(2021-12-27). Turkey's Economic Difficulties and the Fate of Erdogan. journal-neo.org 
Turkey's economy is in freefall: the lira is falling, inflation is rising, and food prices are spiraling. The government has resorted to disinformation, lies, and conspiracy theories to deflect blame from itself and shift it to others. But the lower living standards of the common people and the country's future is unlikely to end the …
(2021-12-27). Proposals to amend Belarusian Constitution include ban on starting military aggression. tass.com The draft document was published on Monday…
(2021-12-27). Anti-vaxx kickboxing king dies from Covid complications after discharging himself from hospital. rt.com 
An anti-vaccine former kickboxing champion died from Covid complications at the age of 41 shortly after discharging himself from hospital, according to reports. | Frederic Sinistra passed away at his home in the town of Ciney, southern Belgium, after deciding he would personally treat what he described as a "little virus". | Forced to finally get medical help in November by his coach,
(2021-12-27). Russia not delivering enough gas to Europe is 'a pack of lies' — Gazprom. rt.com 
Claims that Russia is deliberately causing natural gas shortages in Europe are baseless, according to Sergey Kupriyanov, spokesman for energy major Gazprom. | "All the allegations against Russia and Gazprom relating to delivering an insufficient amount of gas to the European market are absolutely groundless, unacceptable and untrue. In other words, it is a pack of lies," he said in an interview with the Russia-24 TV channel. | Kupriyanov added that Gazprom is ready to deliver additional gas volumes to Europe under the terms of existing contracts, with the costs of these supplies to be lower than spot market pr…
(2021-12-27). The Weekly Round-Up: New COVID-19 rules for three nations and no investigation into Met on Downing Street Christmas party. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In the news: From 26 December new Covid rules came into effect in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. All three nations have limited the size of public events and face coverings are compulsory in most indoor public spaces. Covid passports or proof of a negative test result is required at many venues. Nightclubs will close in Wales and Scotland from 27 December and in …
(2021-12-27). The Neo-NAM: From Vision to Reality. moderndiplomacy.eu The latest Putin-Modi Summit was a global geostrategic game-changer unlocking the potential for the two great powers to jointly assemble a new Non-Aligned Movement ("Neo-NAM"). Their meeting came against the backdrop of both countries recalibrating their respective "balancing" acts. Russia has been engaged in high-level diplomacy with the U.S. while India defied America's CAATSA sanctions …
(2021-12-27). Russia in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Art of Balancing. moderndiplomacy.eu Strictly speaking, Russia is not an Eastern Mediterranean country. It does not have direct access to the Mediterranean Sea; its most important strategic and economic interests belong to other parts of the world, such as the North Atlantic or East Asia. However, for a long time Russia has been trying to make its presence in …
(2021-12-27). Russia's nonproliferation policy and global strategic stability. moderndiplomacy.eu While the weight of accumulated problems and troubling instabilities in strategic sphere is significant, relations among nuclear powers are very far from being well-tempered. The situation is heavily overshadowed by disintegration of the arms control architecture, mostly due to the destructive course of the previous U.S. Administration. The New START Treaty is practically the last …
(2021-12-27). Russia is reacting to NATO's policy of expansion. indybay.org Russia is accused of calculating power and bellicose behavior. As far as the situation in Ukraine is concerned, however, the political facts speak a different language. Russia is being built as an enemy for peace. With its Ukraine policy, Russia is actually reacting to NATO's expansionist policy.
(2021-12-27). JOURNALISTS FROM US, RUSSIA, AND YEMEN TAKE TOP HONORS AT RT'S INTERNATIONAL AWARDS FOR WAR JOURNALISTS. rt.com 
MOSCOW, DECEMBER 27, 2021 — The jury of the Khaled Alkhateb International Memorial Awards 2021, an annual competition that recognizes top-class journalism from conflict zones, has announced its winners. They are war correspondents and journalists from Russia, the US, and Yemen. The awards were established in honor of RT Arabic freelancer Khaled Alkhateb, who died on July 30, 2017 while reporting from the front lines in Syria. |
(2021-12-26). Poking the Russian Bear: US-NATO Aggression and Russia's Red Line. globalresearch.ca Following the Taliban's victory over US-NATO forces in Afghanistan, Washington is walking into another death trap, but this time on Russia's borders with the neighboring Ukraine. So now, Washington's non-partisan bureaucrats and the Military-Industrial Complex are calling for ways to …
(2021-12-26). Russian Warplanes Pound Militant Positions In Greater Idlib For Second Day In Row (Video, Photos). southfront.org 
A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti | On December 26, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a series of airstrikes on the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib where several terrorist groups are based. | The airstrikes targeted several positions of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of Greater Idlib, and its allies in the outskirts of the town of Darat Izza in the we…
(2021-12-26). Ukraine in the Great Game. orinocotribune.com By Alexander Dugin — Dec 21, 2021 | Throughout history, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia were intertwined with a set of solid cultural, political, and economic links, to the point that the division did not appear more than mere administrative under Soviet jurisdiction. But it all changed after the collapse of the Union. | The escalation between the West and Russia | Today, under Joe Biden's neoconservative and ultra-globalist administration, relations between Russia and the United States are so strained that humanity is on the verge not of a Cold War (which has long been ongoing), but of a nuclear war, World War…
(2021-12-26). The Socialist Program Red Star Over the Third World w/ Vijay Prashad: Lessons of Soviet History — Part 2. orinocotribune.com This interview is an episode of | Russia's October Revolution in 1917 and the rise of Soviet power rev…
(2021-12-26). Senators sound Ukraine "War Drums", not "Peace Chimes" on Christmas Eve. globalresearch.ca On the day before Christmas, when the world's two billion Christians celebrate the birth of the prince of peace, the Washington Post accorded Senators Rob Portman and Jeanne Shaheen — Republican and Democrat, from Ohio and New Hampshire, respectively — …
(2021-12-26). The Rise of the Radical Right. libya360.wordpress.com Farah Hage-Hassan A protester waves a flag with the logo of the Identitarian movement during a demonstration in front of the Justice Ministry on April 13, 2019, in Vienna, Austria. Photo: Michael Gruber/Getty Images The politics of fear and division. How the rise of the radical right has grown to be a serious terrorist threat,…
(2021-12-26). U.S.-NATO mobile missile launchers headed to the Baltic states. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Estonia plans to procure MLRS rocket systems jointly with Latvia, Lithuania Plans to procure M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) by Estonia's military will form part of a joint Baltic States' procurement, the defense ministers of all three countries said…. At a meeting in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Tuesday, the ministers — Kalle Laanet (Estonia), Artis …
(2021-12-26). 2022 — Year Of Major Power Conflict Over Ukraine. popularresistance.org Russia says Europe must think about the real prospect of turning their continent into a field of military confrontation like that which existed at the height of the Cold War, writes Scott Ritter. The United States, wrapped in its self-made cloak of so-called "American exceptionalism", is loath to undertake any action that can be construed as weakening its geopolitical posture or strengthening that of an adversary, actual or potential.
(2021-12-26). Syria Criticizes Guterres Report for Ignoring Unilateral US Sanctions. orinocotribune.com Damascus has called the report by Guterres "subjective" and "unrealistic", according to al-Watan. | On Monday, Syria criticized UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' report on the humanitarian situation in Syria because it ignored the disastrous effects of unilateral and illegal sanctions imposed on Syria by the United States and the European Union, which have caused suffering for the Syrian people. Syria considered the report's conclusion on the necessity of cross-border action as "subjective" and unrealistic". Syria reiterated its position of rejecting the mechanism of cross-border action as a flagrant violati…
(2021-12-26). Nord Stream 2 is a double-edged geopolitical tool. peoplesdispatch.org 
When Pavel Zavalny, the chairman of Russian parliamentary committee on energy, made the forecast on December 18 that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline could start shipping natural gas to Germany as early as next month, it was received with disbelief. But Zavalny was categorical, and was quoted by Reuters as saying, "I can say with a high degree of certainty that the first gas via Nord Stream 2 will go in January." | He added that Europeans would not want to drag their feet with the certification process over Nord Stream 2 at a time when their storage levels of gas is so abysmally low. | But Zavalny was effectively contr…
(2021-12-26). Belgian Workers' Party intensifies campaign to reduce energy bills. peoplesdispatch.org As of December 25, a petition launched by the PTB demanding a reduction in the VAT has been endorsed by over 290,000 people. The VAT on energy bills is one of the highest in Europe…
(2021-12-26). U.S., Canada, Norway join EU project for rapid military deployment to Russian border. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com European effort to facilitate troop passage welcomes US, Canada, Norway The United States is now officially part of a European project that aims to speed up the movement of military forces across the Continent. ==== Background: U.S. to join EU military transit project as EU considers rapid response force NATO's two new commands, one each in …
(2021-12-26). Attack on protesting oil refinery workers in Greece condemned. peoplesdispatch.org On December 21, police attacked the workers of Kavala Petroleum who were protesting at their plant against threats of layoffs and inadequate safety measures. The All Workers Militant Front of Greece and the Communist Party of Greece have condemned these attacks…
(2021-12-26). Military Situation In Afghanistan On December 26, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On December 25, artillery fire exchange between the Taliban and the Pakistani Army was reported in the Sarkani district of Kunar province; | On December 25, Taliban's chief of army staff Qari Fasihuddin Fetrat visited Kunar province following reports of border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistani forces; | On December 25, Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan met with Kazakhstan Trade Minister Bakhyt Su…
(2021-12-26). Failure of U.S. Media on Ukraine. strategic-culture.org By Ron FORTHOFER | We need to constantly remind ourselves about the US media. During the Cold War, there was the saying that the difference between theNew York Times and the Soviet Pravda was that Pravda readers knew they were being lied to. Unfortunately, current coverage by the US media about the movement of Russian troops demonstrates the applicability of that saying today. | Lies by Omission | For example, the US public is continually being told that the movement of a large number of Russian troops is a major crisis-inducing provocation of the US and NATO over Ukraine. There is much speculation about whether…
(2021-12-26). Pakistan—Russia Gas Stream: Opportunities and Risks of New Flagship Energy Project. moderndiplomacy.eu Russia's Yekaterinburg hosted the 7th meeting of the Russian-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation on November 24—26, 2021. Chaired by Omar Ayub Khan, Pakistan's Minister for Economic Affairs, and Nikolai Shulginov, Russia's Minister of Energy, the meeting was attended by around 70 policy makers, heads of key industrial companies and businessmen …
(2021-12-26). Mongolia is Among Russia's Key Partners in Asia. journal-neo.org 
Russia and Mongolia are close neighbors, and their immediate geographic proximity has determined the mutual geopolitical pull of Russia and Mongolia, an objective contributing to political, military, trade and economics, cultural, and other bilateral ties. Russian-Mongolian relations, characterized by traditional good-neighborliness, are comprehensive, oriented to further development in the spirit of strategic partnership, based on …
(2021-12-26). Russian Aerospace Forces Conducted New Aerial Exercise Over Northeastern Syria (Video, Photos). southfront.org 
A-50 aircraft. IMAGE: Marina Lystseva/TASS | On December 25, the Russian Aerospace Forces conducted an aerial exercise over northern Syria from al-Qamishli Airport. | According to Syrian and Russian news sources, at least 20 Russian warplanes took part in the aerial exercise. The warplanes included four Su-34 fighter bombers, six Su-35 fighter jets, six Mi-8 helicopters and four Ka-52 attack helicopters. | pic.twitter.com/kdr0CZegQj | — ZOKA (@200_zoka) (2021-12-26). Russia-India: From Rethink to Adjust to Upgrade. moderndiplomacy.eu Russian-Indian relations are traditionally good. The chemistry between the leaders is excellent, and members of the public are well disposed toward each other. Economic ties have long been stalling, however, and mutual suspicions have recently been creeping in over India's relations with America, and Russia's with China. To make the good relationship truly great, Moscow …
(2021-12-26). Ukraine: military registration of all women up to 60 includes those pregnant, with young children. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Pregnant women and women with young children will also be registered for military service — Defense Ministry See also: Ukrainian women up to 60 have year to enlist in the military or face fines "There should be women on the front line because there are women who are born for this": video on Ukrainian female …
(2021-12-26). Ukraine after Putin — Biden talks. moderndiplomacy.eu Negotiations between US and Ukrainian Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymir Zelensky in the wake of Putin-Biden talks were anticipated with genuine interest, particularly given that talks between the Ukrainian and American leaders took place against the backdrop of the Ukrainian provocation in the Sea of Azov. As became clear from official sources, the "Ukrainian issue" …