03 World

Trust in Zelenskyy declines slightly as Russia’s war nears three-year mark– www.euronews.com
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Belief in the Ukrainian president has seen a slight dip, with 52% of Ukrainians feeling confident, 39% expressing distrust and 9% undecided, according to a survey conducted in December by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is nearing the three-year mark, trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at home has declined slightly, latest survey shows.

According to data gathered by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) in December, 52% of Ukrainians remained confident in Zelenskyy and his leadership, 39% showed distrust, and 9% were undecided.

The poll shows that while trust levels have worsened over the past year, the balance in the Ukrainian leader’s favour remains positive at +13%.

Trump Says He Could Understand Russian Feeling With NATO On Their Doorstep– www.ndtv.com
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US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he understands the Russian feeling with NATO being on their doorstep.

“You know, a big part of the problem was Russia for many, many years, long before (Russian President, Vladimir) Putin said, you could never have NATO involved with Ukraine. Now they’ve said … that’s been like written in stone. Somewhere along the line (US President, Joe) Biden said no, they should be able to join NATO. Well, then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep and I could understand their feeling about that,” Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

“There were a lot of mistakes made in that negotiation. When I heard the way that Biden was negotiating, I said you’re going to end up in a war and it turned out to be a very bad war. That war could escalate to be much worse than it is right now,” he said in response to a question.

China’s Hospitals Report Surge in HMVP Respiratory Virus that Causes Cold-Like Symptoms in Most People– legalinsurrection.com
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China is currently experiencing a significant outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory virus that was first identified in 2001 and which causes cold-like symptoms in most people.

However, the very young and elderly can be hit hard, as well as those with weakened immune systems. So, China’s hospitals are reporting a significant uptick in cases of HMVP infections as people seek relief from severe symptoms.

China is experiencing a surge in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), leading to overcrowded hospitals and raising public concern about a potential epidemic. The outbreak coincides with the winter season, which typically sees an increase in respiratory illnesses due to colder weather and more indoor activities facilitating the spread of viruses.

El Financiero, BBC News, The Independent, Marca, ABP News, and Newsweek reported on the surge in HMPV patients in China, among other news outlets.

In response to the rising cases, the Chinese government announced measures to curb the increase of respiratory diseases. These measures include constant monitoring of cases, the adoption of masks, social distancing, and disinfection of public spaces.

“It is safe to travel to China,” said Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs during a press conference, reassuring that both locals and tourists can feel safe traveling in China. Mao emphasized that the current situation is a normal seasonal rise in respiratory infections and not a cause for alarm.

China plans to limit global access to its EV battery technologies · TechNode– technode.com
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Beijing is planning to revise its rules controlling global access to battery manufacturing technologies in a tit-for-tat move after major Western economies including the European Union and the United States decided to impose punitive tariffs on China-made electric vehicles. Chinese companies would have to obtain a government permit to export technologies used to produce lithium-phosphate-iron (LFP) cathode materials, a key component in iron-based, affordable lithium-ion batteries, according to an annual export control catalogue updated by the Ministry of Commcerce on Jan. 2. The Chinese government is also looking to place new constraints on local companies’ ability to sell technologies used in extracting lithium from hard rock spodumene ore. The proposed measures are open to public review until Feb. 1. [South China Morning Post]

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer hits back at Elon Musk and the “poison of the far right”– www.cbsnews.com
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Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer hit back at Elon Musk on Monday after the world’s richest man repeatedly lobbed a host of inflammatory allegations at the country’s leader over his government’s record on a long-running national child grooming scandal.

Musk has accused the United Kingdom leader of being “complicit in the rape of Britain” on his X platform and has repeatedly elevated claims without evidence that Starmer knowingly refused to prosecute child groomers when he was the country’s top lawyer.

EPSOM, ENGLAND – JANUARY 06: U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer answers questions from the media. The prime minister defended his record after tech billionaire Elon Musk made several allegations about the U.K. government’s handling of historic child sex abuses in the country. 

Venezuela doubles down on intention to arrest opposition leader who claims he defeated Maduro– www.washingtontimes.com
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Venezuela’s government Sunday doubled down on its intention to arrest the opposition leader who claims he defeated President Nicolas Maduro in last year’s election in the form of a threat from the ruling party-controlled congress.

While the new acting President faces legal challenges, the former President may soon be arrested if law enforcement officials get their way. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials has formally requested an arrest warrant filing to detain the former President.

South Korean authorities seek warrant to detain impeached president in martial law probe– www.cbc.ca
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South Korean law enforcement officials have requested a court warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol as they investigate whether his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities into the power grab that lasted only a few hours, confirmed it requested the warrant on Monday. Investigators plan to question Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion.

Yoon has dodged several requests by the joint investigation team and public prosecutors to appear for questioning and has also blocked searches of his offices.

It’s not clear whether the court will grant the warrant or whether Yoon can be compelled to appear for questioning.

Under the country’s laws, locations potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge, and it’s unlikely that Yoon will voluntarily leave his residence if he faces detainment.

Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended after the National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14 over his imposition of martial law that lasted only hours but has triggered weeks of political turmoil, halted high-level diplomacy and rattled financial markets. Yoon’s fate now lies with the Constitutional Court. It has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him.

Downing of Azerbaijan plane reflects Ukraine war’s growing footprint– www.latimes.com
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The deadly crash this week of an Azerbaijani passenger jet — with Russian air defenses as the suspected culprit — brings into focus a little-noticed aspect of the war in Ukraine: a battle zone that extends deep into Russia.

Ukraine for months has been using domestically tooled drones to strike Russian targets hundreds of miles from the front lines in southern and eastern Ukraine, often taking aim at fuel depots and military airfields.

The Kremlin tends to play down these attacks, and has a history of offering unconvincing explanations for massive explosions that sometimes result.

On Friday, Russian authorities acknowledged that Ukrainian drones were targeting Grozny, provincial capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, as an Azerbaijani commercial airliner with 67 people aboard was attempting to land there on Wednesday.