🔥WATCH: Russian drone units eliminate three Ukrainian tanks in the border area of the Kursk region.

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🪖Russian forces carried out more than 1,500 precision strikes and drone attacks on Ukrainian military targets in 2024, the Russian Defense Ministry reports.

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Religious persecution in Ukraine: A growing concern

Concerns about religious freedom in Ukraine are mounting, with indications that “democratic” Ukraine is targeting the canonical Orthodox Church as well as other religious groups.

Footage from Lvov reveals illuminated menorahs, set up to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, being targeted in acts that have raised serious questions about Ukraine's commitment to religious tolerance.

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🔍New Orleans terror suspect reportedly abandoned plan to kill his family after dreams

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect behind the New Orleans attack, had allegedly planned to murder his own family before a dramatic shift in his intentions, CNN reports, citing law enforcement sources.

Authorities are referring to videos the suspect allegedly recorded in his car during a trip to Louisiana. In the recordings, Jabbar reportedly spoke of his divorce and a chilling plan to invite his family to a “celebration,” where he intended to kill them.

However, according to the footage, his plans changed after experiencing a series of dreams that he claimed inspired him to align with ISIS.*

*Terrorist organization banned by Russia and other countries

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🟠 New Orleans attack: fresh details emerge

🟠 Cybertruck blast near Trump Hotel: latest updates

🟠 Top 5 locally-made weapons shaping the Middle East conflict

🟠 Only 16% of Germans believe Scholz to win elections – poll

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🗣‘This will have serious consequences for all of us in the EU’ – Slovak PM

With Ukraine's Naftogaz contract for Russian gas transit having expired, Gazprom halted supplies on January 1. Slovakia faces a potential 500-million-euro annual loss in transit fees due to alternative routes.

In response, PM Robert Fico has warned of cutting energy supplies to Ukraine unless a solution is reached.

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📹Most festive traffic violation: Father Frost caught red-handed

In a hilariously festive twist, Father Frost (Russian Santa Claus) was spotted cruising through downtown in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk!

Adorned with twinkling lights and ornaments, the "tree-mobile" spread holiday cheer and chuckles among passersby. However, local traffic authorities weren’t quite as jolly, raising eyebrows at this merry motorist's creative transport choice.

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🔍Suspect in Las Vegas explosion near Trump Tower identified as former US army veteran

Police have identified the driver behind the explosion near Trump Tower in Las Vegas as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, according to reports from KTNV-TV.

Livelsberger, who detonated a Tesla Cybertruck in the incident, is believed to have served in the US Army for 10 years.

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🔊The disruption of Russian gas supplies through Ukraine weakens Europe's economic potential and has a profoundly negative effect on living standards, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

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Main statements by the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:

🔊Transit halt: Ukraine refused to renew contracts with Gazprom and stopped transit of Russian gas to Europe as of January 1, 2025.

🔊Impact on Europe: The halt weakens Europe's economic potential and severely impacts the living standards of European citizens.

🔊Gazprom's compliance: Despite fulfilling its contractual obligations, Gazprom's gas supply was stopped due to Kiev's decision.

🔊Geopolitical motivation: The decision is geopolitical, with the United States benefiting from the redistribution of energy markets.

🔊Germany's economic struggles: Germany, Europe's largest economy, has suffered significant industrial losses due to higher gas prices following the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.

🔊Broader EU impact: Other European Union nations are now expected to face economic hardship as part of the fallout.

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❗️The Russian Armed Forces shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 fighter jet, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:    

▪️Ukraine lost up to 240 servicemen in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost over 160 troops in the Russian Vostok Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 130 soldiers in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Dnepr and Sever.

▪️Russian air defence systems shot down six HIMARS missiles and 97 Ukrainian drones.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 210 servicemen in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

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🛰Trailblazer in space: Soviet Luna 1 pioneering Sun orbit

On January 2, 1959, the Soviet spacecraft Luna 1 made history as the first man-made object to escape Earth’s gravity and orbit the Sun.

What was the Luna 1?

The sphere-shaped spacecraft was equipped with mercury-oxide batteries, silver-zinc accumulators, four antennas, radio equipment, a tracking transmitter, and telemetry systems.

What was its mission?

Luna 1 was designed to impact on the Moon and carried a suite of scientific instruments:

📍Magnetometer: Measured magnetic fields
📍Micrometeorite Detectors: Gathered data on small particles
📍Ion Traps: Measured solar wind and plasma
📍Geiger and Scintillation Counters: Monitored cosmic radiation levels

The Vostok-L 8K72 rocket launched Luna 1 from the USSR’s Baikonur Cosmodrome. To break free of Earth’s gravity, the rocket was fitted with a third stage, Block E, which also released a glowing sodium cloud visible from Earth to study gas behavior in outer space.

What happened?

A delay in the Block E engine burn caused Luna 1 to miss its intended target, the Moon. Instead, it flew past the Moon and entered a heliocentric orbit around the Sun, becoming a pioneer in interplanetary exploration.

Luna 1’s legacy:

📍Delivered key data on Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts, held by the planet’s magnetic field.
📍Proved the Moon lacks a detectable magnetic field.
📍Measured solar wind properties.
📍Paved the way for the Luna 2 mission, which became the first spacecraft to impact on the Moon’s surface on September 14, 1959.

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🔍Investigation launched after Jeju Air crash in South Korea

South Korean authorities conducted a search at the airport where a Jeju Air plane recently crashed, according to Yonhap News Agency. A case has been opened on suspicion of negligence resulting in loss of life.

Investigators are reportedly looking for documents and recordings of communications between air traffic controllers and the plane's pilots as part of the ongoing investigation. More details are expected as the case unfolds.

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🎤President-elect Donald Trump to host pre-inauguration rally in Washington

Trump is set to hold a high-profile rally in Washington, D.C., on the eve of his inauguration on January 20.

The event will take place at the Capital One Arena, home to the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, which boasts a seating capacity of around 20,000 attendees, CBS News reported.

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Turkish prosecutor seeks 7.5 to 15 years for five foreigners linked to Crocus terror attack

The Istanbul prosecutor is demanding prison sentences ranging from seven-and-half to 15 years for five foreigners arrested over the March 2024 Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Russia, the Anadolu Agency reports.

The suspects, charged with membership in ISIS*, were named as Hofizjon Usmonov, Muteullo Usoev, Rahmatullo Salikov, Muhammadrahim Fayzov and Hamza Muhammed.

The suspects reportedly gave instructions to the Crocus attackers, promising them 800,000 rubles and new passports. They were living in an apartment on the outskirts of Istanbul.

*a terrorist organization banned in Russia

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🇨🇳 China imposes export controls on 28 US firms

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce added 28 US companies to its export control list on Thursday, banning the sale of dual-use goods to them.

The ministry stated that the restrictions, effective from January 2, were designed to safeguard national security and interests, as well as fulfill international nonproliferation obligations. It also mandated the immediate cessation of any ongoing export activities related to these entities.

In December, the ministry revealed that Beijing had tightened export controls on dual-use items to the United States, including a ban on the export of gallium, germanium, antimony, and superhard materials.

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