Veteran Brazilian surfer Marcio Freire, known as one of the three 'Mad Dogs', died on Thursday while being towed by giant waves in Nazaré off Portugal's central coast.

Freire, 47, got his 'Mad Dog' nickname after becoming one of three Brazilian surfers to conquer the giant 'Jaws' wave in Hawaii. He set a world record for the biggest wave ever surfed at 23.77 meters

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India, France Discuss Rafale Jet Procurement, Vow to Deepen Defense Ties

🇮🇳🇫🇷 During the strategic dialogue, co-chaired by Prime Minister Modi's national security adviser Ajit Doval, and Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French Presiden, the two sides also discussed the global security environment, expanding defense cooperation, and the situation in Afghanistan, Africa, South-east Asia, and Eurasia.

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Prince Harry has confirmed killing 25 people in Afghanistan during his time there as an Apache helicopter pilot, according to British media, quoting his soon-to-be-published memoir 'Spare'.

The 38-year-old Duke of Sussex served as a forward air controller in the British Army from 2007 to 2008 and piloted the attack helicopter between 2012 and 2013

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Hack Attack on Twitter Reportedly Results in Data Dump Exposing Info of Over 200 Million Users

Twitter users' names, e-mail addresses, screen names, number of followers and phone numbers have reportedly been stolen in a massive hack attack, with the data dump now posted on the dark web.

The data breach, which took place as early as 2021, “will unfortunately lead to a lot of hacking, targeted phishing and doxxing,” according to Israel-based Hudson Rock cybersecurity-monitoring firm.

It added this could turn out to be "one of the most significant" data leaks yet recorded by the firm

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😀 Prince Harry’s father, King Charles III, tormented him with “real dad” jokes, according to media-leaked excerpts from the upcoming memoir by the Duke of Sussex.

🗣 “Pa liked telling stories, and this was one of the best in his repertoire. He’d always end with a burst of philosophizing … Who knows if I’m really the Prince of Wales? Who knows if I’m even your real father?” Prince Harry is cited as saying in ”Spare,” his memoir set to come out on January 10

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🇯🇵🇬🇧 Tokyo and London are planning to conclude a Reciprocal Access Agreement on facilitation of defense and security cooperation during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the UK next week, Japanese media reported, citing government sources.

The agreement would reportedly provide a legal framework for temporarily waiving visas for military personnel and easing customs checks for equipment during joint Japanese-UK drills. Talks are now in their final phase, the report said.

Kishida will be visiting the UK next Tuesday and Wednesday as part of his tour to several European countries, Canada and the United States from January 9-13. The UK would become the second country with an RAA with Japan if the deal is signed. Japan signed one with Australia in January 2022.

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‼️Air raid alerts go off across Ukraine

❗️ Germany intends to provide Ukraine with about 40 Marder fighting vehicles, German government spokesperson says

❗️Ukrainian troops have shelled Donetsk with 155mm NATO-standard shells for the third time on Friday after a ceasefire declared by Russia came into effect, the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) of issues related to Ukrainian war crimes said.

❗️Russian Defense Ministry says Kiev continues shelling Donbass despite Russian troops observing Christmas truce

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

▪️Russian troops eliminated up to 80 Ukrainian servicemen in the Donetsk direction;

▪️Russian forces eliminated more than 50 Ukrainian servicemen in the South Donetsk direction;

▪️The Russian Army eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen and a tank in the Kupyansk direction;

▪️Russian forces destroyed three Ukrainian warehouses with artillery ammunition in the DPR and the Kherson region;

▪️Russian troops destroyed a Ukrainian S-300 launcher and radar station in the DPR;

▪️The Russian Air Force shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 jet;

▪️The Russian Army suppressed Ukrainian troops in the Zaporozhye region after they fired eight missiles;

▪️Russian troops eliminated three Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the Krasny Liman direction;

▪️Russian forces destroyed a D-20 howitzer in the DPR and a US-made M-777 howitzer in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️Russian air defense systems destroyed five UAVs.

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🌋 After a brief pause, Hawaii’s Kilauea roars back into action

Officials have raised the volcano alert level for Kilauea to warning, and upgraded its aviation color code from orange to red, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said

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Protesters rally against arrest of Sputnik Lithuania editor Marat Kasem near the Latvian Embassy in Moscow. “Marat, we're with you!” and “Hands off Russian journalists!” posters read.

Russian Embassy Slams Germany's Decision to Send New Heavy Weapons to Ukraine

💬 "We strongly condemn this decision and see it as another step toward escalating the conflict in Ukraine. Its adoption looks especially cynical on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas holiday, which is highly revered in the Christian world, and also against the backdrop of ceasefire unilaterally announced by the Russian President in this regard," the embassy said in a statement.

On Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden in a phone call agreed on a new batch of military aid for Ukraine including heavy weapons. Germany announced plans to send Ukraine a battalion of about 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Patriot air defense systems, as well as train Ukrainian troops in their use.

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‘They’re Helping a Lot’: Biden Praises Non-Existent Patriot Systems in Ukraine

US President Joe Biden has offered high praise for the non-existent Patriot missile systems the US has promised, but not yet delivered, to Ukraine. The president did not elaborate on how the air defense systems, which by all accounts haven’t been sent yet, were “helping” Ukraine at the moment.

Previously, a senior US defense official told media late last month that the Patriots earmarked for Kiev would take “several months” to arrive owing to the need to train crews and deploy the systems in the combat zone.

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❗️A fire alarm has gone off in a utility room in Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Moscow

🇺🇸 Friday marks the second anniversary of the January 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol by an enraged mob convinced the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" from Donald Trump. Democrats have milked the event for political purposes for two straight years, with President Biden characterizing it as the “worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.”

The Democrat-led probe spent $9 million on the January 6 investigation, which followed Russiagate, two failed impeachments, and other creative attempts to prevent Donald Trump from ever running for office again. Was the spending of taxpayers' money worth it, or was it just another longshot attempt to save the Democratic Party's credibility?

👉 Check out this article to find out

The Russian presidential council for human rights called the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe for help in freeing Sputnik editor Marat Kasem, who was arrested in Latvia on trumped-up charges.

💬 "Members of the standing commission of the Council for Human Rights… urge Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro, and the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic to step in and help free journalist Marat Kasem," they said.

Earlier in the day, the Russian ombudswoman urged UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Tuerk to weigh in on the arbitrary arrest in Latvia of Moscow-based Sputnik Lithuania editor.

💬 "I call on the UN high commissioner for human rights to take note of this egregious incident and do everything in his power to protect the rights of Marat Kasem," Tatiana Moskalkova wrote on social media.

The leaders of NATO and top EU institutions will hold a meeting on January 10 to sign a third declaration on Trans-Atlantic security cooperation, the alliance said on Friday.

The first two joint declarations on EU-NATO cooperation were signed in 2016 and 2018. They outlined how the EU and NATO would act together against common security threats, including cyber and hybrid threats. The EU and NATO currently have 21 member countries in common.

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