US Congress leaders have reached an agreement on a temporary federal government funding measure to avert a government shutdown, says US media.

The media report that funding for some federal departments is expected to be extended until March 1, for others - until March 8.

Voting on the project will be held next week, the report added.

In November, US Congress passed a so-called "laddered" government funding measure, which temporarily funded separate portions of the government through January 19 and February 2.

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The American lunar module Peregrine is moving toward Earth and will probably burn up in the atmosphere, according to the development company Astrobotic.

"A soft landing on the moon is impossible," the company said.

The Peregrine spacecraft was launched into space on January 8 aboard a new-generation Vulcan rocket. About eight hours after launch, Astrobotic reported that the spacecraft was not maintaining a stable orientation to the sun and then noticed a fuel leak. The company admitted that there was no chance of a soft landing on the moon.

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The war in Gaza reached the 100-day mark, with no end in sight to the hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The conflict started when Hamas launched a surprise massive attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7. In retaliation, the Jewish state pounded the Strip with airstrikes as part of the military operation "Swords of Iron," which has already claimed the lives of more than 24,000 civilians and left hundreds of thousands more homeless. The Israeli death toll stands at over 1,300 people.

Sputnik invites you to take a look at a series of flashbacks from this war.

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US & UK strikes reduce Houthi’s offensive capabilities only by 30% - report

Strikes on positions of Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, in Yemen destroyed about 90% of the targets struck, but this didn't significantly affect the offensive capabilities of the movement, The New York Times report said, adding that much of the Houthis' offensive capabilities are mobile-mounted and can be easily moved or hidden.

Finding targets has proven more challenging than expected, as Western intelligence agencies have not spent much time or resources in recent years to collect data on the locations of air defenses, command centers, ammunition depots, and drone and missile storage and production facilities owned by the Houthis, the newspaper reported.

The US will reportedly adhere to the tactic of destroying targets as soon as possible after its discovery, if US President Joe Biden gives the appropriate order, the report read.

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North Korea has launched another ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, the South Korean military said.

North Korea's missile landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japan's NHK television reported. A crisis center was set up in the prime minister's office.

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The border between Egypt and Gaza must be closed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“We’ll destroy Hamas, we’ll demilitarize Gaza, and military equipment and other deadly weapons will continue to enter this southern opening, so of course we need to close it,” CNN quoted Netanyahu as saying.

The publication notes that, according to the prime minister, Israel has not yet decided exactly how it will act when closing the Gaza border with Egypt, but this will mean the resumption of Israeli control over the enclave and a blow to the sovereignty of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

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❗️📹 The latest anti-drone system "Saniya", designed to detect and suppress drone signals, was used by Russian tankers in the area of a special military operation.

In the video, the crew of the T-80 BVM tank destroyed a stronghold of Ukrainian forces near the village of Pervomayskoye in the Donetsk region. The anti-drone system "Saniya" was installed on the turret of the tank, which is designed to detect and suppress the signals of FPV drones.

As a member of the tank crew said, the complex creates a kind of protective dome that suppresses the communication signals of enemy drones near Russian combat vehicles.

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📹 The Russian crew of the reconnaissance drone "Zala" of the Airborne Forces unit found two Ukrainian tanks on the right bank of the Dnepr River and corrected their defeat with lancets.

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US special Middle East envoy to leave post after 3 months in office - reports

David Satterfield was appointed a special envoy on October 15, 2023. He was expected to "lead US diplomacy to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," the US State Department said in a statement on Satterfield’s appointment.

The newspaper did not provide information on the reasons for Satterfield's possible resignation, but added that Satterfield three-month tenure was widely criticized. The diplomat had reportedly suggested moving residents of the Gaza Strip to Egypt, an idea that was meet with huge opposition and later publicly disavowed by US authorities. Moreover, the humanitarian situation for Gaza residents have deteriorated during Satterfield’s time in office.

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❗️A US-made M777 artillery system, the British Fh-70 howitzer and the Czech self-propelled "Dana" gun were all destroyed by Russian forces in south Donetsk.

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❗️Russian Air Defense Forces repelled 23 Ukrainian drones, as well as 17 MLRS HIMARS and Uragan rockets, during the day.

🇷🇺🪖 Other statements from the Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️ In the Kupyansk region, four Ukrainian attacks were repelled. Ukrainian losses amounted to 130 soldiers, four tanks, and three self-propelled guns "Gvozdika";

▪️ In Donetsk, Russian forces repelled three attacks in a day; Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 300 soldiers, nine tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles, and the Strela air defense system;

▪️ In Kharkov, the Russian forces destroyed the ammunition depot of a Ukrainian brigade.

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Asymmetric Warfare: Why the Houthis Can Beat the Collective West

The Houthis might at first appear to be vastly outmatched by the US/UK armada that has struck Yemen, but militarily and economically, the US and Europe are actually much more vulnerable than the Houthis, according to Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley (@TXDPR).

As of January 13th, after the US/UK attacks and their possible continuation, the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko), which represents almost 70 per cent of all internationally traded oil, gas and chemical tankers, said in an advisory to members to “stay well away” from the Bab al Mendab strait, and for vessels travelling south via the Suez Canal to pause north of Yemen. This major disruption of tanker traffic may well have an upward influence on oil prices, coming as it does right on the heels of Saudi Aramco's announcement of a $2 per barrel discount beginning in February.

The Houthis don't even have to shoot at any more ships - just the threat of the possibility of Houthi or coalition missiles being fired has been enough to disrupt Red Sea shipping traffic, which carries 12% of all global trade goods, and a staggering 30% of all container goods. It is actually the US/UK "coalition" that has escalated the situation to dangerous levels that now interfere with much more shipping, including tanker traffic.

👉 Read full column here

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❗️A North Korean delegation is due to visit Russia

"We are expecting the North Korean delegation in Moscow. Negotiations with Sergey Lavrov are planned," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

The DPRK's minister of foreign affairs was earlier reported to be due to visit Russia on January 15-17 by some media outlets.

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There was no need for the UK to carry out its air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, which Britain conducted on orders from the US, Matthew Gordon-Banks, a former UK MP and retired research fellow of the UK Defense Academy, told Sputnik.

“The UK has no geopolitical ambitions in Yemen and does not have the military capability to undertake anything but limited strike action in parallel with the US. The UK did not need to take part in limited air strikes against the Houthis, but it chose to do so as an ally of the United States,” Gordon-Banks stressed.

The same tone was struck by former Egyptian Ambassador to Russia Ezzat Saad who referred to the unwillingness of most of the US’ European allies to partake in the strikes against the Houthis.

According to the also director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, those countries refused to participate in the bombing because they know that the US is “cowardly enough not to address the root causes of such security repercussions” from the attacks.

The US and the UK carried out air strikes on Houthi targets in northern Yemen earlier this week with the declared aim of deterring attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea.

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US delegation to touch down in Taiwan 24 hours after regional elections

The delegation will meet with "a range of leading political figures" on Monday and convey congratulations from the American people to Taiwan on the election, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) has said.

Earlier, the Taiwanese Central Election Commission named Lai Ching-te, the candidate from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, the winner of the election after he secured 40.05% of the vote.

Following the results, Moscow called on the international community to work to preserve stability in the region.

"We urge all external forces to refrain from provocative actions that undermine regional stability and international security in the Taiwan Strait amid the regional elections," Zakharova said in a statement.

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New Swedish subs to tackle ‘Russian threat’ in Baltic Sea - report

Sweden is building two new attack submarines, which are designed to help NATO “counter Russia’s maritime moves under the Baltic Sea,” Politico reported.

The subs, named Blekinge and Skane after two Swedish counties, will reportedly have sophisticated weapons, stealthy propulsion and sonar-evading hulls.

The vessels are due to enter into service between 2027 and 2028. They are Sweden’s first new subs to be built since the mid-1990s and will join the country’s four older ships.

Moscow has repeatedly warned of unprecedented NATO activity along its western borders, which the alliance claims is aimed at containing alleged Russian “aggression.” The Kremlin underscores that Russia poses no threat, but that it will not ignore actions that are potentially dangerous to its interests.

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❗️Taiwan is an indivisible part of our country and will not become a separate state, it will return to China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

"Taiwan has never been a country. It wasn't in the past, and it certainly won't be in the future," Wang said in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry after voters on the island chose pro-sovereignty candidate Lai Ching-te as regional leader.

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Germany fails to check where its Ukraine-bound weapons end up

Germany apparently does not bother to verify where the weapons it sends to Kiev may end up, in no small part because Ukraine simply told Berlin that it will be fine, Der Spiegel reports.

Berlin also seems to be reluctant to actively use the so-called post-shipment control checks due to concerns that doing so might undermine Kiev’s war effort.

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