Morning bird: Russia in the new textbook defends the invasion of Ukraine as an existential struggle. The head of the United Nations is concerned about the suspension of foreign aid from the United States.
Russian propaganda speaks of a special military operation aimed at ensuring the security of the country, but Ukraine and Western states compare the invasion to a war of conquest, which Russian authoritarian president Vladimir Putin is trying to expand his territory and influence. The decision of US President Donald Trump to suspend foreign aid from the United States is criticized by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Russia tries to present its occupation of Ukraine to schoolchildren as the right thing
Russia has presented a new history textbook, which equates the military invasion of Ukraine to the Soviet fight against Nazism. This school book suggests that Moscow was forced to send soldiers to a neighboring country, as it faces an existential struggle against a decadent West trying to weaken and tear Russia up. For example, a chapter titled Professionalism, Resilience and Courage: Russian Units in Special Military Operation, tells schoolchildren that Russia was forced to send soldiers to Ukraine in February 2022, according to Ceskenoviny.cz.
Antonio Guterrese watches with concern the freezing of US foreign aid
United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres expressed concern over President Donald Trump's decision to suspend foreign aid from the United States. Trump, shortly after taking the oath for a second term on January 20, signed an executive order instructing all federal government agencies to enact a 90-day pause in foreign development aid and review existing programs. Experts criticized the decision of the Trump administration, warning that it could have catastrophic consequences for people around the world, CNN reported.
An asteroid is potentially a real piece of the Moon, scientists claim
A small space rock, referred to as a "mini-moon", could actually be a piece of the Moon that broke off thousands of years ago. This object, known as 2024 PT5 and measuring roughly 10 meters in width, orbits around the Earth. However, researchers say that it poses no danger of colliding with Earth. Astronomers first spotted the asteroid on August 7 using NASA's South Africa observatory. 2024 PT5 is just the second object in an orbit similar to Earth's. In 2016, astronomers found the asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa, which was also likely ejected from the lunar surface, according to CNN.
Lady Gaga Announces March Release of New Album Mayhem
Lady Gaga will release her seventh studio album on March 7, which press materials say will explore "themes of chaos and transformation". The album, featuring 14 songs, will be named Mayhem. The first two singles from this album did well in the American charts. The song Disease ranked 27th on the Billboard Hot 100, and Die With a Smile, which she recorded with Bruno Mars, was number one for three weeks. The third single will debut on Sunday, which will air during a commercial break at the Grammy Awards, the agency AP pointed out.
Sources: Ceskenoviny.cz, Al Jazeera, CNN, AP
