China is increasing its defense budget to meet complex security challenges and fulfill the country's obligations, Wang Chao, a spokesman for the first session of the 14th National People's Congress, said.

The spokesman added that the scale of the military spending was also determined by the basic needs of defense construction and the level of development of the national economy. At the same time, Wang refused to specify how much China would increase its defense spending in 2023

China steadily increases its defense budget every year, although Beijing adheres to the defensive nature of its military doctrine and does not participate in wars or military conflicts. In 2022, China planned to raise its military budget by 7.1% year-on-year to 1.45 trillion yuan ($209.9 billion).

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❗️Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️The Russian Army eliminated up to 150 Ukrainian servicemen and destroyed a Grad multiple rocket launcher in the Krasny Liman direction;

▪️Ukrainian losses in the Kherson direction amounted to up to 70 servicemen, with a US-made M777 howitzer destroyed;

▪️Russian troops continued to advance in the Donetsk direction, where Ukrainian losses amounted to almost 500 servicemen;

▪️Russian forces eliminated more than 90 Ukrainian servicemen in the Kupyansk direction;

▪️Ukrainian losses in the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions amounted to more than 80 servicemen, with a tank and two D-20 howitzers destroyed;

▪️Ukrainian troops lost a tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, two Msta-B, three D-30, and one US-made M-777 howitzers in the Donetsk direction;

▪️Russian air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter, 12 HIMARS MLRS rockets, and destroyed 11 Ukrainian UAVs;

▪️The Russian Aerospace Forces shot down two Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters.

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❗️The condition of the schoolboy-turned-hero who was wounded by Ukrainian terrorists in Russia’s Bryansk region is assessed by doctors as severe, but he is receiving all the necessary treatment

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Russian first deputy permanent representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy did a bit of light trolling of Biden’s press secretary over her new name for the Russian Federation, coming up with a couple alternative names for the United States and the United Kingdom.

💬 “It must be a foe of United American Emirates and the British Confederation!” Polyanskiy tweeted, responding to a clipped video featuring Jean-Pierre’s flub.

At a press conference on Friday, Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that President Biden and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen would be discussing ways to “address the challenges posed by the People’s Republic of Russia.”

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📹 "I was targeted"

🇨🇫 The head of the Russian House in Bangui, Dmitry Syty, has revealed details of the assassination attempt on him last December in an interview with RT.

▪️According to Syty, he received a package containing a USB drive that was delivered to his office on December 16 by one of his employees.

🗣"I turned like this and saw a flash of light. Then I looked at my hand, where the USB flash drive used to be, and saw a bunch of bones and meat," he said.

▪️He assumed that he was "specifically targeted," and not the Russian House itself, as his job was to organize peace talks with the leaders of armed groups.

🗣"Of course I will go back [to Africa]. I am 'the boy who survived' and I will continue my work," Syty concluded

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Russia, China to Keep Explaining Danger of NATO Presence to Asia-Pacific, Ambassador Says

Moscow and Beijing must continue their efforts to preserve the region's post-Cold War security structure, Russian Ambassador to Beijing Igor Morgulov said, when asked how the two partner countries could counter NATO's deployment in the Indo-Pacific region.

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The IAEA boss is upbeat about reviving the Iranian nuclear deal after his trip to Tehran

Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, arrived in Iran to discuss future cooperation with Mohammad Eslami, who heads Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. The talks come amid a stalemate in the IAEA efforts to rescue the landmark nuclear deal.

💬 "Negotiations on the possible revival of the JCPOA are ongoing. It is not part of what we are discussing now but by having a constructive discussion like we are having now and by having good agreements like I am sure we are going to have, we are going to be paving the way for important agreements. This is my hope," the IAEA chief told a news conference alongside Eslami.

▪️Grossi rejected as "absurd" the claims that the Austria-based nuclear watchdog was acting on US or Israeli orders. "The IAEA has not been and will never be a political tool of anybody. I am under no country's instructions, and we act in a way that is very transparent," he told reporters.

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Macron Vows to Build 'Free France' Monument in Congo's Brazzaville

🇫🇷 🇨🇬 France will erect a monument in the Republic of Congo's capital to remember the African men and women who gave their lives to liberate France from Nazi occupation during the Second World War, French President Emmanuel Macron stated

🗣 “In Brazzaville, which was the capital of Free France, a memorial will be built to honor the memory of these women and men, these African heroes, who had never set foot on the soil of France but gave their lives to free it,” Macron said in Congo's capital.

General Charles de Gaulle, who led "Free France" against Nazi Germany in World War II, signed the first laws and regulations governing the Free France region from Brazzaville, which functioned as its capital. Brazzaville was the capital of the Free France government in exile until 1943, when Algiers became the new location

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UAE Working With Russia, US on Tests to Ensure Humans Can Live on Mars: Space Official

"We do a lot of science experiments with Roscosmos and also with NASA on the analog missions to make sure that we can take humans to live on Mars," AlGhaferi said at the NASA Kennedy Center in Florida. "Another thing we are doing is establishing international cooperation on an organizational level, and looking for more partners to know and to work with in that regard."

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Emperor Has No Clothes: Chinese Media Mocks US Push to Project Itself as Asia Hegemon

Chinese media have taken US ambassador Nicholas Burns down a notch over his claims that the US is still "the leader" in Asia "in many ways."

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❗️A massive fire has reportedly broken out at a warehouse in Cincinnati, Ohio, with multiple fire departments battling the blaze

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🇸🇩🇷🇺Sudan to enhance cooperation with Russia in oil production, Energy Ministry says

🗣"Russia is a state with great technological capabilities, so we are open to cooperating with the country in the field of oil production, and even in the development of infrastructure. We have already started negotiations with Russian companies," Sudan's acting Energy and Oil Minister, Mohamed Abdallah, told Sputnik.

▪️According to the official, several Russian firms are already operating in Sudan's oil and gas sector, and negotiations with such companies as Rosneft and Zarubezhneft are underway.

▪️The minister explained that Khartoum is going to increase oil production, with the ultimate goal to cut its reliance on imports and phase out the importation of oil, in particular from South Sudan

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Climate extremists attack a monument created by Israeli artist Dani Karavan next to the Bundestag featuring articles of the 1949 German constitution

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Devastating Quakes? Don’t Care Must Rob: US Continues Oil Looting of Quake-Hit Syria

Thousands of Syrians were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced during last month's devastating earthquakes, with the World Bank estimating that the disaster has caused over $5.1 billion in damage to the already war-torn and impoverished nation. But Washington's looting of the country's oil resources continues.

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Young Malawians Shouldn't Take Independence for Granted as Heroes Must Be Remembered, Expert Says

Many young people in African countries "take everything for granted" in regards to their nation's independence and its history, says Dr. John Lwanda, research affiliate at Glasgow University, Scotland, in an interview with Sputnik.

In particular, Martyrs' Day in Malawi, which is celebrated every year on March 3, should be very important to young people, but the holiday has been observed as a ritual or tradition for years with almost no profound understanding of its background, according to Dr. Lwanda.

🗣“Martyrs' Day was like a religious ritual. People went through the motions without actually thinking about it. So it is the same as now, when many young people in Africa are not taught the history of the struggle," he states.

👉READ THE FULL STORY

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Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev beat his compatriot Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday to claim the Dubai noscript, his third in just as many weeks.

The 27-year-old third-seed has amassed 14 match victories within weeks, winning trophies in Rotterdam, Doha and now Dubai and is leading 25-year-old Rublev 5-2 in their ATP head-to-head series.

💬 "It is amazing because at the start of the year, it was not perfect. In tennis when you don't win matches you have doubts. Now it just feels better. I was really happy with these three weeks and I am looking forward to the next ones," Medvedev said, referring to his brief dropout from ATP Top 10.

Medvedev will next compete at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. The former World No. 1 is six victories away from equaling his career-best winning streak on the ATP Tour, having won 20 consecutive hard-court games from November 2020 to January 2021.

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