Iran arms Hezbollah ahead of wider conflict with Israel (www.ynetnews.com)
Advanced weapons include precise missiles, surface to air missiles and air defenses transported mostly via Damascus airport which has come under repeated strikes attributed to Israel...
Red alert in Antarctica: the year rapid, dramatic change hit climate scientists like a ‘punch in the guts’ (www.theguardian.com)
Pakistan election body rejects ex-PM Imran Khan's nomination for 2024 elections (www.reuters.com)
KARACHI, Pakistan, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Pakistan’s election body has rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nomination to contest the 2024 national elections in two constituencies, officials and his party’s media team said on Saturday....
Strike on Belgorod that killed more than a dozen 'will not go unpunished', Russia says (www.france24.com)
civilians in the city of Belgorod with missiles and rockets, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens more....
Germany mulls reintroduction of compulsory military service (www.dw.com)
At the end of October, the Bundeswehr said it counted 181,383 soldiers in its ranks — that’s still some distance from the target of 203,000 that the German military hopes to reach by 2025. This has given rise to concern in times of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has once again reminded Germans how quickly conflicts...
Explosions and fires reported in centre of Belgorod due to mistake of Russian air defence (www.pravda.com.ua)
Explosions were heard in Belgorod, Russia, on 30 December, and wreckage fell in the city centre after the work of Russian air defence....
Anger in Poland after state TV execs’ salaries under previous government made public (notesfrompoland.com)
Controversy has emerged in Poland after the salaries paid to key figures at state broadcaster TVP under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government, which left office earlier this month, were revealed by an MP from the new ruling coalition....
Russia has deployed battalion of Ukrainian prisoners of war to frontline - ISW (www.ukrinform.net)
Russia has officially deployed a battalion formed of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) to the frontline in Ukraine, further confirming a myriad of apparent Russian violations of the Geneva Convention on POWs....
Israel's FM calls on countries to email if they want Gaza refugees (www.haaretz.com)
Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called on Wednesday on countries who are interested in taking in refugees from the Gaza Strip to send his office an email, adding that they should not forget "to write the address of the country" in their email
‘What kind of life is this?’ Dire conditions in increasingly cramped southern Gaza (edition.cnn.com)
Full Monty actor Tom Wilkinson dies aged 75 (www.theguardian.com)
He played Gerald Arthur Cooper in the 1997 comedy about a group of redundant steelworkers from Sheffield who set up an all-male striptease act, receiving a Bafta for best supporting actor for his performance....
Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes Papua, Indonesia (www.reuters.com)
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Papua, Indonesia on Sunday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said....
Missile and drone attacks launched against Russia (www.bbc.com)
Russia's egg crisis is spiraling out of control (www.newsweek.com)
Biden admin again bypasses Congress to sell military equipment to Israel (edition.cnn.com)
The Biden administration for the second time this month has bypassed Congress to approve the transfer of nearly $150 million in military equipment to Israel...
South Africa seeks International Court of Justice genocide order against Israel | The Straits Times (www.straitstimes.com)
Poland says Russian rocket entered its airspace, summons diplomat (www.nbcnews.com)
Poland summoned the Russian charge d’affaires and demanded an explanation for the violation of Poland’s airspace by a missile and an immediate halt to such activities, Poland’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday evening....
Putin's major aerial attack on Ukraine cost Russia $1.2 billion: Report (www.newsweek.com)
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military on Friday launched what’s been called the largest aerial attack of the Ukraine war, and one economic-focused Ukrainian outlet estimated the cost of the assault for Russia to be at least $1.273 billion....
Don't let Ukraine be destroyed: Biden hurries Congress on aid after furious Russian attack (www.pravda.com.ua)
Speaking about Russia’s large-scale attack on Ukraine on 29 December, US President Joe Biden has emphasised that Congress must act quickly to approve more aid for Kyiv....
Chinese ex-Navy chief, with South China Sea background, named defence minister (www.reuters.com)
BEIJING, Dec 29 (Reuters) - China named former Navy chief Dong Jun as its new defence minister on Friday to replace the last minister who disappeared from public view four months ago....
China removes nine PLA generals from top legislature in sign of wider purge (www.scmp.com)
Five past or current top commanders of elite PLA Rocket Force among those stripped of NPC role, Standing Committee statement issued on Friday says...
Game of clones: Science is immortalizing Argentina’s top polo horses (wapo.st)
the extent to which this polo-obsessed nation has already fundamentally transformed the sport and the nature of horse breeding was evident on the field at the Argentine Open in Palermo in late November. As the players and the clones watched a video montage memorializing the late original champion mare, her name flashed across...
Mexican president inaugurates centralized 'super pharmacy' to supply medicines to all of Mexico (apnews.com)
Mexico’s president inaugurated a huge “super pharmacy” Friday in a bid to end the woes of patients throughout the country who are often told they need a specific medicine — but the hospital in question doesn’t have it....
Brazil expresses concern over Venezuela-Guyana border dispute as naval exercises begin in area (apnews.com)
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday it was concerned about a border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana that intensified this week following Britain’s decision to send a warship to Guyana’s shores.