News of the World

[kyonides]

US NEWS

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Derek Chauvin, Officer Convicted of George Floyd's Death, Stabbed in Prison

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted for the 2020 murder of George Floyd, was seriously injured in a stabbing incident at a federal prison in Arizona on Friday.

The assault on Chauvin, occurring at the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution (FCI), Tucson, happened at around 12:30 p.m. local time, a source told The Associated Press. The convicted murderer was stabbed in the prison known for its security lapses and staffing shortages, the AP said, and has become a scene of yet another violent incident involving a notable prisoner.

Newsweek has sought additional information and verification from relevant sources and will update this article as more details become available.

Chauvin's case drew international attention following the death of Floyd after Chauvin knelt on his neck for over nine minutes. The incident, captured on video, sparked global protests against police brutality and racism.

Bidencrisis

No Americans Included in Hamas Hostage Release Puts Biden in GOP Crosshairs

President Joe Biden has come under fire on social media after no Americans were included in the 24 hostages released by Hamas on Friday during a temporary ceasefire.

Hamas fighters seized around 240 hostages and killed 1,200 people in a surprise attack on southern Israel, which began in the early morning of October 7. Israel responded with an air and ground offensive that has killed more than 12,700 Palestinians, the Associated Press reported, citing the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

On Friday, Hamas freed 13 Israelis as part of a deal that should see 50 hostages released during a four day ceasefire, in return for 150 Palestinian women and children being held in Israeli jails and more humanitarian aid. The first 39 Palestinians were freed in return whilst Hamas also released 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino who had been working in Israel.

However, none of those released on Friday were American, sparking some conservative anger against Biden who has enthusiastically supported the agreement that he said would "bring home additional American hostages."
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Podcaster Alec Lace commented: "Apparently no Americans are being released in the hostage deal between Hamas and Israel which Biden claimed to broker! NEVER FORGET: Biden traded away the Merchant of Death for an anti-American basketball player."

Biden Receives Concerning News From 'Key Pillar' of His Economic Agenda

President Joe Biden got a record low approval rating from small business owners, who he has pledged to support through his "Bidenomics," according to a new survey.

Biden's approval among small business owners stood at only 30 percent in a new CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey. The survey took feedback from more than 2,000 small business owners across the country from November 16 to 21.

In his early days in office in 2021, Biden had a 43 percent approval rating from small business owners, signaling a 13 percent drop in confidence, according to the survey. Currently, 56 percent of business owners strongly disapprove of his presidency's performance, while only 13 percent strongly approve.

On Tuesday, the Biden administration pledged $50 million to support small businesses under American Rescue Plan funds. In its announcement, the administration called small businesses a "key pillar of Bidenomics." Bidenomics is a term that encompasses the president's economic vision.

"Under President Biden, we've achieved the fastest growth in Black business ownership in over 30 years," the White House said in a statement.

Between 2019 and 2022, the number of Black households owning a business more than doubled after falling between 2007 and 2019.

Across the board, the Biden-Harris Administration awarded a "record-breaking" $163 billion in federal procurement opportunities to small businesses in 2022, the White House said in its statement. That included $69.9 billion to Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) and over $28 billion to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

No, Mr. Biden. You're not making people open new shops with a healthy financial status. What you're doing is just creating a strong dependency on federal funds to keep those businesses running... for a while at least.

Will those funds end up like all those granted by Obama to green companies that filed for bankruptcy a few months or years later?  

LATIN AMERICAN NEWS

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Javier Milei Doubles Down on Most Radical Plan

Argentina's President-elect Javier Milei on Friday declared the closure of the nation's central bank a "non-negotiable" aspect of his administration. The move, aligning with his libertarian principles, has set the stage for sweeping changes in Argentina's economic policy and governance.

As Milei prepares to take office on December 10 after defeating his opponent Sergio Massa, his commitment to shutting down the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BRCA) and dollarizing the economy signals a dramatic shift from traditional economic policies. His controversial approach is igniting debates among economists about the future of Argentina's financial stability and sovereignty.

Milei, a 53-year-old economist and a political outsider, is steering Argentina toward uncharted territory, experts say. His plan to replace the Argentine peso with the U.S. dollar is a direct response to the country's crippling hyperinflation, which has surpassed 142 percent.
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Economists warn that the process of dollarization is complex and dependent on significant dollar reserves, which Argentina currently lacks. Experts say that reliance on U.S. monetary policy, following the abandonment of local currency, would strip Argentina of crucial economic tools and potentially lead to a reduction in real wages and purchasing power among Argentinians.

Honestly, that's a terrible move right now. A strong US with a solid dollar could help Argentinians get out of their crisis in a few years or even after a decade of hard work. Biden's America is the exact opposite of what Argentina needs right now. Just remember for how long the US government has claimed that the US isn't in a recession or it's just a mild one. And its military spending keeps increasing...

EUROPEAN NEWS

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Turncoat Ukraine Official Killed in Car Explosion in Russia

A turncoat Ukrainian official was killed in a car explosion on Russian soil.

Oleksandr Slisarenko, the former deputy head of the Russian-imposed administration in the occupied Kharkiv Oblast, died after succumbing to his injuries after his car exploded in Belgorod, Russia, on November 16, according to Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform.

The car that Slisarenko had been driving collided with another vehicle, causing the explosion that resulted in his death. Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) is believed to be behind the incident.

Slisarenko had previously worked in Ukraine's internal affairs agencies but was an active participant in Kharkiv's 2014 pro-Russia demonstrations, which came in response to the ousting of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was seen as Russian-leaning.

In 2021-2022, he fought against Ukrainian forces as part of the Rys special unit of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic (LNR). He was appointed deputy head of the occupation administration of the Kharkiv region for internal policy in the summer of 2022.

Russian Propagandist Sent to Ukraine Front Being Held in 'Punishment Pit'

Ilya Andreev, a former Russian state news correspondent who quit to avoid pushing propaganda, is being held in a "punishment pit" after being sent to the front lines of the Ukraine war, according to his wife.
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The Russian military has faced myriad challenges amid the conflict, including troubles recruiting and maintaining well-trained, disciplined troops. Military analysts have noted that Putin's troops lack motivation, and questions about the treatment of troops have been raised after a video emerged online appearing to show soldiers being thrown into a pit for refusing to fight.

Andreev is among the troops who have allegedly been sent to the "punishment pit," his wife told Russian Telegram channel Astra.

Andreev is a former reporter for state-run media outlet Channel One, which has toed Putin's line on the war. He quit this position to avoid pushing propaganda but was given a "black mark" from the organization, preventing him from finding another job, according to Astra's report.

Facing financial difficulties due to lack of employment, Andreev joined the Russian military but was told he would not be stationed outside of capital city Moscow on September 1, according to the report.

So if you're Russian and decided not to join the army for awhile and then "changed your mind" after reviving your so called patriotism, you can still get punished for it anyway.  What a great way to motivate young recruits to join them ASAP...

Russian Troops Claim Commander Wants Them Dead to Cover Up Battle Failures

A group of Russian soldiers stationed in Ukraine recently released a video in which they accused their military commander of giving them an assignment in the hopes that it would kill them.

The soldiers alleged the commander's motivation for wanting them dead was to cover up his past mistakes that resulted in other troops dying.

The soldiers originally posted their video on Telegram, but WarTranslated, an independent media project that translates materials about the Russia-Ukraine war into English, shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

Newsweek could not independently verify the video and reached out to Russia's Ministry of Defense via email for comment.

WarTranslated frequently posts videos of Russian soldiers airing their grievances with Russian President Vladimir Putin or his military leaders. Over the weekend, WarTranslated's X account shared a video that allegedly showed naked Russian soldiers being forced to stay in a pit because they refused to fight.

MIDDLE EASTERN NEWS

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Israel Says Hamas Ceasefire Violated After 15 Minutes

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reported that unspecified Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip violated a nascent ceasefire after only 15 minutes, telling Newsweek it intercepted a rocket fired towards southern Israel.

Rocket sirens sounded in the evacuated southern Israeli towns of Kissufim and Ein HaShlosha early on Friday morning, shortly after a four-day ceasefire came into effect that will allow a prisoner exchange and the delivery of humanitarian aid into the besieged and devastated Gaza Strip.

"There was a rocket and it was intercepted," the IDF Spokesperson's Unit told Newsweek of the reports, noting it was fired at 7:15 a.m. local time; 15 minutes after the ceasefire—which the IDF is calling an "operational pause"—came into effect.

It is not yet clear which group was responsible for the alleged rocket launch, though the IDF has previously said Hamas bears responsibility for any attacks from Gaza into southern Israel given it holds influence over other local militant groups.