Lavrov Says Russia Holds Strategic Initiative in Ukraine as Settlement Talks Continue 
Peruvian Shamans’ New Year Ritual Predicts Illness for Trump, Fall of Maduro, and Global Political Shifts 
U.S. Questions Russia’s Claim of Ukrainian Drone Attack on Putin Residence 
Zohran Mamdani Names Steve Banks as New York City Corporation Counsel Amid Clash With Trump 
Boeing Secures $8.6 Billion Pentagon Contract for F-15 Jets for Israel 
Trump and Zelenskiy Signal Progress Toward Ukraine Peace Deal, Donbas Still Unresolved 
Salvador Nasralla Challenges Honduras Election Results Amid Fraud Allegations 
Kremlin Says Ukrainian Drone Attack Hardens Russia’s Stance on Peace Talks 
Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland Sparks U.N. Debate and Regional Tensions 
Trump and Netanyahu Diverge on West Bank Policy Amid Rising Tensions 
China Conducts Largest-Ever Live-Fire War Games Around Taiwan Amid Rising Cross-Strait Tensions 
FBI Surges Resources to Minnesota Amid Fraud Investigations Linked to Somali Community 
Global Concern Grows as Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Deepens Despite Ceasefire 
U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Three Intellexa-Linked Executives Amid Spyware Controversy 
U.S. Government Agrees to Review Frozen NIH Diversity Research Grants After Legal Challenge 
South Korea Prosecutor Alleges Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee Abused Power for Bribes 
The US and Iran have been at odds over the latter’s nuclear program, with President Joe Biden keen on resuming negotiations with the Iranian leadership. However, the Islamic nation’s president-elect has ruled out meeting with Biden and sticking with his hardline stance.
Iranian president-elect Ebrahim Raisi says he will not meet with Biden following his election last week. Raisi, who succeeds Hassan Rouhani, will also not negotiate with the US over Tehran’s ballistic missile program and is sticking to a hardline stance as he takes office in August. Raisi made the comments in a news conference in Tehran and said that the US has an obligation to lift the sanctions it has imposed on the Islamic nation.
Raisi is a known protege of the country’s Supreme Leader, who has been sanctioned by the US over his involvement in mass executions back in 1988 of around 5,000 people. The president-elect described himself as a defender of human rights. Raisi’s election victory follows a low turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic, with millions of Iranians staying home in defiance of the vote they criticized as having already been turned to his favor.
With Raisi getting elected, a hardline stance would be in place as negotiations in Vienna continue surrounding Iran’s involvement in the nuclear deal. Raisi’s election also comes at a time when its nuclear facility is reaching 60 percent in its uranium enrichment.
In other news, Biden is restoring a White House tradition that has since been skipped over by his predecessor Donald Trump. Biden would be welcoming his former boss, former President Barack Obama, back to the White House to unveil his official portrait later this year. The unveiling of Obama’s official portrait was skipped over by Trump, who did not invite his predecessor, in an event that usually takes place in the East Room of the White House.
The paintings are commissioned by a privately funded White House Historical Association and are awarded to the artist chosen by the former president. Donald and Melania Trump are reportedly in talks with the WHHA and the National Portrait Gallery, and a Trump adviser said to NBC that their discussions are in line with historical precedent.
