Dead Canceled: Moscow Barred From Financing Famous Russian Cemetery in France

A famous necropolis in France that houses the remains of many prestigious Russian immigrants has ended up in a precarious state amid the fallout from the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine.

According to French media reports, local authorities have recently refused to accept the money that Moscow sent to finance the renewal and maintenance of burial plot concessions at the Sainte Genevieve des Bois Russian Cemetery.

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China's GDP Grew 3% in 2022, Below Official Forecast - National Bureau of Statistics

China's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022, amid numerous local coronavirus outbreaks and an unstable international environment, grew by three percent in 2021, which was below the official forecast, according to data released on Tuesday by the country's National Bureau of Statistics.

"According to preliminary estimates, gross domestic product (GDP) was 121,020.7 billion yuan [$18 trillion] in 2022, an increase of 3.0 percent over last year at constant prices," according to the statement.

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US Secretary of State Blinken to Visit China February 5-6

Blinken’s agenda is expected to include Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, China’s nuclear arsenal, and US citizens held in China.

The media reported, citing Washington-based diplomats familiar with Blinken’s travel plans, that the US state secretary will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on February 5-6.

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❗️ Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu inspected the Vostok Group headquarters during work in the zone of the special military operation:

▪️ During the inspection in the special operation zone, the minister thanked the servicemen performing their tasks and presented state awards to the servicemen for selflessness and heroism;

▪️ Shoigu paid special attention to creating conditions for the safe deployment of the military and organizing for the provision of troops;

▪️ The minister listened to the report of the commander of the "East" grouping on the situation in the special operation zone, the commanders of formations and formations on the fulfillment of tasks.

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Most Canadian Companies Expect Recession in 2023: Central Bank Report

"While most firms expect Canada to be in a recession within the next 12 months, the majority of those firms think it will be mild," the Central Bank's report said.

Some enterprises are cutting their budgets or suspending development, the report said. Most companies cite interest rate increases as the key reason for the expected recession, as well as inflation, which reduces households’ capacity to spend.

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UK Gov't Decides to Block Scotland's Gender Recognition Reform Bill

The UK's Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack said on Monday that he's decided to block Scotland's reform bill that would allow people to apply for a legal gender reassignment from the age of 16.

"I have decided to make an order under section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998, preventing the Scottish Parliament’s Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from proceeding to Royal Assent," Jack said in a statement, as quoted by the UK government.

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China’s Population Shrinks for First Time in Decades

🔢 The data indicates that deaths in the country outnumbered births, with the overall population decreasing by 850,000 people to 1.4118 billion in 2022, down from 1.4126 billion a year earlier.

Details ↗️

Austrian Foreign Minister Urges EU Not to 'Misfire' With Possible Visa Ban for Russians

The European Union should not "misfire" with a possible visa ban for Russians and should instead think about the consequences of such a move for future relations with Russia, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Monday.

He also said that against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis, Europe "must think about the next day, next week and next month at the same time" in relations with Moscow. He stressed the importance of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in these contacts, describing the organization as "one of the few remaining platforms where Russian diplomats remained."

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Production of AK-203 Kalashnikov Assault Rifles Starts in India

🇮🇳🇷🇺 On December 6, Moscow and New Delhi signed a contract for the production of over 600,000 AK-203 assault rifles in Uttar Pradesh's Korwa through a joint venture, the Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt. Ltd.

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Report: Supply of British Tanks to Kiev Will Leave London ‘Weaker’, UK Military Chief of Staff Says

UK Chief of the General Staff General Sir Patrick Sanders has warned that supplying Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine would leave Britain “temporarily weaker”, according to a British media outlet.

In a leaked statement seen by the outlet, Sanders insisted that the delivery of 14 UK tanks to Kiev would “leave a gap in our inventory”, adding that the British military would struggle to meet its NATO obligations.

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⚡️Advisor to Zelensky's office, Oleksiy Arestovich has resigned from his post.

Earlier, Arestovich was at the center of a scandal because of his statement that a Russian missile that hit a residential building in Dnepropetrovsk had been shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

❗️ More statements made by Sergei Shoigu:

▪️ The defense minister ordered the strengthening of the combat component of the Navy, the Aerospace Forces and the Strategic Missile Forces;

▪️ Sergei Shoigu ordered the establishment of an army corps in the Republic of Karelia;

▪️ Two military districts - Moscow and Leningrad - will be created in Russia as part of steps to ensure the country's security;

▪️ The number of training grounds for training specialists in military districts and new subjects of Russia will increase due to the increase in the number of the Armed Forces;

▪️ The increase in the number of military personnel of the Armed Forces should be synchronized with the supply of weapons under the state defense order and the construction of infrastructure.

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📹 Scouts of the 3rd Guards Special Purpose Battalion spotted and destroyed a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group in the DPR (Sputnik's exclusive footage)

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❗️ Latest statements by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ Rumors about a “new wave of mobilization” in Russia are being artificially stoked from abroad;

▪️ The increase in the Russian army to 1.5 million people is being caused by the actions of the West; the security of Russia must be unconditionally ensured;

▪️ There are no hardware restrictions on the vacationing of Russian officials abroad, it is rather an ethical issue.

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Swedish Newspaper Launches Cartoon Contest to Mock Erdogan as NATO Bid Lingers

A satirical drawing competition, targeting Turkish President Recep Erdogan, has been launched by the socialist newspaper Flamman ("The Flame"). The best drawings will be published in the newspaper, and a prize sum of SEK 5,000 ($480) has been promised for the best depiction.

According to the newspaper's editor-in-chief Leonidas Aretakis, the aim is to "raise the problem with the government's handling of the NATO process".

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⚡️ G20 foreign ministers' meeting to be held March 1-2 in New Delhi, organizers said

Turkish Defense Minister Says Sweden, Finland Not Meeting Requirements to Join NATO

Turkey has been observing that Sweden and Finland did not meet the requirements to gain NATO membership by leaving export restrictions in effect and supporting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), labeled as a terrorist organization by Ankara, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday.

"We observe that Sweden and Finland do not fulfill the obligations under the [security] memorandum. We expect concrete measures of ceasing support for terrorist organizations and lifting export restrictions," the minister was quoted as saying by a Turkish newspaper.

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🎬 Russia is a great friend for South Africa, and the republic will take part in the Russia-Africa summit in July, the head of the country's Foreign Ministry, Naledi Pandor, told Sputnik

❗️ The Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis:

▪️ Russia’s artillery has launched strikes at Ukrainian units in the Kharkov region and the LPR.

▪️ A Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group has been eliminated in Kharkov region. The Ukrainians have lost over 50 personnel, 1 tank, 2 infantry fighting vehicles, and 2 pickup trucks.

▪️ Russia’s units, supported by units of Airborne Troops, continued their offensive operations in the DPR.

▪️ Russia’s artillery units and the Pacific Fleet's marines have neutralized the concentrations of manpower and hardware of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the DPR.

▪️ Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and the Artillery of the Armed Forces of Russia have neutralized an artillery ordnance depot in the Kharkov region, as well as 82 artillery units at their firing positions, manpower and hardware in 98 areas.

▪️ Air defense units have shot down 6 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the LPR and the DPR.

▪️ 14 rocket-propelled projectiles launched by HIMARS and Olkha MLRS have been intercepted in the Kharkov region, in the LPR and the DPR.

▪️ 1 US-manufactured anti-radiation missile has been shot down in the Kherson region.

▪️ 1 Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missile has been shot down in the Zaporozhye region.

▪️ Some 372 airplanes and 200 helicopters, 2,891 unmanned aerial vehicles, 401 air defense missile systems, 7,549 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 984 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 3,853 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 8,081 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

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🇷🇺 🛢 Oil production in Russia increased by 2% to 535 million tonnes despite sanctions against Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

"Despite sanctions pressure, oil production in Russia increased by about 2% in 2022, the production volume amounted to 535 million tonnes," Putin said at a virtual meeting on economic issues.

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China Successfully Tests Ultra-High-Speed Maglev Trains That 'Fly on the Ground'

China has successfully carried out a systematic test on a cutting-edge transportation system involving an ultra-high-speed maglev train running in a low-vacuum pipeline, according to media reports on Sunday.

Three navigation tests have been completed in accordance with the test procedures, thanks to the use of a super-navigation vehicle, and all systems work normally when the speed exceeds 50 km per hour on the 210-meter test route.

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