Forces Driving Scorching & Deadly US Heatwave in 2021 Probed in New Study

The mechanism driving the catastrophic weather phenomenon that gripped western North America in 2021 has been revealed by researchers at the Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

The experts used the atmospheric Community Earth System Model to determine the causes of the heatwave, which affected the US states of Oregon and Washington, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia, causing temperature to rise to 40-50 degrees Celsius in June-July 2021.

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Patients Get Lung Cancer Scare in Place of Xmas Greetings From UK Doctor's Practice

🎅 Hundreds of patients at the Askern Medical Centre in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, received the terrifying text mentioning "aggressive lung cancer with metastases" — medical jargon for the disease spreading to other organs — on December 23.

Less than half an hour later, the general practice surgery sent a correction with their "sincere apologies" for the mix-up, which appeared to be an internal message sent out by mistake.

💬 "Our message to you should have read: We wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," the second text said.

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Can One Buy US Military Biometric Data on eBay? Media Report Says 'Yes'

Earlier this year, German hacker Matthias Marx bought a biometric capture device on eBay for $68 and found that its memory card still contained the names, nationalities, photographs, fingerprints, and iris scans of 2,632 people. After browsing the kit's metadata, Marx said it was last used in the summer of 2012 near Kandahar, Afghanistan as part of a Pentagon program aimed to find terrorists among local civilians. The device was still working, he added.

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Year in Review: How Afghanistan Withdrawal Continued to Haunt Washington in 2022

2022 marked the one year anniversary of the West's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Most of the stories coming out of the country this year have been dreary, depressing and dark. But there has been at least one very positive development.

👉 Find out what it was here

⚡️ Brazilian soccer legend Pelé has died at 82

🔺 First off, we bring you an update on Ukraine, the possibility of a peace plan, and the latest developments on the battlefield
🔺 Next, we will be joined by Dan Kovalik to talk about Venezuela – life under US sanctions, the Alex Saab trial, and bilateral relations with North Korea
🔺 And finally, Julian Assange once said, “Nearly every war has been the result of media lies” – and this is something we’d like to discuss

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♟ Norwegian chess legend Magnus Carlsen arrived 2:30 minutes late for a 3-minute game, but managed to score a victory against Belarus’ Vladislav Kovalev at the World Lightning Chess Championship in Almaty.

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Residents of Donetsk share heart-rending stories after Ukrainian forces increased shelling of the city’s residential areas

'The King of Football': Brazilian Legend Pelé Dead at 82 After Cancer Battle

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé would later go on to be known as the "king of football" as a result of his athleticism and grace on the field. The Brazilian star died Thursday aged 82 after battling cancer.

Pelé started his professional career at the age of 15, after dropping out of school in the fourth grade. His father, João Ramos do Nascimento, a minor league footballer, moved the family to Brazil's Sao Paulo when Pelé was just five years old. By age 10, the soon-to-be football great began his training under Waldemar de Brito, a friend of Pelé’s father and a former member of the Brazilian national team.

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‼️Ukrainian troops fire six missiles from MLRS on Donetsk city - DPR office in JCCC

US Greenlights Sale of Rapid Mine Deployment System to Taiwan as China Tensions Sizzle

The US has approved the sale of another package of military equipment to Taiwan - this time involving rapid deployment mine-laying equipment worth $180 million. Will Washington deliver? Or will the agreement simply mean the tacking on of another $180 million to the $18.7 billion backlog of American-made military aid that Taipei has ordered but has yet to receive?

Read more here

➡️Brazil has declared three days of mourning for Pelé, whose wake is expected to be held on Monday in the city of Santos.

Brazilian media has reported the football great will be laid to rest on Tuesday morning following a procession.

“So we are in a very weird, serious situation, both in Germany, Austria, when it comes to tackling the current energy crisis, how to substitute the Russian gas, how to run energy saving programs. Let me give you another example, which is just breathtaking, you have numerous public schools where children are asked to come with the anoraks, with the street clothes and sit at school in the street clothes with their scarves and so on, because the schools are too cold. So this is the situation in EU countries nowadays, 21st century,” Dr. Karin Kneissl – former minister of foreign affairs of Austria and an energy analyst – comments on deforestation of ancient forests in Germany near the Romania border.

🎧Listen to more of Kneissl’s analysis in our podcast: Lays Out Red Carpet for Zelensky; Twitter Files Saga Continues

‼️Ukrainian forces suffering serious losses near Artemovsk, Soledar - Zelensky's office

📹 Russian Su35S aircraft in action as part of the special military operation in Ukraine (video courtesy of Russia’s MoD)

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⚡️🚀 Indian Air Force successfully test-fires BrahMos air-launched missile at extended range

🗯 "Carrying out a precision strike on a ship target in the Bay of Bengal, the missile fired from a Su-30MKI aircraft achieved the desired mission objectives," the IAF said.

Watch: Chinese Fighter Jet Intercepts US Surveillance Aircraft Over South China Sea

The US Department of Defense released on Thursday footage it claims shows a Chinese fighter jet flying dangerously close to a US reconnaissance plane.

The Chinese government has yet to officially comment on the incident.

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🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin signed two bills into law on Thursday in a bid to tighten control over foreign investment in organizations of strategic importance for the national security.

The package, published on the official website for legal information, details the clearance process for transactions between foreign organizations and sensitive businesses in Russia, including purchases of more than a quarter of stock.

The new laws also require the government to clear any deal that would give an externally controlled business access to Russia's biological resources in the excess of 35% of the allowed catch. The list of resources is subject to the government's approval.

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