Sputnik International

🥴 US prepares to impose additional sanctions in relation to Georgian protests – Blinken

💬 "Those who undermine democratic processes or institutions in Georgia... will be held to account. In addition to continuing our previously announced comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation, the United States is now preparing to use the tools at our disposal, including additional sanctions," US State Secretary Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

The opposition, which lost parliamentary elections to the ruling Georgian Dream party, took to the streets in response to the government's decision to suspend European Union accession talks until the end of 2028.

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❗️ South Korean president accepts defense minister's resignation, appoints new one – reports

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has appointed Seoul’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk, as the country’s new defense minister following the resignation of Kim Yong-hyun, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Kim apologized to citizens and announced that he had submitted his resignation to the president amid the controversy surrounding the introduction and subsequent lifting of martial law, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

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"The degenerate who destroyed his own people decided, between snorting, to play the world judge" – Russian FM spokeswoman commented on Zelensky’s announcement of plans to impose sanctions on Georgia "for dispersing protests."

💬 "Maybe he's bitter that Georgia found the strength to reject the Ukrainian scenario?" Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized.

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❗️ French President Macron to address the nation Thursday evening following vote of no confidence in PM – reports

French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation at 19:00 GMT on December 5, following parliament's approval of a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government, which took office less than three months ago, according to French media.

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French government to resign following vote of no confidence in prime minister – broadcast

A vote of no confidence in French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, proposed by the left-wing France Unbowed party, was backed by a majority of lawmakers, paving the way for the government’s resignation, according to a broadcast on Wednesday.

A total of 331 deputies voted in favor of the motion, surpassing the 288 votes required for it to pass.

In September, following two months of political deadlock over the summer, President Macron appointed Michel Barnier, the EU’s former Brexit negotiator, as France's new Prime Minister.

Barnier’s primary task — which ultimately led to his downfall — was to secure approval for the 2025 budget, which included €60 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts aimed at addressing France’s budget deficit. However, after weeks of deadlock over the budget, Barnier invoked Article 49.3 of the French Constitution on Monday to push through a social security financing bill. This provision allows the government to bypass a parliamentary vote and force through legislation. The move triggered no-confidence motions from both the left-wing alliance and the right-wing opposition.

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😁 Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's son Oleksiy is wanted by the police, according to Ukrainian media.

"Oleksiy Poroshenko has been declared wanted for failure to appear in response to a summons," the text says.

It is noted that he was summoned to the military registration and enlistment office twice - on September 4 and October 21 - but the man did not appear. Oleksiy has the military rank of reserve lieutenant.

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Top 5 Facts about North and South Korea

North and South Korea have been divided for nearly 80 years, each pursuing its own ideological, political, and economic objectives. How do they differ and what do they have in common?

1. Population and Language

🇰🇵 North Korea: 26.16 million (2023)
🇰🇷 South Korea: 51.71 million (2023)

While both countries share a common Korean language and use the same alphabet, there are differences in spelling and pronunciation. The formal name for the North Korean language is Chosono, whereas in South Korea, it's called Hangugeo.

2. Economy

🇰🇵 North Korea's Economy: $29.6 billion (2023)
🇰🇷 South Korea's Economy: $1.74 trillion (2023)

Despite its smaller economy, North Korea's economy grew faster (3.1%) in 2023 compared to South Korea's (1.4%) in terms of real GDP growth. Moreover, in North Korea apartments are distributed for free after submitting applications and documents, whereas a South Korean have to save their income for 14 years to buy the property in Seoul or 9-10 years to buy it elsewhere in the country (as of 2021).

3. Major Natural Resources

🇰🇵 North Korea: Has over 200 types of minerals, including coal, iron, zinc, copper, gold, silver, molybdenite, and rare earths, with overall deposits estimated between $6 trillion and $10 trillion. According to 38North website, North Korea has the capacity to be one of the leading producers of zinc in the world.

🇰🇷 South Korea: Possesses 18.8 billion tons of mineral resources, including coal, iron ore, graphite, gold, silver, tungsten, lead, and zinc. However, it remains a consumer rather than a producer of metallic ores and rare earths.

4. Military Size

🇰🇵 North Korea (Korean People's Army): 1.3 million active personnel, 600,000 reservists, and 5.7 million Worker/Peasant Red Guard reservists, making it one of the world's largest militaries, behind only China and the US.

🇰🇷 South Korea (Republic of Korea Armed Forces): 500,000 active personnel and 3.1 million reservists, plus a significant US military presence with around 26,000 troops.

5. Nuclear Weapons

🇰🇵 North Korea: Estimated to possess 80-90 nuclear warheads made of uranium and plutonium, with projections suggesting this number could rise to 166 by 2030, according to Western experts.

🇰🇷 South Korea: Does not have nuclear weapons. National polls, as cited by The New York Times, indicate that many South Koreans no longer fully trust Washington's "nuclear umbrella."

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▪️Putin's full speech at the 'Russia Calling!' investment forum: check out the highlights

▪️Tucker Carlson back in Moscow for interview with Russia’s top diplomat Lavrov

▪️South Korea’s martial law turmoil: North Korea will watch ‘this drama play out’

▪️Top 5 сorruption scandals shaking the world

▪️Team Trump plans for resolving the Ukrainian conflict exclude NATO membership

▪️How powerful is Iran's military that soon may be unleashed against terrorists in Syria?

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Jared Isaacman: Whom did Trump choose to lead NASA?

US President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire Jared Isaacman as his pick for the next NASA administrator.

▪️Born in 1983, Isaacman is known as the founder of payment processing company Shift4 Payments and Draken International, a defense contractor that provides training to the US military.

▪️In 2021, Isaacman led the Inspiration4 mission, the first spaceflight crewed only by private citizens.

▪️He also established the private spaceflight program Polaris and, during one of the Polaris missions, became the first private citizen to perform an extravehicular activity.

▪️He is regarded to be a close associate of SpaceX founder and Trump’s ally Elon Musk.

"Jared will drive NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology, and exploration," Trump stated in a social media post.

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The head of the US' largest health insurance company has been killed: What is known?

▪️The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance provider in the US, was tragically killed by a gunshot to the chest on Wednesday in New York's midtown Manhattan, authorities have confirmed during a press briefing. A masked man approached him and opened fire multiple times, according to police reports.

▪️Authorities have stated that no arrests have been made so far, and the investigation remains active. The motive behind the attack is still unclear.

▪️Brian Thompson, 50, was appointed UnitedHealthcare CEO in April 2021. Before taking the job, he led UnitedHealthcare’s government programs, overseeing Medicare, retirement, and community and state initiatives. His previous leadership experience also includes serving as the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Medicare and Retirement.

▪️UnitedHealthcare is the largest US health insurer, providing benefits to tens of millions of Americans, who pay more for healthcare than in any other country.

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🇮🇷How powerful is Iran's military that soon may be unleashed against terrorists in Syria? 🇸🇾

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told media this week that Iran is ready to deploy its military to aid the Syrian government if it were to make such request.

What forces does Iran have?

In 2024, Iran was ranked 14th in the Global Firepower annual military strength review.

🔘 Soldiers

⚪️approximately 610,000 active military personnel and 350,000 reserves
⚪️230,000-strong Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that includes its own paramilitaries, navy and air force

🔘 Missiles

Iran has a sizeable arsenal of long-range weaponry that could be fired upon the country’s enemies.

In 2022, then-US Central Command head Gen. Kenneth McKenzie estimated the Iranian ballistic missile stockpile had “over 3,000” units. This includes:

⚪️ Shahab-1 and Shahab-2
⚪️ Ghadr
⚪️ Emad
⚪️ cruise missiles such as Paveh

🔘 Drones

⚪️loitering munitions such as Shahed-136
⚪️strike drones like Shahed-149, and others

🔘 Aircraft

The Iranian Air Force is comprised of 551 aircraft in total, including:

⚪️186 fighter aircraft
⚪️129 helicopters
⚪️32 military aircraft owned by the IRGC
⚪️5 helicopters owned by the IRGC

🔘 Armor

Iranian ground forces, among other things, include:

⚪️nearly 2,000 tanks
⚪️over 65,000 armored vehicles

🔘 Artillery

Iranian artillery forces include:

⚪️580 self-propelled guns
⚪️2,050 towed artillery pieces
⚪️775 multiple launch rocket artillery systems

🔘 Navy

Relatively modest in terms of size when compared to other branches of the Iranian military, Iran’s navy is comprised of:

⚪️21 patrol vessels
⚪️19 submarines
⚪️7 frigates
⚪️3 corvettes

Sources: Global Firepower, UK-based think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, media.

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US President-elect Donald Trump nominates Daniel P. Driscoll to serve as Secretary of the Army

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❗️Russia's FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the cancellation of her visa to visit the OSCE Foreign Ministers' Meeting: There is no cooperation or interaction left, and instead of principles there is unscrupulousness.

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