Russia to open embassies in several African countries, reports MFA #Moscow will open embassies in an array of countries in #Africa, with Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone among them, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who also serves as special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa, told TASS in an interview following the First Ministerial Conference Russia-Africa. "Embassies [will be opened], of course. An embassy in Burkina Faso was just opened. An embassy in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, is about to be opened," he said, adding that there is also "a list of countries where [embassies] have been closed." "Moreover, [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey V. Lavrov has said that Sierra Leone is next in line, in Freetown," Bogdanov added. In some African states, such as South Sudan, for example, the Russian side reached an agreement at some point to open an embassy, though "it has not been done for a variety of reasons," he noted. "Now I hope that it is also planned, to open [an embassy] in Juba, South Sudan," the official said.

Jury Awards $12.6 Million to Woman Fired for Not Receiving COVID Vaccine A woman fired by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan over a #COVID-19 vaccination has been awarded more than $12 million in damages. A jury on Nov. 8 awarded Lisa Domski, a former employee of the company, $10 million in punitive damages. Jurors also awarded $1 million in non-economic damages, $1.375 million in front pay damages, and $315,000 in back pay damages. Jurors said that Blue Cross Blue Shield illegally discriminated against Domski when the company denied her request for an exemption and illegally terminated her over the lack of COVID-19 vaccination. “Clearly, the religious accommodation process was meant to stamp out religious beliefs of employees and promote COVID-19 vaccination within the company,” Noah S. Hurwitz, an attorney representing Domski, said. In a statement responding to the ruling, Blue Cross Blue Shield said: “While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict. Blue Cross is reviewing its legal options and will determine its path forward in the coming days.”

Bitcoin price hits all-time high, exceeding $89,000 The price of bitcoin hit another all-time high, exceeding $89,000, according to data from Binance. As of 01:07 UTC, the price of bitcoin fell and reached $88,200. Bitcoin is a decentralized system of a crypto currency of the same name based on the blockchain technology, which can be mined by any user - system participants. The concept was published in November 2008 by its author (possibly a group of authors) under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.

Who is Susie Wiles, Trump's Chief of Staff? Susie #Wiles is a seasoned GOP strategist with a strong reputation within the party. This week, President-elect Donald Trump made headlines not only by securing a second term as a former president but also by appointing Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, marking a historic milestone as she becomes the first woman to hold this prestigious position in U.S. history. Wiles has proven her capabilities by revitalizing Trump's campaign operations following the 2020 election loss, playing a crucial role in his successful bid for both the Electoral College and the national popular vote in 2024—an accomplishment that has been elusive for Republican candidates over the past two decades. In a statement announcing her appointment, Trump praised Wiles, stating, "Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns." He continued, "Susie is tough, smart, and innovative, and she is universally admired and respected. She will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well-deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud." #TRUMP2024

Trump, Putin speak over phone President #Trump has already spoken over the phone with Russian President Vladimir #Putin, The Washington Post said, citing its sources. However, neither Washington not Moscow have officially confirmed this information. According to The Washington Post, Trump and Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine and "the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss ‘the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,’ several of the people said." However, the newspaper noted, Trump’s calls with world leaders are not backed by the Department of State and US administration interpreters, since Trump and his aides "are distrustful of career government officials following the leaked transcripts of presidential calls during his first term." "They are just calling [Trump] directly," it cited one of the people familiar with the calls. Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the Russian president is open to dialogue with Trump, however, in his words, nothing concrete could be said about it as of yet. Speaking at Thursday’s plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin congratulated Trump on winning the presidential election, adding that he saw nothing wrong with calling Trump. The latter, however, told NBC that he had not yet spoken with the Russian leader but believed such a call was highly likely. #TRUMP2024

Bitcoin extends gains to $80,000 The price of #bitcoin renewed its all-time high, rising to $80,000, Binance platform data showed as of 11:59 a.m. UTC At 12:20 p.m. UTC, Bitcoin traded lower at $79,500. Bitcoin was invented in 2008 by an unknown person or a group of people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. It is a decentralized digital currency without a central bank or single administrator that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without intermediaries.

Russia signs documents on military cooperation with 33 African countries #Russia is ready to provide security for #African countries, it has already signed 33 agreements on military-technical cooperation, Russian presidential advisor and Organizing Committee Executive Secretary Anton #Kobyakov said. "For Russia, the role of a security provider for the countries of the African continent is a practical, vital necessity. To date, Russia has signed agreements on regular military-technical cooperation with 33 [states] <...> of the African continent," he said. Kobyakov also noted that delegations from 54 countries and 45 African ministers are taking part in the first Russia-Africa ministerial conference. "More than 1,500 people, including 54 official delegations and 45 foreign ministers of the African continent, are taking part in our conference, which is being held on the Sirius federal territory," he said. According to him, such conferences will be held regularly between Russia-Africa summits. The first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum is taking place on November 9-10 at the Sirius federal territory. The event is attended by about 1,500 delegates, including more than 40 ministers from the African continent.

Dutch king says his nation failed Jewish community during football fan attacks – like during Second World War Speaking to Isaac #Herzog, Israel’s president, King Willem-Alexander expressed “deep horror and shock”. Mr Herzog quoted him as saying: “We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during the Second World War” – a reference to Nazi occupation – “and last night we failed again.” King Willem-Alexander also said: "We cannot turn a blind eye to #antisemitic behavior in our streets" — adding that history "has taught us how intimidation goes from bad to worse, with horrific consequences".

[BREAKING] IDF prepares to send medical rescue teams to Amsterdam 'In an unprecedented move, the IDF is preparing to fly and help with rescue & medical teams in Amsterdam' IDF spokesman: "Following the severe incidents of violence against Israelis in Amsterdam, under the guidance of the political echelon and following the assessment of the situation, the IDF immediately prepared to send out a rescue mission in coordination with the Dutch government. The delegation will leave in transport planes and will include medical and rescue teams. The Home Front Command is leading the rescue operation with the cooperation of the different arms, wings of the IDF and the security agencies. More details will be released as needed."

Jack Smith admits the Trump prosecutions were election interference all along There's no longer a 2024 election to aim at. The Biden-Harris administration, which just lost an election to Trump, is preparing to wind down the various legal cases that it had pending against him. The official reason is that a president can’t be prosecuted. But if that were the case, why was Trump beleaguered with an ‘independent prosecutor’ when he was in office to begin with? Democrats had spent years promising to bring President Trump to ‘justice’ while he was a sitting president. The prosecutions and investigations of Trump were election interference all along. Since there are no more elections to interfere with, there’s no longer any point in pursuing them. That’s not to say other ‘investigations’ won’t emerge, but they’ll be targeted to interfering with the actions and policies of the Trump administration rather than trying to sell the public on the notion that he’s a ‘felon’ who has committed crimes. The investigations of Trump were election interference from the very beginning. Russiagate was generated by the Clinton campaign in partnership with the Obama administration to justify spying on the campaign, smearing Trump and going after his associates. Russiagate lingered on to target Trump associates. But the Jack Smith election interference campaign is really no good for any of that. Litigating the 2016 or 2020 elections is futile because there’s no longer a 2024 election to aim at. Actual democracy beat ‘fortifying democracy’. Election interference in order to investigation election interference has ceased to be a viable strategy. #TRUMP2024