Putin-Biden face-off

Russia warns the United States that any further sanctions against Moscow would threaten their bilateral ties. Speaking on the phone, Russian President Vladimir Putin tells his American counterpart, Joe Biden, that introducing more bans would be a colossal mistake. Biden, for his part, warns Russia of a decisive response in case Moscow invades Ukraine. The 50-minute-long call is the second time the two leaders spoke directly to each other in just over three weeks. The West accuses Moscow of planning to attack Ukraine. Moscow denies the accusation, arguing that its military build-up along its border is a means of protection against NATO�s Eastward expansion. Officials from the two countries will hold security talks over the issue in January.

New Year travel chaos

In the United States, thousands of passengers are left stranded as airlines call off over 1,000 flights ahead of the New Year�s Eve holiday. Airline agencies say they are witnessing a surge in the number of sick calls from the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Meanwhile, winter storms threaten to further disrupt travel over New Year�s weekend. Denver, Atlanta, and Los Angeles are among the hardest hit for cancellations and delays Thursday afternoon amid strong winds and precipitation. The rise in Omicron cases in the US and Europe led to the cancellation of thousands of flights across the world over the past weeks.

Iran satellite launch

Iran has successfully sent three research payloads into space, using a domestically produced satellite launch rocket. The Iranian Defense Ministry says the Simorgh satellite carrier rocket launched the research devices to an altitude of 470 kilometers. It also says the objectives of the launch have been fulfilled. According to the ministry, the development of the Simorgh satellite launch rocket as well as the Imam Khomeini space center have been key projects in Iran�s space industry. The country has already sent other satellites into space, using two domestically made carriers, dubbed Safir and Qassed.