China Asks US, Japan Not to Turn Asia-Pacific Region Into Wrestling Ring

💬 “The Asia-Pacific is an anchor for peace and development, not a wrestling ground for geopolitical competition,” the spokesman said in a regular press briefing. “Countries in the region are for justice and against hegemonism. They hope to engage in cooperation, not confrontation. They aspire for true multilateralism and reject small circles that incite bloc confrontation,” he added.

Wang’s remarks come against the backdrop of Japan’s plans to more than double defense spending over the next five years and become the world’s third-largest military spender after the US and China.

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📌 Peruvian President Dina Boluarte addressed the nation on the situation in the country amid massive anti-government demonstrations following the impeachment of the country's former leader Pedro Castillo and apologized for tragic events that have led to the death of protesters.

💬 "As President, as mother, as woman from Apurimac, I understand and share your anger since the country is deeply indebted to the people. I cannot but again express my condolences over the death of Peruvians during the protests... I apologize for this situation and for letting these tragic events happen," Boluarte said in a speech on Friday evening.

The president delivered the speech shortly after swearing in the country’s new interior and labor ministers, as well as the new minister of women and vulnerable populations, as part of a cabinet reshuffle amid public criticism of the new government's actions during the ongoing crisis.

🏔 WATCH: Two avalanches hit Jammu and Kashmir region on Saturday evening prompting an immediate rescue operation by authorities.

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🇱🇧 The US will disburse around $60 million via a United Nations agency to support the Lebanese army, a source in Lebanon's government told Sputnik.

▪️According to the source, this sum will fund additional bonuses to Lebanese soldiers, as inflation eroded their pay by 95% — from around $800 in October 2019 to less than $50 in current exchange rates.

The official announcement of the US disbursement of funds for the Lebanese military will follow later, the source specified.

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❗️Five more pages of classified docs found at Biden's Delaware home

💬 "Because I have a security clearance, I went to Wilmington Thursday evening to facilitate providing the document the President's personal counsel found on Wednesday to the Justice Department. While I was transferring it to the [Department of Justice] officials who accompanied me, five additional pages with classifications markings were discovered among the material with it, for a total of six pages. That DoJ officials with me immediately took possession of them," presidential counsel Richard Sauber said in a statement Saturday morning.

🇷🇴 The Romanian government is planning to cut financial support provided to unemployed Ukrainian refugees in the country to encourage them to find a job, Romanian media reported on Saturday.

According to the report, the authorities are considering cutting financial support for Ukrainian refugees after having spent over 500 million euros ($540 million) in public and private funds for this purpose. The goal of planned changes is to incentivize migrants to find a job and start learning the Romanian language, the report said.

Under current assistance programs, any Ukrainian citizen in Romania could receive an unconditional financial assistance of over 2,000 lei ($440).　

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🌚 Kentucky progressive Democrat and gubernatorial candidate Geoffrey M. Young has proposed that President Joe Biden be “immediately” thrown out of office for a series of war crimes committed by his administration.

Young, 66, calls himself as a “Peace Democrat,” and is a longtime outspoken critic of imperious US foreign policy who has savagely criticized the sending of US taxpayer money to Kiev by both parties, and slammed the conflict in Ukraine as a lost cause for the US and NATO.

His candidacy for governor and challenge of incumbent Democrat Andy Beshear in governor’s race has been largely ignored by mainstream media, with individual outlets trying to smear him.

The primaries in the Kentucky gubernatorial race will take place on May 16, while the election itself will be held November 7.

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🐌 Argentina beachgoers treated to alien scene as thousands of snail eggs wash ashore

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Russian Embassy in UK slams London’s plans to provide Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Kiev, calling it a reaffirmation of the country’s status as a “top NATO Member State in terms of arming Kiev and escalating the conflict.”

"[The Challenger 2 tanks] will hardly help the Ukrainian military turn the tide in the field. Yet they will become legitimate large-scale targets for the Russian forces," the embassy said in a press release.

Earlier on Saturday, UK PM Sunak told Ukrainian President Zelensky in a phone call that London would send Kiev 12 Challenger 2 tanks. Sunak and Zelensky agreed on "the need to seize on this moment with an acceleration of global military and diplomatic support to Ukraine," and welcomed the move by Poland and other countries to start sending tanks to Kiev.

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Top LNG Producer Qatar Predicts Return of Russian Gas to European Market Within Five Years

Gas prices began creeping up in 2021 amid underinvestment in production and fierce competition for limited supplies between European and Asian markets. The supply crunch was exacerbated in 2022, as European countries began rejecting gas from Russia –which accounts for 15 percent of global natural gas output - over the security crisis in Ukraine.

Global instability in natural gas prices and availability won’t be going anywhere over the near term, and Russia will inevitably resume supplying Europe to restore a sense of equilibrium to energy markets, Qatar’s energy minister has indicated.

🗣 “It’s going to be a volatile situation for some time to come. We’re bringing a lot of gas to the market, but it’s not enough,” Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said, speaking at an energy forum on Saturday.

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What are the Symptoms & Dangers of Murray Valley Encephalitis Virus?

Mosquitoes carrying the potentially deadly Murray Valley encephalitis disease have been reported in the Darling River town of Menindee, according to Australia's New South Wales health service, with the department warning on January 11 that the virus has no vaccine.

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France's 10-Year War in Sahel: Colonialism Legacy, Regime Changes & Control Over Uranium

On January 11, 2013 Paris' Operation Serval kicked off in Mali, opening the door to the broader military Operation Barkhane in the Sahel. 10 years later, France withdrew from the region, leaving a gap in the West African state's security that has since been filled by Russians.

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From No Nukes Pledge to Dirty Bombs: How Kiev Broke Its Promise to Reject Nuclear Weapons

Over the last year, Russian Foreign Intelligence and the Russian military have released worrying information about Kiev's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons and radioactive 'dirty bombs'. Three decades ago, Russian, Ukrainian and US leaders had boasted about the boost to global security that would be provided by Ukraine's nuclear disarmament. What went wrong, and how did things get to this point?

Sputnik explains

❗️Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova has urged her Ukrainian counterpart, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to demand that Ukraine stop using torture against prisoners.

The ombudswoman said that the relatives of captured Russian troops had received footage that showed violence against the prisoners and threats that the captives would be killed if the people behind the camera do not receive a ransom.

Moskalkova said that she was preparing an appeal to the Russian Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin on such cases and expressed the hope that the captured soldiers would be released.