🇲🇱 Mali’s transitional government has introduced the new "National Day of Patriotic Sovereignty" on Saturday as a display of the country’s independence in the face of external pressure, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement

▪️On January 6, the country’s Council of Ministers decided to establish January 14 a "National Day of Patriotic Sovereignty" as a symbol of great and patriotic mobilization of Malians against the "illegal, illegitimate and inhuman sanctions" imposed by ECOWAS.

▪️ The sanctions were imposed in January last year after military leaders delayed elections until 2026. However, they were lifted after the government announced a new election timetable in June with elections in 2024.

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🇳🇬🇺🇸🥊 Nigerian heavyweight boxer Efe Ajagba has defeated his American counterpart Stephan Shaw with score of 96-94

▪️For Shaw, who is from St. Louis, Missouri, it is his first defeat by a unanimous decision.

▪️For Ajagba, it is the second victory in a row, after he lost to Cuban Frank Sanchez in 2021. After the defeat, the Nigerian boxer underwent surgeries on both elbows.

▪️Efe Ajagba is known for the fastest victory in the history of boxing after his opponent, American Curtis Harper, was disqualified for leaving the ring one second after the start of the battle in protest over a pay dispute

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

▪️The Russian Army reinforced a successful offensive in the direction of the northern outskirts of Artemovsk in the DPR and the Sol railway station, eliminating more than 80 Ukrainian servicemen;

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 115 servicemen and 6 vehicles in the Krasny Liman direction;

▪️Russian forces launched attacks on the Ukrainian 14th and 92nd Mechanized Brigades in the Kupyansk direction;

▪️Russian troops eliminated up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen in the Kupyansk direction;

▪️Russian air defense systems shot down two UAVs and intercepted eight HIMARS and Uragan MLRS rockets;

▪️The Russian Army eliminated up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen in the South Donetsk direction;

▪️Russian troops repelled an attack of the 71st Jaeger Brigade of Ukrainian forces in the Krasny Liman direction.

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⚡️Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences to the president of Nepal in connection with the plane crash, the Kremlin said.

Blizzards in Space? Saturn’s Moon, Enceladus, Boasts Deep Snowdrifts, Research Shows

Enceladus, the sixth-largest moon of the ringed giant planet Saturn, has snow about 700 meters deep in some places, a study has revealed.

Moreover, the varying snow depth could indicate that Enceladus’ dramatic plume - the vapor from surface fractures at its south pole - may have been more active in the past, Research Physical Scientist Emily Martin believes.

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📹 Russian heavy self-propelled howitzer in action in the Zaporozhye direction. The artillery teams attack Ukrainian military positions up to 25 times a day

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All 72 passengers and crew members aboard Yeti Airlines plane killed, airline told Sputnik

The Nepalese authorities have tasked a special commission with investigating the causes of the crash. A report is expected in 45 days.

DETAILS

🥴 Reports about the UK sending up to four Apache attack helicopters to Ukraine are incorrect, says Deborah Haynes, a British TV journalist, citing the Defense Ministry.

The Mirror, which published the original report about the delivery, has now removed it from the site.

🇷🇸 Serbian President Aleskandar Vucic has thanked Russian Ambassador Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko for Moscow's support for Belgrade in the international arena on the issue of Kosovo, the Serbian president's office said on Sunday.

Vucic also informed the Russian ambassador about intensified international diplomatic activity in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and reiterated Belgrade's commitment to peace and stability in the region.

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🇨🇩 At least five people died and 15 more were injured in a suspected terrorist bomb attack that targeted a church in eastern DRC, the country’s army has said, as cited by the media

Army spokesman Anthony Mualushay stated that the "terrorist act" occurred in a protestant church in the North Kivu town of Kasindi, which lies on the border with neighboring Uganda.

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German Defense Company Rheinmetall Unable to Supply Leopard Tanks to Kiev in 2023, CEO Says

💬 "We still have 22 Leopard 2 units that we could put into operation and deliver to Ukraine. As for Leopard 1, we have about 88 of them. But we cannot repair these tanks without a contract, because the costs amount to several hundred million euros. Rheinmetall cannot offer preliminary financing to this," Papperger told German media.

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🚫 Greta Thunberg seen being dragged away by German police from anti-coal protest in Luetzerath

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🇮🇹🇪🇬 Italian energy giant Eni announced on Sunday the discovery of a new gas field off the coast of Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

💬 "Nargis-1 confirms the validity of Eni’s focus on Egypt Offshore, which the company will further develop thanks to the recent award of exploration blocks North Rafah, North El Fayrouz, North East El Arish, Tiba and Bellatrix-Seti East," the statement read.

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Israeli President Hopes to Avert Constitutional Crisis Amid Judicial Reform Row

According to Isaac Herzog's statement, Israel is now "in the grips of a profound disagreement" that threatens to divide the nation.

💬 "I respect the criticism toward me, but I am now focused on two critical roles that I believe I bear as President at this hour: averting a historic constitutional crisis and stopping the continued rift within our nation," the president said.

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🇭🇺 Over 97% of Hungarians oppose sanctions that have been imposed by the EU against Russia, according to a nationwide consultation conducted by Hungary's government.

According to the survey, 97.5% of respondents said they are against EU sanctions on Russian oil, with some 97.6% opposing measures against imports of Russian gas and other resources and products, which has led to growing prices on food.

The vast majority of Hungarians who participated in the consultation, 96.3%, also stated they were critical of the sanctions which have resulted in traveling restrictions.

The nationwide survey was conducted from October 14 to December 15, with almost 1.4 million people taking part in it.

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What is the Tornado-G Rocket Artillery System?

Russia has deployed Tornado-G multiple rocket launch systems in Ukraine. Find out more about the characteristics of these deadly weapons, the tactical advantages they can provide, and their vulnerabilities.

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🇺🇸 Republican US Congressman Santos, who previously admitted to fabricating portions of his background prior to his election to the US House of Representatives, may be removed from his post if found in breach of campaign finance laws, lead Republican on the House of Representatives Oversight Committee James Comer said on Sunday.

In December, George Santos admitted to lying on the campaign trail about parts of his biography, including his professional and educational experience. Earlier on Wednesday, the Nassau County Republican Committee, who backed Santos’ campaign, said the congressman disgraced the lower chamber and called on him to resign. Santos has repeatedly refused to do so.

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What is the WEF Meeting in Davos and What Should Be Expected From It This Year?

The world's political, business and technology elites are jetting in for the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland this week. What's on the agenda for 2023, why is it important to listen closely to what's being said, and why has the venue taken so much criticism in recent years?

We found out

GOP Raises Questions About 'Swamp Monster' Robert Hur Overseeing Biden's Classified Memo Drama

US conservative observers have drawn attention to the fact that Hur used to closely work with former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and now-FBI Director Christopher Wray.

While under the latter's watch, the bureau successfully suppressed the Hunter Biden "laptop from hell" story, Rosenstein is known as a staunch advocate of the DoJ/FBI investigation into the alleged collusion between then-President Donald Trump and the Kremlin.

The Trump-Russia probe turned out as a complete fiasco with zero evidence being found to back the allegations. Hur was the Department of Justice's "point person" for overseeing the investigation, as per the US press.

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🇷🇺🇧🇾 Belarus and Russia's joint flight-tactical exercises scheduled to start on January 16 are defensive in their nature and will involve reconnaissance and counterattack exercises, First Deputy State Secretary of Belarus' Security Council Pavel Muraveiko said on Sunday.

💬 "As for the exercise itself, it will be a set of activities to train our and Russian aviation in carrying out their respective combat tasks. The exercise will involve airfields and training grounds on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where aviation units of both our and Russian units will operate shoulder to shoulder or wing to wing," Muraveiko said.

Meanwhile, Minsk is prepared for any provocations from Kiev, he said, adding that there is some dialogue between border administrations of Belarus and Ukraine, which does not always yield positive results.

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🇷🇺🇹🇷🇺🇦 Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said on Sunday that Turkey was offering its territory as a base for a humanitarian corridor between Russia and Ukraine, although Ankara and Moscow remain reticent on this issue.

💬 "At the moment that's the plan of the Turkish side: they want to become mediators, they want their channels of communication with the Russian Federation to be used... Civilians or wounded servicemen - we also discussed this as an option - could first return from the Russian Federation to Turkey, after which they would go to Ukraine," Lubinets told Ukrainian broadcaster.

The Ukrainian official stressed that the plan was just a proposal currently on the table.

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