❗️Finland-Sweden cables cut 'accidentally' - Finnish transport agency
#Finland #Sweden
RT Exclusive: Democracy questioned only if liberals lose - Hungary FM
Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó talks to RT about the Western hypocrisy evident in the EU-centric outrage over Georgia's elections.
#Georgia
Video: Ukrainian draft official threatens to stab man in the eye with a pen
Intense footage from the city of Poltava shows a Ukrainian man being threatened by one of the country’s notoriously violent draft officers, who says he is going to stab the reluctant recruit in the eye with his pen.
Props to the young man for keeping his composure while almost getting himself into The Dark Knight magic trick situation.
#Ukraine
Bidens abusing their privileged position?
Plot twist.
#Biden #Hunter
❗️Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has insisted that the organizers of the parliament building protests will be brought to justice.
#Georgia
❗️Israel strike targets vehicle on the road to Damascus International Airport — SANA
Unverified video being shared on social media reportedly shows the aftermath of the attack.
#IDF
❗️Russian forces claim gains in multiple regions of SMO — MoD
In its daily briefing, the Defense Ministry announced the liberation of Novodarovka in the Zaporozhye region and Romanovka in Donbass, reporting Ukrainian losses of 370 servicemen in the "Southern" group of troops' area of operations in a single day.
#RussianMoD
Syrian security forces told RIA Novosti that their air force destroyed a Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) command post near Khan Sheikhun, releasing video footage of the strike
#Syria
From Microsoft to vaccines... Bill Gates sees India as the world's ‘laboratory’
"It's kind of a laboratory to try things that then, when you prove them out in India, you can take to other places. And so our biggest non-US office for the foundation is in India, and then the most number of pilot rollout things we're doing anywhere in the world are with partners in India."
#RTIndia
Body-language experts have at it: German FM Baerbock meets with Chinese counterpart in Beijing
Annalena Baerbock arrived in Beijing on Monday for talks with Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi amid recent claims from Berlin that China was providing Russia with “weapons aid.”
Baerbock stressed that China's backing of Moscow could harm relations between Germany and China, urging Beijing to play a role in ending the conflict.
"Increasing Chinese support for Russia's war against Ukraine has an impact on our relations," Baerbock told Wang.
In response, Wang, highlighting the two nations' roles as major global powers, called on both to act responsibly in the current turbulent international landscape.
#Beijing
Trash and rubble: Displaced Gazans live in dire conditions
Facing acute shortages of food and water and lacking security, displaced Palestinians are now living in tents in Gaza City among piles of rubbish and rubble.
#IDF
Huge blaze breaks out near Canterbury Cathedral in UK
A large fire broke out at a former Debenhams store on Canterbury High Street, near the historic Canterbury Cathedral, late Monday night.
More than 40 firefighters have been working to tackle the blaze for over 10 hours.
Authorities have advised residents in the area to keep their windows and doors closed due to the heavy smoke.
#UK
Joe Biden just pardoned Hunter for absolutely everything for the last ten years
One of the perks of dementia is forgetting that you promised you wouldn’t do that.
Perhaps these memes will remind him…
#Hunter
Australia’s biggest bank to charge customers to withdraw own money — striving towards cashless society?
The Commonwealth Bank has announced major changes to its everyday account offerings, with customers holding a "Complete Access" account being switched to the "Smart Access" account beginning January 6, 2025.
As part of the transition, customers will face a $3 AUD fee for withdrawals made at bank branches, post offices, or by phone.
The bank, which is Australia's largest, defended the move as part of its commitment to providing the best banking experiences.
#Australia
Ukraine desperate to hold on to Kursk territory until Trump arrives — BBC
Ukrainian troops stationed in Russia's Kursk region have been ordered to hold their position until the swearing-in of Trump in January, according to the BBC.
Several brigades pushed into the area in August to divert Russian forces from the Donbass front, but conditions have grown increasingly dire.
Soldiers have sent bleak messages describing a battle they don’t fully understand and fear they are losing, citing chronic sleep deprivation, harsh weather, and relentless Russian bombardment. One soldier warned that defeat is "only a matter of time."
Video footage shared by the Russian MoD shows FPV drone crews destroying AFU armed vehicles in the Kursk region.
#SMO
❗️We must help peace in Ukraine conflict ASAP - Hungary FM to RT
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó insists to RT that the Russia-Ukraine conflict must be resolved peacefully as soon as possible, suggesting it must start with a ceasefire to allow negotiations to begin.
#Ukraine
Ukraine supplies Syrian jihadists with combat drones – reports
As the fight against terror groups rages in Syria, the issue of Kiev's involvement in the conflict has reemerged. Ukraine has long been accused of training militants in the region and providing them with drones.
RT's senior correspondent Murad Gazdiev has more on the story.
#Syria #Ukraine
10 dead from devastating India floods
Cyclone Fengal has left a trail of deadly destruction after striking the southern Indian regions of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the weekend, with the death toll up to 10 three days after the system made landfall.
At least 15 districts in Tamil Nadu have yellow weather warnings as floodwaters still pose a threat and forcing schools to remain closed in some districts.
#India
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized with leukemia — Report
The disgraced producer was rushed to Bellevue Hospital after receiving an "alarming blood test" as he had been diagnosed with leukemia.
"Mr. Weinstein, who is suffering from a number of illnesses, including leukemia, has been deprived the medical attention that someone in his medical state deserves, prisoner or not," Weinstein's representative said.
"It is expected that he will remain there until his condition stabilizes. His deprivation of care is not only medical malpractice but a violation of his constitutional rights." his attorney added.
#HarveyWeinstein
Un-American?: New Jersey council’s ‘props’ ban sparks outrage
The city council of Edison, New Jersey, kicked several locals out of a meeting after they waved an American flag and the Constitution in protest of a new rule banning "props" during public comments.
Council President Nishit Patel defended the ban, claiming the flag and Constitution were "not conducive to good order," although residents argued that treating such items as mere props was not only disrespectful but bordering on un-American.
Government overreach and a First Amendment violation, all neatly packaged in one meeting.
#NJ
HTS-affiliated terrorists plotting chemical attack on Aleppo province — Report
Sources cited by RIA claim Takfiri terrorists have transferred several toxic gas cylinders using supposed medical aid vehicles to areas near Jisr al-Shughur city south of Idlib, and in western Aleppo.
The reports indicate that ambulances belonging to the White Helmets - which claims to be an NGO but has previously been implicated in false-flag chemical attack operations - were used to prepare for the attack.
#Syria
NATO chief warns Trump: Unfavorable Ukraine peace deal a ‘terrible threat’ to US
Marke Rutte warned President-Elect Trump that forcing Ukraine into an unfavorable peace deal would be a “gift” to China, Russia, Iran, and DPRK, emboldening them to further aggression, the Financial Times reported.
He stated, “We cannot allow a situation where Kim Jong-un, Putin, Xi Jinping, and Iran are happy with each other because we have reached a deal that does not suit Ukraine because, in the long term, this will pose a serious security threat not only to Europe but also to the United States.”
#SMO
Alleged oil-smuggling scheme nets Iran $1 billion a year — Report
So-called ‘experts’ cited by Reuters claim a sophisticated fuel oil-smuggling network has apparently generated over $1 billion for Iran by exploiting subsidies for asphalt factories since Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani took power in 2022.
The sources claim up to 5 million barrels of oil are diverted from asphalt plants in Iraq for export through Asian markets, while Tehran allegedly skips US sanctions by using Iraq’s banking system.
#Iran #Iraq
Vietnam property tycoon facing death sentence for $12.5 billion embezzlement, appeal denied
Truong My Lan, chairwoman of one of the country's largest property firms, has had her appeal denied and still faces capital punishment for embezzlement and bribery worth $12.5 billion – about 3% of Vietnam's 2022 GDP.
She is accused of issuing 2,500 fake loans from 2012 to 2022, raising $1.2 billion from 36,000 investors through illegal bonds, and illegally moving over $4.5 billion in and out of Vietnam.
However, the death sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment if Lan’s lawyers can prove she has returned one-third of the stolen funds.
#Fraud
❗️Finland-Sweden authorities probe mysterious internet cable cut
Finnish police have opened a criminal investigation after two on-land internet cable cuts were discovered, with the army and Swedish Ministry of Defense alerted to the incident.
Reports indicate the cable breaks occurred sometime on Monday, coming weeks after two undersea internet cables were reportedly sabotaged, but it is unclear where exactly in Finland the incident took place.
#Finland #Sweden
Russian technicians defuse WWII German bomb
Russian emergency workers safely detonated a 250-kilogram German aerial bomb discovered at a Volgograd factory, preventing a potential catastrophe.
#WWII
Another night, another protest: Demonstrators shoot fireworks at Georgian police, officers respond with tear gas
#Protests
‘We must continue to back Ukraine’ — Keir Starmer
The UK prime minister emphasized the importance of placing Ukraine in the "strongest possible position for negotiations" to end its conflict with Russia.
Speaking at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, he reiterated Britain’s commitment to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes," but for the first time acknowledged the potential for a negotiated resolution.
Meanwhile, defacto Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky recently signaled his openness to the possibility of a ceasefire with Vladimir Putin.
#NATO
Trump suggests Canada become 51st US state over trade disputes — Report
The president-elect recently proposed to Canada’s Justin Trudeau that if tariffs on Ottawa’s products over trade and immigration issues could cripple its economy, perhaps the country should join the US as its 51st state, Fox News sources with knowledge of the conversation said.
This suggestion came after Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods if Canada and Mexico failed to curb illegal immigration and drug flows into the States.
Trudeau argued that such tariffs would devastate his economy, to which Trump retorted, asking if Canada could only survive by “ripping off the US to the tune of $100 billion” - the exchange reportedly left Trudeau and others nervously laughing.
#NAFTA
As German Chancellor Scholz hangs out with Zelensky in Kiev and promises €650mn in military aid to Ukraine, Volkswagen workers back home are striking over pay cuts and plant closures
Priorities.
#Germany
