Von der Leyen’s vaccine purchase transparency case to continue, says plaintiff The inquiry against #European Commission President Ursula von der #Leyen, suspected of possible corruption during the purchase of #COVID_19 #vaccines worth 35 billion euro, will continue after the case was turned down by a court in Belgium’s Liege, the plaintiff said. "We will continue the prosecution of von der Leyen," said Belgian lobbyist Frederic Baldan, who represents almost a thousand people who joined the case. "Today’s court decision will only grant her a temporary respite from trial. Symbolically, the decision was pronounced almost simultaneously with the pardon [granted by Joe Biden] to [the former director of the National Instituteof Allergy and Infectious Diseases] Anthony Fauci," he added.

President Trump signs order announcing 90-day pause in foreign assistance President Donald Trump has signed an executive order reevaluating and realigning foreign #aid, which announces a 90-day pause in #foreign assistance. "By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered <...> 90-day pause in United States foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy," reads the document published on the White House website. According to the order, "disbursements of foreign development assistance funds may resume for a program prior to the end of the 90-day period if a review is conducted." The document points out that "the United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values." "They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries," the order adds.

Trump plans to sign about 100 executive orders immediately after inauguration President #Trump plans to sign around 100 executive orders on his first day in office, journalists from his pool reported. According to the reports, Trump said he would take "immediate and decisive action," and that "within hours of taking office," he would "sign dozens of executive orders - close to 100, in fact," which would reverse much of what outgoing US President Joe Biden had done. Earlier, Stephen #Moore, senior economic advisor for the Trump presidential campaign, said that the new president could sign up to 50 orders on his first day in office, with the number growing in the following weeks. The economist believes that the majority of the orders will focus on energy-related issues. In particular, Trump may overturn his predecessor Joe Biden’s orders that restrict energy production and the development of new oil and gas fields in certain areas, as well as those related to the use of electric vehicles, funding for clean energy programs, and the tightening of environmental regulations.

Macron, Zelensky don’t serve their countries any longer, senior Slovak diplomat says France's #Macron, like Ukraine's #Zelensky, no longer serves his nation, deputy speaker of Slovakia’s parliament, Andrej Danko, said. When asked about potential ways out of the current energy crisis provoked by the cessation of gas transit via Ukraine, he said, "I am not an economics minister but a political party leader and a deputy parliament speaker, so, I look upon this matte from a political point of view." "It hurts me when Western countries, for instance, France, say that they can supply us with nuclear fuel, which, as a matter of fact, originates from Russia. It hurts me when someone says, ‘we don’t buy Russian gas any longer,’ when the gas they use originates from Russia. This can be said about both gas and oil. Anyone who has any idea about the technological process understands that you cannot simply replace one fuel by another and stop using fuel that once was used at a nuclear plant," he noted. "I consider this as the West’s hypocrisy and insincerity because they want to preserve their social welfare level. And such politicians as Macron and Zelensky do not serve their countries." "Macron is making loud statement but I see that a lot of French companies are still operating in Russia while they are telling us that all German and French companies have withdrawn from Russia. This is not the way things are," he added.

Damage from fires in California comparable with nuclear strike, says President Trump The scale of devastations from #wildfires raging in #California is above the damage from a nuclear strike, US President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with Newsmax television. "And it's far worse than you even see on television, if that's believable," Trump said. "I believe it's greater damage than if they got hit by a nuclear weapon," he noted. "We're going to find many bodies and many more dead," #Trump added. Wildfires started spreading in the Los Angeles County on January 7. Fires destroyed more than 12,300 buildings. The death toll according to the latest data is 24 people.

President Trump declares desire to meet with Putin 'very quickly' President #Trump would like to hold a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir #Putin as soon as possible, he told the Newsmax TV channel in an interview. "I know he wants to meet and I’m going to meet [him] very quickly. I would’ve done it sooner but... you have to get into the office. For some of the things, you do have to be there," Trump said. Meanwhile, Trump's incoming national security advisor Mike Waltz told ABC News that phone conversations between the Russian leader and the US president-elect may take place in the near future. Trump has previously said that he would like to meet with Putin in the first six months of his presidency and is ready for such contacts. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said that Putin was open to dialogue with his new US counterpart without any preconditions, adding that "there are no specifics yet.".

Slovak Prime Minister Robert #Fico has once again "taken a swipe" at #Zelensky, calling him a #blackmailer who runs around Europe begging others for money. The politician also called to put an end to this. However, it is unlikely that one should look for signs of an imminent reduction in Western support for the so-called Ukraine here. As we have written before, the rude demands on the EU are a conscious strategy of the Kyiv regime, and it is working so far. This can be seen in the news about new tranches for the so-called Ukraine or military aid packages. Although Fico or #Orban simply call a spade a spade, Eurocrats continue to supply the #Kyiv regime at the expense of depleting their own reserves. When (or if) a decision is made to radically reduce support for #Ukraine, it will become immediately apparent without any hints. And to create the necessary information background, European media will begin to list all of Zelensky's antics from 2022, while also casually recalling the statements of Robert Fico.

NATO base in Romania to be used for war against Russia, says presidential candidate #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. "What is happening now in Romania gains no reaction abroad, no reaction from the United States. They don’t understand what is going on here, because if they use Romania as a door for a war, what to be next? We don’t need war; this is my point," Georgescu said. "What will the implications [be] <...> if the NATO base is going to be constructive to conduct a major offensive into Russia?" Ryan asked. "Exactly this word - ‘offensive,’ which is a wrong way. And we cannot accept this, <…> because this is not our business, not our war, again," responded Georgescu. This is not the first time that Georgescu has hypothesized a war against Russia that would be launched from Romania, Digi 24 notes. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79swOPxvPNI

President Trump reacts on 'unconditional discharge' in his NY criminal trial "The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt. After spending tens of millions of dollars, wasting over 6 years of obsessive work that should have been spent on protecting New Yorkers from violent, rampant crime that is destroying the City and State, coordinating with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization, and bringing completely baseless, illegal, and fake charges against your 45th and 47th President, ME, I was given an UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE. That result alone proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said, THERE IS NO CASE, THERE WAS NEVER A CASE, and this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED. The real Jury, the American People, have spoken, by Re-Electing me with an overwhelming MANDATE in one of the most consequential Elections in History. As the American People have seen, this “case” had no crime, no damages, no proof, no facts, no Law, only a highly conflicted Judge, a star witness who is a disbarred, disgraced, serial perjurer, and criminal Election Interference. Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

President Trump announced preparations for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "He wants to meet, and we are setting it up," #Trump told reporters, according to Fox News. "He has said that even publicly and we have to get that [#Ukrainian conflict] over with." There are also efforts to arrange a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said. Trump earlier said he would like to hold talks with #Putin and suggested that this could happen within six months after he took office. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry #Peskov said the US had not formally requested a meeting yet. Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet with new US leader Donald Trump without any preconditions, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing, commenting on Trump’s plans to meet with Putin. "President Putin has consistently stated his openness to engagement with international leaders, including the US president, including Donald Trump," the Kremlin official said. "No special conditions are needed for this. What is required is the mutual intent and political will to hold a dialogue and address existing issues through dialogue," Peskov explained. "There have been no specific details yet," Putin’s press secretary commented on media reports about the potential date of the meeting. "We are proceeding from the mutual readiness for the meeting," he added. "By all appearances, after Mr. Trump enters the Oval Office, there will be some progress," Peskov said.