⛈ Around 15,000 people have been left without electricity in New Zealand's northern city of Auckland due to large-scale outages caused by powerful cyclone Gabrielle, expected to become one of the most serious storms to hit the country this century, local energy company Vector said on Sunday.

The firm added that due to the expected deterioration of weather conditions, outages would continue until Monday.

The Auckland Emergency Management, in turn, urged people to prepare for the aftermath of the massive blackouts, including stocking up on food, batteries, blankets, and warm clothing, as well as listening to the news on the radio.

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🌌 The Northern Lights lit up the skies over Murmansk in northern Russia on Friday.

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🇷🇺 Russia has launched tests of aircraft-type drones with vertical takeoff, intended for the Russian army's needs during the military operation in Ukraine, in Primorsky Territory in the country's Far East, Governor Oleg Kozhemyako said on Sunday.

💬 "Test flights of a new drone have begun. Primorsky Territory's engineers have created an aircraft-type UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] with vertical takeoff. Such mechanism significantly expands the device's capabilities," the governor said on Telegram.

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'Manifesto for Peace': Over 250,000 Sign Petition Calling Germany to Stop Arming Ukraine

A quarter of a million people have signed an online petition urging German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to stop increasing the flow of weapons to Ukraine and to push for a peaceful resolution of the conflict instead.

The petition, started by German politician Sahra Wagenknecht and journalist Alice Schwarzer, accrued over 250,000 signatures about two days since its creation.

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Kinky Detail of Giraffes' Sexual Behavior Revealed in New Study

A study conducted by researchers from the University of California, Davis sheds new light on a peculiar aspect of giraffes’ sex life.

Since giraffes do not go into heat and do not give visual cues pointing at sexual readiness, a giraffe male has to jump through certain hoops in order to determine whether a female is receptive to his advances.

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Around 250,000 march in Madrid demanding better healthcare

Around a quarter of a million people marched through the streets of Madrid on Sunday demanding that the Spanish government increase the country's healthcare budget, improve working conditions and expand staff.

"Today in Madrid we are standing up again and declaring that we do not accept this model. Our health is not to be trifled with," organizers of the protest chanted when reading a manifesto.

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🇪🇨 The race, known as "Llamingada" takes place every year in Ecuadorian Llanganates National Park, one of the most important wetlands on the planet that covers nearly 2,200 square km. The goal of the event is to raise awareness among indigenous communities about the importance of the park's care.

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UN General Assembly Reportedly Discussing Anti-Russian 'Peace' Resolution on Ukraine

The UN General Assembly is expected to vote on the resolution at an emergency special session that will resume on February 22. The session was requested by a number of Western countries, as well as Ukraine, and coincides with the anniversary of the start of Russia's special military operation.

According to the source, the authors of the draft resolution sought to set a new record for the number of votes in favor of an anti-Russian resolution.

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🇷🇺 🇯🇵 Moscow is closely following the development of Japan's military potential, and in the event of any threats to Russia’s Far Eastern regions, such as the appearance of hypersonic missiles on the Japanese border islands.

▪️ Russia will immediately respond in accordance with the defense doctrine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told Sputnik.

▪️ Earlier this month, Japanese media reported that Tokyo was ready to consider the deployment of US medium-range missiles on its territory if Washington initiates official negotiations on this matter. In January, there were reports that the Japanese government had decided to start developing cruise missiles with interchangeable warheads with a range of over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), as early as this year.

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🤨 The United Kingdom is planning to confiscate frozen Russian assets and is preparing relevant legislation, Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin told Sputnik.

📌 Earlier this month, EU leaders agreed to speed up legal work on seizing Russia-owned assets held in foreign banks to support Ukraine's reconstruction. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described EU attempts to seize Russian money, including that of the Russian Central Bank, as theft.

💬 "It is well known that there is a recognition in almost all Western countries, including London, that such actions are absolutely illegal, and that there are no relevant laws. But the perverted logic is that such laws must be invented, and, as far as I understand, this is what the European Union and Washington are engaged in," Kelin said.

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📌 LIVE UPDATES: Death Toll From Turkiye and Syria Earthquakes Exceeds 30,000

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⚡️ US plans to send terrorists to Russia and CIS countries to target officials, intel service says

Here's How The NFL Got Away With Paying Rihanna 'Nothing' for Her Halftime Show

When Rihanna took center stage at Super Bowl XLVII in Glendale, Arizona, few viewers were taken by surprise by her choice of songs; after all, Umbrella, Run This Town, and B*tch Better Have My Money all number among her most popular anthems.

But what most didn’t expect was that the Barbadian pop singer was doing it for free.

As one news outlet explained, “despite all the extravaganza and hefty price tag to operate the halftime show, the NFL ends up paying the singers and headline performers nothing.”

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⚡️ The US military is recruiting jihadist fighters to carry out terrorist attacks on the territory of Russia and the CIS countries, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said in a statement.

💬 "According to credible data received by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia, the US military is actively recruiting militants from jihadist groups affiliated with the Daesh* and Al-Qaeda* to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia and the CIS countries. Particular attention is paid to attracting people from the Russian North Caucasus and Central Asia to cooperation," the SVR said in a statement.

▪️ In January, the United States recruited 60 militants, the statement said, adding that after training at the US' Al-Tanf military base in Syria, they are planned to be sent to Russia and other CIS countries to carry out terrorist attacks against diplomats and security officials.

*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

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📹 Russia’s MoD has revealed footage showing Russian paratroopers in action as part of the special military operation

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EU's New Sanctions Against Russia May Target 4 Banks, 130 Individuals, Entities, Reports Say

New financial sanctions are expected to be against four Russian banks, including Russia’s largest private bank, Alfa bank, the news outlet said.

The list of entities and people will include Russian military leaders, officials appointed by Moscow in the new Russian regions, journalists working for Russian state media such as RT, as well as companies and individuals in other countries with links to the special operation, namely in Mali and Iran.

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📹 Russia’s artillery crews manning 122mm D-30 howitzers destroyed sheltered Ukrainian infantry from closed firing positions (video courtesy of Russian MoD)

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🇷🇺 Russia is set to unveil a new reconnaissance drone, the Orlan-30, at the Aero India 2023 exhibition that kicked off in 🇮🇳 India's Bengaluru today — the first international exhibition for this type of drone.

Discover more about its main features in our infographic!

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🇩🇪 Munich Security Conference is one of the key international events to watch out for this week. Even though its motto is “Peace through Dialogue”, it’s likely that there will be a lot of warmongering on the main stage and on the sidelines, as the conference is dominated by the US and NATO agenda.

The MSC has just published its annual report. Here are some of the highlights:

▪️Energy security is among key topics, with terms such as "Moscow’s energy warfare against Europe" and "weaponization of energy" being used throughout the report. Notably, not a single mention of the NordStream sabotage, and the role that Washington and Oslo reportedly played in cutting off Russian gas supplies to Germany.

▪️Ukraine is in the spotlight, with MSC-commissioned polls supposedly showing the supposed support of “European and, to a lesser extent, US rules” in the country. Note the “rules” being mentioned – Moscow has always protested against “rules-based” international order, as “rules” are defined (or broken) by the US and their allies depending on their interests.

▪️MSC authors criticize Beijing for its human rights record, blaming China for promoting “alternative vision of human rights governance”, which is different from the West’s views.

▪️Notably, MSC author Leonard Schütte admits that there are no more rules when it comes to international trade: “The global trade infrastructure based on the WTO’s rules is eroding as China, the US, India, and even its stalwart defender, the EU, are increasingly resorting to protectionism. The old rules are dying but no new vision is in sight.”

▪️When it comes to “Nuclear order”, Beijing is once again in the crosshairs: “As its nuclear arsenal continues to grow, China may soon become the third nuclear superpower, joining the United States and Russia. The nuclear arms control regime therefore needs to be extended, but China has thus far refused to accept restrictions." – writes MSC author Jintro Pauly.

ℹ️ MSC will start on February 17.

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A dangerous sinkhole has appeared in a river near the Turkish village of Duru in Diyarbakir province after devastating earthquakes ravaged the country

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