Zelensky Congratulates New US House Speaker, Calls Washington's Aid Vital for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated on Saturday newly-elected US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy on his appointment to this position, calling Washington's assistance to Kiev vital for Ukraine.

On Saturday night, lawmakers in the US House elected McCarthy, the Republican leader, as the new speaker, putting an end to the four-day debate that prevented the chamber from starting work in the new composition.

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Russia Boosted Food Exports to Friendly Nations by 25% in 2022 Year-on-Year

Russia has boosted food exports to friendly countries by 25% in 2022 year-on-year despite some technical difficulties because of the Western sanctions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko told Sputnik on Saturday.

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Bombshell Admission: Ukraine is ‘Carrying Out NATO’s Mission’ Against Russia, Defense Chief Says

The revelation comes amid repeated statements by senior Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, that the Western alliance is waging a “proxy war” against Russia in Ukraine. Western media and some officials, including now ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, have dismissed these allegations.

Kiev has allowed itself to be used by NATO in the bloc’s wider conflict with Moscow, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said.

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Over Dozen People Die in Road Accident in Southeastern China

The accident occurred on Sunday in Nanchang County around 1 a.m. local time on Sunday (5 p.m. Saturday GMT).

At least 17 people died and another 22 were injured, the report said. The broadcaster also stated that an investigation into the accident is underway.

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Biden Visiting Southern Border in First Trip as President Amid Record Migration in Region

Biden's political opponents have repeatedly slammed the president for failing to visit the border amid the crisis. Former President Trump last week unveiled his own plan to secure the border, which included strikes on cartels.

The United States has seen two consecutive record breaking years of illegal crossings into its territory since Biden assumed office in January 2021. Well over two million illegal crossings into the United States were recorded in fiscal year 2022, according to Customs and Border Protection data.

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Thousands Participate in Anti-Government Protest in Tel Aviv

A mass anti-government demonstration has been held in Tel Aviv after Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced a new legal reform, Israeli media report.

More than 10,000 people protested at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, reports said.

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🇪🇷🌍 France and other Western countries are losing their influence in Africa, Eritrean Ambassador to Russia Petros Tseggai said in an interview with Sputnik

▪️According to him, "another world" is being built at the moment, and Africans can "breathe freely," gaining full independence from American and French influence.

▪️He added that regardless of the West’s opinion, Eritrea will continue military and technical cooperation with Russia and underlined that his country also wishes to develop a partnership with Russia in the sphere of mineral exploration and oil production

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📹 Sputnik has received unique footage of the defeat of one of the units of the Ukrainian military by the world's most powerful self-propelled mortar, the 2S4 Tyulpan ("Tulip"), in the special operation zone.

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Presidents of Venezuela, Colombia Meet in Caracas to Discuss Bilateral Ties

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has met with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro during the former’s official visit to Caracas, the second one since the reestablishment of relations between the two countries.

"We had a broad and very fruitful meeting with the President of the Republic of Colombia, Gustavo Petro. We have a clear path of joint work that will continue to yield positive results for our countries, in different areas," Maduro said on Twitter on Saturday.

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📹 Russia's MoD has revealed footage showing the combat work of a Giatsint-B 152 mm gun

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🤔About 40,000 of the UK military’s 145,000 personnel have been officially classified as dangerously overweight or obese over the past five years, according to Ministry of Defense (MoD) statistics as cited by a British media outlet.

📊The statistics also revealed that 5,200 obese or overweight British servicemen have been medically discharged since 2010, with scores of soldiers suffering from Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

📌The heaviest soldier, who was sacked from the army after failing mandatory fitness tests, weighed more than 420 pounds (over 190 kg).

Over 850 troops have reportedly been prescribed diet pills since 2014, while 60 others have had liposuction surgery to tackle the problem.

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EU Lowers Gas Withdrawal Rates, Almost Doubles Wind Power Generation

The European Union has lowered the extraction rate from its underground gas storage facilities (UGS) because of warm weather and almost doubled the volume of electricity generation from wind power plants, the data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) and the WindEurope association showed on Sunday.

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🚫US crypto traders FTX has been blocked from unwinding its affiliates to pay debts, including units in Japan and Europe and clearinghouse LedgerX, British media reported.

▪️Trustee Andrew Vara filed an objection to plans by bankrupt FTX to sell off the assets, arguing that these companies might have important information for the ongoing investigation.

💬"The sale of potentially valuable causes of action against the debtors' directors, officers and employees, or any other person or entity, should not be permitted until there has been a full and independent investigation into all persons and entities that may have been involved in any malfeasance, negligence or other actionable conduct," the filing states.

📌The collapse of FTX shocked the financial industry and annihilated the $15 bn paper fortune of its founder and ex-CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.

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🇷🇸NATO-led peacekeeping mission Kosovo Force (KFOR) has rejected Belgrade's request to deploy the police and troops to Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday.

💬"They said in the carefully drafted letter to the Serbian government, which I received, that there was no need to return the Serbian troops to Kosovo and Metohija, and cited the UN Security Council resolution 1244," Vucic told Serbian media.

📌The president added that it was "a predictable answer." Vucic sent a formal letter in the middle of December, asking NATO mission to allow Serbian army and police and Kosovo.

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🇹🇭 📹 Despite the harsh realities, this Thai knows how to stay positive even in the most difficult conditions. Just have a look!

Is your glass half full?

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Italy's Weapons Delivery to Kiev Will Not Take Place Until Parliament Informed

The sixth package of Italy's military assistance to Ukraine is being under discussion, as it is necessary to inform the Italian parliament before the delivery takes place, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Sunday.

"The sixth defense package still needs to be finalized. The delivery will not take place until the parliament is informed," Tajani told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

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

▪️Russian Forces eliminated more than 30 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed one infantry combat vehicle, one armored carrier and two other vehicles near Kupyansk;

▪️The Russian Army eliminated two sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Ukrainian Army in the Kharkov region and in the LPR;

▪️Russian troops eliminated more than 50 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three armored combat vehicles, one pick-up truck and one other vehicle near Makevka and Stelmakhovka settlements (LPR);

▪️Russian Forces eliminated two sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Ukrainian Army near the Artemovka and Serebryanka settlements;

▪️The Russian Army eliminated up to 70 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed two armored combat vehicles and one pick-up truck near Donetsk;

▪️Russian troops eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed Ukrainian armored carriers and three other vehicles in the DPR;

▪️Russian servicemen hit 84 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions;

▪️Russian Air Forces show down five Ukrainian aircraft in the Kharkov region and in the DPR;

▪️Russian air defenses destroyed five Ukrainian UAVs, as well as intercepted ten HIMARS and Uragan rockets and one US-made anti-radar HARM missile.

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⚡️An update from Russia's MoD:

▪️On January 8, as a result of negotiations with Kiev, 50 Russian soldiers were released. They were in mortal danger in captivity;

▪️All released Russian troops are provided with the necessary medical and psychological assistance;

▪️Released Russian troops will be delivered to Moscow by military planes for treatment and rehabilitation.

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❗️As a result of the criminal attack by the Kiev regime in the first minutes of January 2023 against the temporary deployment site of Russian military personnel near Makeyevka (Donetsk People's Republic), the command of the combined group of troops carried out a retaliatory operation.

▪️ Over the past 24 hours, Russian reconnaissance assets have uncovered and reliably confirmed through several independent channels the temporary deployment points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kramatorsk.

▪️ There were over 700 Ukrainian troops in dormitory №28 and over 600 troops in dormitory №47.

▪️ More than 600 Ukrainian soldiers have been eliminated as a result of a massive missile strike on these temporary deployment sites for Ukrainian units.

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🇸🇳 At least 40 people have died and scores were injured in a collision between two buses in the Kaffrine region of Senegal, local media reported.

▪️The incident took place Sunday morning on the road to Kaffrine as one of the buses from the country's capital Dakar smashed into the side of the other. According to the media, the death toll from the bus crash reached 40, while around 70 people were injured.

▪️Following the incident, the country’s President Macky Sall has announced a three-day national mourning. He also stated that the Senegalese officials are expected to hold meetings in the coming days to address road safety in the country.

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West to Demand Serbia Recognize Kosovo If Belgrade Slaps Sanctions on Russia, Vucic Says

The West will require the Serbian authorities to sign an agreement with the partially-recognized republic of Kosovo on its formal recognition once Belgrade agrees to impose sanctions against Russia, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday.

Vucic recalled that Belgrade has withstood external pressure for about 100 days, refusing to impose sanctions against Russia over the special operation in Ukraine.

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