🇺🇸🚀🌑 The first US commercial robotic unmanned mission to send science payloads to the Moon has failed as the spacecraft is running out of fuel after post-launch problems and cannot make a soft landing on the lunar surface as planned, the Astrobotic Company announced in a statement.

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Asutin underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure last month to treat prostate cancer, and his prognosis is excellent, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center officials said in a statement released by the Pentagon on Tuesday.

"As part of Secretary Austin’s routinely recommended health screening, he has undergone regular prostate specific antigen (PSA) surveillance. Changes in his laboratory evaluation in early December 2023 identified prostate cancer which required treatment," the statement said. "His prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent."

According to Walter Reed officials, Austin's hospitalization in early January occurred due to complications following his surgery in late December to treat his cancer. His infection has cleared and he continues to make progress toward a full recovery, but the process may be slow, officials added.

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De-Coupled, De-Dollarized & Developing: De-Centralizing as Well?

The unexpected economic boom witnessed in Russia amid unprecedented global sanctions is evidence to the country’s industrial might.

It is worth noting that all these new manufacturing plants are state-of-the-art, with the latest equipment and systems geared to resolving any shortages due to imposed trade restrictions, Paul Goncharoff, a US native economics expert with deep-rooted ties to the Russian business market, wrote in a Sputnik article.

Military advancements, pharmaceutical breakthroughs, trade cooperation, and enhanced internal logistics contribute to improving the quality of life and income levels of the Russian population.

👉 Read more

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Russian air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian drone and a Uragan MLRS missile over the Belgorod region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"On January 9 at about 19:30 Moscow time [16:30 GMT], an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an Uragan multiple launch rocket system and an aircraft-type UAV against objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was prevented," the statement said.

The ministry added that one missile and a drone were destroyed by the air defense systems on duty over the Belgorod region.

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🇩🇪 Arming Ukraine is more important to Berlin than supporting German farmers

"The German government is short of money," Gunnar Beck, a member of the European Parliament for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, told Sputnik, commenting on Berlin's decision to cut subsidies for German farmers.

Nonetheless, the German federal government has just this month managed to provide the Kiev regime with a Skynex air defense system, 10 Schützenpanzer Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), ammunition for Leopard tanks and other equipment.

"It obviously means that to the German government supporting Ukraine is more important than the needs of its own population. It's as simple as that," Beck said. "Germany would follow the EU and in particular the US [diktat] almost at any cost."

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❗️ Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared on Tuesday that the country is in a state of internal armed conflict amid the hostage-taking riots in various cities and prisons and designated several organized crime groups as "terrorist organizations."

"I signed a decree declaring an internal armed conflict and identified the following transnational organized criminal groups as terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors," Noboa said on X (formerly Twitter), attaching the text of the decree in the post.

More than 20 groups and organizations are listed in the president's decree as "terrorist."

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🇬🇧 The UK navy has sent the HMS Richmond frigate to the Red Sea to contribute to the international mission designed to protect the marine navigation in the region amid a surge in attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on cargo ships in the region, UK Secretary of Defense Grant Shapps said on Tuesday.

"HMS Richmond is on its way to the Red Sea to ensure the UK maintains a formidable presence in the face of attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis. With the US, we'll continue to lead the global response to the crisis and do what is necessary to protect lives and the global economy," Shapps said in a statement on X.

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❗️ The United States does not support a ceasefire in Gaza at this time, White House Coordinator for Strategic Coordinations John Kirby said on Tuesday.

"We do not support a ceasefire at this time," said Kirby during a press briefing.

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NASA has delayed the first US manned mission to the Moon in more than half a century until September 2026 "to work through the challenges" on developing and integrating the spacecraft systems in the Artemis program, US space agency administrator Bill Nelson told reporters on Tuesday.

"To give [the] Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges with first time developments, we are going to give more time on Artemis II and Artemis III," Nelson told a teleconference. " We are adjusting our schedule to target Artemis II for September of 2025 and September of 2026 for Artemis III which will send humans for the first time to the lunar south pole."

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