🇨🇳 China has successfully launched the Shijian-23 satellite, completing its first space launch this year, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) informs.

🚀 The launch was carried out on Monday using a modified version of the Long March-7 carrier rocket, at 6:00 a.m. local time (22:00 GMT on Sunday), CASC said.

🛰 The Shijian-23 scientific research satellite was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan.

📌 It later entered its planned orbit successfully, CASC said.

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🇪🇬 A cargo vessel ran aground in Egypt's Suez Canal, according to Leth Agencies, a canal services firm, as well as satellite tracking data analyzed by the media

▪️The vessel, called MV Glory, was stranded in a single-lane stretch of canal near the city of Qantara in the province of Ismailia.

▪️The cause of the incident remains unclear, as well as its impact on shipping traffic.

▪️In 2021, global trade was significantly affected when the Panama-flagged container ship Ever Given ran aground in the waterway, blocking it for six days

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❄️ A resident of Russia's Bashkortostan republic made a traffic police officer and a police car out of snow and ice.

The composition made a splash: drunk drivers were afraid to leave their driveways on vacation. Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs expressed gratitude to the author of the sculpture.

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🦠 Around 930,000 chickens will be culled on Monday in the Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki due to the outbreak of bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said.

▪️ Authorities have recently found a great number of dead chickens in the prefecture. The further genetic analysis has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza. It has become the 56th case in the country since fall.

▪️ In 2022, 9.98 million were culled, which is a new high for Japan, the local media reported, citing the Agriculture Ministry. The previous record was set in 2020, with 9.87 birds being culled in that year.

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🇧🇷 At least five journalists were attacked or had their equipment broken while covering the Sunday protests in Brazil, the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) said on Monday.

💬 "At least five journalists were attacked, had their their equipment broken or stolen," Abraji wrote on Twitter, citing data provided by the federal district union of professional journalists.

The organization condemned attacks on journalists who "were only doing their job of monitoring and reporting on events

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🇨🇳 The central bank of China began the week by strengthening the national currency amid COVID-19 restrictions’ lifting for those entering from abroad, setting the yuan against the US dollar at 6.8265 on Monday.

▪️ The yuan's average exchange rate against the US dollar on Monday has risen by 647 basis points to 6.8265 - its highest level since August 22, 2022.

▪️ In March 2022, the Chinese authorities announced their intention to maintain a stable yuan exchange rate and to implement a prudent monetary policy with a view to preventing financial risks and supporting economic growth.

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⚡️ Latest statements made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ Russian and French leaders maintain contacts, which are paused now, but they were useful earlier;

▪️ Kremlin on the events in Brazil: we condemn the actions of riot instigators, and support the efforts of President Da Silva to restore order;

▪️ Western arms deliveries to Kiev will only 'prolong the suffering' of Ukrainians.

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🇺🇸 📹 Biden visited the southern border for the first time since the beginning of his presidency to assess the scale of the migration crisis on the spot. The presidential airliner landed in the Texas city of El Paso, through which tens of thousands of people are trying to enter the United States from Mexico. After his visit Biden flew to Mexico for a summit of North American leaders, where the problem of south border immigration is also on the agenda.

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Europe, NATO 'Pumped Tens of Billions of Dollars' of Arms Supplies Into Ukraine: Kremlin

Last week, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz released a joint statement announcing commitments of infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, in turn, promised his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to supply Kiev with an unspecified number of AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles.

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

▪️ Russian Forces eliminated more than 50 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed two infantry combat vehicles and three other vehicles in the Kharkov region;

▪️ The Russian Army eliminated more than 60 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed three armored combat vehicles and three pick-up trucks near Krasny Liman;

▪️ The Russian Army eliminated more than 80 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three infantry combat vehicles, one armored carrier and four other vehicles near Donetsk;

▪️ Russian troops eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed two armored combat vehicles and three pick-up trucks near Pavlovka and Shevchenko settlements (DPR);

▪️ Russian Forces hit 89 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions;

▪️ The Russian Army destroyed three Ukrainian ammunition depots in the DPR and in the Kharkov region;

▪️ Russian troops destroyed two US-made AN/TPQ-50 radar stations in the DPR;

▪️Russian servicemen destroyed a US-made M777 artillery system in the LPR;

▪️ The Russian Army destroyed two Polish Krab artillery systems, as well as two Ukrainian Akatsya self-propelled howitzers and one D-30 howitzer in the DPR and in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️ Russian Air Forces shot down two Ukrainian aircraft and one helicopter in the DPR;

▪️ Russian air defenses destroyed eight Ukrainian UAVs, as well as intercepted ten HIMARS and Uragan rockets.

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😮 📹 Social media users think they've found a new Loch Ness monster: now in the US. Shot in North Carolina, footage shows a strange snake-like creature swimming along the surface of the water.

Some netizens say it's an alligator, while others see a whale or a giant eel.

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New Zealand to Vaccinate People Against Monkeypox With Unapproved Vaccine, Report Says

New Zealand authorities are preparing to vaccinate the population against monkeypox as soon as possible with a vaccine that has not yet been approved, local media reported.

Since May 2022, monkeypox has affected over 83,000 people in 110 countries, resulting in 66 fatalities, according to the latest data from the World Health Organization. New Zealand has registered 41 confirmed cases.

The vaccine is expected to be available from January 16.

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🚘 While car owners in countries like Canada are still cautious about purchasing an electric vehicle, it's not the case with Southeast Asian buyers.

In December Porsche has announced that Thailand has proved to be the "second biggest" market after Norway for electric Cayenne models.

Almost three quarters of Porsche's sales in Thai Kingdom in 2021 were hybrid Cayenne SUVs, with 1500 cars being sold compared to 670 a year earlier. The company has focused on Southeast Asian market in a big way, opening an assembly plant in Malaysia, which produces Porsche Cayenne models locally.

ℹ️ When it comes to Southeast Asia EV sales in Q3 of 2022, Thailand is well ahead of other nations, with 59.2% share of the market, followed by Indonesia with 25.2% and Singapore with 11.8%.

According to Counterpoint analysis, the region's EV sales grew by 35% YoY in Q3 2022 with Research Analyst Abhilash Gupta noting that “although the passenger EV sales in SEA are small compared to other regions, the demand is gradually increasing."

🤔 As I was covering the recent G20, ASEAN and APEC summits, I noticed how much attention is being paid in the ASEAN countries to promotion of electric vehicles, and not only to cars.

▪️G20 motorcades at the Bali Summit in Indonesia had electric-powered Hyundai Ioniqs
▪️While many G20 venues in Bali's Nusa Dua were off-limits for gasoline-powered taxis, EV cabs were given green light
▪️Electric delivery scooters with battery exchange network were showcased at the APEC media center in Bangkok

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📹 Ukrainian reinforcements destroyed as they approached their positions

The Viking group of the Russian Armed Forces was about to strike a Ukrainian army firing position when it saw reinforcements approaching it. They detected them using thermal cameras.

The Russian military waited until they reached the target position and destroyed everything with Tornado-G multiple rocket launchers.

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Biden Declares State of Emergency for California Due to Winter Storms

US President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency for California, ordering federal assistance to supplement local, tribal, and state responses to successive winter storms, flooding and mudslides, the White House said on Monday.

At least six people were reported dead due to the ongoing winter storms in California.

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Is There a Limit to US National Debt?

In December 2021, the US federal debt ceiling was raised by $2.5 trillion to $31.381 trillion, and the ceiling is expected to last until at least July 2023.

Shortly after Republican Kevin McCarthy won the race for speaker of the House, the debate over whether the US should raise its debt ceiling returned to the fore.

What may happen if the debt limit is hit? What countries own the most US debt?

Let's take a closer look

Poland Declares Sputnik Correspondent Bezeka Unwanted

Poland has declared Sputnik correspondent Viktor Bezeka unwanted in the country over his journalistic activities, allegedly directed against Warsaw and the European Union, the office of Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday.

"Russian citizen Bezeka has been included in the list of unwanted foreigners on the territory of Poland at the request of the head of the Internal Security Agency," a statement read.

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🇸🇴 The first ever oil field has been discovered in the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, stated its ministry of energy and mineral resources via social media

▪️A scientific investigation confirmed that the black liquid observed in the Sallahey area, Marodi-Jeh region, was oil.

▪️According to Somaliland officials, UK company Genel Energy would begin further exploration and production of oil there.

▪️The internationally recognized Mogadishu government, from which Somaliland proclaimed independence in 1991, earlier said that unauthorized oil production in the separatist region undermines the sovereignty of Somalia.

▪️Somaliland deemed Mogadishu’s warning meaningless

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