawil is the highest-level Hezbollah member to have been killed since Israel’s war with Hamas began on October 7. Cross-border violence has escalated in recent days; Hezbollah launched a missile attack on an Israeli intelligence base on Saturday, which came in response to a drone strike last week that killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri and six other people in a Beirut suburb.

A video posted on social media purported to show the burned-out vehicle in which al-Tawil was riding. Hezbollah said he had died “on the road to Jerusalem,” a phrase used by the group for fighters killed by Israeli forces. The group also posted pictures of the deceased commander, including photos of him alongside senior Hezbollah leaders and top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike in 2020.

US officials have insisted that they are working to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from escalating into a wider conflict. A secret US intelligence assessment found that Israeli forces would find it “difficult to succeed” in a two-front war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Washington Post reported on Sunday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to meet with Israeli leaders this week in Tel Aviv as part of a nine-stop Middle East trip.

West Jerusalem isn’t afraid to go to war with Iran-backed Hezbollah and Hamas at the same time, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the Wall Street Journal in an article published on Sunday. “They see what is happening in Gaza,” he said. “They know we can copy-paste to Beirut.”

US President Joe Biden won’t fire Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for hiding his hospitalization from both the public and the government, Politico reported on Monday, citing unnamed senior administration officials.

Austin was admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last Monday due to “complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” the Pentagon revealed to reporters on Friday. Over the weekend, it emerged that Austin was still in the hospital but that no one had informed the White House of his initial absence.

Four anoymous officials spoke to Politico following calls by Republicans for Austin to relinquish his post, insisting that Biden is “famously loyal” and would refuse to accept a resignation even if the former general were to offer it.

“Austin’s going nowhere,” one senior administration official told the outlet.

Biden “respects the fact that Secretary Austin took ownership for the lack of transparency,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday, referring to the Pentagon chief’s statement on Saturday admitting he “could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed.”

The condition that put Austin in the hospital has not yet been disclosed. He remains institutionalized and the Pentagon does not have a specific date for his release, Major General Pat Ryder said on Sunday.

The US government has neither confirmed nor denied an NBC News report claiming that Austin had spent four days in the intensive care unit. According to Ryder, his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, was taking care of “routine” business while on vacation in Puerto Rico. 

The Pentagon chief’s absence – which went unnoticed by both the Pentagon press corps and the White House – came as US troops illegally stationed in Iraq and Syria came under repeated attacks by militants, while Yemeni Houthis successfully closed the Red Sea to Israeli-linked shipping, despite the deployment of a US naval task force.

Austin is the first African American secretary of defense. He came to the post from the board of military contractor Raytheon Technologies, which he joined immediately after retiring from active service in 2016. While commanding an army corps in Iraq in 2008, Austin reportedly became friends with Biden’s son Beau, who served on his staff. 

Germany has dropped its opposition to the sale of nearly 50 Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes to Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on Sunday. Baerbock’s Green party has steadily dismantled its long-standing policy of pacifism since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in February 2022. 

Germany halted all arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2018 in response to Riyadh’s war in Yemen and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. At the time, Saudi Arabia had taken delivery of 72 Typhoons, but the embargo left the remaining 48 ordered by the Kingdom on indefinite hold.

Speaking in Israel on Sunday, Baerbock said that “the world, especially here in the Middle East, has become a completely different place” since Hamas launched its attack on Israel in October.

Baerbock said that providing Saudi Arabia with the jets would make a “key contribution” to Israel’s security, presumably by deterring Saudi Arabia and Israel’s chief geopolitical rival, Iran.

The Eurofighter project is a joint venture by France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. As such, any one of these partners can veto its sale to foreign customers. The 72 Typhoons already given to Riyadh, plus the 48 in limbo, would all be sold by the UK.

While the Saudi embargo was put in place by former Chancellor Angela Merkel, it was seen as unlikely that Germany’s current coalition government would reverse the policy, given the longstanding aversion to foreign intervention of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ Social Democrats and Baerbock’s Greens.

Prior to the federal elections of 2021, the Green party’s manifesto explicitly stated that it wanted to “end European arms exports to war and crisis zones.” By the end of 2022, Green Party member and economy minister, Robert Habeck, had okayed the sale of spare parts and ammunition to Saudi Arabia, while he and Baerbock clashed with Scholz on several occasions by urging the chancellor to provide heavier weapons to Ukraine.

It is unclear when the Eurofighter sale will take place. A German government spokesperson told Politico on Monday that there is currently no tender procedure in place.

Germany is the world’s fifth-largest arms exporter, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Saudi Arabia is the second-largest arms importer.

EU member states should contribute more to the bloc’s assistance to Ukraine, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner has said. Berlin cannot bear the bulk of the burden alone, he told his Free Democratic Party’s (FDP) annual gathering in Stuttgart.

Germany has emerged as the second-biggest single aid donor to Kiev over the course of its conflict with Russia. According to the Kiel Institute for World Economy (IfW), the nation has provided almost $23 billion in bilateral assistance to Ukraine, if the cost of providing for refugees is included. The US is the only nation that has spent more on aid for Kiev.

Linder told the congress last Saturday that Moscow poses a danger to all of Europe, accusing it of not only seeking to “subjugate Ukraine” but also to “destroy” the Western way of life by challenging “the actual or alleged dominance of the liberal West.” He added that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a “threat that is faced by Europe as a whole.”

Under such circumstances, “others” in the EU should also “participate in the endeavor,” the minister argued, claiming the fact that Germany does more for the country does not mean “strong European nations... have fewer commitments.” The EU should demonstrate that it is a “community of values that stands together in these times,” Lindner said.

“If more is needed, Germany should not have to do it alone,” Lindner said. Berlin had already allocated $8.76 billion from its 2024 budget to fund the Ukrainian military and support refugees, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised in December that additional support would be forthcoming, “just as we planned, and, above all, for as long as necessary.”

The head of the German Council of Economic Experts (GCEE), Monika Schnitzer, also suggested a tax increase last month to finance additional military aid to Kiev.

Germany, which relied on Russia for 40% of its gas before 2022, was among the hardest hit by the curtailment of Russian energy supplies last year. Deliveries were significantly reduced after the EU imposed sanctions on Moscow in response to the Ukraine conflict, and were entirely halted when the Nord Stream pipelines delivering Russian gas to Germany were rendered unusable following a series of explosions in autumn 2022.

The nation’s continued military support for Ukraine has also started to draw criticism. In November 2023, German MP Dr Johann Wadephul warned that the nation’s own military might end up at a loss if Berlin continued to funnel resources to meet Kiev’s needs. Some key units of the German Armed forces might only last several days in battle since the much-needed equipment replacements destined for the German army often end up in Ukraine instead.

South Korean spies have accused North Korea of providing weapons to Hamas, but claim that supporting evidence is “difficult to provide.” The US has made similar accusations before, which Pyongyang denies.

Seoul's main spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), released a photograph on Monday of a North Korean F-7 rocket-propelled grenade, purportedly used by Hamas in its war against Israel. The agency also claimed that a picture of an F-7 rocket shared last week by US state news outlet Voice of America was genuine.

The NIS offered no explanation for how the rocket ended up in Gaza. The agency said it had collected “specific evidence regarding the scale and timing of North Korea’s supply of weapons to Hamas and others,” but that it is “currently difficult to provide such evidence due to the need to protect information sources and in consideration of diplomatic ties,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.

Pyongyang dismissed these reports as “groundless.” An editorial published by state-run KCNA news agency at the time asserted that the “reptile press” of the US was spreading false rumors in order to “shift the blame for the Middle East crisis caused by [Washington’s] hegemonic policy.”

North Korea has also been accused of supplying Russia with arms used in Ukraine. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby claimed last week that Russian forces had used North Korean ballistic missiles in a barrage on targets in Ukraine last month. Moscow has denied sourcing any weapons from Pyongyang.

Foreign policy experts from Russia and India have been discussing the outcome of the recent visit to Moscow by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and key trends in the countries’ bilateral relationship. 

The Valdai Discussion Club, Moscow’s primary foreign policy think tank, held the first  bilateral Russia-India conference in New Delhi on Monday in partnership with one of India’s leading think tanks, Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF).

Discussions were held both publicly and in closed-door format, focusing on various dimensions of the relationship between the two countries, ranging from trade to cooperation in strategic areas such as security, defense, space and technology. 

Addressing the conference, Denis Alipov, Russia’s ambassador to India, said the two countries maintain steadfast bilateral relations and intensified dialogue.

“We stand like-minded in preserving the unbiased character of multilateral institutions based on genuine democracy in international relations,” he said, noting their cooperation in areas such as IT and digitalization to agriculture, logistics, and finance.

According to Valdai Club Chairman Andrey Bystritskiy, since India gained independence from the British Empire in 1947, Moscow has emerged as a reliable and predictable partner. Ties between the two countries have accumulated “a large reserve of trust” which has become a useful resource in the current geopolitical environment. 

Bystritskiy suggested that India and Russia could engage more to implement climate-change goals and promote the environmental agenda. While India has done a lot to diversify energy sources and raise environmental standards, Russia has significant natural potential for reducing climate risks, as well as unique expertise, including in the Arctic, which is known as the world’s “weather kitchen.”

According to Fyodor Lukyanov, research director of the Valdai Discussion Club and an RT columnist, Russia and India are two countries that are “best prepared to operate in the new world order” – better than the US or China – as they have shown a high level of resilience against geopolitical challenge, which primarily comes from understanding of the need to be self-sufficient.

“Russia and India are now in the process of reinventing themselves. We need to reinvent our mutual cooperation for better functioning in turbulent international relations,” he concluded.

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Restoring France’s financial system will require tough spending cuts, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday, as he warned the nation of hard times ahead.

Speaking in Paris, Le Maire said he is determined to straighten out the nation’s finances by reducing the country’s multi-trillion-euro debt and the budget deficit. The French government spent heavily to support households and businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the energy crisis which was triggered by EU sanctions on Russia.

“I remind you that we must find at least €12 billion in savings by 2025. So, let’s call a spade a spade: in terms of public finances, the hardest part is ahead of us,” said Le Maire.

The finance minister lamented “the difficult decisions” that the government has made and has yet to make. New proposals will be made in the coming weeks, he added, especially regarding revisions to public spending.

In June, Le Maire said austerity “was not an option,” and that it would be “an economic and political mistake.”

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Russia is firmly focused on reorienting trade and business cooperation toward the Global East and South and away from the West, Presidential Business Rights Commissioner Boris Titov told RIA Novosti in an interview published on Monday.

According to the official, the country’s pivot away from the West is not a political decision nor something “done out of spite or malice,” but a course chosen for purely economic reasons.

“It’s just that the West is already a closed chapter. It is, if you like, a thing of the past for humanity. The future is the East, the so-called global South,” Titov stated, adding that it is unlikely that Russia would pursue economic cooperation with Western countries in the future.

“You know, even if we imagine that Washington and Brussels lifted all sanctions placed on Russia [in connection with the Ukraine conflict] tomorrow and reached out to us again, we would never turn to the West again. There will be no return. And not only because their actions toward Russia were unacceptable,” he said.

Eastern countries are developing dynamically, they possess powerful human capital resources and are the place where the latest technologies are developed, Titov explained.

“And this is where our friends are, those who want not just to be friends, but to develop trade and economic relations with Moscow,” he concluded.

Russia has been steadily expanding ties with countries in the Global East and South in recent years, and this process has greatly picked up speed and scope due to the conflict in Ukraine and the ensuing Western sanctions against Moscow. Russia rerouted the bulk of its energy exports to Asia last year, becoming the top supplier of oil to both China and India.

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Russia has announced that its forces have conducted a range of missile strikes targeting Ukraine’s military-industrial base. Kiev has confirmed the attacks, admitting that its air defenses failed to intercept most  of the projectiles.

In a statement on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had carried out “a group strike” using high-precision sea- and air-based weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. The barrage, which took place in the morning, targeted military-industrial facilities, officials said, without providing details on the results of the attack.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack targeted various types of facilities in Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk and Khmelnitsky regions as well as in the parts of Zaporozhye region controlled by Kiev.

Authorities in the Khmelnitsky region reported six explosions, adding that one attack targeted an unspecified infrastructure facility. Local officials said that at least two people had been killed in the strikes.

The Ukrainian Air Force said that it had managed to shoot down only 18 out of 51 missiles it claims Russia had launched. It admitted failure to intercept all four Kinzhal, six Iskander-M, and eight X-22 missiles. Yury Ignat, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, explained that Russia had launched a large number of ballistic rockets that he said could only be shot down by US-made Patriots or other similarly advanced air defense systems.

The latest strike wave comes after The New York Times reported on Saturday that White House and Pentagon officials had warned that they would be unable to provide Ukraine with Patriot missiles, as US Republicans continue to block president Joe Biden’s supplemental funding request, which includes a possinble $60 billion for Kiev. The GOP has repeatedly demanded that the Biden administration do more to enhance US border security as a prerequisite for a potential deal.

Russia has ramped up its airstrikes on Ukraine’s military targets and critical infrastructure in the wake of what it called “terrorist attacks” on Belgorod and Donetsk. The strikes killed dozens of civilians, including several children, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin to vow retaliation, while insisting that Moscow’s own attacks would not target civilians.

Iran and Russia have officially switched from the West’s SWIFT financial clearing system to a direct interbank transfer mechanism, the deputy head of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has said.

Mohsen Karimi told Iranian state television on Sunday that the system allows companies in both countries to trade in their respective national currencies instead of using the dollar or euro, FARS news agency reported.

“We have linked the financial correspondence networks of the two countries,” he explained.

“This means that the banks of our two countries no longer need Switzerland to communicate with each other and commercial banks of both countries can establish brokerage relations with each other. The [Iranian] exporter can now charge the Russian side in rials and receive money from them via Russian banks in Iran,” Karimi added, noting that the system also allows for payments in Russian rubles.

Belgium-based SWIFT is a high-security banking messaging system that enables financial transfers around the globe. While a number of countries have their own messaging systems, most global transactions are still conducted via SWIFT. Last year, key Russian banks were disconnected from the network as part of sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict.

Western restrictions forced Russia to actively promote its domestic payment system, SPFS, first introduced when the US targeted the country with sanctions in 2014, as an alternative to SWIFT. The system, which facilitates financial messaging between banks domestically and internationally, had 514 participants, including 131 foreign entities from 15 nations, as of the first half of last year.

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Polish officials have withheld evidence and attempted to stall an international probe into the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, making investigators “suspicious of Warsaw’s role and motives,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. 

The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas lines – which linked Russia with Germany through the Baltic Sea – were destroyed in a series of explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022. A joint inquiry by Germany, Denmark, and Sweden is ongoing, with investigators theorizing that a Ukrainian team rented a yacht in Germany from a Polish company, which they used to transport explosives to the blast sites.

When these alleged leads were chaned in Poland, investigators were stonewalled by government officials and law enforcement agents, the Journal reported, citing sources within the investigation.

Polish authorities failed to turn over testimony from eyewitnesses who allegedly encountered the yacht’s six-person crew in the Polish port of Kolobrzeg until pushed to do so by German police, the sources said. CCTV footage from the port was then withheld, and Poland’s internal security agency, the ABW, “failed to answer queries, obfuscated or gave contradictory information,” the newspaper stated.

The prosecutors reportedly told European investigators that the boat arrived in Kolobrzeg at 4pm September 19, when it actually moored seven hours earlier. Later in the investigation, the ABW told its sister agencies in Europe that the yacht “had links with Russian espionage,” the newspaper reported, adding that investigators considered this “disinformation.”

According to all available information, no Western governments or intelligence agencies suspect that Russia was behind the bombings. Gas sold to Europe via the Nord Stream lines was a lucrative source of revenue for Moscow, and was seen as a powerful instrument of leverage for the Kremlin.

Poland’s efforts to hinder the investigators have made them “increasingly suspicious of Warsaw’s role and motives,” the Wall Street Journal noted. All of the alleged misdirection and obfuscation took place under Poland’s previous government, however, and unnamed “senior European officials” told the newspaper that they are considering contacting Poland’s new prime minister, Donald Tusk, in the hope that he will grant them access to police and security personnel who may have previously been pressured to stay silent.

Bolstering this theory was a tweet by former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who within hours of the explosions shared an image of a giant gas leak at the blast site along with the caption “Thank you, USA.” 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed this explanation, stating last month that the sabotage operation “was done, most likely, by the Americans or someone at their instruction.”

India and Maldives on Monday summoned each other’s envoys after the island nation’s government suspended three deputy ministers over disrespectful remarks about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The statements were posted on social media after Modi visited the island chain of Lakshadweep, located off the Malabar coast of India, seeking to promote tourism in the archipelago.

Modi, who was in the islands in early January to inaugurate government projects, posted pictures of his diving and early morning walks on the beach, writing: “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list. During my stay, I also tried snorkelling – what an exhilarating experience it was.”

After Modi’s post promoting Lakshadweep went viral, some social media users in the Maldives began levelling accusations against India for what they called an attempt to “compete” with their country as a tropical vacation destination, The Indian Express reported. The economy of the Maldives is heavily dependent on tourism, a significant portion of which comes from India.

And those early morning walks along the pristine beaches were also moments of pure bliss. pic.twitter.com/soQEIHBRKj

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2024

Maldivian officials Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid reacted to Modi’s post on X (formerly Twitter), calling him a “clown,” a “terrorist,” and a “puppet of Israel” respectively. On Sunday, all three were dismissed. “All government officials responsible for the comments have been suspended from their post effective immediately,” spokesperson Ibrahim Khaleel said, according to Maldivian outlet Atoll Times.

Amid the ensuing row, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said it was aware of “derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals.” Distancing itself from the statements, the ministry clarified that the opinions “are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives.”

Following the incident, on Monday the Indian Ministry of External Affairs summoned Maldivian High Commissioner Ibrahim Shaheeb, insisting that the three junior ministers should be dismissed and not just suspended, Indian newspaper Hindustan Times reported. In what appeared to be a tit-for-tat move, the Maldivian government also summoned Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar the same day.

Traditionally, the Maldives is a key Indian ally in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The island nation also has a special place in Indian initiatives such as ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and is a focus for the Modi government under its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’. However, tensions flared last year when Maldives’ newly-elected President Mohamed Muizzu, who is seen as close to China, asked a contingent of about 75 Indian troops to leave Maldives after he came to power.

Former Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih strongly condemned what he termed “hateful language against India” by the three deputy ministers. “India has always been a good friend to the Maldives and we must not allow such callous remarks to negatively impact the age-old friendship,” he cautioned. 

Mohamed Nasheed, another former president of the country, condemned Shiuna for her “appalling language.” He urged the Muizzu government to distance itself from the comments “and give clear assurance to India they do not reflect [government] policy.”

Against the backdrop of the dispute, several Maldives government websites, including those of the president, foreign ministry, and tourism ministry, came under attack from suspected hackers. The sites were restored later in the day after being down for several hours due to an “unexpected technical disruption.” 

Meanwhile, several Indian celebrities and sports personalities have extended their support to Prime Minister Modi and resolved to visit the Indian island chain. “Lakshadweep’s unparalleled beauty has earned a top spot on my Travel List! Crystal-clear waters and tranquil shores await, promising an unforgettable escape”, wrote Shilpa Shetty Kundra, an Indian actress best known for winning the 2007 edition of the UK reality show ‘Celebrity Big Brother’.

Nishant Pitti, the CEO of Indian ticket-booking site EaseMyTrip, said his company had suspended all flight bookings to the Maldives “in solidarity with our nation.” Amid the outrage, hashtags such as #BoycottMaldives and #ExploreIndianIslands were also seen trending on X.

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China has announced it has detained a foreign national who was allegedly gathering sensitive data on behalf of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). The UK has yet to comment on the allegation.

Beijing’s Ministry of National Security, which oversees both intelligence and counterintelligence, said on Monday that the UK spy agency “used personnel from a third country to conduct espionage against China.”

The ministry identified the alleged culprit as Huang Moumou, who is said to have headed an overseas consulting agency, but did not provide any further personal details. MI6 recruited Huang in 2015 and established an “intelligence cooperation relationship” with him, the ministry claimed.

Since then, the alleged spy has traveled to China several times at the direction of British intelligence to collect state secrets and identify personnel for MI6 to “incite rebellion,” the ministry’s statement read. It added that London also provided Huang with intelligence training in the UK and other places, and with special spy equipment.

While Western countries and China have routinely traded accusations of espionage, several media outlets suggested that this is the first instance in which Beijing has claimed to have caught a British-linked spy.

The ministry previously claimed to have arrested spies acting on behalf of the US. In August, on two separate occasions, it accused a government worker and an employee of a Chinese military industrial group of attempting to hand over sensitive data to the CIA.

This came after the US agency's director, William Burns said in July that Washington had “made progress” in recent years to ensure it has a “strong human intelligence capability” in China. In response, Beijing vowed to “take all necessary measures to safeguard national security.”

According to a 2017 New York Times investigation, the Chinese government busted a CIA spy ring in the early 2010s, jailing or killing dozens of informants working for the US. Beijing neither confirmed nor denied the report, but said it routinely handles activities that endanger national security.

The British MI5 intelligence service warned in October of the “epic scale” of Chinese espionage, saying that more than 20,000 people in the UK had been approached by operatives who sought to acquire various secrets. China has consistently denied that it is engaged in spying against the US and UK.

Hezbollah should look at what has happened to Hamas militants before escalating its conflict with Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cautioned.

Cross-border fighting between the Lebanon-based militant group and Israeli forces has continued since Hezbollah declared itself “at war” with Israel shortly after the conflict in Gaza started last October.

At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said “I suggest that Hezbollah learn what Hamas has already learned in recent months: no terrorist is immune,” he added.

“We are determined to protect our citizens and return the residents of the north safely to their homes. This is a national goal that we all share and we act responsibly to achieve it. If we can, we will do it through diplomatic means, and if not, we will act in other ways.”

On Saturday, Hezbollah declared that it had fired dozens of missiles at the Mount Meron air control base in northern Israel, close to the Lebanese border. The militant group said the attack had been carried out in response to the assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, which it has blamed on Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted that the base had been damaged, but did not elaborate on the scale of destruction. In response, the IDF carried out several attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

In his speech on Sunday, Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting, as “the war must not be stopped until we complete all of its goals – the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our hostages, and a promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”

He stressed that his message was addressed “to both our enemies and our friends,” as Israel’s closest ally – the US – has already voiced its concerns over the ongoing escalation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit Tel Aviv this week. On Sunday, he declared that “too many Palestinian civilians are suffering from insufficient access to food, to water, to medicine, to other essential supplies.”

“I will also raise the imperative of doing more to prevent civilian casualties,” he added, while commenting on upcoming talks with Israeli officials. “Far too many innocent Palestinians have already been killed.”

Restrictions imposed by the US on exports of computer chips to China go beyond the concept of national security and destroy supply chains, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday.

The Biden Administration introduced a sweeping set of export controls in 2022 aimed at slowing China's technological advance, claiming the decision was motivated by national security concerns. Among the measures was a ban on sales to China of certain semiconductor chips made anywhere in the world with US equipment, and a block on shipments of chips for supercomputing systems and artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking at a weekly press conference in Beijing, Mao said that the US has “unreasonably” suppressed China's semiconductor enterprises, according to Global Times newspaper, adding that the restrictions are “a genuine act of economic bullying.”

The US Department of Commerce also announced it would conduct a semiconductor supply chain review in January to “reduce national security risks” posed by Beijing.

“The US is using ‘national security’ as a pretext to restrict chip exports to China, but in fact its relevant initiatives completely go beyond the boundaries of the concept of national security, so that the normal trade of ordinary civilian-use chips is significantly restricted,” Mao said. Such actions have also seriously impacted the stability of international production and supply chains, she added.

According to the Global Times, the US-made Nvidia RTX4090 graphics card, which is mainly designed for use with computer games, has been taken off the shelves in China due to the export control measures. Instead, the world's leading AI chipmaker recently unveiled a slower, less powerful version of the card that complies with US export controls and can be sold in the Asian nation.

Beijing on Sunday announced its own sanctions on five American defense industry companies, citing arms sales to Taiwan and the unilateral sanctions which the US has slapped on Chinese companies and individuals.

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Farmers all over Germany are rallying for a week of protests against government austerity measures, which they fear may leave the agricultural sector without support and force farms to shut down.

Thousands have flocked to Berlin and other major cities to protest the cuts to diesel subsidies and tax breaks for agricultural vehicles introduced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz last month as part of a broader package intended to plug a multibillion-euro budget deficit. Among other things, farmers plan to stage blockades on motorways and travel in slow-moving convoys.

The farmers had already staged a mass protest in Berlin following the announcement in mid-December, forcing the government to partially roll back the planned measures. For instance, Berlin agreed not to abolish the preferential tax treatment of agricultural vehicles, and postpone diesel tax break cuts until 2026. However, protesters say the government’s concessions were not enough, and are calling for an ‘Action Week’ of daily protests nationwide from January 8 to demand a full reversal of the proposed cuts.

“This can only be a first step,” Joachim Rukwied, head of the farmers association DBV, said regarding the partial cancellation of the cuts, pledging that farmers would protest the government’s plans “as the country has never seen before.”

“We demand the complete reversal of these tax increases without any ifs and buts… I expect that tens of thousands of tractors will come to our rallies all over Germany,” Rukwied told Bild news outlet.

The week-long rally is expected to end with a major demonstration in the German capital on January 15.

Many fear the protests could paralyze transportation across the country and pose a threat to public safety.

“Not every form of protest helps the cause. This applies to striking actions as well as to tractor blockades. Anyone who oversteps must face consequences,” Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, told the Rheinische Post, warning the demonstrators not put their own interests above public order. His comments came after a group of some 100 farmers blocked German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck from disembarking from a ferry last week.

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Ukraine’s leaders should frankly admit that they have lost 500,000 service members since the start of the conflict with Russia, and that the monthly casualty rate is at around 30,000, former prosecutor general Yury Lutsenko has said.

President Vladimir Zelensky's goverment could convince reluctant citizens to join the fight by publicly admitting the heavy losses on the battlefield and declaring that the country’s very existence is in jeopardy, he believes.

Ukrainians “must know how many have died, and then all debates about the mobilization will be settled,” he added.

Speaking to the country's media on Wednesday, the former official proposed a number of steps to address the draft-dodging and corruption that is hampering the country’s conscription efforts.

He suggested that new legislation must be introduced by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, the country’s defense minister, and top army general to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.

According to Lutsenko, this “shock” would lead to large queues at recruitment offices, as had occurred in February 2022. Another important measure, according to the former official, would be the campaign to send members of the Ukrainian elite to the frontline.

“The army should not be all workers and peasants. Everyone should fight for Ukraine,” he stated, arguing that this would encourage ordinary citizens who he said have a very strong sense of justice.

Zelensky said in December that the Ukrainian military had asked him to mobilize another 450,000 or 500,000 soldiers to make up for battlefield losses. Later that month, the government introduced a mobilization bill proposing to lower the recruitment age from 27 to 25 and eliminate exemptions for some categories of disabled people.

The initiative comes after Ukraine launched a large counteroffensive in early June, which failed to gain any substantial ground. Moscow has described Kiev’s losses as catastrophic, estimating them at around 160,000 since the start of the push. Ukraine, however, has been reluctant to officially publish data on its casualties.

Major oil producer Saudi Arabia has cut the February price of crude for buyers in all regions, Reuters and Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing a company statement.

According to the reports, state producer Saudi Aramco has slashed its flagship Arab Light crude oil price to Asia, the country’s main market, by $2 to $1.50 a barrel above the benchmark, its lowest level in 27 months. The company also reduced oil prices for February delivery to northwestern Europe, the Mediterranean, and North America.

The move comes ahead of the traditional February and March slump in oil consumption, which analysts say may further increase the build-up in oil inventories that has worried market participants for months.

The situation already forced the OPEC+ group of major oil-producing countries, led by Russia and Saudi Arabia, to take a series of steps in recent months to support crude prices and help stabilize the global oil market. The global oil industry had a volatile year due to Western sanctions on Russia and, more recently, the Israel-Hamas war. The most recent move involved significant output cuts (around 2.2 million barrels per day) which the group agreed last month to extend into the first quarter of 2024.

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Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has publicly declared the acquisition of a lavish mansion in Hamburg, Germany worth almost a quarter of a billion hryvnias ($6 million), Strana.ua reported on Sunday, citing the politician’s official tax return. 

The document shows that Klitschko received the 750 square meter mansion on December 20, 2023 as a debt settlement from Maximum I LLC, a US-based company originally owned by his brother Vladimir. Ownership of the company was, however, transferred to Vitaly in May 2023, according to the outlet. The house, the exact cost of which is 227 million hryvnias, was then transferred to the mayor of Kiev as a unique form of debt repayment. 

Vitaly Klitschko is a former professional boxer who won multiple world heavyweight championships during his career. He and his younger brother Vladimir dominated heavyweight boxing between 2006 and 2015, a period widely known as the ‘Klitschko Era’.

Vitaly announced his retirement from professional sports in 2013 and went on to launch a political career, becoming the mayor of Kiev in 2014, in the wake of the bloody neo-nationalist coup. In an interview with the BBC in 2013, he admitted that he had lived in Germany for 13 years. It was reported in 2016 that he owned property in Hamburg that was occupied by his wife and daughter, but the assets had never been declared. 

In September 2023, Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky signed into law a bill mandating electronic declarations for officials, which had been suspended after Russia’s military operation began in 2022. 

In August last year, Zelensky launched a sweeping military purge, firing all regional military officials in the wake of a massive corruption scandal in which 112 criminal cases were opened against officials in recruitment centers. 

Last month, Ukrainian law enforcement officers conducted a search of a €4 million Spanish villa that belonged to former military commander Evgeny Borisov. It was established that he purchased multiple properties in the city of Marbella in 2022 and 2023, according to Ukrainian law enforcement. 

A poll conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology last year showed that Ukrainians consider corruption the country’s second most serious problem after the military conflict. 

Ukraine can continue to resist Russia only if Western countries show solidarity on numerous fronts while intensifying joint arms production programs, President Vladimir Zelensky has said.

Speaking via video link at the annual Society and Defense conference held in Sweden on Sunday, Zelensky claimed that Russia, which he described as “a much larger enemy… in terms of military strength,” was using “the potential… amassed over the lifetimes of several generations” against both Ukraine and Europe.

Zelensky said Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine, and what he described as its “hybrid” activities against the West, could be foiled only via cooperation on numerous fronts. “To fight successfully, to reclaim what is yours… and to teach the aggressor that aggression brings no benefits, is only possible if defense gets strength from solidarity,” Zelensky stated.

In this vein, he urged his European partners to “create an arsenal for the defense of freedom” by intensifying joint weapons production. “Regardless of which political moods will dominate on both sides of the Atlantic, our strength can and should be sufficient to protect our way of life," he added.

In early November, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni acknowledged in a phone call with a pair of Russian pranksters that EU nations were getting tired of the conflict and that it would eventually have to be resolved through some kind of a compromise.

Meanwhile, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell warned in December that the parliamentary election in the bloc scheduled for later this year could result in right-wing politicians – many of whom have been skeptical about sending arms to Ukraine – gaining more clout.

On the other side of the Atlantic, US President Joe Biden has vowed to support Ukraine “as long as it takes,” but his efforts have been hampered by congressional gridlock. Republicans continue to block the White House’s supplemental funding request, which includes more than $60 billion for Ukraine, demanding that the administration do more to enhance border security.

Russia has repeatedly warned the West against sending weapons to Ukraine, arguing it will only prolong the conflict and make it a direct participant in the hostilities.

US Republican and Democrat leaders have reached an agreement on government spending for 2024, sidelining negotiations on additional resources for Israel and Ukraine, as well as money for border control.

In October 2023, the White House released a sweeping set of proposals to support Israel and Ukraine in their respective military conflicts, among other things. The total cost of the supplemental funding request was over $100 billion, of which just over $60 billion was slated for Kiev.

House Republicans have blocked iterations of this supplemental budget numerous times, on the grounds that US border security should take precedence over aid to Ukraine.

The deal announcement comes as US lawmakers are set to return from a break, ahead of a two-tiered federal funding deadline.

The agreement follows defense and domestic spending caps set by Congress as part of a bill to suspend the US debt ceiling until 2025. It “clears the way for Congress to act over the next few weeks in order to maintain important funding priorities for the American people and avoid a government shutdown,” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement with top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday.

The first set of allocated federal finances are set to expire January 19, the second on February 2, without which the US government would be forced to shut down.

Overall, the deal provides for $886 billion in defense funding, and $772 billion in domestic, non-defense spending.

“This represents the most favorable budget agreement Republicans have achieved in over a decade,” Johnson claimed.

Biden thanked the lawmakers for cooperating in reaching a consensus in a statement published on Sunday, but added that he expects them to work harder to unlock billions in military aid to Israel and Ukraine.

The administration of US President Joe Biden must clearly outline its end goals in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and how any further funds will be spent, House Speaker Mike Johnson has said, as the White House desperately seeks congressional approval to maintain the flow of weapons to Kiev.

The US also needs to secure its own border before it secures anyone else’s, Johnson stated in an interview on Sunday with CBS. This echoes the main focus of House Republicans’ opposition to the combined aid package pushed for by Biden in October 2023, over $60 billion of which was for Kiev. Republicans at the time insisted on locking their support for the package behind funding for stricter border controls with neighboring Mexico.

Blocking the bill last year was a Republican “message to the White House that they were not being clear with the American people,” Johnson explained. 

“What is the endgame in Ukraine? What is our strategy? What is the objective? How will we have proper oversight over these precious taxpayer dollars?” 

The situation with Ukraine aid is nothing short of “dire,” Shalanda Young, the director of the US Office of Management and Budget, told journalists last week. She warned that without congressional support for supplemental funding, the US may have to stop assistance altogether.

Ruslana Korshunova, a Kazakhstan-born Russian top model who jumped to her death from her Manhattan apartment in 2008, visited Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious ‘pedophile island’ when she was just 18, newly unsealed court documents have revealed. 

Korshunova, who featured in ads for Marc Jacobs, DKNY, and Nina Ricci, was flown on the billionaire’s private jet – known as the ‘Lolita Express’ – on June 7, 2006, two years before her apparent suicide, the Daily Mail reports, citing flight logs.

Epstein, who is known for sexually exploiting underage girls on his private island, Little St. James, in the US Virgin Islands, was also listed on the same flight along with five other people. He was charged with multiple counts of unlawful sex with a minor just a month before the trip and was arrested in July 2006 on a single count of soliciting prostitution, a relatively minor charge that some criticized as special treatment.

Korshunova was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1992 and moved to New York City when she was 15, after being discovered by London-based modeling agency Model 1. Her career included numerous high-profile modeling gigs, appearing on the covers of Russian Vogue and French Elle magazines.

She jumped to her death from her ninth-floor apartment in June 2008, days before her 21st birthday. At the time, it was reported that her friends and family said she displayed no signs of wanting to kill herself, describing her as a cheerful girl who “loved life.”

Although Korshunova did not leave a suicide note, the investigation found a long message on her computer describing how she missed her home and family.

She was buried in Russia, with her mother saying she “would want her beloved Moscow to be her last resting place.”

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder has admitted that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was still in the hospital, nearly a week after a secret “elective medical procedure” went awry. Austin, the spokesman insisted, is “recovering well” and continues to fulfill his duties.

The defense secretary was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center last Monday, but his whereabouts and condition was not revealed it to the public until Friday, when he reportedly fully resumed his responsibilities.

“Since resuming his duties on Friday evening, the Secretary has received operational updates and has provided necessary guidance to his team. He has full access to required secure communications capabilities and continues to monitor DoD’s day-to-day operations worldwide,” Ryder said in a brief update on Sunday night.

It was not only the public that was unaware of Austin’s hospitalization, but also President Joe Biden and his administration, according to multiple officials interviewed by US media. Ryder stressed that Austin spoke to Biden on Saturday, and “has also been in contact” with the deputy secretary of defense, Kathleen Hicks, but did not clarify when exactly the White House was informed that the defense chief was out of commission.

However, the Pentagon’s second-in-command herself was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time, and reportedly was not informed of the gravity of Austin’s condition until Thursday afternoon. Hicks apparently decided not to cut her vacation short after being told that Austin was preparing to resume operational responsibilities.

The Pentagon did not provide any details about Austin’s medical condition, but an NBC News report claimed that he had spent four days in intensive care. “While we do not have a specific date for his release at this time, we will continue to provide updates… as they become available,” Ryder said on Sunday.

Amid public outcry over the secrecy and concerns that a breach in the chain of command could have put national security at risk, Austin issued a statement on Saturday, saying he “could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed.” He insisted, however, that it was his personal medical procedure and took “full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”

An unusual "tribute" to the late Soviet leader Joseph Stalin has been spotted in Holy Trinity Cathedral – the chief place of worship of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the nation’s capital of Tbilisi. A video showing the Georgian-born head of the USSR depicted in an icon inside the cathedral surfaced on social media earlier this week.

Stalin, wearing his signature trench coat, is depicted next to a female saint in the image. The context of his appearance in the icon is unclear. The news immediately drew the attention of some Georgian politicians, who rushed to link the development to alleged Russian influence.

“Russia is scoring solid success as both the EU and US fail to recognize the central role of weaponization of memory in Russia’s information warfare agenda, and that of Stalin in particular,” Giorgi Kandelaki, a former Georgian MP and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.

An icon to none other but Joseph Stalin in the of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi. Russia is scoring solid success as both EU and US fail to recognize the central role of weaponization of memory in Russia's information warfare agenda and that of Stalin in particular pic.twitter.com/ejYE5CFngQ

— Giorgi Kandelaki (@kandelakigiorgi) January 6, 2024

Moscow and Tbilisi severed diplomatic ties in 2008 in the wake of the war in Georgia. The five-day conflict erupted on the night of August 8, 2008, when US-backed Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili sent troops into the breakaway region of South Ossetia, shelling a Russian peacekeeper base. Moscow recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway region, on August 26, shortly after defeating the Georgian Army.

Relations between the two neighbors have remained strained ever since. Direct flights between the two countries were suspended in 2019 and only resumed in May 2023.

On Saturday, Kandelaki also blamed Stalin for the “destruction of Georgia’s independence” during the Soviet era, as well as for the establishment of the “Soviet totalitarian system” and the persecution of the Orthodox Church.

The Georgian Orthodox Church confirmed the existence of an icon depicting Stalin, adding that it had no objections. People who persecuted the Orthodox Church are sometimes also depicted on icons, Andria Jagmaidze, the head of the press service of the Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate, told local CNews media outlet on Saturday. “There is a fresco depicting Diocletian” as well, he added - in reference to the  Roman emperor responsible for one of the largest and bloodiest persecution campaigns against early Christians.

In 1943, during WWII, the Soviet leader met with three Church metropolitans in the Kremlin. The Orthodox patriarchate was then officially restored in the USSR and a new patriarch was appointed. The authorities legalized bishops’ councils, re-opened many churches and monasteries, and released some priests from prison and exile.

After the war, the persecution resumed, although not as brutally and on a smaller scale.

Stalin’s legacy remains controversial in Russia as well. Although many people link his name to the USSR’s victory over Nazism in 1945 and to a major industrialization campaign that turned the Soviet Union into a nuclear armed power, others blame him for the most massive and brutal periods of repression in the nation’s history and call him the architect of a totalitarian regime.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has won a fifth term in office in a general election boycotted by the main opposition party. Hasina has been in power for two decades, and is the country’s longest-serving premier.

Shortly after polls closed on Sunday, local media reported that Hasina’s Awami League party had won 172 out of 225 parliamentary seats for which there was data. A final tally for all 300 seats will not be available until Monday, but Sunday night’s results show Hasina on track to secure a fifth term in office.

Hasina’s victory was never in doubt. The leading opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted the election after thousands of its members were arrested in the weeks leading up to the vote. This left any seats not claimed by the Awami League to be divided up among a scatter of minor parties and independent candidates.

BNP officials accused Hasina of rigging her previous election wins, and weaponizing law enforcement against political rivals. The US sanctioned an elite Bangladeshi police unit in 2021, accusing its members of extrajudicial killings.

Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and exporters of garments, and Hasina has been hailed for improving the pay and conditions of the roughly four million people who work in the industry. However, stagnating wages coupled with rising food and fuel costs have battered the country’s economy in recent years, culminating in Hasina’s government accepting a $4.7 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund last year.

At least 18 arson attacks took place on Friday and Saturday, with ten polling stations targeted, the Associated Press reported. In the most serious incident, four people including a child were killed when a passenger train bound for the capital, Dhaka, was set on fire. 

Police blamed the attack on the BNP and arrested seven of the party’s members on Sunday. The party denied any role in the incident.

A new Russian law has come into effect giving those deemed to be highly skilled foreign workers an opportunity to get a residence permit in the country. Previously, highly skilled specialists could obtain such a permit easier than other foreigners, but only for a limited period of time.

A residence permit can now be granted to highly skilled specialists without any limitations if they have worked legally in Russia for two years. All family members of such foreign workers, including their spouses, children, grandchildren, parents, and grandparents, can also get such a permit if they live in Russia. The legislation also covers adopted children, spouses of the specialist’s children or parents, as well as their adoptive parents.

The amendment was passed by the Russian parliament and signed by President Vladimir Putin between June and July 2023, but came into effect only on Sunday.

A foreigner who signs a contract with the Russian military for one year during the conflict with Ukraine will also receive the right to apply for a permanent residence permit in Russia together with their family members. The permit can be revoked, however, if they decide to terminate their contract early.

Previously, the major drawback for any highly skilled worker in Russia was that their residence permit was strictly tied to their contract and could not be granted for a longer period than three years. After that, it needed to be extended or revoked. The new amendment removes this limitation.

A regular residence permit in Russia used to be valid for up to five years. In 2019, the government introduced an indefinite residence permit for most categories of foreigners applying under the regular procedure, but this did not cover highly skilled specialists at that time.

Neither the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s boycott of Sunday’s elections nor the exclusion of the country’s main Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami should affect the legitimacy of incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s likely victory, former Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh, Veena Sikri, told RT on Sunday.

“Low voter turnout doesn’t necessarily reflect dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party. It will also reflect a great deal of concern with the BNP and other parties who have been known to cause violence and loss of life and loss of property and destruction of infrastructure, and so it’s not that they are very popular either with the people,” Siki said.

Turnout was reported at just 40% after polls closed on Sunday, compared to over 80% when the last election was held in 2018, after the BNP called a two-day nationwide strike and urged voters to stay home to avoid legitimizing the incumbent with their participation. The BNP’s leader, Khaleda Zia, is under house arrest on corruption charges that her supporters say are politically motivated. 

With no major-party challengers participating in the vote, the victory of Hasina and her Awami League are all but assured, even as critics accuse the politician of vote-rigging after she refused to allow a neutral caretaker government to administer the election. Hasina, who has blamed the opposition for a pre-election surge in violence, insisted she did not need to prove her legitimacy to anyone but “the people of Bangladesh.”

A secret assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Washington has found that Israeli forces would find it “difficult to succeed” in a two-front war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have engaged in tit-for-tat exchanges of fire with Hezbollah militants since the start of the war with Hamas in October. Initially limited in scale, Hezbollah's pounding of an Israeli intelligence base with missiles on Saturday in response to Israel assassinating a senior Hamas leader in Beirut several days earlier, has marked a significant escalation.  

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to make a “fundamental change” to the security situation along the Lebanese border, American officials have privately warned him against opening a second front, the Washington Post reported.

“If it were to do so, a new secret assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) found that it will be difficult for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to succeed because its military assets and resources would be spread too thin given the conflict in Gaza,” citing two anonymous officials and a classified report by the DIA.

Amid this drawdown, Hezbollah has been open about its role in the conflict. The group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, claimed in November that his forces had tied up around a third of Israel’s troops along the Israel-Lebanon border, preventing them from being deployed to Gaza. He added that Hezbollah’s continued skirmishes with the IDF were causing “a state of anxiety, anticipation, panic, and fear among the enemy's political and military leadership.”

Multiple US officials told the Washington Post that they fear Netanyahu may attack Hezbollah in order to save his political career. The Israeli leader faced widespread protests before the start of the war, and was criticized afterwards for failing to pre-empt Hamas’ October 7 assault, which left around 1,200 Israelis dead.

“A full-scale conflict between Israel and Lebanon would surpass the bloodshed of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war on account of Hezbollah’s substantially larger arsenal of long-range and precision weaponry,” the paper stated, citing officials who also warned that the militant group could launch missile attacks on Israeli petrochemical plants and nuclear reactors. 

Washington also fears that such a conflict could draw in Iran – Hezbollah’s principal backer – and eventually the US, the paper’s sources said. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Jordan on Sunday, ahead of visits to Israel, the West Bank, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. “We have an intense focus on preventing this conflict from spreading,” he said, before meeting Jordanian King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. 

Relations between New Delhi and Moscow have grown steadily despite the Western sanctions on Russia. Exercising its strategic autonomy, India, to the West’s disappointment, refrained from openly criticizing Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, according to Arvind Gupta, the director of New Delhi-based think tank Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), ahead of the first Valdai Club Russian-Indian Conference, which will be held in New Delhi on January 8. 

The bilateral conference, titled ‘India and Russia: Views on Alternative World Orders, Regional Problems and Bilateral Ties’ and organized by Russia’s leading think tank, the Valdai Discussion Club, in partnership with the VIF, will discuss trends in the transformation of the world order and key developments on the bilateral front. 

International environment

Global tensions are currently running high and the mechanisms to resolve them have been ineffective. The ongoing Ukraine conflict and the Israel-Hamas war have exposed the international community’s inability to resolve conflicts and lessen tensions. Most multilateral mechanisms are dysfunctional as the world becomes fragmented and polarized along multiple axes. 

The risk of a wider military conflagration is considerable. Arms control and disarmament mechanisms are non-existent or at a standstill. Global nuclear and missile arsenals are being expanded at a rapid pace. The risk of the weaponization of cyberspace and outer space has also increased. The indiscriminate use of sanctions as a weapon causes economic and social disruptions globally. 

In a multipolar world, a sovereign nation has many options – but there is no guarantee that a world such as this would necessarily be peaceful and stable. Russia and India, along with other countries, can and should contribute to the evolution of a peaceful, stable multipolar world based on the idea of harmony in diversity, the rule of law, cooperation, and accommodation, in which the aspirations for security and growth for all are taken into account.   

New trends in bilateral ties

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow from December 25-29, 2023 reaffirmed that Indian-Russian ties remain healthy despite the current geopolitical turbulence in the world. Jaishankar was received by President Vladimir Putin, who expressed satisfaction at the state of relations and invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia. He said that he has kept Modi informed about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and has studied proposals made by India.

Conveying a message from Modi to Putin, Jaishankar described the relationship between the two nations as “very strong, very steady,” due to a convergence of strategic interests. The foreign ministers of the two countries also exchanged views on global and regional issues. 

As the international environment changes, Russia and India are taking steps to further deepen their “special and privileged strategic partnership” which was set up in 2010. Their cooperation involves a wide range of topics, including energy, defense and security, trade and investment, education and culture, science and technology, global and regional issues, and connectivity. A strong institutional framework for bilateral exchanges has been set up.  

The latest innovation is a ‘2 plus 2’ mechanism involving the defense and foreign ministers of both sides. The inaugural meeting of the group was held in Delhi in 2021. The two countries also engage with each other in the multilateral formats of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS, RIC, G20, and the UN. India has also begun a discussion on a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. 

As a result of these measures, bilateral ties have grown stronger. Two-way trade is set to exceed $50 billion in 2023-24. Russia is now India’s fourth-largest trading partner. Both sides have also set a target of bilateral investment of $50 billion by 2025. Russia has emerged as a top supplier of crude oil to India, particularly since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict. India is a major supplier of pharmaceuticals to Russia. Russia is building six nuclear power plants in India, two of which have already been commissioned, and the other two are nearing completion. 

Two joint ventures are co-producing Brahmos cruise missiles and AK203 rifles. Brahmos missiles are also being exported to third countries. India has procured the S-400 missile defense system from Russia despite US pressure. Russian companies are looking to participate in India’s ambitious ‘Make in India’ program aimed at enhancing the production of military hardware indigenously. Russia has also started exporting fertilizers to India, thus strengthening India’s food security. These are a few examples of successful cooperation in recent years. 

It is noteworthy that India’s ties with Russia have grown steadily despite the Western sanctions on Russia. Exercising strategic autonomy, India, to the West’s disappointment, has not openly criticized Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. Instead, Modi conveyed to Putin that this “should not be an era of wars,” and that the conflicts should be resolved through peaceful means. Russia has shown appreciation for India’s position. Putin praised Modi for his leadership in ensuring a balanced G20 Leaders’ Declaration in which Russia was not criticized. 

India and Russia have a long tradition of cooperation in science and technology, particularly in space and defense. Moscow is working with New Delhi on the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. High technology cooperation between the two countries has good potential. India is now a major technological power in the world. Both India and Russia have launched major programs in artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Projects of a commercial and strategic nature can be developed in areas of emerging technologies. India can also benefit by sourcing critical minerals from Russia needed to enter the era of electric vehicles.

In 2019, India formulated its Act Far East policy to focus on Russia’s resource-rich and relatively underdeveloped Far East region. The two countries decided to build maritime connectivity between Chennai and Vladivostok, passing through the Indian and Pacific Oceans. New Delhi announced a soft credit line of $1 billion to encourage Indian investments in Russia’s Far East, which will lessen Russia’s anxieties about India’s involvement in the Indo-Pacific. 

Russia is a major player in the Arctic, with around 5,600 kilometers of coastline along the North Sea Route, which has opened up for summer passage due to the thawing of the Arctic Ocean on account of global warming. Although the Arctic is a sensitive region geopolitically, India cannot ignore this area. New Delhi announced an Arctic policy in 2022, and Moscow can be an important partner in implementing it. 

Geopolitics

Although both sides have managed the current global turbulence reasonably well, they should remain alert to the fact that the geopolitical factors are uncertain and can have an unexpected impact on bilateral relations. A sound appreciation of each other’s security concerns is needed. India has deep strategic interests but also security vulnerabilities in Eurasia, as well as the vast Indo-Pacific region. Russian security is closely tied up with Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and the Eurasian regions. Both countries are affected by issues of terrorism, radicalization, and instability in Afghanistan.  

India-China relations were adversely impacted by clashes in Eastern Ladakh in the Galwan region in 2020. This comes at a time when Russia-China ties have become more strategic, particularly after the start of the Ukraine conflict. Thus, Russia and India have a different lens through which they perceive China. Likewise, Russia and China have different perceptions about the US and the West in general. 

In Russian strategic circles, there is some anxiety over the perceived Indian ‘tilt’ towards the West. The fact is that India follows an independent foreign policy guided by strategic autonomy. India’s participation in the Quad, a grouping of the US, Japan, Australia, and India in the Indo-Pacific region, is seen in Russia with anxiety. Likewise, Russia’s growing strategic closeness with China and Pakistan cause some concern in India. Both sides need to have a proper assessment of each other’s strategic priorities and concerns. 

Way forward

To give further impetus to bilateral ties, it is important that the tradition of annual summits between the leaders of India and Russia, which was interrupted in 2022, is restored. There are some structural issues the two sides need to address to take relations to the next level. 

Following the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia, payment mechanisms to settle trade transactions have been found to be inadequate. Although India has purchased large quantities of Russian oil, stable payment mechanisms have yet to be formulated. This issue must be addressed urgently and creatively so that bilateral ties are not affected adversely. Similarly, the two sides should conclude a bilateral investment protection treaty soon to facilitate investments. Non-tariff barriers to trade should also urgently be removed. The relationship between their banks and insurance companies are inadequate and underdeveloped. These issues need to be resolved to buttress the trade and economic potential of the two sides. 

India has an ambitious target of installing 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Presently, it has a combined renewable energy installed capacity of 180 GW, which includes 44.5 GW of wind power and 72.3 GW of solar power. India took the lead in setting up the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in 2015, which now has 110 members, and a Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), with 39 members. 

It is necessary to strengthen individual contacts between the two countries, particularly among young people. Russia has a rich tradition in the field of Indology. This must be revived. Russian academics could focus more attention on India’s 5,000-year-old civilization, going back to the Indus-Saraswati Civilization. The vast treasure of Indian strategic thinking, culture, and civilization needs to be approached from a non-Western, non-colonial perspective.

Likewise, Indian institutions of higher learning should pay greater attention to Russia, its history, culture, and civilization. There needs to be joint programs of research, studies, and dissemination among experts on both sides. Indian academics have regularly participated in high-level conferences organized by prominent think tanks such as the Valdai Discussion Club. These types of contacts should be expanded. 

During its G20 presidency, India put forward the civilizational idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, a vision of one planet, one world, and one future. This vision recognizes multiplicity, plurality, and diversity in the world, envisioning a world of mutual cooperation, accommodation, caring and sharing, respect for nature, the environment, and biodiversity. A multipolar world requires this type of inclusive vision – otherwise, there will be chaos. Both India and Russia are in a unique position to contribute to the emergence of a harmonious, peaceful, and stable multipolar world. 

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk hit back at the Wall Street Journal in a post on his X platform (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, a day after the paper published a lengthy article detailing company executives’ purported concerns over his use of illegal drugs.

Referring to an infamous 2018 interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, during which Musk smoked marijuana on camera, the Tesla tycoon explained: “after that one puff with Rogan, I agreed, at NASA’s request, to do 3 years of random drug testing. Not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol.”

“@WSJ is not fit to line a parrot cage for bird,” he concluded, adding a “poop” emoji.

In its article, headlined: “Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX,” the Journal claimed multiple company executives and board members at both companies were concerned that what they viewed as Musk’s erratic behavior was caused by the use of illegal drugs. These supposedly included not only the cannabis he was seen smoking with Rogan, but also ketamine – for which he has claimed to have a legal prescription – LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and magic mushrooms.  

Musk’s brother Kimbal and at least one current SpaceX board member reportedly took drugs with Musk, though it was not stated whether they were among those supposedly concerned about the billionaire’s habits. Musk has allegedly used drugs at “private parties around the world,” where attendees were made to sign non-disclosure agreements or turn in their phones.

Following the Rogan incident, SpaceX randomly deployed drug-sniffing dogs on company property and executives “began warning employees to follow company rules at all times, including to not use illegal drugs even outside of the office,” insider sources told the WSJ.

Despite focusing on drugs, the report acknowledged that even those concerned about Musk’s behavior were not sure whether to attribute it to substance use or other issues like his “consistent lack of sleep,” being on the autism spectrum, or (self-diagnosed) bipolar disorder. Few investors complained about his behavior when his companies were performing as well as they were in recent years, it admitted.

Musk fans on X have condemned the “hit piece,” which think-tank director Jeffrey Tucker decried as “the kind of vicious thing you would expect to see in East Germany or the old Soviet Union.”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has called on EU leaders to establish a common European army. Without a joint military, Tajani argues, the bloc cannot have a credible foreign policy.

“If we want to be bearers of peace in the world, we need a European army,” Tajani told Italy’s La Stampa newspaper on Sunday. 

“This is a fundamental precondition for having an effective European foreign policy,” he continued, adding that in a world of “powerful players” like the US, Russia, and China, European citizens “can only be protected by something that already exists, and it’s called the European Union.”

Some 22 EU states are currently members of NATO, with the US-led pact effectively dictating security policy on the continent since the start of the Cold War. However, several EU leaders have floated the idea of pooling their militaries into a common force independent of US control in recent years. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned in 2021 that such a move would “weaken the connection between North America and Europe.” When talk of an independent European army first surfaced two decades earlier, then US Secretary of Defense William Cohen was more blunt, calling the idea “a threat to the very existence of NATO.”

The conflict in Ukraine has apparently tamped down discussion of European autonomy. Macron has since shifted his rhetoric on NATO and now supports the expansion of the US-led alliance. Merkel’s replacement, Olaf Scholz, still speaks of the need for “a more sovereign… European Union,” but has remained silent on the idea of building what Merkel called “a real, true European army.”

Ultimately, the EU approved the creation of a common defense strategy last year, which provided for the creation of a 5,000-strong “rapid deployment” force – falling dramatically short of a common army.

The German military has been reporting “suspicious” drone sightings over their bases, including facilities used to train Ukrainian troops, the Bild tabloid reported on Sunday.

German officials have blamed the incidents on Russia, while failing to obtain any evidence shedding light on the situation, the paper added.

The first sightings were in October 2022, Bild said, adding that General Carsten Breuer, then head of the Bundeswehr Homeland Defense Command, ordered military police to use anti-commercial drone jammers against the intruders. The measure appeared to be ineffective, Bild said, adding that the small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) continued to hover over the German bases while “nothing more happened in terms of the drone defense.”

The UAVs have been seen repeatedly over bases used to train Ukrainian soldiers, according to Bild. “Drones are regularly spotted over the Klietz military training facility, where the Bundeswehr teaches Ukrainians to [use] Leopard 1 [main battle tanks],” Marcus Faber, a German parliamentary Defense Committee member, who was briefed on the issue, told the tabloid.

The Bundeswehr has so far failed to shoot down a single one of the drones or track down its operator, Faber told the paper, citing Nils Hilmer, the Defense Ministry’s state secretary – an official responsible for communicating the ministry’s position to lawmakers.

The German Armed Forces established a special task force to combat the drone threat only around a year after the first reported sightings – on November 15, 2023, Bild said. Two months later, no tangible results have been achieved, as the new unit first needed the necessary permissions from the Interior Ministry.

“It cannot be the case that the Inspector General discovers that there is a massive problem with drones and then nothing happens for a year,” the MP said, adding that Germany “must not allow Russia to spy on military training facilities… as we are tangled up in an authority mess.”

Another Budget and Finance Committee member, Sebastian Schaefer, slammed the military for the absence of a drone defense strategy. “We need it urgently,” he said. Faber also told Bild that the MPs “need the results from the task force in the next few months.”

Neither Russia nor Ukraine have commented on the developments so far.

Pyongyang is ready to respond with force to any “foolish miscalculation” by Seoul, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has said.

On Friday, Seoul announced that it was evacuating Yeonpyeong Island after North Korea fired 200 artillery shells off the west coast. It said the projectiles landed in a maritime buffer zone established between the neighbors under a 2018 deal, from which Pyongyang later withdrew. 

South Korea reacted to what it called a “crisis-escalating situation” by launching 400 shells of its own into the sea, in the same area. According to Seoul, it was followed by the North firing another 60 shells in the buffer zone on Saturday. 

In her statement on Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, who is a senior figure in North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, denied the latest claim by the South. Pyongyang “didn’t fire even a single shell into the relevant waters” on Saturday, she insisted.

“We conducted a deceptive operation in order to assess the real detecting ability of the ROK (Republic of Korea) military gangsters,” the North Korean leader’s sister claimed.

Kim Yo-jong said that because of its “hysteria” and “arrogance” the South Korean military “had no choice but to swallow the bait we threw” and prove its incompetence. She recalled a saying that “a coward is frightened of his own shadow.” 

The North Korean leader’s sister said she was “very pitiful” for the citizens of South Korea, who entrusted their security to “blind people.” 

She warned Seoul against similar “misjudgement” in the future, arguing that the South is inviting “irretrievable misfortune” with its conduct. 

“Let me make it clear: the safety locks on triggers of our military have been lifted… If there is even a slight provocation, our army will immediately launch a baptism by fire” for South Korea, Kim Yo-jong stated.

Force majeure has been declared at Libya’s largest oilfield, Sharara, after protesters shut down the field, according to a statement released by the National Oil Company (NOC) on Sunday.

The company added that negotiations are ongoing to resume production at the site as soon as possible.

“The National Oil Corporation has declared a force majeure on the Sharara oilfield effective Sunday, January 7th, 2024, due to it’s closure by protesters,” the statement reads.

According to the company, the closure has resulted in the suspension of crude oil supplies from the field to the Zawiya export terminal.

The 300,000-barrel-per-day field in southern Libya has been occupied by protesters since Tuesday. They have been urging the government to address their demands, such as the provision of fuel and its derivatives in the region of Fezzan, the activation of a refinery project in the south, road infrastructure improvements, employment opportunities for local graduates, restructuring of the Fezzan Reconstruction Fund, as well as the revocation of an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the NOC regarding Ubari General Hospital.

Turmoil has plagued the once-prosperous African country since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown with the help of NATO. The events left Libya divided between two rival administrations – one in the capital, Tripoli, and the other in the eastern city of Tobruk. There have been several attempts to unite them under a single authority, but they have so far failed.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

As of last week, California’s taxpayer-funded healthcare system now covers sex changes for illegal immigrants, thanks to legislation recently signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. The cost of the program is expected to top $3 billion.

California became the first state in the US to provide health insurance to all adults regardless of immigration status on January 1, when legislation signed by Newsom last summer came into effect. Approximately 700,000 illegal immigrants will now have their healthcare covered by the state’s taxpayer-funded Medi-Cal insurance system, according to a press release from State Senator Maria Elena Durazo in May.

Among the procedures covered by Medi-Cal are hormone therapy and gender transition surgery, according to a report this week by the Daily Caller, a conservative news outlet. 

“Gender affirming care is a covered Medi-Cal benefit when medically necessary,” a 2022 state memo cited by the outlet states. “Requests for gender affirming care should be from specialists experienced in providing culturally competent care to transgender and gender diverse individuals and should use nationally recognized guidelines.”

Newsom’s expansion of the Medi-Cal program will cost California taxpayers an estimated $3.1 billion, according to an Associated Press report from last year. Republican lawmakers criticized the expansion even before it emerged that it would cover transgender surgery, but their criticism turned to ridicule in recent days.

“California is now paying for illegal aliens to get sex changes,” Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday. “There’s no punchline to this tweet. California is the punchline.”

Newsom has defended the decision to add 700,000 more patients to the program. “In California, we believe everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care coverage – regardless of income or immigration status,” his office told ABC News. “Through this expansion, we’re making sure families and communities across California are healthier, stronger, and able to get the care they need when they need it.”

Russian forces have downed two Ukrainian warplanes in the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Sunday.

The ministry identified one as a Su-25 close air support plane, which it said was shot down by Russian air defense not far from Dnepropetrovsk (known as Dnepr in Ukraine), some 150km north of the frontline. The other jet was a Su-27 fighter, downed not far from Krivoy Rog, about 140km west of Dnepropetrovsk, officials added.

The Russian military also said it had intercepted 14 missiles fired from US-supplied HIMARS and Soviet-era Uragan missile systems, as well as six Ukrainian anti-ship Neptune rockets. According to the statement, Russian forces have also destroyed 38 Ukrainian drones across the frontline over the past 24 hours. 

In total, Russia has taken out 567 Ukrainian warplanes, 265 helicopters, and 10,526 drones since the start of the conflict in February 2022, the Defense Ministry claimed.  

In October, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Moscow’s forces had received new military systems, which at the time allowed them to shoot down 24 Ukrainian planes in just five days. He did not provide further details. 

Kiev’s attempts to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) could have “dire consequences” for the nation’s hopes of joining the EU, The Telegraph newspaper quoted lawyers as saying on Saturday. The Ukrainian parliament is expected to vote later this month on closing down the country’s biggest Christian denomination with its 12,000 parishes.

Lawyers have written to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen urging them to put pressure on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to “suspend efforts to ban this historic institution,” the paper reported.

Such a decision could cause “serious harm to Orthodox Ukrainians” and call into question whether Ukraine can meet its commitments as a candidate for EU membership, according to a letter to Western leaders penned by international lawyer Robert Amsterdam, and quoted by the Telegraph.

“This will have dire ramifications for Ukraine’s entry into the European Union and its place in the Western world,” Amsterdam wrote. He added that Kiev had “falsely accused” the UOC of collaborating with Moscow and expressed concern about “arrests of clerics on spurious charges.”

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has opened 65 criminal cases against UOC priests, sanctioned 17 clerics, and deprived 19 hierarchs of the country’s citizenship, according to TASS news agency.

The Ukrainian government’s attacks on the UOC are “a clear violation of the freedom of religion guaranteed by both international human rights law and the Ukrainian Constitution itself,” Amsterdam wrote.

In October, the Ukrainian parliament passed in a single reading a draft law on banning the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, prepared by the Cabinet of Ministers on the order of President Vladimir Zelensky. The document was supported by 267 out of 450 deputies.

Global prices for crude oil will double if disruptions triggered by Yemen’s Houthi rebels also affect the Strait of Hormuz, Daan Struyven, Goldman Sachs’ head of oil research, said on Saturday in an interview with CNBC.

The Houthis have staged a de facto blockade of shipping through the Red Sea and continued to attack cargoes following the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The Yemen-based militants target vessels thought to be linked to Israel, which they say is in solidarity with the plight of the Palestinians.

“If you’ve got a disruption of the Strait of Hormuz for a month, prices would rise by 20%,” Struyven said, adding that prolonged interference in the strait could eventually double oil prices.

Despite viewing the scenario as “highly unlikely,” Struyven joins a wide range of analysts from across the entire energy sector decrying the situation in recent weeks.

The increasing attacks have forced global shipping companies to divert vessels from the Red Sea around the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa. For cargos travelling from Asia to Europe or North America, that course adds around 6,000 nautical miles to the journey and can delay delivery times by up to a month, inevitably sending shipping costs soaring.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country will hold the European Council’s rotating presidency later this year, could gain an outsized influence over the body due to the expected departure of Council President Charles Michel, Politico reported on Sunday.

Michel has announced that he will run in this year’s EU parliamentary election, meaning he will vacate his current post if he wins. If EU leaders fail to quickly find a replacement, the president’s duties would essentially be assumed by Orban, the news website said.

Michel signaled his intention in an interview with three Belgian media outlets on Saturday, saying that if elected, he would carry out his duties in the EU Council until he takes his oath as an MEP in mid-July. “The European Council can anticipate this at the end of June or early July and decide on a successor,” he said.

According to EU rules, Hungary will take the Council’s rotating presidency between July and December. The timing could usher in a scenario in which “an unchecked Orban [will be] ruling the Council roost for the six months directly after the 2024 European election,” Politico noted, adding that other EU leaders would “desperately” want to avoid such an outcome.

Hungary also blocked a €50 billion aid package ($55 billion) for Kiev, which was meant to be disbursed between 2024 and 2027, while lashing out at the EU decision to freeze billions of euros in assistance to Budapest.

EU leaders are scheduled to meet on June 17 and June 27-28, shortly after the EU parliamentary election. Politico and other media have suggested that they would use those opportunities to agree on a replacement for Michel if he wins the election, although the process would have to move more quickly than usual. Under normal circumstances, Michel’s mandate expires in November 2024.

The EU Council president has also rejected claims that he is abandoning ship during simultaneous crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, saying he still has at least six months left at his post. He also noted that the second half of the year would be marked by political transition in any case.

US intelligence believes the sacking of several high-ranking Chinese militarily figures before New Year was linked to widespread corruption in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Bloomberg has reported, citing people familiar with the assessments.

The problem is the most pressing within China’s Rocket Force, in which major investments have been made in recent years, the agency said in an article on Saturday. It cited several examples of graft within the PLA, based on American assessments.

Among other things, Bloomberg’s sources mentioned Chinese “missiles filled with water instead of fuel” and waste fields of missile silos in western China, with faulty lids that won’t allow the munitions to launch effectively.

According to the sources, corruption inside the rocket force and the defense industrial base is so rampant that US officials now consider Chinese President Xi Jinping to be “less likely to contemplate major military action in the coming years than would otherwise have been the case.”

Washington suggests that corruption has led to an erosion of confidence in the overall capabilities of the PLA in Beijing, and also set back some of Xi’s plans to turn the Chinese military into a modern force by 2027, the sources said.

Bloomberg stressed that the US assessments could not be independently verified. The Chinese Defense Ministry or civilian authorities have yet to comment on the report.

In late December, Beijing announced the dismissal of nine military figures, five of whom were linked to the rocket force, from China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC). Shortly before that, three high-ranking officials in charge of missile production in the country lost their jobs.

There have been other high-profile changes within the military in recent months, including the sacking of Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu in late October amid reports of his involvement in a corruption scandal.

Chinese officials have repeatedly claimed the US is interfering in the country’s internal affairs by maintaining contacts with Taiwan, a self-governed island, viewed by Beijing as part of its territory. In November, a Chinese government spokesperson warned Taipei that “Taiwan independence means war.” US President Joe Biden vowed last year that Washington would defend the island in case of a conflict with Beijing.

Iraq is planning to halt imports of petroleum products as soon as in 2024 after launching a number of oil refineries, which were stalled during decades of military conflict, according to Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad, as cited by RIA Novosti.

The Middle Eastern nation has been purchasing oil products, such as reformulated gasoline, from international markets to compensate for energy shortages.

“In 2024, Iraq will rely on domestic production more, and after a number of refineries start production, there will be a reduction in the volume of petroleum product imports until they are completely ceased,” the official said.

In October, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said the authorities had set a deadline of January 2024 for international energy companies to submit formal letters of intent to take part in new licensing rounds.

Despite its immense oil and gas reserves, Iraq, the world’s fifth largest oil producer, has remained dependent on imports to meet demand. Ravaged by decades of conflict, the country’s crumbling infrastructure and endemic corruption have obstructed reconstruction efforts.

Earlier this week, the energy authorities reported over $97 billion in 2023 oil revenues – a decline compared to 2022’s record-setting $115 billion.

Iraq sold over 108 million barrels of oil in December alone, averaging 3.4 million barrels per day at an average rate of around $77 per barrel. The sales brought in a total revenue of $8.3 million for the last month of 2023.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

At the end of 2023, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans Frontieres, RSF), the international organization ostensibly advocating for freedom of information, released its annual report. The paper massively downplays the widespread and deliberate targeting of Palestinian journalists in the Israel-Gaza war.

The report's announcement, titled, “Round-up: 45 journalists killed in the line of duty worldwide – a drop despite the tragedy in Gaza,” excludes most of the Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in 2023, particularly in the past few months. It claims 16 fewer journalists were killed worldwide in 2023 than in 2022. This doesn't reflect reality.

The report claims that (as of December 1, 2023), only 13 Palestinian journalists were killed while actively reporting, noting separately that 56 journalists were killed in Gaza, “if we include journalists killed in circumstances unproven to be related to their duties.”

Other sources put the overall number of Palestinian journalists killed in the enclave much higher. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on December 1 that 73 journalists and media workers had been killed, citing to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS).

While The Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) December 20, 2023 numbers are lower (at least 61 Palestinian journalists killed since October 7), CPJ at least didn't disregard dozens of slain Palestinian journalists like RSF did.

In fact, in contrast to RSF's cheerful “things are much better for journalists than previous years” tone, CPJ emphasized that in the first 10 weeks of Israel's war on Gaza, “more journalists have been killed than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year.” It voiced its concern about, “an apparent pattern of targeting of journalists and their families by the Israeli military.”

However, in the methodology section near the end of its more detailed report, RSF notes it “logs a journalist’s death in its press freedom barometer when they are killed in the exercise of their duties or in connection with their status as a journalist.”

Many Palestinian journalists in Gaza have received death threats from officers in the Israeli army precisely due to their status as journalists. And many of those threatened have subsequently been killed, along with family members, when Israeli airstrikes targeted their homes or places of shelter.

We also have the precedent in prior wars (in 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021) of Israel bombing Gazan media buildings (including one I was in in 2009) with varying severity, damaging and finally destroying two major media buildings in 2021. This is clearly intended to stop the flow of reports from Gaza under Israeli bombs, and so is the killing of journalists.

On December 15, the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate criticized the RSF report, going as far as accusing RSF of complicity with Israel's war crimes against Palestinian journalists through whitewashing.

This is the same PJS whose statistics the UN's OCHA cites, statistics which PJS says are “accurate and based on professional and legal documentation that follows the highest standards in documenting crimes against journalists.” This documentation includes journalists who Israeli airstrikes targeted in their homes, killed precisely because they are journalists.

In response, RSF claimed it, “did not yet have sufficient evidence or indications,” to state that any more than 14 journalists in the Gaza Strip (as of December 23, the date of its response) “had been killed in the course of their work or because of it.”

At least three journalists were shot dead, at least three killed by an Israeli airstrike on media outlets in central Gaza City, and many more were killed by Israeli airstrikes on “safe” areas – areas south of Wadi Gaza, which Israel had commanded civilians to flee to for their “safety.” In spite of this command, Israeli bombings continued all over the strip, including all the way south to Rafah.

Still many more – in Gaza City, as well as to the north and to the south of it – were killed at home with their families, including one journalist in Khan Younis, killed along with 11 members of his family when an Israeli airstrike targeted his home on November 2. On November 23, a journalist was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, along with 20 family members.

The Cradle reported that, “The Israeli army sent a letter to legacy news outlets, Reuters and AFP.” The letter said, “The [Israeli Army] is targeting all Hamas military activity throughout Gaza. Under these circumstances, we cannot guarantee your employees' safety.”

One Israeli bombing of a journalist's home on November 7 killed him and 42 family members. Like many of his slain colleagues, he was a journalist for Palestinian Authority-run Wafa news. Many of the other murdered journalists worked for: Palestinian Authority-run Palestine TV, independent news agencies, local TV and radio programs, and larger outlets like al Jazeera. Others worked with Hamas-affiliated media and radio. Still others were freelancers.

On November 5, PJS reported that at least 20 of the journalists killed (since October 7) “were intentionally targeted by strikes on their homes or during their work covering Israel’s attacks.” This tally is already greater than RSF's reported total of 13 journalists killed at work or because of their work, even though the RSF report covers a period of almost a month more.

Israel threatens journalists, kills family members

Many Gaza journalists report being threatened by the Israeli army. CPJ noted it is “deeply alarmed by the pattern of journalists in Gaza reporting receiving threats, and subsequently, their family members being killed.”

One such incident followed a threat to Al-Jazeera Arabic reporter Anas Al-Sharif. CPJ noted he had received multiple phone calls from officers in the Israeli army instructing him to cease coverage and leave northern Gaza. Additionally, he received voice notes on WhatsApp disclosing his location. His 90-year-old father was killed on December 11 by an Israeli airstrike on their home in the Jabalia refugee camp.

On November 13, CPJ noted, “eight family members of photojournalist Yasser Qudih were killed when their house in southern Gaza was struck by four missiles. Qudih survived the attack.”

On October 25, an Israel airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the center of Gaza killed the wife, son, daughter, and grandson of Al-Jazeera’s bureau chief for Gaza, Wael Al Dahdouh.

The popular young independent journalist, Motaz Azaiza, reported receiving multiple threats from anonymous numbers urging him to cease his coverage, CPJ reported, noting that another Al-Jazeera correspondent, Youmna El-Sayed, said her husband received a threatening phone call from a man who identified himself as a member of the IDF and told the family “to leave or die.”

RSF bias: Not only in Palestine

Whereas RSF only reluctantly, as an afterthought, mentioned Palestinian journalists killed in “circumstances unproven to be related to their duties,” in a 2021 report on Syria, it stated, “at least 300 professional and non-professional journalists have been killed while covering artillery bombardments and airstrikes or murdered by the various parties to the conflict,” since 2011, going on to say, “this figure could in reality be even higher.”

Aside from reporting numbers it could not confirm, RSF cited a body in no way impartial or credible. As an investigative article noted, the SNHR is “based in Qatar... funded by foreign governments and staffed by top opposition leaders,” and “has openly clamored for Western military intervention.”

In 2017, Stephen Lendman wrote of RSF's attempt to shut down a panel sponsored by the Swiss Press Club in which British journalist Vanessa Beeley would be participating. “An organization that defends freedom of information is asking me to censor a press conference,” the club's executive director Guy Mettan said at the time. He refused to cancel the event.

RSF's 2023 roundup also didn't include two Russian journalists killed this year, one by a Ukrainian cluster bomb strike and the other by a Ukrainian drone attack (targeting journalists).

Sputnik pursued the matter and reported that RSF, “refused to give any comments to Sputnik” citing “editorial policy.”

Journalist Christelle Neant likewise noted RSF's glaring omission of the Russian journalists. She wrote about the body's funding from various governments, and more notably from regime change agencies: the Open Society foundation, The Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for Democracy, funded by the US Congress.

RSF's notorious funders explain why it cherry picks or inflates its reports. The borderless organization has lines it won't cross. It reports a grain of truth but otherwise whitewashes the crimes of Israel and Washington.

Dozens of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes have been grounded across the world, including in the US, Latin America, Türkiye and the EU, after an aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing due to a panel detaching midair.

On Friday, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 traveling from Portland, Oregon, to California, had to turn back shortly after takeoff when a large chunk of the plane’s fuselage broke off, exposing the cabin to the outside environment. None of the 174 passengers or six crew members on board were seriously injured, although several people required medical attention. While the cause of the incident remains unclear, Alaska Airlines has temporarily grounded all 65 of its 737 Max 9 aircraft for safety inspections.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Saturday that it had ordered the temporary grounding of a certain number of 737 Max 9 aircraft either operated by US airlines or within the country, requiring immediate inspections before they can take off. The order affects about 171 airplanes, officials said.

Boeing said that it fully supports the FAA’s decision and “deeply regret[s]” the incident, adding that its technicians are assisting in the investigation.

Turkish Airlines also announced that it would suspend the operation of its five Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft until the technical review process is completed, stressing that “flight safety is our top priority.” Latin American carriers Copa Airlines and Aeromexico followed suit, also grounding 40 aircraft.

The recent incident is the latest in the string of mishaps that have plagued the company and its best-selling 737 Max series in the past few years. It was grounded for 20 months after two crashes in Ethiopia (2019) and Indonesia (2018), which killed 346 people. The company has also struggled with manufacturing defects, and last month it asked airlines to inspect its Max airplanes to look for a loose bolt in the rudder control system.

China has sanctioned five American defense industry companies in response to “gravely wrong actions taken by the US,” the Foreign Ministry has announced. The move is said to be a countermeasure to Washington’s decision to proceed with new arms sales to Taiwan, as well as unilaterally sanctioning Chinese businesses.

This comes after Washington approved a $300 million weapons sale to Taipei last month, ahead of Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary elections on January 13, in which US-friendly Vice President Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party is the front-runner, according to recent polls.

Earlier in 2023, the administration of US President Joe Biden authorized a direct military transfer of $80 million to Taiwan under a program typically used for sovereign states, Reuters reported.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry said the US sanctions imposed on Chinese companies and individuals “under various false pretexts” harm “China’s sovereignty and security interests, undermine the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

The American companies affected by the new sanctions are BAE Systems Land and Armament, Alliant Techsystems Operation, AeroVironment, ViaSat, and Data Link Solutions, according to the ministry, which added that the measures include freezing the companies’ assets and prohibiting Chinese organizations and individuals from working with them.

Beijing urged the US to abide by the one-China principle and refrain from supplying arms to Taipei. It added that there will be a “strong and resolute response” if Washington continues with “illegal unilateral sanctions.”

Though Taiwan has long been self-governing, China considers the island part of its territory and reserves the right to seek reunification by force if Taipei formally declares independence. The US has officially recognized China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. However, in 2022, Biden said that Washington would defend Taipei in the event of an “unprecedented attack” by Beijing.

Germany has retained its position as the largest exporter of beer to Russia over the past two years, RIA Novosti reported earlier this week, citing international trade statistics covering 2022-2023.

Export data for the first ten months of last year shows that Germany accounted for about a third of the Russian market. In 2023, German beer sales saw a year-on-year increase of 32% to $96 million, despite Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict.

It was followed by Lithuania and Latvia, each of which accounted for more than 15% of Russian imports of the beverage. In 2023, the former nearly doubled beer sales to Russia to $36.5 million, while the latter saw a fourfold surge to $34.4 million.

Due to the significant increase in exports by the Baltic states, Belgium and the Czech Republic were pushed out of the top three in the ranking of top suppliers of beer to Russia. However, exports from both nations saw a modest year-on-year increase of 11%.

In monetary terms, exports of Belgian beer to Russia amounted to $26.6 million, while Czech sales totaled $26.4 million.

Poland, the sixth largest exporter of the beverage to Russia, doubled its supplies to $5.3 million last year. Finland also doubled its exports, to almost $2 million.

Italy, the world’s largest wine producer for the past nine years, was second, at $55.4 million (up 27.6%). Another Baltic state, Lithuania, rounded out the top three at $42.7 million, nearly doubling last year’s amount ($23 million).

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

Russian President Vladimir Putin has celebrated Orthodox Christmas with the wives and children of soldiers who have lost their lives in the Ukraine conflict, according to the Kremlin’s official website.

Putin had a lengthy meeting with the families at his Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on Saturday evening and had dinner with them. Afterwards, they attended the Christmas service at the local church.

Christmas is one of the “warmest” and “most beloved” holidays in Russia, the president told his guests.

On January 7, Russian Orthodox Christians, who constitute the majority of the country’s population, offer greetings to each other as well as representatives of other faiths, and receive greetings from them, he said. “One can safely say that this holiday is characterized by a strongly-pronounced fraternal unity of the peoples of Russia.” 

The president stressed that “many of our men, our courageous, heroic men, Russian warriors, even now, on this holiday, defend the interests of our country with arms in hand.”

He added that the meeting at Novo-Ogaryovo should serve as a “clear signal” to officials at all levels that the relatives of those who die fighting for the country should receive help whenever they need it.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the relatives of the fallen heroes spent the New Year’s holiday week in Moscow, where a special program, which included exhibitions, shows, and other events, was organized for them.

The Pentagon kept US President Joe Biden’s administration in the dark for three days about the hospitalization of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Politico reported on Saturday, citing sources.

The Department of Defense revealed to the public only on Friday night that Austin had been admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center the previous Monday – saying that it was due to “complications following a recent elective medical procedure.” It added that the 70-year-old official was “recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today.”

The Pentagon did not provide any details about his medical condition. However, an NBC News report claimed that Austin had spent four days in intensive care. A source for the network also said that despite the Pentagon’s statement, Austin was still in hospital as of Saturday.

However, according to three US officials interviewed by Politico, it was not only the public that was unaware of Austin’s hospitalization, but also Biden and his administration. National security advisor Jake Sullivan and other senior officials did not know about the secretary’s absence until January 4, three days after the fact, the article said, adding that Sullivan informed Biden shortly after he was notified by the Pentagon.

“This should not have happened this way,” one official told Politico.

However, according to the outlet and NBC, Biden and Austin had a cordial conversation, with the US president wishing the Pentagon chief a speedy recovery.

On Saturday, Austin himself issued a statement admitting that he “could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed.”

The Pentagon’s reported failure to inform the White House of Austin’s hospitalization comes in the midst of a security crisis in the Middle East – in which Houthi rebels in Yemen repeatedly attacked US warships in the Red Sea, deployed since the start of the Hamas-Israel conflict.

US military bases in Iraq, as well as its outposts in Syria, have also come under strikes from local resistance groups that Washington believes are linked to Iran. Tehran has said that those groups are acting independently.

The first week of January proved to be a rollercoaster for financial markets, as conflicting economic data left investors grappling with uncertainty. After a robust Christmas rally, the markets faced a series of mixed signals, prompting a reevaluation of expectations for the year ahead. As the week concluded, the focus shifted to the upcoming earnings season, particularly in the banking sector, with expectations running high despite the looming specter of inflation.

The S&P 500, after weeks of gains, experienced its first week of declines for 2024. While the week’s volatility was notable, the market closed with a slight gain of two-tenths of one percent, indicating a degree of resilience. Investors navigated through a sea of mixed economic data, including a hotter-than-expected jobs report and a softer-than-expected ISM services report. 

Market sentiment has swung Bearish after the Nasdaq drops 2% on the first trading week of the year pic.twitter.com/hKuqgEpPbq

— Stocktwits (@Stocktwits) January 5, 2024

The week’s economic indicators painted a nuanced picture of the US economy. Strong payroll numbers provided an upside surprise, but concerns of a gradually slowing economy persisted. The ISM services report, which contains the economic activity of more than 15 manufacturing industries, measuring employment, prices, and inventory levels, added to the uncertainty, with questions about its reliability due to potential seasonal adjustment issues. The Federal Reserve’s cautious stance reflected a delicate balance, acknowledging potential wage pressure but maintaining an eye on an easing labor market.

Just a little paradox https://t.co/EKUzc76e36 pic.twitter.com/bajis5qgIX

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 5, 2024

Apple’s Regulatory Scrutiny

Amid the economic turbulence, tech giant Apple faced headwinds as regulators reportedly delved into the competitive practices within its ecosystem. While historical trends suggest that market reactions to such investigations tend to fade, the sweeping nature of this probe, coupled with Apple’s significant market share, raised concerns among investors. The potential exclusion of competing apps within the ecosystem added to apprehensions, influencing the stock’s performance.

Bank Earnings on the Horizon

As the markets closed the week, attention turned to the forthcoming corporate earnings season, with banks taking center stage. The KBW Bank Index, a benchmark stock index of the sector, reached a ten-month high in anticipation of strong performances from major players such as JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup. The banking sector’s ability to navigate economic headwinds will be closely scrutinized, offering insights into the broader market trajectory. 

She canna take any more, Cap'n! She's gonna blow pic.twitter.com/HOC2YEMX9j

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 5, 2024

One of the key concerns casting a shadow over the markets is the looming specter of inflation. While consensus estimates project a 12% S&P 500 earnings growth for the year, skepticism surrounds the attainability of such lofty figures. The mixed economic data, coupled with the potential softening of the macro environment, raises questions about the sustainability of rapid earnings growth. Investors are cautiously watching for signs of a nasty inflation surprise in the weeks ahead. 

Here comes the next supply-driven inflation shock pic.twitter.com/2H7ppdmRVQ

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 5, 2024

The first week of January has set the stage for a year of market volatility, driven by a complex interplay of economic indicators, regulatory challenges, and corporate performances. As the markets enter the earnings season, particularly in the banking sector, investors are bracing for further turbulence amid lingering uncertainties about inflation and the Fed’s response. The coming weeks promise a delicate balance of economic analysis and corporate scrutiny, as the market grapples with the aftermath of a mixed and tumultuous start to 2024.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

India’s first solar observatory, Aditya-L1, has been successfully placed into orbit, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced on Saturday.

The mission, which was launched by the ISRO last September, is carrying seven different payloads to observe the light from the Sun and measure the plasma and magnetic fields.

The spacecraft reached Lagrange Point 1 (L1), a relatively stable location for the mission to make observations of the Sun for the next five years. 

“What we have achieved today is the exact placement based on our measurement and very correct prediction of the velocity requirement. Right now, in our calculation, it is at the right place, but we are going to monitor for the next few hours to see whether it is at the right place,” ISRO chairman S. Somanath told reporters.

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚, 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧!

Aditya-L1 has successfully entered the Halo orbit around the L1 point.#ISRO #AdityaL1Mission #AdityaL1 pic.twitter.com/6gwgz7XZQx

— ISRO InSight (@ISROSight) January 6, 2024

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the scientists and hail the “extraordinary feat.”

“India creates yet another landmark. India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches its destination. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realizing among the most complex and intricate space missions,” Modi said in the post on Saturday, adding that the “the new frontiers of science” will be pursued for the benefit of mankind.

Aditya-L1 Mission:
The SUIT payload captures full-disk images of the Sun in near ultraviolet wavelengths

The images include the first-ever full-disk representations of the Sun in wavelengths ranging from 200 to 400 nm.

They provide pioneering insights into the intricate details… pic.twitter.com/YBAYJ3YkUy

— ISRO (@isro) December 8, 2023

The message was echoed by President Rashtrapati Bhavan, who said the mission “will enhance our knowledge of the Sun-Earth System and benefit the entire humanity,” while celebrating the “significant participation of women scientists.”

Through the solar probe, the ISRO will be able to increase its assets in space due to the self-reliance afforded by the program. It will also support the operations of the Indian Air Force to help protect the nation’s space-based assets.

Former US President Barack Obama has urged current leader Joe Biden’s advisers to bolster his 2024 reelection efforts amid failing ratings for the sitting president. Obama reportedly believes Biden's chances will be improved by empowering people in the campaign to act without the need to seek approval from the White House, according to the Washington Post.

Obama and Biden discussed the campaign during a private lunch at the White House in recent months, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The former president reportedly became “animated” while talking about the 2024 election and the prospect of a Trump victory.

Obama recalled the success of his 2012 campaign, when top aides took charge of reelection operations on the ground across the country, and criticized Biden’s approach of leaving his advisers in the White House.

According to sources who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity, Obama did not refer to anything specific in the campaign structure, but suggested that it needs to “move aggressively” as Trump has built a solid lead among candidates in his party ahead of the Republican primaries, polls indicate.

The Biden campaign and Obama’s spokespersons did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Post.

Obama warned earlier this year that Donald Trump could be a more formidable challenger than many Democrats realize. He is reportedly not only concerned about Biden’s weak polling numbers, but also the effectiveness of his unorthodox campaign structure.

Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodrigues, is based in the campaign’s headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, while his top aides – Anita Dunn, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Mike Donilon, and Steve Ricchetti – work from the White House. Some Democrats have raised concerns that the campaign may not be able to immediately respond to fast-moving developments.

Biden’s ratings hit a record low at the end of 2023, with just 38% of voters approving of his performance, according to a recent Washington Post poll. Voters, including a majority of Democrats, are particularly concerned about Biden’s age, as well as his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. 

Ukrainian forces launched multiple attacks against civilian targets in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on Saturday, with one of the strikes damaging a hospital, according to local authorities.

At least three people were injured when a shell hit the Central Clinical Hospital No. 6 in the Leninsky district of Donetsk, according to the city's Joint Center for Control and Coordination. All of the victims were patients at the facility. The attack also damaged several houses in other parts of Donetsk, with witnesses calling it a “Christmas miracle” that no one was seriously injured.

Photos and videos from the scene show the aftermath of the explosion, with windows shattered and glass shards and broken blinds scattered throughout the hospital.

Ukraine's army frequently shells Donetsk, due to the city's proximity to the front line. Four people were killed after Kiev’s forces shelled the city shortly after midnight on January 1, in the first deadly attack of 2024.

The city of Belgorod, located around 40 kilometers from the border, has been the target of Ukrainian missile attacks and shelling since December 30. In that time, a massive strike has claimed the lives of 24 people and left more than 100 injured. According to the Russian military, Kiev’s forces used banned cluster munitions in the attack.

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis has claimed there is no justification for Türkiye to prevent the UK, a fellow member of the US-led military bloc, from donating its warships to Ukraine.

The Turkish government said on Tuesday that it will not allow minesweeping vessels which the UK has pledged to Ukraine to pass through the Bosphorus, citing the 1936 Montreux Convention. Ankara, which controls the straits linking the Black Sea with the Mediterranean, shut down access to foreign warships when the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022.

Stavridis, however, claimed that “there is sufficient discretion” under the Montreux Convention to allow British warships into the Black Sea, and Ankara should have used a loophole to allow the passage of “purely defensive” vessels.

“This is the clear NATO position, agreed by Turkey as part of its role in NATO,” the retired US admiral told Politico. Ankara “should fully lean into its role as a NATO member,” he insisted, instead of “trying too hard to strike a balance” with Moscow and the West.

A former Turkish naval chief, Admiral Cem Gurdeniz, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Ankara has never breached the convention, “even during the bloodiest period of WWII.”

“The US hates the Montreux Convention, to which it is not a party. Because they cannot bring warships into the Black Sea as they wish,” Gurdeniz argued.

Gurdeniz blasted Stavridis, calling him “the neocons’ favorite Admiral,” who “played a leading role in the 2011 intervention in Libya.”

Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has described the country’s position on the Ukraine conflict as “balanced.” In addition to hosting peace talks in 2022, Türkiye brokered the now-defunct Black Sea Grain Initiative, while Ankara has refused to sanction Russia, and has strengthened its trade links with Moscow.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has promised to launch a process to expel international coalition forces from the country, after a US airstrike killed a high-ranking militia commander in Baghdad.

An attack hit the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization composed of dozens of armed factions, on Thursday. At least two people were killed, including Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, the leader of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN), which Washington has listed as a terrorist group and claims is backed by Iran.

“The Popular Mobilization Forces represent an official presence affiliated with the state, subject to it, and an integral part of our armed forces,” the Iraqi prime minister stated on Friday. “We condemn the attacks targeting our security forces, which go beyond the spirit and letter of the mandate that created the international coalition.”

Pentagon Press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder defended the January 4 strike as a “necessary, proportionate act,” amid a wave of attacks on American military installations in the region. 

The Pentagon insists that its troops are in Baghdad at the invitation of local authorities to help fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). The 2,500 troops who remain the country a decade later are free to act in “self-defense,” according to Washington. 

“We affirm our principled position in ending the existence of the international coalition after the justifications for its existence have ended,” he said, adding that Baghdad seeks to restore full “national sovereignty over the land, sky, and waters of Iraq.”

American military bases in Iraq, as well as illegal outposts in neighboring Syria, have come under drone and missile strikes on more than 110 occasions since October, amid regional tensions stemming from the Israeli war in Gaza. While the attacks were mostly carried out by unidentified parties, Washington has accused Tehran of pulling the strings behind the scenes and has reserved the right to retaliate as it deems fit.

Soleimani, a revered figure in Iran, was killed in a drone strike authorized by former US President Donald Trump in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. Washington claimed at the time that Soleimani was planning an “imminent” attack on US forces. On the fourth anniversary of his death, two explosions ripped through a memorial in Iran killing nearly 100 people and injuring hundreds more. IS terrorists claimed responsibility for the atrocity in a Telegram post, while the US has insisted that Washington played no role in the bombings.

The names of some 200 individuals connected to accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were publicly released this week, but nobody should expect justice to be served in this sensational case involving members of the global elite.

In the first tranche of documents released on Wednesday involving Epstein and his powerful, globetrotting friends, there were no bombshell revelations –no smoking guns, as it were – and such an anticlimactic trend will most likely continue. After all, we are talking about individuals – businessmen, politicians, celebrities, and even royalty – for whom the justice system has a curious way of never really working, at least in the way the public would like it to.

But first, for those still recovering from their New Year’s revelries, who was Jeffrey Epstein? A native of New York City, Epstein has been described as an “enigma” who traversed the social spectrum from college drop-out to a financial advisor to the rich and famous. The Associated Press described his dazzling success on Wall Street as “shrouded in mystery,” while others believe he was an agent for Mossad or the FBI, tasked with blackmailing his unsuspecting associates as they unwittingly compromised themselves with underage girls.

Whatever the case may be, Epstein, who was found dead in his jail cell on August 10, 2019 of an apparent suicide, had a knack for finagling his way into affluent social circles in New York and Palm Beach. It was at these locations where the billionaire was accused of recruiting and sexually abusing underage girls at his residences in the early 2000s.

Epstein’s white-knight facade began to slip in 2005, as police in Florida opened an investigation over reports that he had sexually abused a 14-year-old girl. After a four-year trial, which saw the charges dramatically watered down, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges, which included one count of solicitation of prostitution and one count of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18. He was given a relative slap on the wrist with 18 months in prison under lax conditions, and released five months early.  

Despite his newfound reputation as a predatory pedophile, many of Epstein’s friends did not abandon him at this point; in fact, public figures who should have known better, like Bill Gates, Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton, continued their friendship, traveling aboard the so-called ‘Lolita Express’ to Epstein’s private Caribbean getaway known as Little Saint James, and later as ‘Pedophile Isle.’

In the ultimate Christmas gift, Manhattan federal Judge Loretta Preska ordered the release of the sealed documents against Epstein and his associates in a previously settled defamation lawsuit that Virginia Giuffre, 40, brought against Epstein’s madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, back in 2015. Maxwell is now serving a 20-year prison sentence. Giuffre alleged that Epstein sex-trafficked her to Prince Andrew, and in a lawsuit against the royal she claimed the Duke of York had sex with her on three separate occasions. The prince publicly denied the accusations in perhaps the most cringeworthy interview of all time.

As mentioned, much of the information contained in the 900 pages of court files has either been already reported or comes across as no surprise. Nevertheless, the descriptions make an Epstein party resemble a visit to the Barnum & Bailey’s Circus while under the influence of strong drugs. Imagine discovering, for example, the likes of pop-star Michael Jackson, the Duke of York, US politician Al Gore (apparently his fear of climate change did not stop him from flying on Epstein’s private jet), and the magician David Copperfield all in the same room. It’s enough to make one’s head explode. And by way of crude details, we also learn that former US President Bill Clinton 'likes them young', physicist Stephen Hawking allegedly participated in an underage sex party, and Epstein, allegedly, forced minors to engage in sex with the Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, who vehemently denies the claims. Incidentally, since we have just entered a momentous election year in the US, it’s crucial to note that while former President Donald Trump’s name does appear in the documents, witnesses maintain he did nothing wrong.

While it’s important to remember that inclusion in the documents does not equate to guilt, it beggars the imagination to explain such wildly diverse individuals and their affiliation with Mr. Epstein. And while the public is invited to examine the salacious details of this degenerate party, there are other things –far more damaging to the perverts-that-be – that we will never know about. This involves the intelligence information that was reportedly vacuumed up by the FBI.

Many social media users have speculated that the information contained on the computers removed from Epstein’s residence were so-called ‘blackmail files’ that the deceased sex offender, together with whatever intelligence agency he may have been working for, used to control high-powered individuals in high places. In other words, a massive intelligence operation.

Around the time of the raid, then Attorney General William Barr vowed that the investigation into Epstein’s alleged misconduct would continue and the perpetrators would face justice.

“Any co-conspirators should not rest easy,” Barr said. “The victims deserve justice and they will get it.”

Today, more than four years after Jeffrey Epstein’s death, not a single individual involved with the late socialite and financier has spent a single day in jail, and that will most likely not change. The rich and powerful may occasionally suffer from blackmail, but they rarely suffer at the hands of a justice system, predicated as it is on money and influence.

The Russian Orthodox Church has canceled Christmas Eveservices in the capital of Belgorod Region and all settlements located within a 20-kilometer-wide zone along the Russian border with Ukraine.

The city of Belgorod, located around 40 kilometers from the border, has been subjected to continuous Ukrainian strikes for seven days in a row.

Night services were also cancelled in the border city of Shebekino, which was also targeted by Ukrainian strikes and ground attacks last year, the church’s regional metropolitan, Ioann, told his congregation during a sermon that was also published on YouTube. Ioann cited “the danger that besets all of us,” in reference to the Ukrainian attacks. He also vowed to pray for all the victims of Kiev’s strikes that remain in hospitals.

Belgorod has been the target of Ukrainian missile attacks and shelling since a massive strike on December 30 claimed the lives of 24 people and left more than 100 injured. According to the Russian military, Kiev’s forces used banned cluster munitions in their attack.

Although Ukrainian forces have been striking civilians in Russia’s border regions for months, the December 30 attack was the worst of its kind since the start of the conflict. Moscow has accused the US and UK of helping plan the strike.

A security source also told RT that the strike on Belgorod had been personally ordered by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and was carried out by the neo-Nazi Kraken unit based in Kharkov.

Around a dozen Russian cities canceled New Year’s festivities in the wake of the tragedy, in solidarity with Belgorod.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told an audience at a campaign stop in the US state of Iowa on Friday that they should “get over” a school shooting in the state this week during which a young boy was shot to death.

After offering his sympathies to the victims in Perry, Iowa on Thursday morning, Trump suggested at a campaign event in Sioux Center that Iowans should move on from the incident.

“It’s just horrible – so surprising to see it here,” Trump said. “But we have to get over it. We have to move forward.”

Trump’s comments came about 36 hours after 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff was gunned down by a teenage shooter as students gathered in a cafeteria for breakfast on Thursday morning. Six others, including two staff members – one of whom was the school principal – and four teenage students, were also injured.

A 17-year-old student allegedly responsible for the attack died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said. Police also stated that a search of the school revealed an improvised explosive device.

Trump has previously argued that firearms cannot be considered a primary factor in repeated instances of school shootings in the United States. During an April 2023 speech to the National Rifle Association (NRA), he said that violence in schools is “not a gun problem” – instead blaming a host of other elements, including Democrats and a lack of adequate mental health screening.

Several of Trump’s opponents for the GOP presidential nomination, including Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy, issued statements condemning school violence in the wake of the shooting. However, Trump’s comments on Friday were his first public statements on the matter.

The GOP candidates’ statements came as the Iowa caucuses, which will begin the 2024 Republican primary voting season, are set to take place on January 15. Trump remains the clear frontrunner to challenge presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in this year’s election, according to polling data.

In 2024, the ‘Lastochka’ (‘Swallow’) attack drone, the updated ‘Rusak’ first-person view (FPV) drone, and the ‘Zhuravl’ (‘Crane’) UAV carrier, which transports kamikaze drones, will be sent to the Ukraine conflict combat zone for testing. Discussing the developments in an interview with RT, the founder of the Stratim design bureau, which produced the weapons, said the new UAVs will effectively strike the enemy’s infantry and equipment. The Stratim team is also developing anti-interference navigation and improving its ‘Pozemka’ communication module, he added.  

— When did Stratim start to develop reconnaissance and attack drones and supply them to the front? What makes your company’s products special? 

— The idea to launch a company that would manufacture FPV drones came to me in the summer of 2022, when volunteers started talking about the shortage of drones. [The late military blogger] Vladlen Tatarsky had a particular influence on me. We personally discussed the type of equipment that our soldiers lacked.

At first, Stratim operated in ‘garage mode’ at a defense industry research institute. Then, in November 2022, I traveled to the front line with RT military correspondent Andrey Filatov. I witnessed the tough storming of Pervomaisky [an urban settlement near Donetsk]. Together with Filatov, we helped the soldiers of the 9th Regiment of the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) by conducting reconnaissance using drones. 

In order to understand the specifics of modern combat operations and the use of UAVs, I studied topography and artillery reconnaissance, as well as assault operation tactics. 

That’s how I understood exactly what type of drones the army needed – what tactical and technical characteristics they should have, what kind of onboard equipment, communications equipment, machine vision equipment, and the software they have to be equipped with. 

Our first drones were quite primitive, but with each new model they became more complex, more technologically advanced and efficient.

Now, the UAVs developed by Stratim are well adapted to the strategy of combat operations, which implies a very short period of time between military reconnaissance and attack. Our drones are divided by their functional purpose (i.e. reconnaissance and attack drones), weight (light, medium, and heavy-weight drones), and according to the aerodynamic construction (multi-rotor drones and fixed-wing UAVs).

We also always supply relay drones. They ensure the transmission of control signals and the operation of a video channel that’s necessary for reconnaissance drones equipped with a camera and FPV drones. Drones of this type often hover at an altitude of about 150 meters and work in offline mode. 

Naturally, we’re always concerned about the safety of drone pilots. The drone controls produced by Stratim can be located 50-100 meters from the position of the crew. The drone pilot and co-pilot remain hidden in a shelter. If the enemy’s radio intelligence detects the control signals, the strike will hit the communication equipment or the wire that stretches from the shelter [but not the pilots themselves].

At the current stage, it’s important for all our products to be tested at the front.

— Why don’t you disclose your name, but use the military call sign Obi Wan?

— Our work greatly annoys the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Presently, the enemy is losing [the battle] and we know that their special services are trying to track down Russian engineers, including those who produce UAVs. For security reasons, the Stratim team doesn’t disclose any personal data. However, any of us who want to cooperate with the media or is active on social media can use military call signs for identification. 

I’d like to say a few words about the company’s engineering masterminds. For example, Stratim’s chief designer used to work on CERN’s Large Hadron Collider project, and the director of the multirotor department worked on robotics at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology.

— You mentioned that your drones are used in the short period of time between military reconnaissance and attacking a target. Could you explain how your UAVs are used in practice? 

— When developing the drones, we took into account the specific characteristics of how they would be used and the distance to the target. For example, at short range (5-10km) or, in military terms, at ‘tactical depth’, one needs reconnaissance UAVs that can create an orthophotoplan – i.e. a digital map of the area made by means of digital photography. In the context of the current military conflict, the orthophotoplan includes not only a detailed map of the terrain and buildings, but also the location of enemy positions and firing points.

It’s very difficult to create an orthophotoplan near the front line because of electronic warfare (EW) equipment – mainly anti-drone weapons and other compact jammers, such as trench electronic warfare systems. 

One of the simplest ways to protect drones is to fly them in radio silence mode, when the devices fly along a pre-established route [i.e. using the so-called internal navigation system]. In this mode, enemy jammers rarely detect UAV signatures, but even if this happens, the drone will not be disabled and will safely return home.

Our reconnaissance drones meet all of the above requirements. The autonomous drone ‘Voron’ (‘Raven’) is launched first in order to create an orthophotoplan. It can fly at an altitude of up to 500 meters, and it takes 30 minutes to execute the task. This UAV is quite maneuverable and can reach a speed of over 40km/h. It’s used for mapping terrain and buildings.

Then, the ‘Vorobey’ (‘Sparrow’) drone rises into the sky. It’s a lot like the Mavic quadrotor drone. It has all the advantages of the Chinese version, but doesn’t require reprogramming — the user can customize it for their tasks. The drone’s main tool is a camera with 6x zoom. Usually, this is enough to see the enemy’s positions.

Kamikaze drones then take off and strike targets located at tactical depth, such as the enemy’s firing points, the infantry located in shelters, and armored vehicles. These are ‘Shegol’ (‘Goldfinch’) light attack drones which are capable of carrying a combat load of up to 2kg, as well as ‘Rusak’ UAVs with a 3kg payload capacity, which carry RPG-7 shaped-charge ammunition. Also, these UAVs can be equipped with a TBG-7V thermobaric projectile, which is designed to destroy manpower in shelters. Most often, shaped-charge grenades are suspended on these UAVs. 

To drop VOGs (high explosive fragmentation grenades), the Stratima team has developed the ‘Golub’ (‘Dove’) bomber drone with a revolver-type cylinder capable of firing 12 grenade launcher shots. This drone is effective during an offensive or for striking infantry in poorly equipped fortifications. 

The ‘Rusak’ drone is currently undergoing modernization. In 2024, its updated version will be able to strike even moving targets thanks to the autopilot feature [that can be activated] in the final stages of the flight. To be more precise, this FPV drone will have homing devices which will be activated 500 meters before approaching the target. The improved Rusak drone will make the drone pilot’s work easier and safer.

At medium range, which can be defined as 10-40km, we suggest using our vertical takeoff and landing drones, constructed according to the ‘tailsitter’ design. Such drones take off from a small platform and then shift to horizontal flight.

When developing medium-range UAVs, our team took several factors into account. First of all, building a normal runway would be nearly impossible [in frontline conditions]. Secondly, catapult launchers would be problematic since their elastic cables freeze at subzero temperatures.

For effective reconnaissance missions at medium range, we use the ‘Strepet’ (‘Little Bustard’) reconnaissance drone. Among its advantages are vertical takeoff and landing and a heavy payload capacity. This drone can conduct reconnaissance using both visible light and thermal imaging methods. The Strepet has a flight range of up to 100km, can carry a payload of up to 10kg, and has a speed of up to 100km/h.

To strike enemy equipment, the Stratima team is developing the ‘Chaika’ (‘Seagull’) loitering munition with a shaped-charge warhead, with a range of up to 30km. It’s capable of carrying explosives of the K3-6 type weighing about 4kg. If necessary, it can also be used as a medium-range reconnaissance drone. This is also a ‘tailsitter’-type model. It takes off vertically and then switches to horizontal flight. 

Another interesting tailsitter-type drone is called ‘Redkaya Ptitsa’ (‘Rare Bird’) — it is more compact and has four X-shaped wings, which allow it to fly more than 20km using the lift coefficient. At the same time, in terms of cost and simplicity of design, this UAV is comparable to an FPV drone.

Another promising model with similar functionality is the ‘Zhurval’ (‘Crane’) drone. It will become one of the first Russian drone carriers which are often called ‘drone mother ships’. The UAV will carry three ‘Sinitsa’ (‘Parus’) kamikaze drones capable of hitting military equipment from any side. 

The wingspan of this drone is about 2 meters, the maximum take-off weight is 25kg, the flight range is 30-50km, and maximum speed is 100km/h. We expect to test this drone in 2024.

We also think the army will need a kind of Switchblade-600 analog. We called it ‘Lastochka’ (‘Swallow’). This kamikaze drone will be placed in a transport and launch container – one similar to the RPO-A Shmel tube. It can be easily transported on the shoulder, and prior to launch it is mounted on two legs, like a mortar.

The drone will have wing opening mechanisms. Lastochka will be able to carry 1.5kg of explosives and hit targets at a distance of up to 35km. Presently, we are solving a number of technical issues. In 2024, the system will be sent to the front for testing. The main advantages of this drone are a simple launch mechanism and modern guidance tools. 

— Several Russian private manufacturers are developing jet-powered UAVs. Have you ever considered this as well?

— Yes, we are currently working on several such UAV models. We’re developing an EW-resistant medium-long range drone called ‘Tyuvik’ (‘Levant sparrowhawk’) which will take off from 2-meter-long reusable folding rails. A solid fuel rocket engine (also called a ‘black powder rocket motor’) will propel the UAV.

Other jet-powered UAVs that are being developed are long-range drones. They will be equipped with small-sized gas turbine engines. The ‘Yastreb’ (‘Hawk’) UAV will also use solid-fuel propellants. Stratim presents this model as a smaller analogue of the ‘Geranium’ drone. 

The UAV will be constructed using affordable components and, like the Geranium drone, should be cheap. We are currently testing an engine turbine, and it’s already starting to give the right traction. The tests should be completed this winter. The flight range of the ‘Yastreb’ drone is 300-350km and its payload capacity is 16kg.

— What other projects is Stratim working on?

— In addition to developing new UAVs and improving current models, Stratim is focused on developing target recognition and homing devices. 

We’re working on the implementation of anti-interference navigation – this technology doesn’t use signals from global satellite systems, since these are vulnerable to electronic warfare systems. Specifically, these flight technologies employ visual odometry – i.e. when images of the underlying surface are analyzed and used for navigation. This method is more effective than conventional inertial navigation systems. Odometry allows the UAV’s computer to map out a route [to a specific target] and back. 

Currently, we’re also writing a protocol for the ‘Pozemka’ communication module that we had developed earlier. The module operates at non-standard frequencies and uses frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology. 

We have also created our own analog video transmission system and antennas for it. It operates in a frequency range that the AFU’s electronic intelligence systems currently do not recognize, and it can’t be jammed by the enemy’s EW equipment. We believe that our ideas in the field of communications and autonomous flights will boost the effectiveness of UAVs, save the lives of our soldiers, and bring victory closer. 

Former US President Donald Trump has dismissed the multiple criminal cases against him, telling supporters that he’s been prosecuted more harshly than infamous Chicago gangster Al Capone. He made his comments at a rally in Iowa ahead of the first contest of the election year.

“I’ve got more indictments than Al Capone, did you ever hear of Al Capone?” Trump asked supporters in Mason City on Friday. “The great Alphonse Capone…but I’ve got it worse than Al Capone and he’s about as bad as you get,” he continued. 

“This was never in my plan…I was being indicted so fast we didn’t know where in the hell they were coming from. If I flew over a blue state, the next day I’d get served with a subpoena,” he exclaimed, to laughter from the crowd.

With eleven months to go until the 2024 presidential election, Trump is facing more than 90 criminal counts in two federal cases – concerning his alleged instigation of the January 2021 riot on Capitol Hill and his alleged mishandling of classified documents – as well as two state-level cases and a multitude of civil suits.

Trump held two rallies in Iowa on Friday, during which he implored residents of the Hawkeye State to turn up at next week’s Republican caucuses and support his bid for the presidency. The Iowa caucuses are the first contest of the primary season, and recent polling shows him with a commanding 32-point lead over his nearest Republican rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Nevertheless, Trump urged his supporters not to get complacent. “Bad things happen when you sit back,” he said, adding that “you have to get out and vote because it sets the tone. It even sets the tone, frankly, for November.”

Hours before Trump spoke in Iowa, President Joe Biden delivered a speech of his own in Pennsylvania, in which he claimed that American democracy was “nearly lost” when Trump’s supporters rioted at the Capitol three years ago. 

Trump argued that Biden is the real “threat to democracy,” citing the indictments against him and the harsh sentences handed down to non-violent participants in the Capitol riot.

Despite the Biden campaign’s efforts to frame the 2024 election as a referendum on democracy itself rather than on his own record, most recent polls show the incumbent Democrat losing to Trump. 

Italy’s highest court has cleared the late Argentinian football icon Diego Maradona of tax evasion charges, bringing to a close a 30-year legal battle with the country’s revenue authorities.

World Cup winning captain Maradona, who represented Napoli between 1984 and 1991, had been accused of using proxy companies in Liechtenstein to evade tax payments on fees received from the Italian club over his personal image rights.

Legal documents seen by Reuters showed that Rome’s Court of Cassation overturned a 2018 verdict last month, officially clearing Maradona of any financial wrongdoing. Probes into Maradona’s Italian tax affairs began in the early 1990s and led to €37 million ($40.38 million) in charges, as well as the confiscation of some of his personal belongings.

“It is over and I can clearly state without fear of being contradicted that Maradona has never been a tax evader,” his lawyer, Angelo Pisani, told the news agency on Friday.

He also explained that the verdict affords Maradona’s family a “legal right” to seek damages. “I hope that they use it, in memory of their father,” he said.

Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history, scored more than 300 goals in a glittering club career which saw him represent Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors and Barcelona, in addition to his seven seasons in Italy.

He won 91 caps for the Argentinian national team, scoring 31 times, and captained his country to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico – where he scored his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal in the quarter-final against England.

He was the first player to break the world record transfer fee twice; in 1982, when he moved to Barcelona from Boca Juniors for £5 million and again two years later, when he joined Napoli for £6.9 million.

Maradona died of cardiac arrest in his sleep at his home in Buenos Aires on November 25, 2020 at the age of 60.

A pair of Norwegian F-16 fighter jets, which Oslo is providing to support a training program for Ukrainian pilots, have arrived in Denmark, the country's Armed Forces have announced on X (formerly Twitter). Earlier this week, Norwegian media reported that the Nordic nation would send two fighter jets and ten instructors to the Danish Skydstrup air base for this purpose.

Norway, a supporter of Kiev, has committed to supplying warplanes to Ukraine in the coming years, alongside Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The exact number of warplanes Oslo plans to transfer to Ukraine remains unclear.

Washington, which had been hesitant to provide Kiev with Western-made fighter jets, signaled its readiness to approve a third-party transfer of the aircraft in August 2023. The US stipulated that this could only happen after the completion of Ukrainian pilots’ training.

“After over 40 years in service, these aircraft will now train Ukrainian military personnel, reinforcing our commitment to Ukraine's defense,” the Norwegian military wrote on X, commenting on the jets’ arrival in Denmark. It is unclear if they meant that the exact two aircraft pieces had been in use for over 40 years or merely referred to the fact that Norway had been using the jets between 1980 and 2022 when they were replaced with F-35.

Norwegian F-16s land in Denmark, marking an important step in our ongoing support for Ukraine. After over 40 years in service, these aircraft will now train Ukrainian military personnel, reinforcing our commitment to Ukraine's defense. 🇳🇴✈️🇺🇦 #StrongerTogether #SupportUkraine pic.twitter.com/3fjttX7Z41

— Norwegian Armed Forces | Forsvaret (@Forsvaret_no) January 5, 2024

The planes destined for Kiev are considered “obsolete,” according to Lieutenant Colonel Bard Bakke, the commander of the training mission in Denmark, who told the Norwegian NRK news outlet earlier this week. He maintained that the aircraft were “relatively modern” and had undergone additional upgrades. However, he admitted that the F-16 jets were “no miracle weapon” capable of changing the ongoing conflict between Kiev and Moscow.

Since the beginning of the conflict with Moscow, Kiev has urged its Western backers to supply increasingly advanced weapons, treating them as a potential game-changer. Zelensky particularly praised the August F-16 pledge announcement as “historic, powerful, motivational.”

In late December, the Netherlands announced preparations for the “initial” delivery of 18 fighter jets to Ukraine. Zelensky claimed in August 2023 that the Netherlands and Belgium had together pledged to provide 42 jets to his country. The joint statement by the two nations contained no specific figures. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also mentioned that his nation's entire F-16 fleet consisted of 42 planes, and Amsterdam would need to keep some for its own training purposes.

On Saturday, the Danish Berlingske newspaper reported that Copenhagen would delay its F-16 delivery to Kiev for at least “several months,” citing that Ukrainian pilots were “not ready” to fly them.

Israel’s proposed removal and resettlement of Gaza’s Palestinian population is “the textbook definition of ethnic cleansing,” Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has said. Yousaf is the first UK party leader to condemn the controversial depopulation plan.

Speaking to Sky News on Friday, Yousaf condemned recent comments by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said last week that West Jerusalem should “encourage emigration” from Gaza in order to reduce its Arab population from over two million to between 100,000 and 200,000. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir made a similar call, stating that Israel should push for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the blockaded Gaza enclave.

“We are seeing not only a humanitarian crisis, but we're now seeing senior members of the [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu government making statements that are, frankly, the textbook definition of ethnic cleansing,” Yousaf told the British broadcaster. 

Smotrich and Ben-Gvir’s proposal was rejected by the UK Foreign Office and the US State Department, which called it “inflammatory and irresponsible.” Yousaf, who heads the Scottish National Party, is the only political party leader in the UK to accuse Israel of “ethnic cleansing,” a charge more commonly leveled by Palestinian officials and Israel’s Arab neighbors.

Yousaf, whose wife’s family lives in Gaza, called on the British government to “make it clear that not only should there be an immediate ceasefire…but also they should make it clear to their trusted allies and the government of Israel that they will be held to account for any breaches of international law.”

Yousaf backed South Africa’s recent decision to sue Israel for “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague. While the Israeli government has called Pretoria’s claim “baseless” and accused the South Africans of anti-Semitism, Yousaf said that the court should “investigate any potential breaches of humanitarian law, any potential war crimes that have been committed, and all the way up [to] genocide.”

Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are not the first prominent Israelis to call for the depopulation of Gaza. A leaked policy document compiled by Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence in October recommended that tent cities be set up in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula to accommodate most of the enclave’s 2.2 million residents, while others could be settled in Spain, Greece, and Canada.

Israel’s Channel 12 news network claimed last month that Netanyahu had held talks with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who would pressure Arab states to accept the “voluntary resettlement” of Gazans. Blair’s nonprofit released a statement this week calling the report a “lie” and claiming that no such discussion with Netanyahu had taken place.

The international community must use “all its influence” to end the war in Gaza, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said on Friday.

The 90-day-long hostilities have made the Palestinian enclave "uninhabitable,” and the people of Gaza face daily threats to their very existence, he added.

The UN official recalled that tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed or injured, while areas they were told to move to for safety “have come under bombardment,” stressing that all this happens “while the world watches.”

“Gaza has shown us the worst of humanity,” Griffiths said, noting that “violence cannot resolve differences.”

“A public health disaster is unfolding,” he added, citing the spread of infectious diseases in the enclave's overcrowded shelters as sewage pipes overflow. “Some 180 Palestinian women are giving birth every day amid this chaos,” and Gaza’s children have nothing but “the terrifying sounds of war,” the official said.

“It is time for the parties to meet all their obligations under international law” to protect civilians and release hostages, he argued, calling on world leaders to use all their influence to “make this happen.”

“This war should never have started. But it’s long past time for it to end,” Griffiths said.

In late November, West Jerusalem and Hamas agreed to a week-long ceasefire, during which 108 Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Israel freeing some Palestinian prisoners.

Last week, Hamas offered Israel a new hostage deal consisting of three phases, Axios reported. According to the outlet, each stage would require a more than a month-long pause in hostilities in exchange for the hostages’ release and an end to the war upon completion of the final phase. The Israeli war cabinet discussed and rejected the plan as “unacceptable,” Axios said.

It came a few days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would continue the military operation against Hamas until the group is destroyed, Gaza is "demilitarized,” and its residents “deradicalized.”

Hezbollah announced on Saturday that it had fired 62 missiles at an Israeli air surveillance base near the Lebanese border. The barrage was an “initial response” to the assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut earlier this week, the Lebanese militants declared.

Incoming rocket alerts sounded across northern Israel on Saturday as dozens of missiles struck the base atop Mount Meron, the highest summit in Israeli territory outside the Golan Heights. The base is home to a radar station and surveillance apparatus used to direct Israeli warplanes over Lebanon and parts of Syria, and to intercept communications from both countries.

“As part of the initial response to the crime of assassinating the great leader Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri…the Islamic resistance targeted the Meron air control base with 62 missiles of various types,” Hezbollah said in a statement.

The Lebanese paramilitary group described the Meron base as “the sole center for administration, monitoring, and air control in the north of the usurping entity [Israel],” without which Israel has “no viable alternative.”

Video footage shared on social media purportedly showed a number of missiles impacting the base, as well as dense black smoke rising from several points on the mountaintop after the barrage.

📽 Video taken by zionist settlers of the moment the Lebanese resistance #Hezbollah's missiles accurately hit Meron Air Base in occupied #Palestine this morning. pic.twitter.com/axYjTKxODj

— Marwa Osman || مروة عثمان (@Marwa__Osman) January 6, 2024

pic.twitter.com/pTlttvYuob

— Hussein Issa | حسين عيسى (@husseinissa2) January 6, 2024

Shortly after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October, Hezbollah declared itself “at war” with the Jewish state. Engaging in tit-for-tat exchanges with the IDF, the Lebanese militants have until recently waged a limited campaign aimed at tying up Israeli forces near the border, thereby preventing their deployment to Gaza. 

Hezbollah described the killing as a “serious assault on Lebanon,” that it would not let “pass without response and punishment.” In a speech the day after the strike, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that a “response is coming,” adding that the “decision has already been made.”

“If the enemy thinks about waging war against Lebanon, then our fighting will be with no ceiling, with no limits, with no rules. And they know what I mean,” Nasrallah said. “We are not afraid of war. We don’t fear it. We are not hesitant.”

Speaking during a visit to Lebanon on Saturday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that “nobody will win” if Israel and Lebanon get dragged into an open conflict. 

The use of swear words has become more widely accepted in modern British society in recent years, due to people finding alternative definitions for language previously considered distasteful, a linguistics expert has said.

The two most commonly used curses in the UK – “f*ck” and “sh*t” – are often used in informal conversations as a point of emphasis or to build social bonds, recent academic research has revealed, rather than solely to cause offense.

“Swearing, as well as all language used, is entirely context-dependent and context-specific,” an English-language lecturer at Birmingham’s Aston University, Dr Robbie Love, says in a Guardian article on Saturday.

“It’s what you do with the word and how the various functions, as far as performed, that informs the perception of how acceptable it is,” he explained.

The academic’s comments follow a BBC Radio segment earlier this week in which presenter Mishal Husain challenged UK Home Secretary James Cleverly over statements he is alleged to have made over UK government policy. In the interview, Husain asked Cleverly if he had, as reported, used words like “batsh*t” to describe the UK’s controversial Rwanda migrant-deportation proposal.

According to Love, Husain was “referring to the word that [Cleverly had allegedly] used and [was] asking whether he said it. In that context, I would argue that it’s more likely to be considered acceptable, than if she suddenly said at the end of the story, ‘Well, that was a load of sh*t, wasn’t it?”

His point was echoed by Yehuda Baruch, a management professor at the University of Southampton, who says swearing is prevalent in all walks of society – even among high level professionals, such as doctors and lawyers where it is often used to bolster team cohesion and relieve stress.

“Unfortunately, it is effective,” Baruch says in the Guardian report. “This is the new language and we have to live with it.”

Dr Love, who has published academic studies into swearing trends in informal conversations, and into the use of the word ‘f*ck’ by British teenagers, added that taboos have eroded around the use of many curse words.

Similarly, words or phrases that would have been socially unacceptable a generation ago are now commonplace, Love said, and are now used to form social bonds, or as a means of emphasis or social intimacy.

The White House desperately needs congressional approval of its major aid package for Ukraine if support for Kiev is to continue, Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, told journalists on Friday. Washington has very few other options left to continue the aid flow, she said, warning that time is running out.

The US provided Ukraine with a $250 million arms package in late December, deemed the last one due to a lack of funding. According to Young, the administration of President Joe Biden decided to forgo its drawdown authority, allowing it to take weapons from existing US stockpiles and send them to Kiev. These stocks cannot be refilled without funding that is yet to be approved by Congress.

The Pentagon still has some limited authority to provide the Ukrainian military with weapons, but “that is not going to get big tranches of equipment into Ukraine,” the official added. Earlier this week, Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder also said the US Defense Department was running “out of money” for Ukraine.

“Yes, Kiev might have a little time from other donors to make sure they can keep their war footing, keep the civil service, but what happens in the [European Union], in other NATO allies, if the US pulls out their support?” she told journalists at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

The official warned that such a development might also prompt other nations to withdraw their support for Kiev. “What message does that send to the rest of the world? And what will their decisions be if they see the United States not step up to the plate?”

At the same time, another major donor – the EU – also saw its major aid package to Kiev delayed due to internal disagreements. A planned four-year scheme worth some €50 billion ($55 billion) was vetoed by Hungary late last year, with deliberations on it pushed into 2024.

Amid such developments, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour earlier this week that his nation had no “plan B” without the US military aid. He also reiterated Kiev’s demands for combat drones, long-range missiles, and air defense capabilities, among other gear.

The Russian economy will inevitably slow down in 2024 due to tight monetary policies pursued by the central bank, RIA Novosti reported on Saturday, citing a consensus outlook for the Russia's GDP growth.

Gross domestic product is expected to see a moderate increase of 1.6% compared to the previous projection of 3.5%.

The slowdown will occur due to a reduction in state investment and subsidies of the construction sector, as private investment will not have a chance to turn into a full-fledged driver of the economy, according to Aleksander Abramov, head of the Laboratory for Analysis of Institutions and Financial Markets at RANEPA, as cited by the news agency.

“In 2024, we expect GDP growth at 1.5-2% with the main driver most likely to be demand from the population,” Abramov said.

According to Oleg Abelev, head of research at Ricom-Trust Investment Company, growth will also be dragged down by the weakening ruble.

“Further economic growth will be facilitated by maintaining a stimulating fiscal policy, structurally high demand for investment in core assets, further growth of incomes amid a labor shortage, and policies supporting a faster increase in the minimum living wage,” Popov said.

Analysts polled by the news agency share the view that the Bank of Russia will not rush to soften its monetary policy, although the regulator has already completed its hawkish cycle.

On December 15, the central bank raised the interest rate by 100 basis points to 16%, explaining that inflationary pressures remained high. That marked the fifth hike since summer, when the base rate was 7.5%.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

The Scottish government has refused to allocate £10 million ($12.7 million) to local authorities to help them meet the costs of providing temporary accommodation for Ukrainian refugees, the Daily Record reported on Friday.

As a result, officials said they may pull staff from the hotels that have been housing Ukrainian refugees at the state's expense, according to the news outlet.

Labour MSP Mark Griffin said the decision not to continue the funding would be a “betrayal” for the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) if it failed to “live up to its lofty rhetoric” of supporting Ukraine, the paper reported.

“We have real concerns that the changes and withdrawal of previously anticipated funding for 23/24 will result in unintended consequences and impact the country’s support program as a whole,” deputy leader of Edinburgh Council Mandy Watt told the Daily Record.

More than 20,000 people from Ukraine have come to the UK through Scotland's “super sponsorship” scheme, social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said in December. Under the program, Ukrainians could choose the Scottish government as a visa sponsor, which allowed them to quickly get permission to come to Scotland and be temporarily housed. Many of them were placed in hotels and on cruise ships.

Ukrainians have been fleeing to the UK in search of refuge since the conflict between Moscow and Kiev escalated in February 2022. However, a study for the British Red Cross published last month revealed that thousands of Ukrainians could face “homelessness” this winter.

“We expect thousands of men, women, and children from Ukraine to become homeless here in the UK,” said Olivia Field, head of policy and advocacy at the British Red Cross. She added that it is “difficult” for them to get the help they need to find long-term housing, and they are “often unable to meet upfront rental costs.”

Britain faces a housing deficit that would take “at least half a century to fill,” the Center for Cities think tank estimated last year. It said the UK had a backlog of 4.3 million homes compared to the average European country.

The Irish government will cut welfare rates and reduce the time new arrivals from Ukraine can stay in public housing to 90 days, starting at the end of January, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said.

The leader of Russia’s Republic of Chechnya has said US sanctions do not bother him or his family members, and that his proposal to release Ukrainian POWs in exchange for Washington dropping the restrictions on his relatives was just “trolling.” 

During an address to members of the Chechen security forces in Grozny on Friday, Ramzan Kadyrov suggested that 20 Ukrainian troops, who were captured during the fighting in Donbass and are now being held in the republic, could be handed over to Kiev if the Americans “lift the sanctions against my mother, my daughters, innocent people and horses, except for me.”

Kadyrov later wrote a post on Telegram, claiming that “the lives of ordinary Ukrainians mean nothing to the US leaders.” 

“They only care about their own interests, so I made that statement to reveal the true face of the American politicians,” he explained.

The Chechen leader said it was “obvious” that, despite his family having nothing to do with politics, the US authorities would not agree to his proposal, but “it’s interesting to hear their excuses [for not doing so], if there’ll be any.”

“Ritter, unlike some, understood this trolling correctly,” the leader of Chechnya said of his offer. “As for the sanctions, they don’t interfere with our lives in any way,” he added.

The US blacklisted Kadyrov’s family members – including his wife and daughters – in 2020, accusing Chechen authorities of “gross human rights violations.” In August last year, financial restrictions and a travel ban were also imposed on Aymani Kadyrova – the Chechen leader’s mother. According to Washington, she was targeted for running the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, which the US claimed was involved in the “re-education” of Ukrainian children evacuated by Russia from the conflict zone.

Ukrainian web dictionary MySlovo has declared ‘mobilization’ the word of the year. In a post published on Friday, the lexicon said that the choice hinged on the word being “at the center of public debate” fueled by a “controversial mobilization bill” submitted to the parliament in late December.

The legislation in question is a response to huge battlefield losses incurred by Ukraine's army in its conflict with Russia, and proposes lowering the mobilization age from 27 to 25, eliminating exemptions for some categories of disabled people as well as introducing harsher measures against draft dodgers.

MySlovo also noted that ‘mobilization’ had overtaken the word ‘counteroffensive’ – a reference to Kiev’s much-hyped push that started in early summer but failed to gain substantial ground. The authors of the post also pointed out that the latter word “unfortunately received far more media support than logistics and, as a result, brought more frustration than visible results.”

Other notable mentions also harked back in one way or another to the ongoing hostilities, including ‘draft dodger,’ ‘positional war,’ and ‘drone.’ The phrase ‘eggs for 17 hryvnias ($0.45) each,’ also made it to the list, an apparent reference to a corruption scandal in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, which allegedly procured various foodstuffs at exorbitant prices.

The word ‘blockade’ also proved to be popular both in the context of Russia’s naval operations on the Black Sea and Polish haulers and farmers’ protests on the border between the two states. The latter have opposed EU regulations they claim give unfair advantages to their Ukrainian counterparts.

The only word not directly associated with the conflict was ‘AI’ (artificial intelligence), although the dictionary suggested that its presence was “related to the integration of AI into military systems.”

Ukraine announced mobilization in February 2022 shortly after the start of the conflict with Russia, with the recruitment drive marred by corruption and draft dodging. However, during its counteroffensive, Kiev started actively mulling new measures to call up more soldiers in mid-2023. According to Moscow, Ukraine has lost around 160,000 troops since the start of the botched push in early June.

An Indian warship intercepted a merchant ship on Friday, which had been hijacked in the Arabian Sea off the Somalian coast. All members of the crew, including 15 Indian nationals, have been rescued, the Navy said.

The MV Lila Norfolk, a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier that had been boarded by six armed men, had been kept under continuous surveillance since the incident, through a combination of maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), MQ9B predator drones, and helicopters, the military said.

The INS Chennai, a Kolkata class stealth-guided missile destroyer on “anti-piracy” patrol in the region, was diverted towards the hijacked ship after the Navy received a distress call on Thursday.

After the Indian destroyer caught up with the ship, marine commandos (MARCOs) boarded the vessel and commenced “sanitization,” the military said in a statement. The hijackers, however, were not found during the operation.

The INS Chennai remains in the vicinity of the merchant vessel and is “rendering support to restore the power generation and propulsion, to commence her voyage to next port of call”, the Navy added.

New Delhi has increased its naval presence in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden amid attacks on passing vessels by Yemen-based Houthi rebels acting “in solidarity with Gaza”. India has deployed five guided missile destroyers and continues to “monitor the maritime security situation,” the Navy said.

The development comes weeks after another vessel, the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen, was hijacked in the area en route from Gwangyang, South Korea. The Indian Navy responded to a distress call and assisted in the evacuation of an injured crew member from the hijacked vessel.

In a separate incident last month, MV Chem Pluto, a Japanese-owned and Liberian-flagged vessel with 20 Indians on board, came under attack from suspected drones 400 kilometers west of the Indian coast. In the aftermath of the attack, which the US blamed on drones “fired from Iran,” New Delhi promised “strict action against the attacks.”

Senior UK officials are compiling a dossier on former US President Donald Trump in anticipation of his potential victory in the 2024 election, which could cause turmoil on the global stage, inews reported on Friday.

The website claimed, citing unnamed sources, that the Foreign Office is spearheading the campaign to compile an assessment of the 45th US president’s stance on “key issues affecting the UK, such as the Ukraine crisis, the Middle East and international trade.” Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Karen Pierce, is said to be the main figure leading the effort.

According to inews, UK Conservative party officials worry that if Trump beats incumbent Joe Biden, he could “chuck a massive grenade into global geopolitics.” One unnamed official told the outlet that Trump’s reelection “absolutely makes an enormous difference” as the UK has become more dependent on America’s stance on global affairs since Brexit.

The report also suggested that Britain had drawn conclusions from Trump’s win in 2016 and would not underestimate him again. “I suspect they will be saying, ‘We screwed it up last time…’ I think there will be fierce activity, contact-building, and trying to be in the room,” a source said.

Several recent polls have suggested that the former president – widely considered to be the Republican frontrunner for the nomination – is leading Biden. A November New York Times and Siena College survey also found that the incumbent was trailing Trump in five battleground states.

Regarding Trump’s views on foreign policy, he suggested that he would end the Ukraine conflict within hours if elected while criticizing Biden’s handling of the crisis. He is also known for his hawkish stance on Iran, which plays an important role in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel.

Under Trump, the US and the UK sought to maintain their “special relationship” dating back to WWII, but his tenure was marred by several major scandals between the two countries. In 2019, the ex-president called then-UK ambassador to Washington Kim Darroch a “very stupid guy” after British media published memos where the envoy allegedly doubted that the Trump administration could become “less dysfunctional.”

Russia maintained its position as the top oil and gas supplier to Türkiye in 2023, the Hurriyet newspaper reported on Saturday, citing data from Ankara’s Energy Market Regulatory Authority.

In October, the share of Russian gas in Türkiye’s imports reportedly amounted to 59.14%, while Russian oil accounted for 49.93% of national consumption, an increase from 40.74% in October 2022.

According to the paper, deferring payments for Russian natural gas last year “had a calming effect on Ankara in solving economic problems.”

In May, Moscow agreed to postpone the settlement of Türkiye's gas bills. Under the terms of the deal, up to $4 billion in Turkish energy payments to Russia were reportedly put off until 2024.

Last month, Reuters reported that the Turkish government and companies had managed to save around $2 billion on energy bills in 2023 by increasing imports of discounted Russian oil and refined products.

China and India have been importing even larger volumes of Russian oil and gas, but Türkiye's proximity to Russian ports helps Ankara to save more than other buyers, thanks to lower shipping costs.

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Alaska Airlines has said it is “temporarily” grounding its fleet of Boeing 737 Max-9 planes after one of them lost a window and a section of the fuselage in mid-air on Friday, forcing an emergency landing in the US state of Oregon.

The airline said the jet, which was carrying 174 passengers and six crewmembers, landed safely after it returned to Portland, 35 minutes into a scheduled flight to California. Flight tracking data indicated that the aircraft had reached an altitude of 16,000ft (4876m) before it began its emergency descent.

“Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure,” the company said late on Friday. It added that it had taken the step of “temporarily grounding” its fleet of 65 Boeing Max-9 planes until a full investigation is completed.

NEW IMAGE from on board Alaska Airlines 1282 after ***part of the fuselage*** blew out mid-flight. Successful emergency return to Portland after 20 minutes in the air. 10-week-old (!) Boeing 737 Max 9. NTSB investigating. pic.twitter.com/qjX8fQ1br1

— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) January 6, 2024

The Max-9 is the latest of Boeing’s 737 series of twin-engine, single-aisle planes. The aircraft, which went into service in May 2017, is frequently used in US domestic flights.

Images posted to social media from inside the stricken airliner show a gaping hole in its left side, behind the wing and engine. Others show the seat closest to the affected area, which was apparently unoccupied, having been damaged in the incident.

“My heart goes out to those who were on this flight,” Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said in the statement issued by the airline on Friday night. “I am so sorry for what you experienced.” He added that he was “grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants.”

Boeing said it had been made aware of the incident and was “working to gather more information,” and that it had a technical team standing by to support an investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration, meanwhile, confirmed that the aircraft had reported a pressurization problem and that it had launched an investigation.

In order to resume operations, each Max aircraft underwent significant safety modifications. Around 1,300 Boeing 737 Max-9 planes are thought to be currently in operation, according to data from the manufacturer.

Ukrainian viewers are turning away from Telemarathon United News, a round-the-clock multi-channel broadcast set up as single source of televised information about the conflict with Russia, because it has turned into a “little more than a mouthpiece for the government,” the New York Times has reported.

Telemarathon United News was created on the order of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and gets 40% its funding from the government. Opposition channels have been denied participation in the project.

The broadcast has been jointly produced by Ukraine’s six leading networks since the start of the fighting between Moscow and Kiev in early 2022. The NYT report this week described the 24/7 broadcast as “a major tool of Ukraine’s information war,” which was “crucial… for holding the country together.”

But, after two years of conflict, “Ukrainians have grown weary of Telemarathon,” the paper acknowledged. Viewers now increasingly complain that it “often paints too rosy a picture of the war, hiding worrying developments on the frontline and the West’s eroding support for Ukraine,” it said.

Telemarathon’s audience has shrunk from 40% of Ukraine’s total viewership in March 2022 to just 10%, according Svetlana Ostapa, deputy chief editor of Detector Media, a Ukrainian media watchdog.

Detector Media’s Igor Kulias said that throughout 2023, Telemarathon had emphasized “the effectiveness and skill of the Ukrainian forces,” while Russian troops were portrayed “as being in a state of panic, experiencing significant losses and surrendering en masse.” However, it was “a completely different reality” from what was actually happening on the ground, he pointed out.

According to Kulias’ data, more than 68% of the political guests of the program last year were from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party.

Golos party MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, who heads the Ukrainian parliament’s committee on freedom of speech, claimed earlier this month that Telemarathon had blinded people to the fact that the conflict with Russia would be a prolonged one and would require more sacrifices.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has signaled that he intends to pull the US out of NATO if he wins the 2024 election, Politico reported on Friday, citing sources.

According to three people familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking, he made the remarks privately while speaking to supporters. Publicly, the American entrepreneur of Indian descent has described Washington’s potential withdrawal from the military alliance – in which it plays the leading role – as a “reasonable idea.”

Tricia Mclaughlin, the spokeswoman for Ramaswamy’s campaign, neither confirmed nor denied the reported plans. However, she told Politico that her boss had “serious concerns that most NATO allies fail to meet their military investment commitments.” 

According to Mclaughlin, the presidential candidate “also believes that post Cold War NATO expansionism has unnecessarily increased the risk of major conflict with Russia.”

Numerous media reports suggested that Trump threatened to pull his country out of the US-led military bloc during his first term in 2018 while urging Washington’s allies to ramp up their defense spending. The GOP frontrunner’s current campaign platform is more vague on the matter, stating: “we have to finish the process… of fundamentally re-evaluating NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission.”

Amid reported concerns in Europe that Trump might try to abandon Washington's NATO commitments, US President Joe Biden last month signed an $886 billion bill funding the Pentagon which, among other things, would require congressional approval for the US president to leave the alliance.

Questions about NATO’s fate have intensified with the alliance locked in a standoff with Russia over the Ukraine conflict, with members providing massive military assistance to Kiev, a campaign repeatedly denounced in Moscow. Russia has for decades viewed the alliance’s expansion toward its borders as an existential threat, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying that Ukraine’s desire to join the bloc was one of the key triggers of the current conflict.

More than 55,000 businesses were shut down in France in 2023, marking a record high for company closures since 2017, according to data compiled at the close of December by the Bank of France.

The statistics released by the regulator on Saturday show that 55,492 companies, on average, have faced bankruptcy or liquidation over the past 12 months.

Although the recorded surge in closures was significant, the Bank of France noted that the level is still below the average annual bankruptcy filings of 59,342 scored between 2010 and 2019. The pandemic years saw a considerably lower number of companies going out of business, almost half of the current figures.

According to the report, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were bearing the brunt of the closures in 2023. Businesses, employing up to 250 people, accounted for vast majority of the total, with 55,435 closures.

Meanwhile, medium and large firms with over 250 employees, also saw an increase in closures, the regulator noted, adding that their numbers reached 57, doubling from 2022.

The country’s agricultural sector was the only one recording a drop of 1.3% in the  number of bankruptcy filings.

In December, the Financial Times reported that the number of corporate bankruptcies across the world exceeded levels reached during the 2008 global financial crisis.

Analysts attribute the surge to higher key rates, as well as self-liquidation of so-called ‘zombie firms,’ which had pulled through the Covid era only thanks to government support.

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The Israeli Foreign Ministry has ordered its embassies across the globe to pressure their host countries to reject South Africa’s genocide case against it at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Axios has reported, citing an urgent diplomatic cable.

Pretoria addressed the ICJ last week, claiming that Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza are “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part” of the Palestinian population. South Africa wants the The Hague-based court to issue an injunction ordering the IDF to suspend its military campaign in the enclave. More than 22,600 people have been killed in Gaza over the past three months, according to the local health ministry.

The cable, which was sent out by the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, stresses that Israel’s “strategic goals” are for the ICJ to reject South Africa’s request for an injunction, refrain from determining that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and acknowledge that the IDF’s actions in the enclave comply with nternational law, Axios said in an article on Saturday.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Israeli diplomats must pressure their counterparts and high-level politicians in host countries to issue “immediate and unequivocal public statement along the following lines: To publicly and clearly state that YOUR COUNTRY rejects the outragest, absurd and baseless allegations made against Israel.”

It’s also important for foreign nations “to publicly acknowledge that Israel is working to increase the humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as to minimize damage to civilians, while acting in self defense after the horrible October 7 attack by a genocidal terrorist organization [Hamas],” the cable read.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that Israeli diplomats must urgently work on obtaining such statements so that they come out before the ICJ hearings begin on January 11. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also send letters to dozens of world leaders, relaying a similar message, it added.

The EU is considering alternative ways to keep funding Ukraine, in case member states fail to bypass a veto by Hungary, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. Budapest earlier blocked a €50 billion ($55 billion) assistance package for Kiev amid the conflict with Russia.

Speaking at a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Friday, von der Leyen stressed that the EU must “urgently move forward on stabilizing our financial aid” to Ukraine.

Reaching a consensus between all 27 member states is the “first priority… But of course we must prepare for other options. These are operational solutions that we are preparing right now,” she said, without giving details.

Von der Leyen recalled that just before Christmas, the EU adopted an €18 billion ($20 billion) support package for Kiev, to help “Ukraine finance their needs for the beginning of this year” and give Brussels some leeway when negotiating the main funding package. “But of course we have to work as hard and as fast as possible to deliver,” the top official added.

Balazs Orban, an adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has said Budapest could drop its opposition to the effort if Brussels unblocks all of the €30 billion earmarked for Hungary – which were withheld over a perceived crackdown on democracy. The EU has so far unfrozen only one third of the sum, citing Budapest’s progress on judicial reforms.

The Financial Times reported late last month that the EU was working on a mechanism to bypass the Hungarian veto, that would see member states provide guarantees to the EU budget, thereby allowing Brussels to borrow some €20 billion for Kiev.

An EU special summit on funding Ukraine will take place on February 1. Since the start of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, the EU has provided Ukraine with more than $91 billion in various forms of aid. Russia has repeatedly denounced arms shipments to Kiev, while warning that continued support is becoming a serious burden for EU taxpayers.

China’s first domestically manufactured electric airplane successfully completed its maiden flight this week, the country’s media reported on Friday.

The AG60E plane, developed by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Corporation, took off from Jiande Qiandaohu Airport in east China’s Zhejiang Province on Wednesday. It landed at the same airport after conducting a short test flight, China Daily said, quoting the manufacturer.

The AG60E is an electrically modified version of the AG60, an all-metal, side-by-side two-seat, single-engine, light-weight aircraft. The AG60 was designed for civilian purposes such as flight training, agricultural surveys, and aerial sightseeing.

The AG60E has a total length of 6.9 meters, a wingspan of 8.6 meters, and a maximum cruising speed of 185kph, according to Xinhua. The development of an electric version of the fixed-wing aircraft contributes to a strategic emerging industry, the manufacturer told the outlet.

Instead of jet fuel, electric planes are typically fitted with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and electric motors known for their zero-carbon-emission output. Alternative power sources include solar power or a hybrid, part-electric, part-combustion engine approach.

Rolls Royce launched what it described as the world’s fastest all-electric plane in 2021. Global high-tech startup AutoFlight, which started in China and has manufacturing and test facilities in Shanghai, has been working on an electric, vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Europe’s Airbus has also been running electric flight projects since 2010.

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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has urged the United States to end its economic penalties on Venezuela, part of a sweeping proposal to tackle Latin America’s migration crisis.

Speaking during a Friday press conference, Obrador described a multi-step plan to address the surge in immigration across the region, saying he had asked the US government to set aside $20 billion for the initiative and grant visas to some 10 million long-term Hispanic residents working in the United States.

He added that he also requested an end to economic sanctions targeting both Cuba and Venezuela during talks with senior US officials last month, instead calling for a “humane policy” with a “social dimension.”

The president has been highly critical of the penalties in the past, arguing they have only worsened the migration crisis. During a speech in October, he vowed to “keep insisting on addressing the root causes of migration, the origins, go deep, stop politicking, thinking rights are above ideology, that sanctions cannot be maintained – blockades – and that the poorest countries have to be helped.”

Washington has long maintained harsh sanctions on Cuba, instituting a full-scale trade embargo on the island in 1962, in the wake of the socialist overthrow of President Fulgencio Batista. Penalties against Venezuela are more recent, with former US President Donald Trump imposing sanctions on the country’s oil industry in 2017 and gradually stepping up the measures in the following years. President Joe Biden has continued many of the same policies, but relaxed some sanctions on Caracas after negotiations between the country’s ruling party and opposition.

The UK Royal Navy has been forced to post job ads on LinkedIn as it struggles to recruit a new rear admiral to preside over the country’s submarine fleet, a move dubbed “unprecedented” and “shameful” by British military sources. 

The advertisement was spotted by UK media outlets on Friday, after first appearing on the professional networking site late last month. While senior officers typically rise through the ranks, the Times reported that “there is currently no one serving who is suitable” to replace outgoing submarine director Rear Admiral Simon Asquith, or who is willing to do so.

“The Royal Navy is recruiting for a director of submarines, responsible for highly classified stealth, elite operations and trident, our nuclear deterrent,” the Royal Navy recruitment ad said, noting that “Candidates must be a member of the reserves forces or have served with the regular forces.”

In comments to the Times, an unnamed former senior submariner slammed the online recruitment drive as “utterly shameful,” claiming that “the only person who applied was a weapons engineer commodore, who was not properly qualified,” soon after the ad went live.

Another military source described the decision as “unprecedented,” suggesting it highlighted a recruitment crisis in the British armed forces, particularly the Royal Navy.

Earlier this week, the Telegraph noted that the navy was so strapped for personnel that it would be forced to decommission two warships in order to properly man a new class of frigates. The vessels facing the cut are the HMS Argyll and the HMS Westminster – the latter of which recently completed costly renovations.

UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has also floated plans to retire a pair of amphibious assault ships due to a lack of manpower, according to the Times, while recent figures published by the Defense Ministry show a nearly 4% decline across the armed forces in 2023.

A Royal Navy spokesperson declined to elaborate on the LinkedIn ad, saying it would be “inappropriate to comment ahead of any appointment being made,” but stressed that the military “is committed to ensuring that the navy has the capabilities it needs to meet current and future operational requirements.”

Gautam Adani, the Indian billionaire behind the Adani Group conglomerate, has again climbed to the top of Asia’s richest list, a day after New Delhi's Supreme Court refused to order a special probe into stock-market manipulation allegations against the company.

The industrialist is currently in 12th position on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with a net worth of $97.6 billion. He is placed just one rung above fellow Indian magnate, Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, who has a $97-billion personal fortune. Notably, Adani’s net worth rose by $7.67 billion in the last 24 hours, buoyed by a surge in the stock prices of his companies.

In a major relief to the 61-year-old, this week the apex court directed the nation’s stock-market regulator SEBI to complete an ongoing investigation into the group within a period of three months, instead of ordering a special investigation.

Allegations against the group were first made last year by American research firm Hindenburg, which described the firm as “highly overvalued” and claimed it engaged in “brazen stock manipulation.” In the wake of these claims, the value of the group dipped by about $145 billion in market value at its lowest point. At the time, Adani’s personal fortune was also dealt a serious blow.

On Wednesday, ahead of the Supreme Court verdict, Adani Group stocks rose by 18%, The Times of India reported. At the close of the day’s session all Adani stocks were in the green, led by Adani Energy Solutions, with a 12% surge.

In August last year, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an international investigative platform, hit Adani Group with fresh allegations. The OCCRP report claimed that millions of dollars were invested in publicly traded shares via “opaque” Mauritius funds linked to business partners of the Adani family, another suspected stock-market violation.

Reacting to the allegation, the Adani Group linked the OCCRP to American billionaire-cum-philanthropist George Soros “who has openly declared his hostility against the Adani Group.” After the Hindenburg report was published, Soros had raised questions over Adani’s alleged ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Delivering its verdict on Thursday, the Supreme Court bench said that such reports by independent groups or investigators may “act as inputs before the SEBI. “However, they cannot be relied upon as conclusive proof of the inadequacy of the investigation by SEBI.”

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