Focus Washington January 2022

China Sends Largest Warplane Shipment Toward Taiwan in 2022

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

China flew 39 warplanes toward Taiwan, making it the largest such shipment yet in the new year. The large sortie came among tensions over the future for the self-ruled island. The Chinese warplane formation included […]

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Assange Wins First Stage in Effort to Appeal US Extradition

January 24, 2022 Bojan Stojkovski

Julian Assange, infamous founder of WikiLeaks, won on Monday the first step of his ongoing effort to overturn a ruling made in the United Kingdom that opened the door for him to be extradited to […]

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protection against coronavirus infection

WHO Warns Not to Assume COVID Pandemic Reaching ‘End Game’

January 24, 2022 Bojan Stojkovski

The World Health Organization (WHO)’s chief warned on Monday that it would be dangerous for the world to assume that the latest Covid variant Omicron would usher in the end of the pandemic’s acutest phase. […]

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Kyiv Embassies Begin Sending Staff Home

January 24, 2022 Bojan Stojkovski

The State Department has ordered that family members of employees working in the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, to leave the country due to the mounting potential of a Russian military invasion. The UK has […]

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UAE Intercepts 2 Ballistic Missiles Over Abu Dhabi

January 24, 2022 Bojan Stojkovski

The United Arab Emirates intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The missiles were targeting the capital city Abu Dhabi in the second attack in only a week’s time. The latest aggression further […]

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US Forces Deploy AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters in Syria

January 24, 2022 Bojan Stojkovski

For the third day in Syria, clashes continue between Kurdish detachments of the Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by the US, and ISIS militants in the province of Hasakah. Initially, exclusively Kurdish armed groups tried to […]

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Iraq to Increase March Oil Supplies

January 24, 2022 Bojan Stojkovski

Iraq has scheduled additional oil deliveries to the market in March, taking into account forecasts of high demand, said Ali Nizar, deputy head of state-owned SOMO, Reuters reported. He also stressed that on average, Iraq […]

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US Negotiating With Qatar for Possible Gas Supplies to the EU

January 24, 2022 Bojan Stojkovski

The US is negotiating with Qatar to supply additional volumes of gas to Europe in the event of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. According to FT, Washington is also discussing […]

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WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world is at a critical juncture with coronavirus pandemic entering third year.

Coronavirus Pandemic Brings World at ‘Critical Juncture’: WHO Chief

January 24, 2022 Maja Popovska

On Monday, the World Health Organization’s director-general encouraged countries to start working together to end the pandemic’s acute stage, claiming that they now had all the instruments they need, Reuters reports. “The COVID-19 pandemic is […]

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Sanders Urges Lawmakers to Bring ‘Spending Plan’ to Senate Floor

January 24, 2022 Maja Popovska

Senator Bernie Sanders said it’s essential for Democrats to abandon Joe Biden’s spending plan and allow senators to vote on elements of the president’s major economic measure before attempting to pass the rest as a […]

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White House Competition Council to convene Monday for second time

White House Competition Council to Convene for the Second Time

January 24, 2022 Maja Popovska

The White House Competition Council will convene for the second time on Monday, according to information provided by government agencies, Reuters reports. Officials from two government agencies informed Reuters that their departments intended to attend […]

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Houston Deputy Shot Fatally During Traffic Stop

January 23, 2022 Maja Popovska

A deputy was shot and killed after he pulled a driver over Sunday morning in Houston, The Hill reports. 47-year-old Corporal Charles Galloway was shot and killed following an attempt to initiate “a traffic stop” […]

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Economic Recovery in U.S. Hampered by Surge of Omicron Cases

January 23, 2022 Maja Popovska

The economic recovery from the pandemic is being hampered by an omicron-driven rise of coronavirus cases, The Hill reports. The rapid and unprecedented rise in coronavirus infections has slowed consumer spending, prompted layoffs, and pushed […]

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New York Times Facing Defamation Trial after Sara Palin Op-Ed

January 23, 2022 Maja Popovska

Former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential contender in 2008, Sara Palin, has been fighting the New York Times for four and a half years over an editorial she claims unfairly connected her to a tragic […]

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Wildfire in Big Sur, CA, Prompts Evacuations, Shut Highways

January 23, 2022 Maja Popovska

A 1,500-acre wildfire in the seaside town of Big Sur, California, prompted evacuation orders and forced the closure of a section of a key roadway on Saturday, according to state and municipal authorities, Reuters reports. […]

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Ukrain receives military aid from US, military funding

Ukraine Receives ‘Lethal’ U.S. Military Aid Cargo

January 23, 2022 Maja Popovska

The American Embassy in Kyiv has reported that military supplies to help Ukraine defend itself against a possible Russian attack started to arrive on Friday night, Bloomberg reports. According to a tweet from the embassy, […]

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Battered Aircraft Footage Shared by Qatar Airways Amid Airbus Dispute

January 22, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

A video demonstrating the battered exterior of one of Qatar Airways planes that, according to the airline, underscores some serious and legitimate safety concerns, has been released by the airline in the middle of the […]

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NYC Mayor Sends Desperate Plea for Gun Reform after Two Cops Shot

January 22, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

After yet another shooting in the Big Apple that left one police officer dead and another clinging to life on Friday night, Mayor Eric Adams has sent a desperate plea to New Yorkers to help […]

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China Holds the Line on ‘Zero Covid,’ But Should They?

January 22, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Is China’s no-tolerance Covid policy unsustainable? China has largely kept Covid at bay since 2020 and is now going to the most extreme lengths yet in order to quell outbreaks in recent weeks. A growing […]

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Roe v Wade 49th Anniversary: Analysis

January 22, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

January 22, 2022 marks the 49th anniversary of Roe v Wade. It might be the landmark ruling’s last anniversary. In 1969, Norma McCorvey, who is known in the case as Jane Roe, sought out a […]

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UN Passes Holocaust Denial Resolution

January 22, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a new resolution aimed at combating Holocaust denial. The resolution, which was put forward by Germany and Israel, agreed on a definition of what the denial of the Holocaust is. […]

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U.S. and Russia Meet for Second Round of Ukraine Talks

January 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Top U.S. and Russian diplomats met for a second round of diplomatic talks about the ongoing Ukraine crisis. While there were no major breakthroughs, the two sides agreed to keep the diplomatic channels going and […]

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Bionic Eye Successfully Implanted in Patient in UK

January 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

An 88 year-old woman has become the first patient in the UK to receive a bionic eye implant. She can now detect signals in her vision for the very first time since going blind. “Bionic […]

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Finish PM Claims Her NATO Membership Comment Realistic

January 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

After the fierce criticism from the opposition she faced following her Reuters interview in which she noted it’s very unlikely that Finland would apply for a NATO membership during her term in office, Finnish Prime […]

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Four Anti-NATO Ukrainian Politicians Face US Sanctions

January 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Four Ukrainian politicians – two MPs and two former officials- have found themselves under the scrutiny of the Biden, which followed the White House’s line that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine, that accuses them […]

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IRS to Make Facial Recognition ID Mandatory by 2022

January 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The only way Americans can create an account with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) starting by the summer of 2022 to access their tax returns and pay their taxes online would be by enrolling in […]

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Amazon is Opening a Clothing Store

January 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Do you want to go shopping at Amazon? No, not online. In person. Amazon launched a new venture outside of its giant realm of e-commerce, cloud computing, smart devices, content streaming, cashier-less technology, Whole Foods, […]

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Prince Andrew’s Twitter Account Deleted After Stripped of Royal Titles

January 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

This account no longer exists. Prince Andrew’s social media accounts have been shut down or set to private following being stripped of his military titles. The royal’s Twitter account @ TheDukeofYork has been deleted and is […]

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President Biden Says Russia Will Attack Ukraine

January 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

President Joe Biden thinks Russia will invade Ukraine but will suffer a “stiff price” for the attack. In his most extensive remarks yet on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Biden strayed away from the typical show of unity […]

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Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid to Shield Documents From Jan 6 Panel

January 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Sorry Trump, but it looks like the Jan. 6 insurrection documents are headed to congress despite your efforts. The US Supreme Court rejected requests by former President Donald Trump to block the release of White […]

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