⚡️ Detention of Sputnik Lithuania editor Kasem by the Latvian authorities is illegal and absurd, says Rossiya Segodnya head Kisilev. He added that the situation shows the essence of the Latvian regime, which is a very dangerous trend for the entire EU

❗️Russian Foreign Ministry on the detention of Sputnik Lithuania editor Kasem by Latvian authorities:

▪️Russia calls on international organizations to get involved to clarify the reasons behind the journalist’s detention;

▪️Kasem is facing revenge of dictatorial regimes for his principles;

▪️Detention of Sputnik Lithuania editor Kasem is a violation of international obligations on freedom of speech, protection of journalists’ rights.

⚡️ The Russian Ministry of Defense is introducing a ceasefire regime for 36 hours along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine from 12:00 pm on January 6 to 12:00 am on January 7

North Korean Drone Flew Directly Into No-Fly Zone Around South Korea's Presidential Palace

One of the five stealthy North Korean drones launched into South Korea in late December penetrated the 3.7 km no-fly zone around the country’s presidential office in central Seoul, a South Korean military official has conceded.

The admission, which comes after more than a week of denials from authorities that the violation of the no-fly zone had occurred, and statements by the country’s Joint Chiefs that media reports to that effect were “untrue and groundless,” comes amid heightened concerns in the South regarding the capabilities of its neighbors’ unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The South Korean military clarified that the errant drone had not flown over the presidential palace itself, and that the safety of the building, situated in a secure area known as P-73, was not in jeopardy at any point.

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❗️Kiev will not support the Christmas ceasefire proposed by Russia, Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, has announced

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a ceasefire on Orthodox Christmas Eve and Christmas Day along the line of contact across Ukraine so that people can attend services at church.

US Guided-Missile Destroyer Chung-Hoon Transits Through Taiwan Strait in Fresh Provocation

💬 “The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit Jan. 5 (local time) through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law,” the 7th Fleet Public Affairs said in a press release. “Chung-Hoon’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

In December, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged the United States to abide by the One-China principle and the provisions of the three joint China-US communiques, earnestly implement its promise not to support the "Taiwan independence," stop selling arms to Taiwan, cut US-Taiwan military ties and stop creating new tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

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‼️US Will Send Ukraine Nearly $3 Billion in New Military Aid - Reports

The United States will send Ukraine a new military aid package valued at nearly $3 billion dollars, US media reported on Thursday.

The US is set to deliver a $2.85 billion military aid package to Ukraine, including several dozen Bradley Fighting Vehicles, AP said, citing US officials. Earlier, Reuters put the number at 50.

The package is reportedly aimed at getting Ukraine as much equipment as possible before springtime, when fighting is expected to intensify. The Biden administration is expected to announce the package on Friday.

🌽🇦🇷 Argentinian farmers pay respect to national team’s victory in the form of… a giant corn portrait of Messi

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➡️ The Pentagon has confirmed a new military aid package for Ukraine will be announced Friday; however, officials have not indicated whether additional Patriot systems will be included

🫠 The US House has yet to select a new speaker amid an ongoing GOP deadlock - the chamber now heads to a ninth round of voting

The fruitless voting session is tied for the eighth-longest speaker election in history, and the longest since the Civil War.

📹 Russian special forces deploy UAVs as part of the special military operation in Ukraine (video courtesy of Russia’s MoD)

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US House Makes History After Failing to Elect New Speaker Following 10th Fruitless Ballot

The US House of Representatives remains leaderless after its tenth failed ballot to elect a speaker on Thursday, marking the first time the chamber has taken ten or more rounds of voting to select a leader since 1859.

The last time it took the House more than one ballot to elect a speaker was in 1923, when it took nine ballots to choose a leader. In 1859, the chamber took 44 ballots to elect a speaker. The House took a record 133 ballots to elect a speaker in 1855.

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‼️The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has sanctioned 100 "international observers" for taking part in organizing referendums on the accession of the Lugansk and Donetsk people's republics (LPR and DPR) and Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to Russia, SBU spokesman Artem Dekhtiarenko said on Thursday.

"Since the beginning of the war, SBU has identified over 6,000 organizers... SBU has initiated the imposition of NSDC's [the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine] sanctions against 100 Russia-controlled 'international observers,'" Dekhtiarenko said in a video on SBU's Telegram.

He said that all the "exposed persons" contributed to the holding of referendums on the accession of the territories to Russia, adding that investigative activities to identify other persons involved in organizing referendums are underway.

Idaho Murders: Trash Can DNA, Cellphone Records Led to Suspect's Arrest in Quadruple Homicide

A newly released affidavit has revealed that Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the quadruple homicide that shook an Idaho college town, was primarily identified by cellphone location data and police examining DNA found at the scene.

Kohberger made his first court appearance on Thursday. He has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary for his alleged role in the killings.

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😱10th failed ballot turns into 11th vote down the drain for the House speaker

No word yet on whether the lower chamber will adjourn for the night, stay tuned

Never one to stay away from the limelight, former US President Donald Trump joked late Thursday he could serve as the next House speaker amid the ongoing GOP deadlock.

China Demands Objectivity From WHO Amid Charges of ‘Underrepresenting’ Covid Outbreak’s Scale

China has responded to criticism from the WHO about its Covid response, calling on the global health authority to be more objective in its statements and conclusions.

💬 “Facts have proven that China has always maintained close communication with the WHO and shared information and data on the epidemic in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with law,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a press conference Thursday.

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‼️US House adopts motion to adjourn and reconvene at noon Friday

The US is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the capture of members of the Al-Shabaab* terror group who conducted an attack against on US and Kenyan personnel at the Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya in 2020, the US Department of State said in a statement.

US Army Specialist Henry Mayfield and Defense Department contractors Bruce Triplett and Dustin Harrison were killed in the attack, the statement said. The State Department noted in the statement that Ayman is the leader of Jaysh Ayman, an Al-Shabab unit conducting terror attacks in Kenya and Somalia.

Ayman was responsible for preparing the January 2020 attack in Kenya and the State Department designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in November of that year, the statement said.

*Al-Shabaab is a terrorist group banned in Russia.

Ancient Fashion: Cavemen Were Already Hunting Bears for Pelts 320,000 Years Ago, Study Says

Modern data shows that a bear must have been skinned within one hour, or a day at most, after its death. Therefore, scientists believe that ancient people could not have taken the animal's pelt after a natural death. Moreover, already existing data from other cuts found on other remains support the skinning hypothesis.

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'Best Season of CSPAN': Twitter Left Cackling as McCarthy Fails House Speaker Vote a Record 11 Times

House Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has failed in his bid to gain the House speaker role a record 11 times from Tuesday through Thursday night before the House voted to adjourn until Friday at noon.

To no one's surprise, democratic politicians, media personalities and celebrities were gleeful as McCarthy closed out yet another voting session without clinching the gavel.

Check out some of those reactions here!