📹Deadly collapse at Mali gold mine claims 48 lives

The accident in Bilalkoto reportedly happened when a Caterpillar excavator fell on a group of women searching for gold in an abandoned pit.

Footage from social media

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🔥 Russian artillerymen destroyed a Ukrainian drone command post on the right bank of the Dnieper River with a precise shot.

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🔥LA wildfires may be poisoning the Pacific Ocean

Toxic ash from the Palisades and Eaton fires, containing high levels of LEAD AND ASBESTOS, is being carried into the ocean by winds and storm runoff, ABC News reports.

Marine ecologists have discovered debris 100 miles offshore, describing the smell as burning electronics. Scientists are now testing fish for heavy metals and carcinogens, warning that these toxins could enter the food chain.

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🪖US troop withdrawal looming? Europe told to prepare

The US may reduce its military presence in Europe, according to Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson.

"The US is currently reviewing its military presence in Europe and may then reduce it. Europe should prepare for a time when it takes significantly greater responsibility for its own security," the TT agency quoted the minister as saying.

Nearly 100,000 US troops are currently stationed in Europe.

This week, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth also urged Europe to take charge of its own defense.

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☃️Even deserts deserve a winter wonderland!

Iran’s Maranjab Desert sees its first snowfall in seven years.

Footage from social media

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❌ Trump’s reality check: No more free ride for Europe

Trump "strangled and humiliated" Europe, sending its leaders into a state of existential despair, Axios reports.

His latest moves—pushing for direct talks with Russia, challenging NATO’s free ride, and slapping tariffs on $600 billion of worth of EU goods—have left European leaders reeling.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s latest statements only deepened the shock. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pulled Ukraine’s trump cards off the table before negotiations even started, declaring that a return to pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and NATO membership for Ukraine wasn’t a likely outcome of any settlement. He then politely informed Europe that it should handle its own defense, since the US has more pressing concerns

Shocked and confused, European leaders now face a terrifying reality: Trump expects them to act like adults.

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✅Ukraine’s battlefield tactics: Fight, flee, forget the weapons

NATO is reportedly growing frustrated with Ukraine’s battlefield tactics, and for good reason.

According to British defense sources, Ukrainian troops have a curious habit of leaving behind expensive NATO weapons - violating the alliance's "nothing gets left behind” attitude.

The result? Russia now has probably more Javelin anti-tank missiles than the British Army, thanks to Ukraine’s "generosity."

Each Javelin launcher alone costs over $100,000, and the UK has donated more than 10,000 pieces of these anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. Furthermore, the Javeline missile can be re-used.

So why do Ukrainian soldiers treat them as disposable souvenirs?

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🇩🇪🇷🇺 Good relations with Russia are in Germany’s best interests – AfD’s Alice Weidel

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🛰Iran advances space program with micro-satellite

Tehran is set to launch its Navak communications satellite, marking a significant milestone in the country’s space ambitions.

Weighing about 40 kilograms and measuring just 40x40x60cm, the satellite will be launched aboard an upgraded Simorgh rocket, testing its functionality and bringing Iran closer to achieving geosynchronous orbit.

Developed by the Iranian Space Research Center, Navak is designed for telecommunications and features a dosimeter payload, magnetometer, and torque actuators for attitude control. This mission is seen as a major leap for Iran's growing space industry.

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🔎 US aids UK authorities in Southport killer investigation

The FBI and US Department of Justice are helping British police recover deleted searches from Axel Rudakubana’s accounts, The Telegraph reported.

The 18-year-old, sentenced to 52 years for killing 3 young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, erased his internet history before the attack. With assistance from Microsoft and Google, investigators warn it could take YEARS to retrieve the data.

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❗️Trump's special envoy to Israel and Gaza, Steve Witkoff, stated that the US delegation will depart for Saudi Arabia on Sunday to hold talks with Russian representatives, and there is hope for significant progress.

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Zakharova slams Kallas over false claims on Russian civilian casualties

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has condemned EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas' statement at the Munich Security Conference in which she claimed, "Russian civilians are not dying as a result of the Ukrainian conflict."

Zakharova called it a "vile lie" and said Kallas was undermining hopes for EU countries to join peace talks.

Zakharova also questioned whether Kallas was unaware of Ukrainian attacks on civilians, stating, "We know they know." She also criticized EU leaders for calling for a seat for Ukraine at the negotiation table, arguing, "How can you seriously talk to those who make lying their official stance?"

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue attacking civilian infrastructure, resulting in casualties across Russian regions. Recently, 68 civilians were injured and six died from Ukrainian strikes.

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🔎 How Trump is unraveling the fabric of Atlanticism

US Vice President Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference served as a wake-up call for Western elites long accustomed to US support. He slammed EU policies as the greatest threat to Europe, signaling a sharp anti-Atlantist shift in US foreign policy.

What signals this change? Let’s break it down.

1) Squeezing the EU economy

When Trump took office, he remarked, “The European Union has treated us so terribly,” hinting at a trade war.

In February, he imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum, set to take effect in March. This wasn’t the first time he targeted EU industries:

▪️In 2018, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminum from European and Canadian companies.

▪️In 2019, he escalated tensions with a 25% tariff on French wines, Italian cheese, and Scotch whiskey in retaliation for EU subsidies to Airbus, a Boeing competitor.

2) Pressure on European NATO members

Trump frequently labeled NATO as “OBSOLETE,” criticizing its financial burden on the US, its largest contributor.

▪️He pushed NATO members to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, arguing Europe should take on more security costs.

▪️During his first term, he demanded a 2% GDP defense spending target and initiated a US troop withdrawal from Germany, later reversed by Biden.

▪️Trump is now considering reducing US military presence in Europe by 20%, urging allies to invest more in their own defense, according to ASNA.

3) Pragmatic stance on Ukraine

Trump took a pragmatic view on Ukraine, holding a phone call with Putin and making it clear Ukraine wouldn’t join NATO nor influence European security, in contrast to the EU’s “no peace talks without Ukraine” stance.

4) Rebuilding ties with Russia

▪️Trump advocated for Russia’s return to the G7 and acknowledged Moscow’s security concerns, particularly regarding Ukraine and NATO aspirations.

▪️His blunt realism contrasts with the Atlanticist focus on a “strategic defeat of Russia,” unsettling many European politicians.

*the picture is AI-generated

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📹 Guess who’s the main bully in the Middle East, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio?

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🇷🇺🇨🇳💻 How Russia and China dominate the global quantum computer race

A 50-qubit quantum computer prototype based on rubidium neutral atoms has been developed by researchers at the Moscow State University and the Russian Quantum Center. What makes it so special?

How it works 🔎

▪️The new quantum computer is based on cold atoms, which is a method that
involved trapping individual atoms to be manipulated with laser beams.

▪️This method allows for precise manipulation of quantum states, with the atoms being cooled and controlled via lasers.

Why does it matter? 🧐

▪️Unlike Western quantum computers based on superconductors, the Russian device possesses higher stability, has lower error rates and is more energy efficient.

▪️This technological breakthrough marks a significant leap from the 20-qubit
quantum computer Russia unveiled in early 2024 and the 16-qubit quantum computer that was presented to President Vladimir Putin in 2023.

What has China been doing? 🇨🇳

▪️Jiuzhang, a 76-qubit quantum computer developed by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China, became the first photonic quantum computer to achieve quantum supremacy.

▪️The Zuchongzhi 3.0 quantum computer, also developed in China, features 105 qubits, while its predecessor Zuchingzhi 2.0 had only 66 qubits.

▪️Another Chinese quantum computer, the 72-qubit Origin Wukong, recently reached an important milestone as it received over 20 million remote visits from more than 100 countries and regions.

How do Western quantum computers compare? 🖥

Western powers have their own achievements in the quantum computing field, which include the superconductor-based 53-qubit Sycamore quantum processor made by Google, the 27-qubit Quantum System One developed by IBM Research (first commercial quantum computer), and the 1,121-qubit Condor quantum processor also made by IBM.

Russia and China, however, are moving to outclass the Western quantum computers by developing more sophisticated and efficient systems that are less prone to making errors.

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📹 US President Donald Trump's popularity is actually higher than it was during his first term, ABC found out.

▪️63% want only two sexes recognized
▪️60% support deporting illegal immigrants
▪️60% back expanding oil and gas production
▪️59% favor an emergency declaration at the southern border

It seems Americans are showing they're not exactly thrilled with all the previous administration's deeds.

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