January 25, 2023

*) US possible tank deliveries to Ukraine disturbs Russia The Biden administration could approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine to fortify Kiev's firepower against Russia, according to US officials. Moscow called the possible approval of the tanks a "blatant provocation" against Russia. "If the United States decides to supply tanks, then justifying such a step with arguments about 'defensive weapons' will definitely not work", Russia's ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said. *) New Zealand has new prime minister Chris Hipkins has been sworn in as New Zealand's 41st prime minister, following the unexpected resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week. Hipkins has promised a back-to-basics approach focusing on the economy and what he described as the "pandemic of inflation”. He will have less than nine months before contesting a tough general election, with opinion polls indicating his Labour Party is trailing its conservative opposition. *) Bulgaria announces snap general elections Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has said he would set April 2 as the date for the country's parliamentary election, a fifth within two years. The president will dissolve the parliament after polls in last October failed to produce a working government. Bulgaria has been governed by caretaker governments, appointed by Radev for much of the past two years in the absence of a stable elected coalition. *) NASA, Pentagon to develop nuclear-powered rocket for Mars NASA is partnering with the Pentagon's research agency, DARPA, to develop a nuclear-powered rocket engine in preparation for sending astronauts to Mars. "With the help of this new technology, astronauts could journey to and from deep space faster than ever — a major capability to prepare for crewed missions to Mars," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. NASA conducted its last nuclear thermal rocket engine tests more than 50 years ago, but the program was abandoned due to budget cuts and Cold War tensions. And finally… *) Türkiye suspends talks with Sweden, Fin