‼️Finland to Consider Supply of Leopards to Kiev With Participation of Other States - Report

The Finnish government will consider the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine should there be a group of countries supporting the delivery of these tanks, local media reported on Tuesday.

Politico reported on Monday that France and Poland were pushing Germany to equip Kiev with its powerful Leopard 2 tanks.

The Yle broadcaster reported, citing sources, that Finland has yet to make any decisions on the delivery of Leopard to Ukraine. However, if there is a group of countries that supports the delivery of tanks, Finland will consider its participation in the delivery of equipment. The Finnish government is waiting for decisions from Germany and other major countries and will not be the first to decide on the delivery of Leopards. The delivery of German-made Leopards will require Berlin's re-export license, the report said.

🇩🇪Two German ministers have put forward a proposal to allow people to take food from supermarket garbage cans that is still decent for consumption.

▪️ Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann issued a statement in which they called on the justice ministers of all 16 German states to come up with a "practical solution" to the so-called "containering" problem.

💬 "If people take home food that has been thrown away without causing damage or unlawful entry, then, in my opinion, that should no longer be prosecuted,'' Buschmann said.

▪️ The ministers believe that in a situation where 11 million tons of food is thrown away every year, of which seven percent comes from too many retail orders, people should be allowed to take away expired food for sustenance.

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🇧🇷 Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has left a hospital in the United States against the advice of doctors after having been admitted with abdominal pain, the O Globo newspaper reported on Tuesday.

▪️ Bolsonaro was admitted to AdventHealth Celebration hospital in the US state of Florida with severe abdominal pain earlier this week.

▪️ In late December, Bolsonaro went to the US to spend New Year's Eve at former US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

▪️ Bolsonaro neither participated in the inauguration of his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on January 1 nor intended to hand over the presidential sash.

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The Pentagon's decision to train the Ukrainian military to operate Patriot missile defense systems confirms the involvement of the United States in the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov told reporters.

💬 "The decision of the US Department of Defense to organize a training course at Fort Sill in Oklahoma is another confirmation of Washington's de facto participation in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Nazi criminals from Kiev," Antonov said while commenting on the upcoming training course in the United States for Ukrainian servicemen to operate Patriot missile defense systems.

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📌 Peru’s Attorney General has opened an investigation into the country’s new leaders after over a dozen Peruvians were killed in confrontations with security forces.

💬 "The preliminary investigation is related to the alleged crimes of genocide, murder, and grievous bodily harm committed during the demonstrations of December 2022 and January 2023 in the regions of Apurimac, La Libertad, Puno, Junin, Arequipa, and Ayacucho," reads a statement issued by the office.

▪️ Much of the upper echelon of Peru’s new regime is reportedly being scrutinized, including its self-declared president, Dina Boluarte, Prime Minister Alberto Otárola, Interior Minister Victor Rojas, and Defense Minister Jorge Chavez.

Madonna Accused of Trafficking & Exploiting African Children by Charity

US superstar Madonna has been accused of being involved in the human trafficking and sexual exploitation of African children by the charity group Ethiopian World Federation (EWF).

EWF petitioned Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera to investigate a non-profit set up by the 'Queen of Pop' in 2006 called Raising Malawi which reportedly seeks to help orphans in the country. Madonna herself has adopted four Malawian children.

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🇫🇷 The French government plans to start raising the retirement age by three months per year from September 1, 2023, and, thus, increase it from the current 62 years to 64 by 2030, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said.

💬 "Starting from September 1, 2023, the official retirement age will be gradually increased by 3 months per year to reach 64 years by 2030. At the end of the five-year presidential term [of President Emmanuel Macron] it will be 63 years and 3 months," Borne said on Tuesday, while presenting a draft pension reform.

▪️ The French prime minister also stressed the need to "maintain a balance" between the number of working citizens and the steadily growing number of pensioners in the country.

▪️The government will index about 2 million pension benefits so that they reach 85% of the subsistence level and amount to 1,200 euros ($1,288) per month for those who have completed the minimum working experience of 43 years required for receiving a pension, Borne added.

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What percentage of people in Japan approve of government policy?

The rating of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government has dropped to the lowest figure among those surveyed, down by 3 percentage points compared with December, a poll released by the Japanese broadcaster showed on Wednesday.

The latest decrease in the approval rating marks the lowest since the establishment of Kishida's cabinet, although it was at the same level for the first time in November 2022, the poll showed.

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How Russia is Solving Africa’s Food Dilemma Despite Western Sanctions

While 350 million Africans are suffering from food insecurity, the collective West is continuing to ramp up sanctions over Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, disrupting established supply chains and facilitating an energy and food crisis. What’s worse, NATO countries are artificially prolonging the crisis, Africa experts told Sputnik.

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❗️ At least six people, including a police officer were injured in a stabbing attack at the Gare du Nord railway station in Paris, French press reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

▪️ France's national state-owned railway company SNCF told journalists that the suspect was also injured and was evacuated from the crime scene. The attack took place at 06:40 a.m. local time (05:40 GMT), the reports said, noting that the station now operates normally.

▪️ Earlier in the day, French TV reported, citing sources in police, that an unidentified attacker stabbed several people at the Gare du Nord railway station in Paris, adding that the police have already neutralized the suspect.

Brazilian Gov't Needs Decisive Response to Curb Rampant Riots in Future, Experts Say

The Brazilian government has to respond decisively to the recent violent protests by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro against his successor, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to prevent such riots in the future, experts told Sputnik.

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Russia, Iran Providing Sanction-Proof Trade Access to Central Asia For India

🇷🇺🇮🇷 The new shipping corridor, proposed in response to the US-led push for “friendshoring,” or relocating supply chains to friendly countries, is also being pitched as a potential partnership with India, which has not participated in the Western-led isolation efforts against Iran and Russia.

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❗️ The Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis:

▪️ Artillery and army aviation have neutralized over 30 Ukrainian servicemen and two motor vehicles near Kupyansk.

▪️ Four sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been eliminated in the LPR.

▪️ The Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost up to 90 servicemen, both killed and wounded, as well as two armored combat vehicles, and three vehicles have been eliminated during the day.

▪️ Russian troops have liberated Podgorodnoye in the DPR during a successful offensive.

▪️ Airborne Troops blockaded Soledar from the northern and southern parts of the city. The Russian Aerospace Forces are striking enemy strongholds. Assault squads are fighting in the city.

▪️ Up to 80 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, three armored fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles were destroyed as a result of the shelling of units of the 61st AFU Mechanized and 17th Tank Brigades.

▪️ Up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, and two motor vehicles have been annihilated by a complex fire attack in southern Donetsk.

▪️ Fighter aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces have shot down one Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 aircraft in the DPR.

▪️ 2 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the DPR and LPR have been shot down by air defense forces overnight.

▪️ 5 rounds of HIMARS and Olkha multiple-launch rocket systems were intercepted in the DPR and LPR.

▪️ Some 371 airplanes and 200 helicopters, 2,868 unmanned aerial vehicles, 400 air defense missile systems, 7,473 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 976 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 3,809 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 8,006 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

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🇵🇭📞 Philippine President Marcos has been ignoring Zelensky's attempts to contact him since June, a Ukrainian charge d'affaires has said.

According to the diplomat, Kiev has been trying to arrange a conversation with Markos twice a month, but there's been no answer.

Earlier, the Philippine president said that his country does not need to interfere in what is happening in Ukraine.

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⚡️⚡️ Explosion rocks Kabul near the building of the Afghan foreign ministry, shots also heard - sources to Sputnik

⚡️Scene from the site of the blast in Kabul today.

According to the picture, there may be casualties.

⚡️The death toll from an explosion near the Foreign Ministry in Kabul reaches 20, media reports suggest.

📹 New generation high-precision munitions demolish Ukrainian Armed Forces strongholds and armor (video courtesy of Russian MoD)

A precision-guided munition successfully engaged a stronghold and an armored vehicle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces located a significant distance away. The targets were hit with the first shot.

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✈️ All flights to the US have been interrupted, leaving thousands of passengers on hold after the FAA systems crashed, leaving pilots unable to view their flight plans.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system that alerts pilots and other flight personnel to hazards or any changes to airport services and procedures is not working.

According to the FAA, the NOTAM (notification of air missions) system "failed". More than 400 flights have reportedly been delayed going to, within or from the US.

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❗️The White House has said that there's no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, and President Joe Biden has ordered a full investigation into the system outage

Uranium Found in Package at London's Heathrow Airport

An "extremely small" amount of the radioactive element uranium has been detected in a package at London's Heathrow Airport.

The Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday that its counter-terrorism command was contacted by UK Border Force officers after the item contaminated with the material was discovered on December 29.

The parcel was addressed to un-named Iranian citizens living in the UK and had come from Pakistan, via Oman.

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