❗️Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Kremlin said. They discussed cooperation within the OPEC+ framework to ensure the stability of the international oil market

🐻 Fyodor the Bear from the Moscow region was playing with a tire, but little did he know it could turn into a life-threatening quest.

The poor creature — of about 400-kg — got stuck inside the tire, but luckily, local professionals came to the rescue.

The bear is now all safe and sound — we can confirm it 🙏

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🇿🇼 🇧🇾 Arriving in Zimbabwe, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko was met with dances, drums and songs.

The Belarusian anthem was also played at the Harare airport.

Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa was waiting for Lukashenko at the gangway of the plane. The official part of the talks is scheduled for Tuesday.

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❗️British tanks Challenger may arrive on front line in Ukraine before summer - defense minister

🚀 The US Air Force conducted a successful final test flight of the Hypersonic Airbreathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) missile, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon added that the hypersonic missile again flew at speeds greater than Mach 5 at higher than 60,000 feet and farther than 345 miles. The test flight demonstrated improved capabilities and performance, the release said, adding that the United States' hypersonic portfolio now includes two feasible hypersonic air-breathing missile designs from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon that it can continue to further develop in the future.

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🥴 Billionaire entrepreneur Bill Gates has revealed that he complained to high tech companies about conspiracy theories on social media linking him to the COVID-19 pandemic, an Australian TV broadcaster revealed.

Some of the conspiracy theories alleged that Gates pushed mandating the COVID-19 vaccines in order to profit, to enforce a system of electronic surveillance and control and even for the purposes of depopulation, among others. Gates described the allegations as false stories and silly misinformation, the report said.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $751 million to the UN World Health Organization to fight the COVID-19 pandemic - a sum larger than any provided by national governments with exception of Germany, the report added.

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The Cardinal of Quebec Marc Ouellet considered as a potential successor to Pope Francis, accused of sexual assault in August, resigned upon reaching “age limit”, the Vatican informed.

In August 2022, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, aged 78, was named in a class-action lawsuit for sexual assault, by a woman born in 1984 who reported the abuses taking place on multiple occasions between 2008-2010.

Shortly after, the Holy See said there was no evidence to probe the Cardinal for the alleged sexual assault.

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US Downgrades UK Army’s Status as MoD Grumbles About Military Being ‘Hollowed Out’ by Aid to Kiev

The Pentagon has reportedly downgraded the elite British Army's status to 'second tier' status amid funding cuts by decades of malaise exacerbated by the Ukraine crisis - which has "hollowed out" Britain's armories.

Read all about it here

🔺 To kick things off, we discuss the Hamilton 68 dashboard scandal
🔺 'You jump, I jump, remember?' Germany initially resisted delivering the Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine unless the US agreed to commit to sending the Abrams
🔺And Daryl Jones joins us to discuss the aftermath of the release of the video where ex-cops fatally beat Tyre Nichols

And there's more on the other side! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 6pm EST|3pm PST|12am CET via the website or app

📻 Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

‼️ Asked whether the US would be providing F-16s to Ukraine, US President Joe Biden replied to reporters on Monday with a simple "no"

Why is Dollar System Collapse Inevitable Amid Creation of BRICS Currency?

The creation of a BRICS currency is “inevitable” process because the group’s member states “are interested in reducing their exposure to the US dollar and in internationalizing their currencies,” Gal Luft, director of the Washington-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, has told Sputnik.

Luft stressed that when it comes to the dollar system, it is “dependent on the Fed decisions that serve first and foremost the interests of the American people and their elected officials, not taking into account the interests of the world’s poor.”

Read more

🇨🇳🇯🇵 Chinese coast guards said they chased five Japanese ships away from the waters surrounding a group of disputed islets in the East China Sea.

China urged Japan to refrain from illegal action near the islands, which are claimed by both nations. The contested islands are located east of Taiwan and are administered by Japan, which calls them the Senkaku Islands. China refers to them as the Diaoyu Islands.

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Biden Administration to End COVID-19 Emergencies on May 11 – Letter

The US Office of Management and Budget said in a letter to Congress that the Biden administration is planning to extend both national health emergencies, related to the COVID-19 pandemic, to May 11 and then end them.

The Trump administration declared the twin COVID-19 emergency on January 27, 2020, and on January 11, 2022 the PHE was renewed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.

💬 “Tanks by definition are an offensive weapon. Can you use them defensively? Yes, you can. But you don't need an M-1 Abrams tank to defend,” says Mark Frost, an economist, professor, consultant, and libertarian.

🎧 Listen to more of Frost’s views in our podcast Fault Lines: US Arms Sales Through the Roof Despite Looming Recession

Pompeo Says Solution to Conflict Should Be Acceptable to Both Russians, Ukrainians

💬"Every day this goes on creates enormous risk for us, for America," Pompeo said in a YouTube interview. "We have the capacity to use American power - not our soldiers, airmen, marines - but American power to facilitate a hastier conclusion to this and a relatively permanent conclusion."

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💬 “This is the nightmare scenario: think of the Fed and the Treasury as having a six-shooter and they get six bullets in their gun. Well, the Fed shot all the bullets. There's no more bullets in the Fed gun. There's just nothing left they can do without causing hyperinflation,” says Mark Frost, an economist, professor, consultant, and libertarian.

🎧 Listen to more of Frost’s views in our podcast Fault Lines: US Arms Sales Through the Roof Despite Looming Recession

➡️ White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby explained the reasoning behind the F-16 decision was because "there's a lot of capability that is being sent, and will be sent in the coming weeks and months" to Ukraine.

"The kinds of capabilities that we know will be critical to helping Ukrainians again in the fighting now in the wintertime, as well as the kind of fighting that we expect that they're going to be doing in the spring," he added.

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