The US Army has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) an almost $34 million contract extension to provide technical support for Abrams Main Battle Tanks including those provided to Ukraine, the Department of Defense announced in a release.

Work on the technical support program will be performed in Sterling Heights in the US state of Michigan over the next 17 months with an estimated completion date of December 31, 2024, the release said.

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Any military intervention against Niger would mean a declaration of war on Burkina Faso and Mali, the Burkina Faso and Mali transitional governments said in a joint statement.

The release further indicated that such a move could also mark the pair of interim governments to pull back from the Economic Community of West African States.

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🇺🇸 The US Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) has warned about the potential leprosy endemic in southeastern US states after registering a new case in central Florida.

Travel to Florida should be considered when conducting leprosy contact tracing in any state, it added.

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🇫🇮 Finnish astronomers have found a brand-new Northern Lights spectacle called the aurora borealis. Finland's Ursa Astronomical Association stated that star watchers identified a distinctive red crescent shape in the sky accompanying the luminous Northern Lights.

At first, admirers assumed it was the usual-renowned phenomenon - the stable auroral red (SAR) arc - they’ve known for over 50 years. However, further aurora research indicated that this red-colored curve and the greenish-white patterns illustrated by stargazers were generated by a solar wind, that is, a stream of solar particles.

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🇬🇧 The British government has given the green light to new oil and gas projects in the North Sea amid the energy crisis fuelled by sanctions on Russia.

A Downing Street statement pledged that more than 100 new drilling licences would be granted by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) to "boost British energy independence" and "reduce reliance on hostile states."

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The new "X" sign installed on the roof of the former Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California, was removed early Monday, just three days after it was initially installed.

The sudden redesign was pulled down after the company reportedly received some two dozen complaints from the area residents who said the bright new signage was flashing at night.

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❗️Ukraine launched an attack on ships of the Black Sea Fleet using unmanned boats at night, the MoD says

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Russian forces repel attempted Ukrainian assault on Black Sea Fleet, MoD says

Ukrainian forces tried to attack Russia’s Sergey Kotov and Vasily Bulikov patrol ships with three unmanned boats, the ministry said, adding that all drone boats were destroyed.

The attack occurred about 340 kilometers southwest of Sevastopol, the MoD added.

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🇷🇺🛫 Russia to produce 18 MC-21, over 40 Superjet new aircraft by 2026, UAC says

The SSJ New is an advanced Russian short-haul narrow-body aircraft, a new version of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 with maximum import substitution of components.

The MS-21 is a new generation domestic medium-haul passenger airplane with a capacity to carry 163 to 211 passengers.

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📹 Russian troops obliterate Ukrainian T-72M1 tank with Krasnopol precision guided munition while advancing on Zaporozhye

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🇷🇺🇲🇽 Mexico sees no point in Ukraine peace talks without Russia, Mexican president tells Sputnik

Mexico will be ready to take part in the upcoming Ukraine peace talks hosted by Saudi Arabia only if both sides of the conflict are willing and able to participate, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has told Sputnik.

💬 “If both Ukraine and Russia agree to seek a solution to achieve peace, we will take part – if the parties to the conflict agree and convene (other countries) for this purpose. We are for peace…If the two countries are represented, then yes,” AMLO said during a press conference Monday, answering a question by a Sputnik reporter.

The Mexican leader added that his government would support any initiative where a willingness to come together to hammer out a peaceful resolution to the crisis could be found.

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🇷🇺 Top Russian military brass inspects troop control center near Zaporozhye

At the command post, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov listened to a report by the group commander, Colonel-General Alexander Romanchuk, on the current situation, the nature of the enemy's actions and the fulfillment of combat tasks by Russian servicemen in the Orekhovsky tactical area.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳🇮🇷 Trinity of terrific tourism destinations: Russia opens visa free group tourism exchanges with China and Iran

China began resuming tours to Russia and other countries on an experimental basis in February. The full resumption of exchanges starting Tuesday is expected to increase tourism flows by 200-300 percent, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.

In the case of Iran, Russia formally concluded a visa free group tourism agreement with the country in July, with the two nations exchanging lists of accredited travel agencies.

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🇧🇴 Bolivia desires to join BRICS, to take part in summit in South Africa

Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta declared on Monday that the country wants to join BRICS and will take part in the summit in South Africa, which will be held in person in Johannesburg on August 22-24.

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