NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced Tuesday that the alliance is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region. | Rutte said at a meeting in Helsinki with the leaders of NATO countries located on the Baltic Sea that the effort would be dubbed Baltic Sentry. 💬 “It will involve a range of assets, including frigates and maritime patrol aircraft, among others, and will enhance our vigilance in the Baltic,” Rutte told reporters. He also said that a small fleet of naval drones will be deployed “to provide enhanced surveillance and deterrence.” The meeting comes as a string of incidents in the Baltic has heightened concerns about possible Russian activities in the region.

■ NATO chief calls for shift to ‘wartime mindset’ (RT)
■ Sweden to send warships to NATO Baltic Sea patrols after 'sabotage' incidents (01/13/25)
✅ The hunt for Russian oil. NATO is blocking the Gulf of Finland (Vadim Egorov)
✅ The Master Race Complex or Why NATO Loses (Agit Papadakis)

The West’s refusal to accept its diminishing role is driving global instability, the Russian foreign minister has said | Attempts by the West to suppress competition and protect its privileged position at any cost are the main drivers of international tensions today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. The top Russian diplomat spoke with domestic and international reporters in Moscow to outline the work of his department over the last year, and to answer questions about issues the country’s diplomats are dealing with. ● Lavrov described the source of the confrontation between the West and multiple other nations, including Russia, as a clash between the US and its allies on one side, who are attempting to force a poorly-defined “rules-based order” onto other countries, versus parties that respect the UN Charter as the foundation of the world order created following World War II. Essentially, the West wants to suppress any nation that does not submit to its policies or is better in any sphere, Lavrov stated.

■ Lavrov tells reporters about Biden’s last moves, Trump and security guarantees for Ukraine (TASS)

Marzieh Rahmani | This story is not just the story of Aisha but it is the common sorrow and grief of the Palestinian nation for the past 76 years; the oppressed nation whose ultimate wish is to see their motherland even one time before death. | A group of Mehr News Agency correspondents visited an art exhibition that the Iranian photographer Wahab Ramzi collected its photos from the Palestinian refugee camp at the Museum of Contemporary Palestinian Arts in Tehran. ■ In 2023, Iranian photographer Wahab Ramzi went to the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. During this visit, he encountered the life stories, dreams, and laughter of the Palestinians and saw their family albums. This museum is the result of his photography of Palestinian people living in 4 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. ■ Entitled 'Keys Older Than Israel', the gallery exhibits pictures that Ramzi captured from the refugee camps in Lebanon. The pictures depict the life story of Palestinian refugees who kept their homes' keys in the hope of returning to their motherland, Palestine. Every picture in the exhibition tells the tragic story of Palestinian families who have been displaced by the Israeli regime in 1948. What is most painful and surprising is the fact that the keys in these pictures of older than the fake regime of Israel.

Went to bring food but didn’t return; 10-year-old Palestinian child gets killed in an lsraeli airstrike in Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/k7jD0OOevM

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) January 14, 2025

Gaza’s Civil Defense says more than 50 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours on the Gaza Strip, which is enduring a humanitarian catastrophe caused by a genocidal war. | Mahmoud Bassal, the agency’s spokesman, said Monday's deadly attacks by the occupation's military targeted "schools, homes and even gatherings of people" in Gaza. ● One of the Israeli air raids struck a house in Gaza City's Shujaiya neighborhood, killing 11 people and injuring several others, he said in a statement. ● The spokesman added that seven people lost their lives in the Israeli bombing of Gaza City's al-Maamal street while five others were killed in the aerial assaults on the Salaheddin al-Ayyubi school in al-Darraj neighborhood. 'Hospitals overwhelmed': "There is no room in hospitals to receive the wounded," Bassal pointed out. He also reported fatal Israeli strikes on the city of Jabalia in northern Gaza, as well as Khan Yunis and Rafah in the Palestinian territory's south.

The spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces says the country’s missile and drone units have carried out a series of reprisal operations against strategic positions deep inside the Israeli-occupied territories, as they continue their operations in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid the Israeli genocide. | Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced in a televised statement on Tuesday morning that Yemeni missile divisions had conducted a strike on the premises of the Israeli ministry of military affairs in Tel Aviv, using a homegrown Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile. ● Saree added that the missile could successfully hit its designated target, noting that advanced Israeli anti-air systems failed to intercept and shoot it down. ● He went on to underline that Yemeni Armed Forces will not abandon their religious, moral and humanitarian obligations towards the oppressed Palestinian nation, whatever the repercussions.

Sergey Ryabkov stressed that the relations between Russia and the United States still carry significant conflict potential | Relations between Moscow and Washington are close to zero, and the issues of reducing conflict risks should remain a priority, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has told the media. 💬 "We do not exclude anything from the agenda that is extremely problematic today. Relations [between Russia and the United States] are essentially at zero. They still carry significant conflict potential. Managing these risks should likely be a central focus, at least a key concern for both Moscow and Washington. At the expert level, we are also prepared for such dialogue," Ryabkov pointed out.

■ Only technical level of communication between US, Russia — Kremlin (TASS)

Food-distribution stampede kills a Palestinian child who fell into a boiling pot in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/aqLuCVqtwm

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) January 10, 2025

With symptoms ranging from nightmares to aggression, the psychological toll on Gaza children is unimaginable. | The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised the alarm over the mental health crisis affecting nearly all 1.1 million children in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli ongoing war in the blockaded territory. ● In a report released Sunday, UNICEF revealed that Gaza’s children are grappling with nightmares, severe anxiety, and paralyzing fear caused by the relentless Israeli bombardments, the loss of family members, and the worsening humanitarian crisis. ● The report also noted that at least 19,000 Palestinian children have been orphaned since the war started in October 2023. Mental health experts warn that the profound psychological effects of the war on these children could linger for generations. ● This comes shortly after a recent study uncovered the harrowing impact of "Israel's" war on Gaza’s children, revealing that an overwhelming 96% feel their death is imminent and nearly half wish for it as an escape from their trauma. With symptoms ranging from nightmares to aggression, the psychological toll is unimaginable. Experts warn that the ongoing Israeli atrocities risk shaping a future defined by deep-rooted psychological scars.

Stockholm reveals it will contribute up to 3 warships, ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, coast guard resources to bolster NATO’s presence | Sweden on Monday announced plans to deploy military assets, including warships, to NATO patrols in the Baltic Sea, following a series of suspected sabotage incidents that have heightened regional security concerns. The Swedish government has revealed that it will contribute up to three warships, an ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, and coast guard resources to bolster NATO’s presence in the area. Four coast guard ships will be deployed immediately, with seven additional vessels on standby. This marks Sweden's first "contribution" of armed forces to NATO's defense and deterrence efforts since joining the alliance in March 2024.

✅ The hunt for Russian oil. NATO is blocking the Gulf of Finland (Vadim Egorov)

■ НАТО направит в Балтийское море около десяти кораблей, пишут СМИ (РИА Новости)(07.01.2025) | NATO will send about ten ships to the Baltic Sea to protect underwater infrastructure, Finnish broadcaster YLE reported, citing sources. | “NATO will send naval forces to the Baltic Sea to protect important underwater structures. [...] In total, there will be about ten of them (ships. - Editor's note). They will remain at sea until April”, - stated in the material. According to YLE, the ships will begin to arrive at the end of the week. They will be located, for example, near energy and telecommunications cables and will become a “deterrent,” writes the publication. ■ The EstLink 2 power line between Finland and Estonia went down on Dec. 25, Finnish power grid company Fingrid reported. Finnish police suspect that the Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S vessel anchored to cut the EstLink 2 power cable and damaged four communication cables. Finnish Customs has claimed without evidence that the Eagle S is allegedly involved in the transportation of Russian energy resources. ■ Four undersea telecommunications cables failed on December 25 and 26. Three of them run between Finland and Estonia, and one cable links Finland to Germany. Law enforcers are investigating the case as aggravated damage. The criminal investigation is being led by the Finnish Central Criminal Police. ■ Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed hope that the investigation will be brought to a conclusion and that the hysteria in the Western media over the alleged Russian and Chinese trace in the damage to cables in the Baltic Sea will subside.

Zoran Milanovic has secured over 74% of the vote in Croatia | Incumbent Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, known for his critical stance on the EU and NATO and his opposition to Western aid to Ukraine, has secured a second term of office in a landslide victory. ● Milanovic garnered 74.68% of the vote in Sunday's presidential runoff, decisively defeating his rival from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Dragan Primorac, the country’s State Election Commission said on Monday. ● Approximately 45% of about 3.5 million registered voters participated in the election, the commission reported.

■ Croatia's incumbent president secures landslide victory in runoff (Anadolu)

As US President-elect Donald Trump mulls claims to Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada, let’s recall how America’s insatiable hunger for power drove its overseas expansion.

"We don’t need war; this is my point," Calin Georgescu said | Romania's independent presidential candidate Calin Georgescu believes that the Mihail Kogalniceanu military base located in the southeast of the country, which will become the largest NATO defense facility in Europe, will be used as a springboard to start a war against Russia. 💬 "We cannot accept this," he said in an interview with former US Navy Seal Shawn Ryan. Georgescu posted a video of the conversation on Facebook (banned in Russia; owned by Meta Corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia). The recording is also available on the Romanian Digi 24 TV channel's website.

■ NATO using Romania as ‘door for war’ – presidential frontrunner (RT)

The incoming American president has shown interest in annexing the Danish overseas territory | Denmark has privately reached out to President-elect Donald Trump’s team, showing readiness to discuss boosting the US military presence in Greenland, Axios reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. ● Trump recently ruffled feathers in Copenhagen when he suggested that the US should acquire the self-governing Arctic island from Denmark. He refused to rule out the use of force, but offered little specifics on how his government would convince Denmark to relinquish control over Greenland. ● Copenhagen is interested in avoiding a public clash with Trump, and has reached out to the incoming president’s team for clarification of his statements, the outlet said.

Donald Trump has riled up America's allies and the world with his seemingly outlandish plans to purchase Greenland. But setting aside the bluster and pomp, Trump's approach isn't really all that different from that of his predecessors, international affairs observer Irina Strelnikova says. | The Arctic Strategy published by the Pentagon in mid-2024 outlined Greenland's central role in US plans for the region, and Donald Trump's strategy is merely making a few corrections, Strelnikova, a researcher at Moscow's Higher School of Economics, told Sputnik. ● “The new strategy expressed the need to expand US capabilities for conducting a campaign in the Arctic, particularly in the areas of communications, intelligence, surveillance and interaction with allies and partners,” the observer recalled. 💬 As for Trump's plans, “from the perspective of whether this is really something fundamentally new or unexpected – it’s not. This is just Trump’s standard, peculiar manner of asserting himself,” Strelnikova said.

With regards to Trump attempting to land grab Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal, Agit Papadakis offers some interesting observation:

💬 The Bozo [Trump] Doctrine, the Bibi [Netanyahoo] Doctrine, and the Tayyip [Erdogan] Doctrine, are all converging on a new post-Westphalian world disorder of imperialism gone nuts.
For the cucked vassals of the old order this means either grow a pair and resist or lose every shred of sovereignty, dignity, and material comfort you have left. Cucks like the EU, Australia, Japan, South Korea and wounded weak states like Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq are all suffering the torment of being raped and ravaged by powerful rogue states.

Bozo didn't lose a minute to join the melée. He looked at the economic train wreck he was inheriting and decided it was now or never to hoist the Jolly Roger over his big but old and rusty military machine and what's left of the once mighty dollar's hegemony.

His first victims would be the weak and cucked vassals who poured their sorry excuse for a military and their treasure into the Ukraine black hole. Bozo knows that his unfurling of the black banner will automatically dissolve those BS "alliances" with weak vassals that were never but a frilly negligée concealing America's naked imperialism, as revealed by the the lonely squeak of the French chihuahua protesting Bozo's Greenland grab and threatening to resist.

The cucked chihuahuas of the Rules Based Order are suddenly up against Judgement Day, naked and defenseless between two raging behemoths, Amerisrael and Russia, while an even bigger and scarier one, China, looms over everybody else.

It's the 19th century with nukes and hypersonics and space jets, which would normally be followed by the world wars of the 20th. But with 21st century speed, it shouldn't take longer than a decade if that.

India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) recorded a growth of 5.2% in November 2024, marking the highest growth rate in the past six months. This increase follows a growth rate of 3.5% in October 2024, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics. | The November performance represents an improvement over the 2.5% growth recorded in the same month in 2023. The manufacturing sector, which constitutes the largest share of the IIP, recorded a growth of 5.8% during November, compared to 4.1% in October. ● Eighteen out of 23 industry groups within the manufacturing sector showed growth during November when compared to the same period last year. Among these, the manufacture of basic metals grew by 7.6%, electrical equipment production rose by 37.2%, and other non-metallic mineral products saw a 12% increase.

The US House of Representatives has approved a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) officials in response to the arrest warrants that the tribunal has issued against Israeli authorities for war crimes in the Gaza Strip. | House lawmakers on Thursday voted 243-140 in favor of to the legislative text, which was introduced by Republican Representatives Chip Roy and Brian Mast. ● The bill, which now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, stipulates that the warrants against the Israeli officials should be “condemned in the strongest possible terms.” ● It also urges sanctions with respect to the court over “any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.” The sanctions include prohibiting US property transactions and blocking and revoking visas.

■ Pope Francis Steps Up Criticism of Israel, Says Bombing of Civilians Is Unacceptable (Antiwar)

Ukraine has attacked the Zaporozhe and Energodar Nuclear Power Plant in an effort to create a nuclear catastrophe! | On January 5, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) launched eight (8) aircraft-type drones at the plant and at the city. All of them were intercepted by Russian air defenses. One (1) of the drones fell on the roof of the Zaporozhe Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) TRAINING CENTER where it caught fire, and exploded. There were no injuries, and the staff continues to work normally.

Now in Asia, too: the island's communication cable with the west coast of the United States has been cut off off the coast of Taiwan. The Financial Times writes that an underwater communication cable has been severed | The Financial Times writes that an underwater communication cable has been severed off the coast of Taiwan, similar to those that have already occurred several times in the Baltic. ● It is reported that the incident occurred near the port of Keelung on the northern coast of Taiwan. The Taiwanese authorities accused the Shunxing39 vessel (flag of Cameroon), which belongs to the company Jie Yang Trading Limited, registered in Hong Kong with the director of the Chinese citizen Guo Wenjie, of it. ● The ship's automatic identification system and satellite data showed that Shunxing39 was pulling the anchor along the bottom at the point where the rupture occurred. However, it was not possible to detain the ship due to bad weather. Taiwan's Coast Guard conducted only an external inspection of the vessel and established radio contact with the captain. ● Representatives of the Taiwanese telecom operator Chunghwa Telecom and the government of Taiwan reported that the damaged infrastructure was part of the Trans-Pacific Express system, and the cable connected Taiwan to the west coast of the United States.

On New Year's Day, Russian gas stopped flowing through Ukraine to Europe. Kyiv is calling it a "historic" moment because the refusal to extend the transit contract with Russia's Gazprom has stopped the flow of money financing the invasion of Ukraine. | In Transnistria, a separatist region in eastern Moldova loyal to Moscow, the year began with only hospitals and key infrastructure having heating, while homes remained without heating. Transnistria broke away from the rest of Moldova in a short war after the collapse of the Soviet Union. There are still Russian troops on its territory, and they are completely dependent on Russian gas, for which the authorities in Tiraspol do not pay anything. "They simply keep track of the debt every month," explains Jakub Pieńkoski of the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). "But Russia is not interested in collecting that money."

The latest Ukrainian attack on Belgorod Region will elicit an appropriate response, the Russian Defense Ministry has said | Ukrainian forces have carried out a new long-range attack on Belgorod Region using eight US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles, all of which were shot down, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. ● The incoming munitions were repelled by Russia’s S-400 and Pantsir-SM air defense systems, the military said. The ministry did not provide any information about the exact target of the attack or about any damage or casualties that may have been inflicted.

■ All Ukrainian ATACMS missiles fired at Belgorod Region downed — top brass (TASS)
■ US ‘quietly’ supplied weapons to Ukraine before Russia’s operation started, Blinken says (TASS)

Maria Zakharova urged Annalena Baerbock to address the US presence in her own country after the latter called for a Russian withdrawal from Syria | Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has criticized German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock for her demand that Russia withdraw its military bases from Syria. Zakharova, speaking on her Telegram channel on Friday, has urged Baerbock to instead address the presence of US military bases in Germany. 💬 “This is being said by the foreign minister of a country that hosts US military bases. I have a question: when will the German foreign minister say something similar to Washington?” Zakharova wrote in response to Baerbock’s statement. Baerbock’s remarks followed her visit to Damascus on Friday, where she and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot became the first EU ministers to visit Syria since President Bashar Assad was overthrown.

■ Diplomat calls on top German diplomat to stop speculating about Russian bases in Syria (TASS)
■ Syria's new leadership asserts strategic alliance with Russia (Al Mayadeen)

Washington will provide Israel with air-to-air missiles for fighter jets and attack helicopters, artillery shells, small-diameter bombs, additional JDAM ammunition kits, 500-pound bombs, and other munitions, Axios reported | The outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden intends to "sell" [they'll never pay for it] an $8 billion arms package to Israel, Axios reported, citing sources. ● According to the news outlet, the US State Department has informally notified the Congress of its intention to conclude a deal with Israel under which the country will receive weapons and ammunition from the US. Specifically, Washington will provide Israel with air-to-air missiles for fighter jets and attack helicopters, artillery shells, small-diameter bombs, additional JDAM ammunition kits, 500-pound (about 227 kilogram) bombs, and other munitions.

■ Israel kills nearly 60 Palestinians across Gaza in 24 hours, many still uncounted for (PressTV)
■ Biden admin. plans $8bln military package for 'Israel' (Al Mayadeen)

The new Syrian government has appointed Maysaa Sabreen as acting head of the country's central bank, marking the first time a woman has been appointed to this post in the country's history, Syrian newspaper Elwatan reported. | Sabreen has served as spokesperson for the Central Bank of Syria since December 2018. She also previously held the position of first deputy head of the bank. Syria's armed opposition Israel's "moderate democratic" head-choppers captured Damascus on December 8. Russian officials said that Syrian President Bashar Assad stepped down after negotiations with participants in the Syrian conflict and left Syria for Russia, where he was granted asylum. Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran an Idlib-based administration formed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other opposition groups, was named interim prime minister. He later announced that an interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025.

Russia's foreign minister announced on Sunday that Moscow will end its unilateral moratorium on deploying intermediate- and short-range missiles, saying this is in response to actions taken by the US. | [...] Lavrov said the moratorium is still in effect, but he accused the US of “arrogantly” disregarding warnings from both Russia and China and proceeding with the deployment of such weapons in various global regions. He also cited Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements on the matter, saying that Moscow would respond to these actions proportionately. [...] Addressing arms control issues between Russia and the US, he said Moscow will not engage in any negotiations with Washington on this matter until the US abandons its “anti-Russian course.” The US and NATO would face a “decisive” response from Russia if they create new threats against the country, he warned, stressing that Moscow is prepared for any scenario.

■ US Pursues Research Linked to Weapons of Mass Destruction (Sputnik)

Kit Klarenberg | Romania’s outsized geopolitical importance to the Empire can't be clearer. In the weeks since Georgescu’s victory was vetoed, it has been announced that further scores of foreign NATO troops will be dispatched to Bucharest. | On December 6th, Romania’s constitutional court made an extraordinary decision to inexplicably overturn first-round results of the country’s November 24th presidential election. Conveniently, the ruling was made mere days before a runoff that, according to polls, would’ve seen upstart outsider Calin Georgescu win via landslide. In the process, citizens of all NATO member states were provided with a particularly pitiless real-time crash course on what could now happen in their own countries, should the ‘wrong’ candidates be elected fair and square. ■ Georgescu’s stunning victory in the first round caught Romania’s political elite and their Western sponsors off guard, while leaving him the most popular political figure in the country. Campaigning on a traditionalist, nationalist platform, he extolled views some might consider unsavoury, but also advocated nationalisation, and state investment in local industry. Perhaps predictably, the Western media has been quick to smear him as “far-right”, “pro-Putin” and a “conspiracy theorist”, among other now familiar sobriquets commonly levelled at political dissidents.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam to sign the deal with the United Kingdom on the status of the Chagos archipelago, which was agreed by the previous Mauritian government, but he was refused, a news portal reported, citing sources. | Ramgoolam made it clear that he did not agree with the original agreement reached in October and told Blinken that he had sent a counter-offer to London, the report said on Tuesday. The report noted that Ramgoolam thus confirmed his desire to achieve a better deal for Mauritius. [...] Mauritius and the Chagos Islands had been colonial possessions of the British Crown since 1845. In 1968, Mauritius gained independence, but the islands remained a British overseas territory. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Chagos population was deported to the Seychelles and Mauritius. In 1966, the UK leased the largest island, Diego Garcia, to the United States for 50 years. The lease was extended for 20 years in 2016.

Russian Foreign Ministry speaks out about NATO's direct involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. | The countries of the North Atlantic alliance are creating special structures engaged in supplying military aid to Ukraine, thus directly participating in providing the terrorist Kyiv regime. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova during a briefing, reports the correspondent of "Lenta.ru".

💬 "NATO countries are getting deeper and deeper involved in the conflict in Ukraine. They are creating special structures that are engaged in supplying military aid to Kyiv, which means direct participation in supplying and supporting not just the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), but actually the terrorist Kyiv regime. [The terrorism] is based on the Nazi character of the regime ," the diplomat said. (Translation: DeepL (free version) + Grammarly)

■ Horror, Carnage, and Chaos as Ukraine Missiles Hit Factory in Kursk, Russia (Hal Turner)
■ Lavrov warns of retaliation for Ukrainian terrorist acts (RT)
■ Russia Foils Ukrainian Terrorist Plot Against Defense Industry Chief (Sputnik)

Hungary and Slovakia have become increasingly “pro-Russian,” "senior adviser" Mikhail Podoliak has claimed | Hungary and Slovakia are tarnishing the EU’s image by throwing a wrench in the bloc’s stance against Russia, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s top adviser has said. ● Mikhail Podoliak voiced his frustration with the two Central European countries as prime ministers Viktor Orban of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia have been increasingly questioning the unconditional military and financial aid to Kiev, as well as insisting that the conflict must be resolved through diplomacy.