📹 The farewell ceremony for Benedict XVI has began at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

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🕯 Fans greeted Pele's coffin by kneeling down and setting off firecrackers.

▪️ The body of the footballer was taken to the stadium of the Santos club, where the farewell ceremony will be held today

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❗️A suspect in a machete attack on police officers in New York wanted to join the Taliban*, American media reported, citing the law enforcement.

📌Last week, New York city police said that Trevor Bickford attacked the police with machete near Times Square on the New Year's Eve injuring three officers. The perpetrator was arrested after getting shot in the shoulder.

▪️According to the media, the 19-year old man carried a diary where he expressed his wish to join the Taliban and "die as a martyr."

▪️The suspect is in custody and remains under police guard at a hospital where he is treated for a gunshot wound.

*Taliban is under UN sanctions over terrorism

🤔South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday that people were fed up with summits between the leaders of South Korea and North Korea that were "for show only," though there should always be an open door for talks between the two counties.

🗣"I think the people are a little fed up with summits that are for show only. We have to start with dialogue on humanitarian issues, and open the door to contact and dialogue between South and North," the president was quoted by South Korean news agency as saying.

📌Yoon noted that there was no reason to reject the idea of summits, though prior discussions had to take place so as to ensure a useful outcome of the meeting.

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📹 At least four people have died and 13 people have been injured as a result of a collision of two helicopters on Monday near the eastern Australian city of Gold Coast, local media reported.

▪️ The collision reportedly occurred in mid-air as one helicopter was landing, while the other was trying to take off.

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⚡️Ukrainian Army has shelled the temporary deployment point of one of the units of the Russian forces in the Makeyevka area with HIMARS, two rockets have been shot down, the Russian Ministry of Defense reports.

"As a result of shelling of the temporary deployment unit by four missiles with high-explosive warheads, 63 Russian servicemen were killed. All necessary assistance and support will be provided to the families and relatives of the deceased military personnel," the ministry said in a statement.

❗️The Russian MoD’s briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️Russian Forces performed a high precision strike temporary deployments of foreign mercenaries in the DPR and in the Kharkov region, eliminating more than 70 foreign mercenaries and wounding more than 100 foreign mercenaries;

▪️The Russian Army eliminated up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed two Ukrainian armored combat vehicles and three other vehicles near Kupyansk;

▪️Russian troops eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three armored carriers and two pick-up trucks near Krasny Liman;

▪️Russian Forces eliminated up to 70 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed four infantry combat vehicles and five other vehicles near Donetsk;

▪️The Russian Army eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three armored combat vehicles and two pick-up trucks in the DPR;

▪️Russian troops destroyed two Ukrainian artillery ammunition depots;

▪️Russian Forces destroyed two US-made M777 artillery systems in the DPR;

▪️The Russian Army destroyed a Krav self-propelled howitzer in the Kherson region, as well as four Ukrainian D-30 howitzers in the DPR;

▪️Russian air defenses destroyed 15 Ukrainian UAVs.

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📹 🇮🇹 Last Generation eco-activists poured paint on the facade of Rome's Senate building.

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🇹🇷Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Monday that Athens was trying to present its issues in bilateral relations with Ankara as Turkey's problems with NATO and the United States.

📌The minister noted that Turkey and Greece had been holding bilateral consultations on trust building measures and cooperation in NATO and accused Athens of sabotaging these meetings recently.

▪️According to Akar, Athens is trying to present its problems in relationships with Ankara "as Turkey's issues in its relations with NATO, the US and EU," while also using them so as to distract people from domestic scandals.

▪️In response to Greek politicians' calling Turkey a threat, the minister said that Ankara is a reliable ally and does not threaten anyone.

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⚽️Saudi football club Al Nassr's manager Rudi Garcia has claimed that he wanted to add Argentine great Lionel Messi to the recent acquisition of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. The remark may potentially upset his team’s latest celebrity recruit.

▪️When asked by reporters about Ronaldo’s arrival, Garcia remarked that he wanted to “take Messi” as well, referring to the 2022 FIFA World Cup best player.

▪️At least one media outlet has since argued that the manager’s words might not sit well with Ronaldo, since Garcia supposedly suggested that he wanted to sign Messi first before going after CR7, favoring the former over the latter.

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🇷🇺Russian energy giant Gazprom exceeded its annual obligations for gas supplies to China in 2022 and reached a fundamentally new level of supplies from January 1, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said on Monday.

💬"In 2022, regular supplies went beyond the daily contract quantities, at the request of the Chinese side, and, as a result, we exceeded our annual commitments," Miller said in a statement, published by the company in Telegram.

📌In addition, Gazprom began to supply the daily volumes envisaged by the contract with China for 2023, a few days before the schedule, from December 31, the executive noted.

💬"Therefore, Gazprom reached a fundamentally new level of gas supplies to China from January 1, 2023," Miller specified.

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Japan Scrambles Military to Keep Track of Chinese Naval Movements in Pacific

Japanese Armed Forces moved in response to maneuvers by a Chinese aircraft carrier and several other warships that sailed into the Pacific past the Okinawa islands in December.

Japan has deployed military aircraft and warships in order to keep tabs on Chinese naval movements in the Pacific, Japanese authorities announced on Monday.

The move follows a Chinese naval group comprised of the aircraft carrier Liaoning and five other warships which sailed from the East China Sea into the Western Pacific, passing between Okinawa Island and the island of Miyako-jima in December.

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Bit of Stress May Boost Memory, Study Claims

Hormesis is the stimulating effect of moderate doses of stressors; the stimulation of a system by external influences not strong enough to cause harm. A new study elaborates this theory in the psychological field.

Researchers at the University of Georgia have analyzed the impact of stress on people's memory.

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Tricks and Pitfalls of New Year's Resolutions

As one year draws to a close and another begins, many tend to make the New Year’s resolutions, often seeking to do away with some bad habits and acquire better ones.

Yet while some end up following through with their commitments, there are also those who fail to do so, and it seems that there are several factors affecting one’s ability to succeed in this matter.

Robert West, emeritus professor of behavioral science and health at University College London, pointed out that people essentially tend to pursue the things they desire at the present rather than at some point in the past.

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Joyful Celebrations and Deadly Stampedes: How Crowds Across the World Saw In 2023

Everyone has celebrated the New Year this week, some with their family and friends and others in a big crowd of public festivities. Sputnik looks at the most prominent mass events where people gathered to welcome 2023 after two years of global pandemic.

The coming of 2023 was marked by celebrations, with dancing and shows in the streets around the world. Unfortunately, in some places, large crowds combined with poor management to lead to crushing and injury, while in other locations there were shootings.

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📹 Russia's MoD has revealed footage showing a Msta-S self-propelled howitzer in combat taking part in the special military operation

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🇬🇧The government of the United Kingdom said on Monday that it would create a $90-million fund to develop nuclear fuel capacity, including conversion of recycled uranium, as an alternative to the fuel imported from Russia.

💬"Nuclear fuel production in the UK is set to be bolstered by up to £75 million [$90 million] in UK government funding in a bid to support development of alternatives to Russian fuel supply and strengthen UK energy security," the statement read.

📌According to the government, the fund will aim at creating additional fuel production capabilities and developing advanced technologies in this field, including conversion for freshly mined and reprocessed uranium. Conversion of recycled uranium is currently not available outside Russia, the government added.

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📹 WATCH: Russian Grad MLRS hit Ukrainian targets as part of the special military operation in Ukraine (video courtesy of Russia’s MoD)

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Moscow: Kosovo, Aided by Western Countries, Aims for Escalation in Region

The authorities of the partially-recognized Republic of Kosovo are pursuing escalation, thus Western countries, with influence on Pristina, should force it to renounce belligerent plans, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik.

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📹 A resident of Volnovakha told how his family of 10 people was forced to hide from Ukrainian shelling in the basement for 12 days almost without food or hot water

UK Health Service Under ‘Unbearable Strain’ Amid ‘Toughest Winter’ To Date

The body for emergency hospital doctors has warned the National Health Service (NHS) is on the brink of being overwhelmed.

Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said “urgent action” was needed to save services from collapse, as six hospital trusts declared ‘major incidents’ due to high demand.

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