📹 Palestinian journalists congratulate each other on the beginning of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The total number of Palestinian journalists stands at 206, according to the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip.

Footage by social media

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Scores of senior diplomats given marching orders as Trump purges Biden’s State Dept

A host of senior career diplomats are quitting the State Department as Donald Trump makes a clean break with the Joe Biden administration, The Washington Post reported.

The resignations, effective at noon on Monday, just before the inauguration, were on instructions from Trump’s aides, claimed unnamed US officials.

Trump has authorized over 20 “senior bureau officials” to take over vacated posts, with some of the newcomers having formerly serving in key roles during his first term, insiders added.

Among those departing are:

🔸 John Bass, the under secretary for management and acting undersecretary for political affairs,

🔸Geoff Pyatt, the assistant secretary for energy resources,

🔸Dan Kritenbrink, top diplomat for East Asia.

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❗️Ukraine lost over 460 militants in the Kursk region over the past day, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said

Russian forces destroyed four tanks and four armored combat vehicles in the Kursk region, the Ministry added.

In total, the enemy has lost more than 53,000 militants in the Kursk region since the start of hostilities.

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Turkish Consulate reopens in Syria

The Turkish Consulate-General in Aleppo, Syria, has resumed work after a 13-year hiatus.

The Turkish flag has been hoisted above the building of the diplomatic mission. The consulate will soon have a visa and passport department.

The Embassy of Turkiye in Damascus opened on December 14, 2024.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian LNG supplies to China surged to 8.3 million tons in 2024

The volume of Russian liquefied natural gas supplies to China in 2024 increased by 3.3% compared to 2023, according to China's Customs data.

🔹 Total volume reached 8.3 million tons, statistics show.

🔹 Imports in value decreased by 3.5%, to $4.99 billion. Russia is in third place among LNG suppliers to China.

🔹 Overall, Russia became China's top crude supplier in 2024, according to Chinese customs.

🔹 In the first 10 months of 2024, China imported 2.17 million b/d of Russian crude, up 2.2% year on year.

By 2030, total gas supplies from Russia to China, both pipeline and tanker-shipped, are projected to reach 85 billion cubic meters per year.

Сhina gets most of its Russian gas supplies via the Power of Siberia pipeline, set to reach its designed transportation capacity of 38 billion cubic meters in 2025.

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Footage captured at the school site targeted by Ukrainian forces in the village of Bekhtera, located in the Kherson region, shows the aftermath of the attack.

Two individuals were killed, and 23 others were injured, according to the latest information.

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🤝THROWBACK: The last meeting of Trump and Putin

This photo was taken at the G20 Summit in Osaka in June 2019.

A new face-to-face meeting might take place very soon.

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✍️ President Joe Biden issued pardons to Dr Anthony Fauci, retired General Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 events.

In a major exercise of his executive authority during his final hours in office, Biden sought to shield them from potential “revenge” by the incoming government of president-elect Donald Trump.

The move follows public warnings from Trump that he would target political opponents and those who blocked his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results or held him responsible for the January 6 2021 occupation of the Capitol Building by protesters.

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Butcher of the State Department: Blinken’s key role in inflaming global hotspots

Under Blinken’s watch the US sparked the worst security crisis in Europe since WWII, and fueled the most severe fighting between Jews and Palestinians since Israel’s creation in 1948.

🔥Ukraine Conflict

🟠In late 2022, Antony Blinken rejected a peace proposal by Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, favoring sending advanced weapons to Kiev, NYT revealed Saturday.

🟠Blinken was a key architect of the Ukrainian conflict, which could have been averted if the Biden administration had not insisted on NATO membership for Ukraine.

🟠In late 2021, Blinken assured Ukraine’s FM of NATO’s “unwavering commitment,” escalating tensions as Kiev amassed troops near Donbass.

🟠President Putin revealed in mid-2023 that Moscow and Kiev were close to a peace deal before NATO’s intervention derailed it.

🔥Gaza Crisis

🟠In October 2023, following a Hamas incursion, Israel launched its deadliest attack on Gaza.

🟠Standing by Netanyahu, Blinken vowed: “We will always be there by your side.”

🟠From late 2023 to mid-2024, the US supplied Israel with 14,000+ MK-84 bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, and other munitions.

By late 2023, Israel had dropped over 70,000 tons of bombs on Gaza—more than the tonnage dropped on Dresden, Hamburg, and London in WWII.

🔥Other Hotspots

🟠North Korea: Dismantled Trump’s diplomacy and formed a tripartite security pact with South Korea and Japan in 2021.

🟠China: Blinken escalated tensions in the East and South China Seas, supported Taiwan, and negotiated the AUKUS pact.

🟠Middle East: Backed Israel in missile confrontations with Iran, launched a campaign against Yemen’s Houthis, and facilitated the toppling of Syria’s Assad in late 2024.

🟠Africa: Involved in conflicts from Ethiopia and Libya to Sudan and the Sahel.

🟠Regime Change: Supported covert US efforts in Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Serbia, and Georgia.

Blinken’s legacy includes active support for the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, NATO’s 2011 assault on Libya, and the start of the war against Syria in 2011.

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❗️Russia congratulates US President-elect Trump on taking office, Putin said, emphasizing that Russia is open for dialogue with the Trump administration on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

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The art of politics? Elon Musk now graffiti inspiration for savvy street artists

In Rome, a group of Italian artists has created a striking mural portraying European and US leaders as Tesla bots perched on Elon Musk’s lap or beside the Tesla founder. The artwork is titled "Optimuses and Ventriloquist".

So is Musk now the center of the political universe who has Western leaders wrapped around his finger?

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🇮🇷 WATCH Iranian army show off anti-aircraft drones at military drills

The nationwide Eqtedar 1403 exercises have been running since January 11 and are aimed at simulating realistic battlefield conditions with the opportunity to test various advanced, domestically produced air defense systems.

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