Scott

President Vladimir Putin has removed Russia's top commander in Ukraine, just three months after he was installed. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov will now lead what Mr Putin terms a "special military operation". Gen Gerasimov replaces Sergei Surovikin who has overseen recent brutal attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64235713

— President Joe Biden’s legal team found another batch of government records in a search of a second location, according to people briefed on the matter. The discovery came during searches that followed the initial discovery in November of classified documents from Biden’s time as vice president at his former think tank office. That effort led to the discovery of additional documents of interest to federal officials reviewing the matter, one of the sources said. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/11/politics/biden-classified-documents/index.html

Continued record-breaking ocean temperatures with increasing stratification and changes in water salinity patterns give insight into what the future holds amidst a perpetually heating climate. The state of our oceans can measure the world's health, and judging by the updated oceanic observations from 24 scientists across 16 institutes worldwide, we need a doctor. The three key indicators of climate change include continued historical record-breaking temperatures, all-time high levels of ocean salinity-contrast, and increased ocean stratification (separation of the water into layers) with no signs of slowing down. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-record-breaking-ocean-temperatures.html

FAA lifts grounding order for US flights NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is lifting a ground stop on flights across the U.S. following a computer outage early Wednesday that resulted in thousands of delays quickly cascading through the system at airports nationwide. Earlier in the morning the FAA ordered all U.S. flights to delay departures until at least 9 a.m. Eastern. Due to heavy congestion, the FAA cleared flights to depart at Newark Liberty and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airports. https://www.nbc15.com/2023/01/11/faa-computer-outage-strands-flights-nationwide-reports-say/

The Mega Millions jackpot has reached an estimated $1.35 billion – the second-largest in the lottery’s history – after no winner snagged the big prize in Tuesday night’s drawing, officials said. That’s a boost from Tuesday’s jackpot of $1.1 billion, which saw no tickets match all six winning numbers of 7, 13, 14, 15, 18 and the Mega Ball 9. While no ticket matched the jackpot drawing, 16 won the game’s second-tier prize taking home up to $3 million. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/11/us/mega-millions-jackpot-wednesday/index.html

The United States was facing another major aviation disruption on Wednesday as the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a halt to all domestic flight departures after the system providing pilots with pre-flight safety notices went offline. The FAA said in a statement it had ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time while it tried to restore its NOTAMS -- or Notice to Air Missions -- system. "We are performing final validation checks and repopulating the system now," an earlier FAA statement said. "Operations across the National Airspace System are affected. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/faa-computer-outage-flights-grounded/index.html

LIMA, Peru — At least 17 people were killed in southern Peru in a matter of hours on Monday amid ongoing protests over the ouster of the former president, an extraordinary spasm of violence that led to criticism of excessive force by the military and the police. The clashes heightened concerns that the protests would continue to spread and lead to more bloodshed. Peru, the fifth-most-populous nation in Latin America, has been the scene of violent demonstrations since mid-December, when the country’s leftist president, Pedro Castillo, who had promised to address longstanding issues of poverty and inequality, attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/07/world/americas/peru-pedro-castillo-coup.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article Story also here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/18/violent-protests-in-peru-evoke-memories-of-darkest-days-of-civil-war

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Russia looks set to capture the salt-mining town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, with Kyiv calling the situation there "extremely difficult". The fall of the small town would allow Russian troops to encircle the nearby city of Bakhmut. Russian troops and the mercenary Wagner Group were "likely" to now be in control of the town, the UK said. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64219979

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its 11th month, US and Ukrainian officials tell CNN that Russia’s artillery fire is down dramatically from its wartime high, in some places by as much as 75%. US and Ukrainian officials don’t yet have a clear or singular explanation. Russia may be rationing artillery rounds due to low supplies, or it could be part of a broader reassessment of tactics in the face of successful Ukrainian offenses. Either way, the striking decline in artillery fire is further evidence of Russia’s increasingly weak position on the battlefield nearly a year into its invasion, US and Ukrainian officials told CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/10/politics/russian-artillery-fire-down-75-percent-ukraine/index.html

Allen Weisselberg, one of former President Donald Trump's most trusted and loyal employees, was escorted out of court in handcuffs Tuesday after being sentenced to five months in jail for evading more than $1.7 million in taxes on unreported income in the form of company-provided perks that included the rent on his Manhattan apartment, the leases on cars for himself and his wife and tuition for his grandchildren. Weisselberg, 75, was sentenced to five months on Rikers Island, New York City's notorious jail complex, followed by five years' probation, after he pleaded guilty in August to orchestrating a 15-year tax scheme while working at the Trump Organization as chief financial officer. https://abcnews.go.com/US/former-trump-organization-cfo-allen-weisselberg-sentenced-tuesday/story?id=96321922

The House of Representatives Monday passed a new set of rules to govern the chamber that will severely weaken the ability of the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate members of Congress over suspicion of wrongdoing. "I think it's fantastic," Republican Rep. George Santos of New York said of the rules package, which passed by a 220-213 margin, in a brief interview with Insider Monday at the Capitol. The changes came just days after Santos — who was reported by multiple news outlets to have lied about much of his background, is under investigation in multiple countries, and faces at least two Office of Congressional Ethics complaints related to his financial disclosures — was sworn into Congress. https://www.businessinsider.com/house-gop-votes-gut-office-congressional-ethics-george-santos-fantastic-2023-1?utm_source=reddit.com

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian troops are heading to the United States soon for training on the Patriot missile system, defense officials said on Tuesday, in what would be a rare case of Ukrainian troops receiving training on American soil. The training will take place in Fort Sill in Oklahoma, the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. Fort Sill is where American troops undergo their own training in how to operate and maintain the Patriot system, which is the United States’ most advanced ground-based air defense system. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/01/10/world/russia-ukraine-news For those who may face a pay wall, the story is also here: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2023-01-10/ukrainian-troops-to-train-on-patriot-system-in-oklahoma

Russia's main oil product is now trading way below the G7's $60 price cap, as the heavily sanctioned nation only has a handful of buyers to keep up its crude oil trade. Urals grade, Russia's largest crude oil export, traded at its Baltic Sea port at just $37.80 a barrel on Friday, according to data from Argus Media. In addition to lagging below the price cap, that's less than half the price of international benchmark Brent crude, which was trading at about $80 a barrel on Monday. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-oil-crude-g7-price-cap-western-sanctions-eu-ban-2023-1

Two British nationals have gone missing in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, Ukrainian police have said. Andrew Bagshaw, 48, and Christopher Parry, 28, were doing voluntary work, police said, and were last seen on Friday heading to the town of Soledar - where fighting has been intense. There has been no contact with them since. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64214977

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http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/2019hole1.jpg The hole in the Earth’s ozone layer, once the most feared environmental peril facing humanity, is set to be completely healed over most of the world within two decades following decisive action by governments to phase out ozone-depleting substances, a new UN assessment has found. The loss of the ozone layer, which risked exposing people to harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun, is on track to be completely recovered by 2040 across the world, aside from the polar regions, according to the report. The poles will take a little longer – the ozone layer will fully bounce back by 2045 over the Arctic and by 2066 over the Antarctic. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/ozone-layer-healed-within-decades-un-report

A six-year-old child used his mother's legally purchased handgun to shoot his teacher at a US school, police say. In a news conference on Monday, police in Virginia said the child brought the pistol to school in his backpack. The child intentionally shot his teacher, Abigail 'Abby' Zwerner, during class on Friday. Police say she managed to escort her students to safety before calling for help for herself. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64210387

California's elite coastal enclave of Montecito has been ordered to evacuate amid a major storm that has landed most of the state under flood watch. Heavy rain was lashing the community near Santa Barbara, home to celebrities such as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - Harry and Meghan - and Oprah Winfrey. Forecasters are warning residents across state to brace for a "relentless parade of cyclones" over the next week. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64213900

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been hospitalized, according to his wife Michelle Bolsonaro. He was admitted on Monday for abdominal “discomfort” related to injuries from a 2018 knife attack during a political rally, Michelle Bolsonaro wrote in a post on her official Instagram. An ally of the former president told CNN Brasil that the former President is hospitalized in the Orlando, Florida area, and that he had been feeling discomfort on Sunday night. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/americas/bolsonaro-hospitalized-intl-latam/index.html

Several classified documents from President Joe Biden’s time as vice president were discovered last fall in a private office, Biden’s attorneys acknowledged Monday. Attorney General Merrick Garland has asked the US attorney in Chicago to investigate the matter, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN, and congressional Republicans are also taking notice. Biden’s lawyers say they found the government materials in November while closing out a Washington, DC-based office – the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement – that Biden used as part of his relationship with the University of Pennsylvania, where he was an honorary professor from 2017 to 2019. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/09/politics/joe-biden-classified-documents-upenn/index.html

Governor Abbott delivers letter to President Biden after landing in El Paso EL PASO – Governor Greg Abbott hand-delivered a letter to President Joe Biden after he arrived in El Paso Sunday afternoon, calling on him to take action to secure the border. The governor handed the letter to the president after greeting him on the tarmac at the El Paso International Airport. This visit is the president’s first trip to the border since being sworn into office almost two years ago. https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2023/01/08/governor-abbott-delivers-letter-to-president-biden-after-landing-in-el-paso/

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