Israel uses its first THAAD missile to shoot down Houthi rocket - reports

An advanced US missile defense system was used in Israel to intercept a projectile for the first time since President Joe Biden sent it to Israel in October, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

📹 Social media footage allegedly shows the launch.

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🛢 Ukraine will lose $100Mln a month if stops gas transit from Russia - expert

Kiev's loss of Russian gas transit revenues, estimated at more than $100 million per month, or about $1.3 billion per year, Alexei Belogoriev, research director at the Institute of Energy and Finance, told Sputnik.

"The complete loss of Ukrainian transit means higher unit costs of gas transportation for both domestic and foreign consumers for Ukraine," he added.

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💥📹 Another Ukrainian tank wiped out by Russian UAVs

Russian Defense Ministry released footage of FPV drone teams from the Sever Group of forces targeting and destroying a Ukrainian tank in the Kharkov region.

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Ukraine is running out of long-range missiles
 
The Kiev regime has only dozens out of 500 ATACMS left and has “no likelihood of getting more” as the US has already assigned arms supply for deployment in the Middle East and Asia, the New York Times writes, citing US officials.
 
The newspaper notes that Ukraine cannot count on the British partners either, as they have no more weapons to provide.

Kremlin has repeatedly said that the US greenlighting Ukraine's strikes deep inside Russia with ATACMS means "a qualitatively" new situation in terms of Washington's involvement and will not change the situation on the battlefield.

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It's US that will benefit from halt of Russian gas supplies to EU - Slovak PM

"What is behind this absurd decision [to stop the transit of Russian natural gas through Ukraine] by [Volodymyr] Zelensky? Just look at which countries benefit most from reducing the European Union's dependence on gas from Russia. The answer is very simple: first and foremost, it is the United States," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a video address published on social media on Friday.

He recalled that US President-elect Donald Trump has already threatened EU countries with introducing tariffs unless they start buying more American oil and gas.

The current agreement on the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine expires at the end of 2024, and Kiev has repeatedly stated that it does not plan to extend it. Last week, Zelensky also rejected the possibility of transiting Russian gas to Europe via Ukrainian territory after December 31, even if it is purchased by third countries.

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It's dangerous to listen to Zelensky – Russian FM spokeswoman
 
Maria Zakharova names two reasons why listening to Zelensky is dangerous. Firstly, he’s “an inadequate person who is constantly under the influence of drugs.” Secondly, Zelensky’s term of office is over; he’s “already beyond any legal limits of his authority.”
 

“This is a man [Zelensky] who is bloodily intoxicated by power and his ambitions. He is a slave to ambitions, drugs, and the situation in which his card was played for him,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

 
Another very important point why it is dangerous to listen to Zelensky is that every day he says something that contradicts his previous statements, Zakharova concluded.

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❗️Terrorist attacks planned by Ukraine's special services thwarted - Russia's FSB
 
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) prevented terrorist attacks planned by Ukrainian special services against a high-ranking Russian military officer and a blogger covering the course of the special operation.
 
As a result, a Russian citizen who was supervised by an employee of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine was detained.
 
At the command of the supervisor, the attacker planted an improvised explosive device bearing a capacity of about 1.5 kg of TNT with damaging elements in the form of balls, camouflaged as a portable music speaker, in a cache in the Moscow region.
 
The detainee is cooperating with the investigation, the FSB noted.

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⚡️US, UK intelligence services preparing terrorist attacks against Russian military bases in Syria - Russian foreign intelligence service

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❗️More statements by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service:
 
💬There is evidence that the outgoing Biden administration and the British leadership want to prevent stabilization in Syria
 
💬The United States and Britain, with their provocations, are expected to exhort Russia to remove its military from Syria
 
💬IS* field commanders receive attack drones to carry out attacks on Russian military bases in Syria
 
💬The US Air Force, under the pretext of fighting ISIS*, is occupying oil-bearing areas east of the Euphrates, and Washington is not going to return them to Damascus.
 
*terrorist organization banned in Russia

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🔸Biden may send another $1.25Bln package to Ukraine before 2025

🔸Israel reportedly uses its first THAAD missile to shoot down Houthi rocket

🔸US officials predict Kursk will be liberated in months

🔸Ukraine will lose $100Mln a month if stops gas transit from Russia

🔸US will reach new debt limit between Jan 14 and Jan 23 - Yellen

🔸Trump urges Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban law

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'How much of this money will be laundered?' — Rep. Green slams US for more arms supply to Ukraine
 

"How much of this money will [...] find its way into Democrat campaign accounts? [...] We need to stop funding foreign wars and foreign aid," Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on her X account.

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Trudeau's top cabinet met with Trump's administration to stave off tariffs on Canadian exports

The Canadian foreign and finance ministers met with members of the incoming Trump administration to dissuade the president-elect from imposing tariffs.
 
The CBC channel reports that the Canadian officials tried to convince their American colleagues that the problem of border security, which worries Trump, can be solved.
 
Earlier, Trump threatened to impose 25% duties on all goods imported into the United States from Canada and Mexico if these countries do not limit the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders.

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Canadian PM Trudeau to face one more no-confidence vote amid dwindling approval rating

The Canadian Parliament's Public Accounts Committee will hold a meeting on January 7 to consider a motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, the panel’s chair, John Williamson, a Conservative, announced.

"It is now clear that the Liberal government does not have the confidence of parliament,” Williamson said in a copy of the letter he posted on X.

Why is Trudeau in hot water?

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s resignation in mid-December further added to pressure on Trudeau to step down amid his government’s free fall in opinion polls.

A new Ipsos poll showed that more than half of Canadians believe opposition parties should defeat the government “at the earliest opportunity” and trigger an early election. The survey also reflected the PM’s diminishing personal popularity, with 77% of respondents saying they think it’s time for a new party to take over.

According to a poll earlier conducted by Nanos Research, at least 41% of Canadians cited the fact that their financial well-being has worsened in the past year, while 57% said someone other than Trudeau should head the Liberals in next year’s election.

The polls were released as the government remains under pressure over increasing cost of living, inflation, migrants and crime.

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🏄‍♂️🌊 Surfer swept away by giant wave in Hawaii

A surfer was swept away by a giant wave of more than eight meters while practicing on the beaches of Peahi, Hawaii. The incident happened while he was trying to master a huge wave known as "Jaws."

During the maneuver, the man lost his balance as his board spun uncontrollably. Lifeguards rushed to his aid, and the man survived.

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Biden spends 570 days on vacation, resulting in 40% of his presidential time spent at leisure
 
US president Joe Biden has spent 570 days on vacations, media counts. Earlier in September, he was reported to R&R (rest and relax) for over 532 days; now this figure has surprisingly soared.
 
However, the calculation was incorrect, Elon Musk thinks, claiming Joe Biden rested the whole year round.
 

"Actual number was 100%," Musk wrote on X.

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🇨🇳🥶🤖Chinese high-tech ice-clearing robot in action
 
China has invented a robot uniquely designed to cut, crush, and remove ice from transmission lines.
 
What a handy tool!

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🇷🇺🪖 Key statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation:
 
◻️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 440 militants in the Zapad battlegroup’s combat zone
 
◻️ Ukrainian losses in the Yug battlegroup area amounted to up to 260 soldiers
 
◻️ As a result of the actions of the Russian Sever and Dnepr battlegroups, Ukrainian forces lost up to 160 servicemen

◻️ Russian air defenses shot down three HIMARS missiles and 104 Ukrainian drones
 
◻️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 160 servicemen and a Leopard tank in the Vostok Battlegroup area
 
◻️ As a result of the actions of the Tsentr Battlegroup, Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 450 soldiers, two tanks (including a Leopard), and three armored vehicles

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What message does the Ukrainian flag have? — US Senator explains
 
Mike Lee urged not to sponsor Ukraine anymore amid news of Biden providing Kiev with a $1.25 billion military aid package.
 

"Please, no more money to Ukraine. There’s only so much they can launder," he wrote on X.

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