Where are these medications being made? Dr. John Dombrowski, CEO of the Washington Pain Center, speaks about the scarcity of crucial medicines in the US as well as the crisis affecting medical supplies in the country

💬“In my practice, I couldn't get certain antibiotics or couldn't get certain local anesthetics. I do procedures every day. People need local anesthesia.”

🎧Listen to more of Dr. Dombrowski ‘s analysis in our podcast Fault Lines

What is Known About the South Africa–Russia–China Naval Drills Set to Kick Off Today?

Naledi Pandor, head of the South African foreign ministry, underlined the importance of the exercises for her country, saying that the drills are conducted for the South African military to be able to respond to a range of situations, including disaster management.

👉 READ THE FULL STORY

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🇰🇵 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid tribute to the memory of his father and the country's former leader, Kim Jong-il, on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of his birthday, which is an annual national celebration known as the Day of the Shining Star, the Korean news agency reported on Friday.

Kim did not attend the remembrance ceremony, but a basket of flowers was laid on his behalf at the statues of Kim Jong-il and his father, North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung, at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, located in Pyongyang, the report said.

Kim Jong-un reportedly attended last year's remembrance ceremony at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in person.

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Divert and distract: US politicians explaining to their people what's important and what's not.

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🇦🇫 'Western conspiracy': Taliban* bans female contraceptive selling

The Taliban* has prohibited the sale of contraceptives to women, stating that their use is a "conspiracy" of the West to control the number of Muslims, media reported on Friday.

Employees of pharmacies in Kabul and Mazar-I-Sharif say they were told not to stock any contraceptives from early February.

According to media reports, one in every 14 women in Afghanistan dies from complications related to pregnancy.

*under UN sanctions for terrorism

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🇷🇺 The level of confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin stands at 79.1%, with 76% of Russians approving of his professional performance, a poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) said on Friday.

The all-Russian VCIOM-Sputnik telephone survey was conducted from February 6-12 among 1,600 adult Russians, with a margin of error not exceeding 1% and a confidence level of 95%.

According to the survey, 79.1% of Russians indicated that they trusted the president, up 1.1 percentage point from a week earlier, with 16.7% saying the opposite.

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📹 Russian Buk-M2 air defense system crews protecting the air from enemy airpower (video by Russia's MoD)

One target is usually neutralized by one missile. Exceptions occur regarding large and high-speed targets like Tochka-U missiles.

This system has destroyed a large number of the Bayraktar-TB2 UAVs in the beginning of the special military operation. The Buk-M2 efficiently neutralizes projectiles launched by HIMARS or other multiple-launch rocket systems.

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Why is Haiti a new centre of attention for the Western countries? Danny Shaw, International Affairs Analyst, speaks about Washington's lucrative goals in smaller countries, which are hidden behind the mask of assistance and charity

🎧Listen to more of Shaw’s analysis in our podcast Fault Lines

Flogging a Dead Horse: UK Reportedly Develops 3D-Printed Suicide Drones for Ukrainian Military

Military observers have recently drawn attention to western unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) intended for the Ukrainian battlefield. One of these drones is the delta-wing "suicide" drone which could be made with a 3D printer.

A recent statement by QinetiQ revealed that the Future Capability Group (FCG) – an entity within the UK MOD's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) – had been tasked by the British government to provide recommendations for UAS that could be deployed readily by the Ukrainian military.

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Ex-CIA Analyst Says Mainstream Media Killed Nord Stream Bombing Story

The bombing of the Russian Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines supplying Germany has directly benefitted business interests in the two countries now accused of the terrorist act: the US and Norway have both increased natural gas sales to Europe.

However Western media suppressed the revelation that the White House ordered the bombing of two Russian gas pipelines, a former CIA expert has alleged.

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📹 Russian Giatsint-B crews neutralize Ukrainian positions, hardware, and manpower (video courtesy of Russia's MoD)

The gun crew receives coordinates and rapidly starts its operation. Strikes are launched within in first minutes after the target acquisition. The fire is further adjusted by unmanned aircraft and forward artillery reconnaissance detachments.

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Rail Firm Refuses to Answer Ohio Citizen's Questions Over Chemical Disaster

An Ohio radio host has revealed that officials from the firm that ran the derailed train in last week's chemical spill refused to meet residents.

A train hauling tanks of the flammable, cancer-causing chemical Vinyl Chloride derailed near the small town of East Palestine, on the Pennsylvania border, on Friday February 3, causing an explosion that left a huge black mushroom cloud hanging over the area.

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From CAESAR to DANA: What Artillery Does NATO Have?

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently admitted that the Ukrainian conflict is “consuming an enormous amount of munitions and depleting allied stockpiles,” including large-caliber artillery ammunition.

This was echoed by a NATO source who told US media that ammunition for artillery systems, particularly 155mm artillery shells, is being used by Ukrainian forces at a rate that far exceeds the current industrial capacity of both the US and its NATO allies.

Can we refer to NATO artillery as sophisticated weaponry?

Find out here

🌏 While the United States seems to be quite fond of lecturing other countries about where they should or should not deploy their troops, it also has no problem with stationing large contingents of US troops on other countries’ doorstep – all for the sake of peace, of course.

One such example is East Asia where the US has dozens of military bases positioned in close proximity to China, with over 100 military installations located in Japan alone.

The US does not even make a secret that all this military might is gathered there to help contain China and to restrict the sea access for Beijing.

Explore Sputnik's infographics to find out more!

China Develops Relations With Leading EU States, Despite Brussels' Resistance

China's Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are visiting Europe at virtually the same time. Their itineraries do not overlap except for their participation in the Munich Security Conference. Meanwhile, on the eve of the event, it is not yet known whether they will meet in person.

After France and before his visit to Moscow, Wang Yi will hold talks in Italy and Hungary. Anthony Blinken will visit Greece and Turkey, and will also attend the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Germany.

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Limited Meat Consumption More Environmentally Friendly Than Veganism: New Study

Veganism сauses more harm to the environment than limited meat consumption, a new study has revealed.

In the survey published in a social source journal, scientists from the University of Georgia found that many of soybean products that vegans use to get enough protein, such as tofu and tempeh, are largely imported from India, where their production adds to widespread deforestation and habitat loss.

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Man Starts Speaking With 'Irish Brogue' After Cancer Treatment

A peculiar development has been reported in the United States where a man reportedly developed an “Irish brogue” accent while being treated for prostate cancer, despite having no Irish background.

According to a report published in the British Medical Journal, the patient, a man in his 50s, exhibited this behavior while “receiving androgen deprivation therapy and abiraterone acetate/prednisone,” with his condition apparently being consistent with foreign accent syndrome.

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📹 Su-35S aircrews conduct patrols in the special military operation (video by Russian MoD)

The crews of the multi-purpose fighters have patrolled the assigned area and supported operations conducted by bomber and ground-attack aircraft.

Moreover, the Su-35S crews have supported helicopters while launching strikes against the military facilities and hardware of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and his daughter have attended a sports event involving cabinet and ministry of defense staff, the country's state-run news agency reported.
This was the girl's fifth appearance in public and the first time that the daughter of the North Korean leader has attended a non-military event.

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Japan plans to buy 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles with the latest modification from the US. But will these missiles really enhance Japan's defense capabilities?

Check out for details