"Ukrainian forces struck three Russian drilling platforms belonging to Lukoil, one of Russia's largest oil producers, in the Caspian Sea.
Separately, Ukraine also hit a Russian Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system in the occupied parts of Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast and other military assets, according to the statement.
The three Lukoil Corporation drilling platforms hit by Ukraine — the V. Filanovsky, Yuri Korchagin, and Valery Graifer platforms — are used for oil and gas extraction." KI
"Zaporizhzhia Oblast and parts of neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast were left completelywithout electricity overnight as Ukraine grapples with blackouts amid Russian strikes and heavy snowfall.
The city of Kyiv is also facing prolonged power outages due to Russian attacks and freezing temperatures, authorities said.
While the authorities did not specify the reason for the overnight blackout in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the news comes as Moscow escalates its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine's energy grid." KI
"Iran has summoned the British ambassador in Tehran after its national flag was torn down from the embassy in London, several Iranian government-linked outlets reported.
The incident occurred on Saturday when members of the Iranian diaspora gathered outside the embassy in Kensington to show support for ongoing protests in Iran. An activist climbed the wall, removed the Islamic Republic’s flag, and displayed Iran’s pre-1979 royal flag, featuring a lion and sun, from the balcony above the main entrance." RT
"A severe winter storm has killed at least six people and disrupted transport across Europe. Heavy snow, freezing rain, and temperatures below −10°C (14°F) caused deadly accidents in France, flight cancellations in Paris and Amsterdam, along with widespread power and travel disruptions.At least six people have died as a severe cold snap hit many parts of Europe with heavy snow, ice, and sub-zero temperatures across Europe.
The Arctic outbreak caused multiple accidents, flight cancellations, and train disruptions across France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the western Balkans.
Five fatalities were reported in France following multiple collisions caused by icy roads and black ice, including several crashes in the southwest and in the Paris region. The sixth fatality was a woman who died in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, after being hit by a tree that collapsed under the weight of the snowfall." W
"In a world where wars solve nothing, Trump’s brand of pressure politics may be the closest thing to modern peace.
The mass casualties and destruction inherent in traditional warfare strike a New York realestate developer as simply pointless. There are other ways to compete and to coerce counterparts into agreements. Yes, they are often blunt, inelegant, and abrasive. But they are far less traumatic for states and societies. And that alone makes them preferable – everything is relative, after all. Even the outrageously brazen operation to seize Venezuela’s president, complete with strikes on military targets, turned out to be relatively precise and only moderately bloody." RT
"A strong magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit 23 km (15 mi) away from Tatkon, Sagaing Region,
Burma, in the early morning at 1.45 am local time (Asia/Kolkata GMT +5:30). The quake had a moderate depth of 130 km (81 mi) and was felt widely in the area." VD
"U.S. and partner forces conducted a series of airstrikes on terrorist group ISIS targets throughout Syria on Jan. 10, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.
“The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria as part of our ongoing commitment to root out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent future attacks, and protect American and partner forces in the region,” the press statement added.
U.S. and coalition forces remain resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.
Footage shared by CENTCOM showed F-15 and A-10 jet aircraft taking off from an unspecified location, along with footage of strikes on purported targets." ZeroHedge
"A strong magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred in the Sea of Okhotsk 226 km (140 mi) from Russia in the morning at 11.52 am local time (GMT +10). The quake had a great depth of 403 km (250 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so)." VD
"A strong magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean 93 km (58 mi) from Russia in the early morning at 6.37 am local time (GMT +11). The quake had a shallow depth of 56 km (35 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so)." VD
"173 combat engagements were recorded between Ukrainian forces and Russian invaders.
In the Northern Slobozhanshchyna and Kursk sectors, there were three combat engagements. The enemy carried out two airstrikes dropping five bombs, and conducted 98 attacks, including seven using MLRS.
In the Southern Slobozhanshchyna sector, Ukrainian forces stopped six enemy attacks near Vovchansk and toward Hrafske and Vilcha.
In the Kupiansk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled nine Russian assaults toward Kupiansk, Petropavlivka, Kurylivka, Pishchane, and Bohuslavka.In the Lyman sector, the enemy attacked ten times, attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses near Druzhliubivka and in the areas of Drobysheve, Serednie, Novoselivka, and Zarichne.
In the Sloviansk sector, Ukrainian forces repelled three assaults near Dronivka.
In the Kramatorsk sector, the enemy did not conduct offensive operations.
In the Kostiantynivka sector, the enemy launched 13 attacks near Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pleshchiivka, Ivanopillia, Rusyn Yar, and Shcherbynivka, and toward Sofiivka and Torske.
In the Pokrovsk sector, Ukrainian defenders stopped 47 Russian assault actions near Zatyshok, Rodynske, Chervonyi Lyman, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, Nykanorivka, and toward Novopavlivka, Novooleksandrivka, Hryshyne, Serhiivka, Bilytske, and Filiia.
In the Oleksandrivka sector, the enemy carried out 14 assaults near Zlahoda, Rybne, Solodke, Sichneve, and toward Oleksiivka, Sosnivka, and Vyshneve.
In the Huliaipole sector, Ukrainian forces repelled 23 attacks near Huliaipole, Varvarivka, Zelene, Dorozhnianka, and toward Dobropillia, Olenokostiantynivka, and Sviatopetrivka.
In the Orikhiv sector, Ukrainian troops repelled one enemy assault near Stepove.
In the Dnipro River sector, Ukrainian units repelled one Russian attack in the area of the Antonivskyi Bridge." Ukrin
"Iranian authorities are enforcing an internet blackout after protests escalated in Tehran." AJ
"A powerful Ukrainian attack has left more than half a million people without electricity and
heating in Russia’s Belgorod region. The sudden disruption affected six municipalities, leaving residents struggling in freezing temperatures and facing significant hardships.
The overnight strike targeted Belgorod’s utility infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts across the region. Local officials confirmed that 556,000 people were left without power." msn
"Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s capture also marks an advance towards the US goal of uprooting Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah from Latin America, where the movement stands accused of criminal activities linked to drug trafficking, arms sales and money laundering. Washington has warned that it will no longer tolerate the presence of Hezbollah or its Iranian backers in Venezuela.Washington has used Maduro’s abduction to send an unmistakable signal to the militant group’s leadership as well as its Iranian backers, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio directly threatening them the morning after the attack.“It's very simple,” he told US broadcaster CBS. “In the 21st Century, under the Trump administration, we are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere in the sphere of control and the crossroads for Hezbollah, for Iran and for every other malign influence in the country, in the world. That's just not going to exist.”
Rubio later told NBC News that the new dispensation would mean the outright elimination of any Hezbollah or Iranian presence on Venezuelan soil, where they have been welcomed for the past three decades in the name of a shared antipathy to the United States. The US designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
Rubio called on the Venezuelan regime – now under the interim leadership of Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez – to break with both Iran and Hezbollah. The Islamic Republic, facing mounting protests first triggered by a cost-of-living crisis, has also found itself under pressure, with US President Donald Trump even threatening to intervene if Iranian security forces kill peaceful protesters.
The US has long been monitoring Hezbollah’s activities in the region. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has said since 2008 that the movement, then led by Hassan Nasrallah, had been financing itself through drug-trafficking, arms sales and money laundering across Latin America and beyond. According to DEA figures, these activities earned Hezbollah about $1 billion a year.
As for Venezuela in particular, US investigators say that Maduro was even more permissive than his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, and that Venezuela had become a safe haven for the Shiite movement, which reportedly set up command structures in the capital Caracas." France24
"The United States and Venezuela announced Friday they are pursuing the possibility of reestablishing diplomatic relations, coming a week after a U.S. military operation that captured former leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and extradited him to face drug-trafficking charges in New York.A U.S. delegation, including diplomats and security personnel, visited Venezuela to evaluate the potential reopening of the American Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement sent to media outlets.
The embassy has been shuttered since 2019, when ties were severed during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term after the United States, along with multiple other countries, recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president amid allegations of election fraud. U.S. officials have also been accusing Maduro and his regime of backing cartels trafficking illicit drugs into the United States.
Venezuela’s interim government, led by acting President Delcy RodrÃguez, responded by stating it intends to send a delegation to the United States. No timeline was provided yet.
“The government of Venezuela has decided to initiate an exploratory diplomatic process with the U.S. government, with a view to reestablishing the diplomatic missions in both countries,” the Venezuelan government said in a statement.
Such a visit would likely necessitate waivers from U.S. Treasury sanctions imposed on Venezuelan officials." ZeroHedge
"Storm Goretti struck the United Kingdom causing at least 2 fatalities in England and Wales.
Winds reached 160 km/h (100 mph) as the storm brought heavy snow and significant coastal flooding, leaving nearly half a million customers without power — approximately 1.2 million people. The Met Office issued rare red wind warnings for southwest England as power cuts, flight cancellations, and travel disruption spread across the country." W
