UK counter-terrorism police alerted to potential ISIS return British media said on Thursday that counter-terrorism police in the UK are on high alert for the potential return of British supporters of the Islamic State (#ISIS) following their release from prisons in Syria amid ongoing military developments in the region. According to Sky News, counter-terrorism authorities are concerned that instability in #Syria’s future could heighten the risk of jihadist attacks within the UK. Vicki Evans, the UK’s national counter-terrorism coordinator, emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, “Events in Syria are certainly something that are a focus and something that all of us need to think about with our partners.” Border authorities have reportedly declared a state of heightened readiness, preparing for the possibility that British ISIS supporters, recently released from Syrian prisons, may attempt to return to the country. Neither Evans nor Sky News specified which prisons the ISIS supporters had been released from.

Russian forces evacuating from Syria A special #Russian air force flight from the Khmeimim air base in #Syria has evacuated some of the Russian diplomatic personnel in #Damascus as well as Belarusian and North Korean diplomats, the Russian foreign ministry says. “The work of the Russian Embassy in Damascus continues,” the crisis situation department of the Russian foreign ministry says on its Telegram channel. Russia’s RIA state news agency reports, citing the Belarusian foreign ministry, that all Belarusian diplomats have been evacuated from Syria. In an other Hand, the serial production of the Oreshnik intermediate-range missile will begin shortly, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. "As you know, the #Oreshnik intermediate-range missile system has become Russia’s newest powerful weapon. It was successfully used in November in response to the strikes on our country’s territory - a ballistic missile with a non-nuclear hypersonic payload was used," the Russian leader said, speaking at the Russian Defense Ministry’s board meeting. "The serial production of such systems is supposed to be established in shortly in order ensure the security of Russia and its allies."

EU Council grants full Schengen membership to Bulgaria, Romania from January 1 The #EU Council agreed to fully integrate #Bulgaria and #Romania in the #Schengen Area from January 1, 18 years after they joined the bloc. "EU member states have decided to remove checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025," the council said in a statement. In March, Bulgaria and Romania joined the Schengen area partially, as passport control was lifted at air and sea borders. The final approval for the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen must be given by EU leaders at an EU summit taking place from December 19-20 in Brussels, but this is a mere formality, as interior and justice ministers endorsed this decision in the EU Council at the direction of country leaders. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007, but their admission to Schengen was postponed pending resolution of some issues in such areas as the fight against corruption. However, the process dragged on and was paused after the start of the EU immigration crisis in 2015. The Schengen Area was created in 1985 by #Belgium, #France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany. Its borders do not coincide with the borders of the European Union, although each group now includes 27 countries. Non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are Schengen members. But EU members Ireland and Cyprus do not have Schengen membership, while Bulgaria and Romania will only fully join in January.

Scholz-Putin talk should be welcomed, as it is right step --- Bundestag #Bundestag member of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - Reason and Justice (BSW) group Sevim Dagdelen considers the telephone conversation between German Chancellor Olaf #Scholz and Russian President Vladimir #Putin a right step. "Even if it is a maneuver designed to present oneself as Chancellor of the Peace in the upcoming election battle, it should be welcomed that Olaf Scholz has finally reached the point of having a direct conversation with Russian President Putin," she wrote on her X page. "The statement made by his predecessor Helmut Schmidt that it is better to negotiate for 100 hours about nothing than to shoot for one minute was and still is correct," Dagdelen noted. The lawmaker emphasized that politicians who are "intoxicated by war" and advocate for an imposed peace or the continuation of the conflict "until Kiev's victory" are only contributing to further loss of life. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, marking their first phone conversation since December 2022. According to the Kremlin, the leaders discussed Ukraine, the Middle East crisis, and bilateral relations between Moscow and Berlin. They agreed that their aides would maintain communication. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Scholz’s decision to call Putin demonstrates political will to understand Moscow's position firsthand.

Biden enters wrong (Russian) plane. Kamala just watches Neither Kamala nor the secret service realized the 'president' entered the wrong plane. A Russian plane! Joe Biden climbed back up the stairs of an airplane he wasn't supposed to be on, as Kamala Harris and the Secret Service stood and watched. 'This is a TOTAL metaphor for the Biden-Harris four years. No wonder the world is in crisis and America's economy is crumbling!'

Russian Warships in U.S' Backyard; Big Move After Biden Plays Deaf To Putin's Ukraine Warning Four #Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, will arrive in #Cuba next week amid escalating tensions over the Ukraine war. Although Cuba has clarified that the ships are not carrying #nuclear weapons, the move is seen as a response to the U.S. allowing #Ukraine to use American weapons against Russia. This situation evokes memories of the Cuban #Missile Crisis of 1962. https://rumble.com/v504oxr-russian-warships-in-u.s-backyard-big-move-after-biden-plays-deaf-to-putins-.html

The U.S. Commerce Sec. fears a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan She highlighted one hypothetical event that could be, in her opinion, "absolutely devastating." US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo expresses grave concerns about a possible severe crisis in the US economy if China invades Taiwan.

WORLD SHIPPING: The world pays and stays silent - WHY? It may be a bit pushed out of the headlines but what is happening in the Red Sea is dramatic and the most significant impact on the global economy of the war in Gaza. A senior official at an American consulting company explains that in view of the fact that 30% of global container traffic normally passes through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea crisis has a huge impact on global supply chains. The Houthi attacks on cargo ships resulted in an almost fivefold increase in the cost of shipping between Asia and Europe. This is estimated to fuel global inflation by adding up to 0.7% to the cost of the global economy's "core commodities". The best alternative routes add to the voyages thousands of kilometers, over 10 days (between Asia and Europe) and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel costs for each such journey at sea. "Given the global nature of our economy, few companies or industries are immune to the impact. The increased cost of raw materials and supplies, longer delivery times, production delays and distribution challenges will affect the entire manufacturing sector long after the crisis is over," he wrote. The world seems to have come to terms with this reality...

Macron 'playing with fire' by bringing up military intervention in Ukraine, says Russian diplomat French President Emmanuel #Macron is playing with fire by talking about the potential deployment of troops in Ukraine, Alexey #Polishchuk, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second #CIS Department, said in an interview. "Such conversations cannot but cause concern. Politicians who are calling for a military intervention in Ukraine are playing with fire," the diplomat said, commenting on the French leader’s remarks on the matter. According to him, many Western politicians are sacrificing the national interests of their own countries for the sake of a political agenda and election ambitions. "There is an impression that they do not realize the risks of the crisis escalating and spreading. This is political immaturity. Our warnings about the consequences of flooding the #Kyiv regime with weapons are being ignored," Polishchuk stressed. Earlier, Macron said that some 20 Western countries taking part in a recent Paris meeting on further assistance for Kiev had discussed the possibility of sending ground troops to Ukraine. According to the French leader, no consensus was reached on the issue but such a possibility cannot be ruled out in the future.

France: Muslim migrant arrested on suspicion of plotting jihad attack against Notre Dame Cathedral French police have arrested an #Egyptian migrant and #ISIS operative suspected of planning a jihadist attack against the Notre Dame cathedral in #Paris. A Muslim #migrant and ISIS operative? But…but…aren’t the French authorities carefully vetting the migrants they’re admitting into the country? In reality, French authorities aren’t vetting the migrants, and since they deny the reality of jihad, they wouldn’t even know what to look for if they were.