🤡 South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell to a mere 25% just days before he declared martial law

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Meta* is trying to appease US president-elect Donald Trump by acknowledging its overly-strict censorship of its social media sites, the Financial Times reports.

The report suggests that Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg wants to play an active role in discussions with the incoming US government over tech policies.

*banned in Russia

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The South Korean Armed Forces have broken into the Parliament

Footage from social media

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❗️ The South Korean Parliament has voted to lift martial law, the Speaker says

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📹 South Korean troops are leaving the Parliament building in Seoul

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🪖 South Korea under martial law: what we know right now

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law at 11 pm Tuesday amid opposition attempts to impeach senior officials and legislative battles over the budget. Here are the details.

The move was aimed at “protecting” South Korea “from North Korean communist and anti-state forces” and preserving “the free constitutional order,” Yoon said.

🔸 ROK Army Chief-of-Staff Gen. Park An-su was tapped to implement the decision, suspending parliament and political parties, taking control over all media and banning the spread of so-called “fake news,” on penalty on arrest without warrant.

🔸 The army deployed to the streets of Seoul, while small groups of protesters seen scuffling with police outside the National Assembly Proceeding Hall parliament building, shouting “End martial law!”

🔸 As troops arrived, protesters chided security forces and warned they would “regret” the “sin that will go down in history” of complying with orders from their superiors.

🔸 South Korea’s ruling People Power leader Han Dong-hoon slammed Yoon’s decision, vowing to end the crackdown “together with the people.” The party is known to be divided between pro-Yoon and Yoon-neutral factions.

🔸 Opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung called the martial law announcement “illegal” and “unconstitutional,” accused Yoon of “betraying the people” and said the president had lost his legitimacy.

🔸 Addressing soldiers, Lee said “the guns and bayonets you have, the power you have, comes from the people.”

🔸 Democratic Party Parliament Speaker Woo Won-shik urged his fellow lawmakers to try to gather in parliament building.

🔸 The White House said it’s “in contact” with ROK authorities and “monitoring the situation closely.”

🔸 North Korea has yet to officially react.

🔸 This is the first time martial law has been declared since 1980. South Korea hasn’t been under military rule since 1987.

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📞 A phone conversation between Putin and Erdogan took place at the initiative of the Turkish side, the Kremlin says.

During the call, Putin and Erdogan discussed in detail the sharply escalating situation in Syria.

Putin stressed the need for a prompt end to the terrorist aggression against Syria.

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Reporters: "Why did you pardon your son!?"

Biden (in Africa): "Welcome to America."

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Joe Biden, during his visit to Angola:

"We Bidens are like poor relatives. We show up when we're invited, we stay longer when we should, eat all your food, and don't know when to go home."

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Birds of a feather: how are HTS terrorists in Syria linked to the Ukrainian regime?

Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS), known until 2016 as the al-Qaeda*-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, has managed to seize Aleppo due to the support of Ukrainian advisers, a source close to the Syrian special services told Sputnik.

What's known about HTS cooperation with the Kiev regime?

🔸 In mid-September, a Syrian source revealed to Sputnik that HTS terrorists in Idlib had received components for hundreds of drones disguised as civilian goods from the Ukrainian military.

🔸 The source noted that Ukrainian instructors had arrived in Idlib to train the terrorists to produce, modernize and use the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

🔸 The Syrian newspaper Al Watan and the Turkish newspaper Aydinlik reported the same month that Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR), had been in contact with the head of HTS Abu Mohammad al-Julani, attempting to recruit fighters for joint operations against Russia.

🔸 Abu Mohammad al-Julani fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)*– a terror organization ISIS emerged from - and founded Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

🔸 Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova drew attention to Ukraine-HTS cooperation on September 20: the Kiev regime "has long been betting on terrorism, threatening the entire world with unpredictable and extremely dangerous consequences," she said.

🔸 On December 1, the Ukrainian press reported that HTS "had received operational training from special forces troops from the Khimik group of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate"

🔸 In 2023 the Russian Investigative Committee indicted Budanov of committing over 100 acts of terrorism on the territory of Russia.

*banned in Russia

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The South Korean Armed Forces reportedly broke into the office of the opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, attempting to arrest him, the news agency Yonhap says

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📹 THROWBACK: In 2023, Joe Biden sent US nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea for the first time in four decades. This move came after the wanna-be dictator President Yoon visited Washington, DC, where he entertained distinguished guests by performing the song "American Pie."

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🔸 South Korea under martial law: what we know right now

🔸 Crisis in Syria: who controls what?

🔸 How are HTS terrorists in Syria linked to the Ukrainian regime?

🔸 What’s behind Scholz’s visit to Ukraine?

🔸 Is West about to get another ‘lame duck’ president as French gov’t faces collapse?

🔸 Germany’s FM and her cringe diplomacy during China trip

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Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal: Expectations vs. reality

Israel and the Shiite Lebanese movement of Hezbollah reached a ceasefire deal on November 27.

What are both sides expecting?

🔸 Israel would withdraw from southern Lebanon and not carry out any offensive operations against Lebanese targets

🔸 Hezbollah was to relocate its forces north of the Litani River and refrain from operations against Israel

🔸 The 60-day cessation of hostilities was lauded as a basis for a lasting truce

What's the reality?

◾️ Israel and Lebanon traded accusations of truce violations the following day after the truce

◾️ The Israeli military fired on people in southern Lebanon who it alleged were violating the ceasefire terms on November 28

◾️ The IDF attacked a Hezbollah facility in southern Lebanon, also on November 28

◾️ On the same day, Israel’s air strike targeted an area near Baysariyah, north of the Litani River, claimed Lebanese security sources

◾️ Hezbollah launched two mortar shells at the Mount Dov area in response to Israel’s “repeated violations” of the ceasefire and as an “initial warning” on December 2

◾️ IDF fighter jets targeted Hezbollah operatives, rocket launchers, and facilities across Lebanon on December 2, the military said in a statement

◾️ Israeli airstrikes targeted border crossings between Lebanon and Syria in the al-Qusayr area on December 2, according to Syria’s Sham FM radio

◾️ The Israeli military has been fortifying military bases and demolishing Palestinian buildings in central Gaza in recent months in likely preparation for long-term control over the area, according to Israeli officials and a New York Times analysis of satellite images and video footage

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❗️ South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol says he will lift martial law at the Cabinet meeting

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