China to Release Position Paper on Ukraine by Month's End

Beijing will draft and present a document by the end of February in which its position on the Ukraine crisis will be outlined, Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi said on Saturday.

"On the Ukraine issue, China's position boils down to supporting talks for peace. We will put forth a paper on China's position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and stay firm on the side of peace and dialogue," Wang said at the Munich Security Conference.

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📹 Blocking and downing of an UAF reconnaissance quadcopter by Russia's Airborne Forces with a drone gun in the special military operation (video courtesy of Russian MoD)

The drone gun operator, following instructions from his comrades-in-arms, detected the enemy quadcopter and landed it on Russian-controlled territory.

Airborne troop units are actively using drone guns in the fight against the UAF drones. They have proven effective in combat conditions.

The guns make it possible to 'disable' the UAF quadcopter UAVs used at a distance of one or two kilometers, which reduces the enemy's ability to reconnaissance the frontline and adjust fire on Russian positions.

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🇫🇷 Restoring the beauty of Notre Dame: stained glass windows undergo reconstruction in Marseille workshop

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Sweden, Finland Should Join NATO by Mid-July, Bloc Chief Says

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Saturday that he was actively working to ensure that Sweden and Finland join the bloc by the NATO summit in Lithuania, scheduled for July 11-12.

"I continue to work hard to ensure that they are members by the Vilnius summit," Stoltenberg said at the 2023 Munich Security Conference.

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Footprint Left by 'Large Predator' Dinosaur From Jurassic Era Found in England

A huge fossilized footprint left by a massive dinosaur some 166 million years ago was discovered in England, on the coast of Yorkshire.

The footprint was originally discovered back in 2021 in an area known as the Scalby Formation where a number of fossilized dinosaur tracks have been found.

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Ukraine will receive cutting-edge fighter jets such as the Eurofighter Typhoon only after the end of hostilities in the country, UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace told a German weekly on Saturday.

Wallace said that no quick fighter jet deliveries should be expected at least at this stage and "almost certainly" in the next six months. Much time will pass before any country sends fighter aircraft to Ukraine, he acknowledged.

This is even more true when it comes to modern aircraft, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, which will be sent to Ukraine only after the end of the conflict, the UK defense chief said, adding that this is the consensus view of western partners.

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❗️ Mass panic was sparked in a shopping center in Paris after the suicide of a visitor, media reports. Messages on social networks about the shootings in the shopping center have not been confirmed.

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Seymour Hersh Says He May Write More About Nord Stream's Destruction

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who recently made bombshell allegations about the United States being responsible for the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline, has suggested that he may reveal further details about the “mechanism” of this act of sabotage.

During an interview with one media outlet, Hersh claimed that the planning of the operation that resulted in Nord Stream’s destruction was “kept pretty separate” and that it was “very covert.”

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🇷🇺🛰 The Russian chief designers at the Roscosmos state space corporation have inspected a radiator of the Soyuz MS-22 manned spacecraft, which is being prepared for launch, after two cases of depressurization earlier at a similar spaceship, and did not detect any damage, the corporation said on Saturday.

💬 "They have inspected a radiator of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, which was placed in the assembly and testing facility of the 254th site at the Baikonur cosmodrome, and did not detect any damage on it," Roscosmos said in a statement.

The statement also said that the chief designers recommended that the state commission appoint the launch of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft from Baikonur on February 24 at 03:34 a.m. Moscow time (00:34 GMT).

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📹 Russian forces in Syria deliver over 2.5 tons of medicine to hospitals in Aleppo (video by Russian MoD)

The shipment included antiseptics and disinfectants, hormonal preparations, blood transfusion systems, antibiotics, antipyretics and analgaesics, as well as many other medications.

The major assistance was provided to the healthcare facilities where the victims of the earthquake are still receiving medical treatment: the Syrian Military Hospital and State University Hospital.

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Study Names Black Holes as Likely Source of Dark Energy

An international team of astronomers has brought forth a bold new theory that may explain the origins of so-called “dark energy” – an unknown form of energy that supposedly affects the acceleration of the universe’s expansion and which is believed to comprise much of the cosmos.

In a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the researchers postulated that dark energy might be originating from black holes.

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🇩🇪🇷🇺 Germany has frozen Russian assets worth €5.32 billion ($5.7 billion) since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, a local newspaper reported on Saturday, citing data from the German Finance Ministry.

According to the report, the sum consists of the assets of Russian individuals and entities on the EU sanctions list, as well as the Central Bank of Russia.

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🦜 Watch: An energetic pet cockatoo soars through the air alongside owner's motorcycle in Thailand.

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US Admits Problems Recruiting Soldiers: Is Army Now Turning to Influencers?

Instagram influencer @haylujan, surprised her followers by revealing that she was already serving in the US Army. Her profile, which used to showcase mostly teenage girl content, began to feature military-related posts, including videos of her performing combat actions on her TikTok account.

This caught the attention of US media, which accused her of being part of a military propaganda strategy. In response, @haylujan published a punchy and ironic video combining logos of US media with photos of miniature military models, weapons, and selfies, ending with the phrase "No one escapes propaganda."

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‘Monster Missile’: Does North Korea Have ICBMs Capable of Reaching US?

The ballistic missile launched by the DPRK toward the Sea of Japan on February 18 reportedly had a range of 14,000 km (over 8,000 miles), which means it is capable of reaching the continental US, media has cited Japanese military sources as saying.

The US command, however, insisted that the missile didn't pose a direct threat to Washington and its allies.

So does North Korea really have an ICBM with a range to hit the mainland of the US?

👉Find out here

The Circle Closes: Bankman-Fried's Сonfidant Nears Plea Deal, Ex-FTX Head Banned From VPNs

The former head of the FTX software engineering team and a member of Sam Bankman-Fried's inner circle, Nishad Singh, reportedly plans to plead guilty to US criminal charges regarding his role in the collapse of the crypto exchange.

According to US media, Singh intends to plea bargain with the prosecutor's office, which means cooperating with authorities in exchange for a commutation of punishment. Two other associates of Bankman-Fried - Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison - have already pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the prosecution.

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Hungary's Orban Says Europe May End Up Sending Troops to Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban cautioned Europe on Saturday that it could sleepwalk into a direct armed confrontation with Russia by sending increasingly deadly weapons to Ukraine.

In his state-of-the-nation address, the Hungarian leader said that Germany started off by sending helmets to Ukraine and was already mustering tank battalions and talking about fighter jets.

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🏃 Run for Your Life

🇨🇩 Football match between DRC women's football teams ends with beaten referee

While losing 5-1 in a match against TP Mazembe, the players of DC Motema Pembe attacked the referee after his decision not to grant them a penalty.

The ref ran across the field seeking salvation from the outraged Motema Pembe players but ended up being caught before he reached the tunnel.

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