Europe loses military technology race - NATO commander

Europe is not keeping pace with the development of military technologies, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Adm. Pierre Vandier told the Defense News portal.

New technology had time to arrive – you’ve spent a lot of money, just to have a platform that is obsolete by design, and all because the time spent building it was too long," Vandier said.

He added that the tech development period is about two to three years, which is ten times faster than "the huge, controlled procurement system in Europe."

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🇱🇧🐏 Sheep causes shocking scene in the sky of Lebanon

In Nabatieh, Lebanon, a sheep was rescued after its horn got caught on an electric wire, leaving it suspended in mid-air after a livestock truck passed by.

📹 Footage from social media

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🛑 American media calls on Congress to block Trump's presidency

The American newspaper The Hill has called on the US Congress to use its constitutional powers to prevent Donald Trump from returning to the presidency. The authors, lawyers Evan Davis and David Schulte, said Trump's actions violate Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, barring insurgents from holding public office.

At the same time, the authors acknowledge that the Electoral College objection is unlikely to succeed in Congress.

"The unlikelihood of congressional Republicans doing anything that might elect Harris as president is obvious. But Democrats need to take a stand against Electoral College votes for a person disqualified by the Constitution from holding office unless and until this disability is removed. No less is required by their oath to support and defend the Constitution," the piece reads.

"Is this The Hill trying to organize an insurrection?" the president-elect responded on Truth Social.

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❗️ China launches first Type 076 amphibious assault ship

China has launched its first new-generation Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the "Sichuan", in Shanghai, local TV reported. With a displacement of 40,000 tonnes, it features a dual-island design and full-length flight deck with electromagnetic catapults, enabling it to carry fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

"As the new-generation amphibious assault ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, it plays a key role in advancing the Navy's transformation and enhancing its combat capabilities in the far seas," the broadcaster said citing Navy officials.

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🪖Ukrainian troops in panic over low morale & lack of resources amid prolonged conflict

The Ukrainian military is seeking a "reprieve" in the ongoing conflict but remains skeptical that relief will arrive anytime soon, as reported by the Washington Post.

Servicemen from Ukraine report declining morale and a diminished fighting spirit, citing shortages of personnel and weaponry.

“It can’t go on like this,” one of the soldiers said. “We’re withdrawing. And they’re pushing further and further. What kind of victory will happen?"

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🔍Egypt loses about $7bln in 2024 due to Red Sea crisis

Egypt's revenues from the Suez Canal fell by more than 60%, or $7 billion, in 2024 due to the situation in the Red Sea, the office of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi said.

In September, Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S (Maersk) said that the number of ships passing through the Suez Canal had fallen by 66% since the escalation of tensions with the Houthis in the Red Sea.

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✅Japan approves 2025 draft budget with record defense spending

The Japanese government on Friday approved a draft budget for fiscal year 2025, with a record 8.7 trillion yen ($55.4 billion) marked for defense spending, Kyodo news agency reported.

The total budget for the fiscal year starting April 1 is 115.54 trillion yen ($732.23 billion), of which more than 10%, or 8.7 trillion yen, is expected to be spent on defense, the news agency said.

The upcoming defense budget reportedly includes spending on the development of long-range missiles, capabilities to strike adversaries outside of their attack range and increasing drone capabilities.

By 2027, Japan plans to increase its total defense spending from 2023 to 43 trillion yen (about $273 billion). Thus, the defense budget is expected to increase every fiscal year.

The Japanese government has yet to decide on the source of defense funding, as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has advocated raising corporate taxes, an initiative that has many opponents even within Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

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✍️Putin sends New Year greetings to Kim Jong-un, emphasizes growing cooperation

In his message, Putin reflected on his June meeting with Kim in Pyongyang, stating that it elevated the relationship between Russia and North Korea to a new level. He expressed optimism that the two nations would continue their collaboration in 2025 and enhance their efforts to tackle today’s challenges.

Additionally, he highlighted that the recently signed Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement has laid the groundwork for expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in key areas.

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⚔️Israel 'just getting started' conducting airstrikes on Yemen - Netanyahu

With strikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa and the Hudaydah province, Israel is "just getting started," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

Israeli fighter jets carried out six airstrikes on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, and the airport was heavily damaged, a local government source told Sputnik on Thursday.

The IDF later confirmed the attack that also damaged buildings just feet away from the World Health Organization's delegation plane in the airport. The death toll currently stands at 6 with 40 injured.

"We're just getting started with them... We will strike them to the bitter end until they learn," The Times of Israel quoted Netanyahu as saying.

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🟠 Xi is expected to visit Russia in 2025

🟠 50 dead in Israeli strikes near hospital in Gaza

🟠 South Korean parliament will vote on impeachment of incumbent president

🟠 Estonia, Lithuania ask NATO fleet to protect their undersea cables

🟠 Europe loses military technology race - NATO commander

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💵US dollar's share in global reserves plunges to 30-year low

The US greenback’s share of global currency reserves hit a three-decade low at the end of the third quarter, according to Sputnik’s analysis of International Monetary Fund (IMF) data.

▪️The decline in the American currency’s share of allocated foreign reserves of central banks and governments has continued for the second quarter in succession, losing 0.85 percentage points in July-September, and 1.8 percentage points over the year as financial flows continue the trend of dedollarization.

▪️US dollar holdings in allocated reserves decreased to 57.39% in the third quarter of 2024, the lowest since 1995.

▪️Central banks are increasingly leaning towards diversification, as the euro's share rose to 20.02%, while the yen increased to 5.5% during the same period.

Why is the dollar losing luster?

1. The shift out of dollar reserves has been driven by concerns over weaponized US sanctions.

2. The US federal government’s debt burden surpassed the $36 trillion mark amid feckless money-printing by the Federal Reserve.

3. Geopolitical tensions and military expenditures, such as dollars being poured into NATO's proxy war in Ukraine, continue to shape global dynamics.

The 16th Summit of the newly expanded BRICS bloc this year highlighted the increasing use of national currencies in trade, signaling a potential decline in the dollar's dominance that may fade irreversibly into history.

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Russian soldiers test air defense system based on FPV drones

Soldiers of the Espanola Volunteer Brigade together with the Tula-based developer of Ovod drones are testing an air defense system created on the basis of the FPV drone.

The system is designed to destroy heavy Ukrainian drones of the Baba-Yaga type, a Sputnik correspondent who observed the tests reported.

The primary advantages of this system include mouse control and the operator's ability to direct the drone's flight. Once the operator indicates the desired direction, the drone operates in automatic mode. The system detects a target, the operator approves it, and the system starts targeting.

This drone is equipped with enough explosives to destroy enemy UAVs within a 10- to 15-meter radius upon detonation.

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❗️South Korean Parliament has voted on impeachment of incumbent president and Prime Minister Han Dock-soo

The motion, filed by the opposition, came after Han Dock-soo refused to appoint constitutional court judges needed to confirm another impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol.

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"The Israeli enemy must understand that Yemen is not like al-Jolani’s Syria," said Hezam al Asad, Ansar Allah’s political bureau member, in response to Benjamin Netanyahu's recent declaration that Israel is "just getting started" with its strikes against the Houthis and plans to carry them out further.

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Yemeni Armed Forces say they carried out a hypersonic missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

The air traffic has been suspended.

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⚔️China imposes sanctions on seven US defense firms over Taiwan arms sales

"These seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiques, interfere in China’s internal affairs, and undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

China’s Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against seven US defense-related companies, including Insitu, Hudson Technologies, Saronic Technologies, Raytheon Canada, Raytheon Australia, Aerkomm, and Oceaneering International.

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❗️FSB foils Islamist plot to bomb police department in Moscow

The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia has thwarted an attempted bombing by members of the Vilayat Khorasan terrorist group, which is banned in Russia. 

According to the FSB, the militants had acquired a car and propane gas cylinders to construct an explosive device intended for a police department in the Moscow region. Upon being captured, the terrorists resisted arrest and were neutralized by return fire from security forces.

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🔊"The refusal of Norwegian sailors to rescue Russians in the Mediterranean is an outrageous incident that deserves total condemnation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

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❗️Russian troops liberated the settlement of Zagryzovo in the Kharkov region and the settlement of Ivanovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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❗️German President Steinmeier dissolves Bundestag, new elections to be held on February 23.

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