France Wants to Tear Russia, China Away From Africa, Political Activist Says

France wants to prevent Russia and China from forging closer ties with African countries, pan-African activist and Gabonese leader of the pan-Africanist movement "The New Power", Privat Ngomo tells Sputnik.

🗣 "[France] has to regain the parts of market, which are held today by China and other emerging powers. It has to, above all, prevent the imminent breakthrough of Russia, which benefits from anti-French African sentiment," explains Privat Ngomo

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🇪🇸 Spain's imports of Russian gas jumped 151% in February 2023 year-on-year to 5,465 gigawatt hours, accounting for 17.2% of the country's total gas imports, data from Spanish energy company Enagas showed on Friday.

Russia was surpassed only by Spain's two traditionally large gas exporters — Algeria with 7,481 GWh (23.5% of the total) and the United States with 7,263 GWh (22.8%). Overall, Spain imported 31,862 GWh of natural gas in February 2023, the company said.

Spain has been actively promoting itself as a gas hub able to resolve the European energy crisis caused by reduction in Russian gas supplies, given that the country is currently one of the EU member states with the most diversified list of natural suppliers, with over 20 exporters.

The European Union has faced a massive energy crisis as part of the post-pandemic global economic recession. The situation further exacerbated against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, since the hostilities and Western sanctions against Moscow have led to disruptions of supply chains and resulted in a spike in energy prices worldwide.

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US Has No Intention of Developing Hypersonic Nuclear Weapons, Top Military Officials Say

The United States is far behind China and Russia, which have been able to make significant progress in the development of hypersonic missiles in recent years, with Russia deploying and using such missiles in the Ukraine conflict, according to committee members.

At the same time, the United States plans to develop conventionally armed and regionally stationed hypersonic weapons, US Defense Department Emerging Capabilities Policy Office Director Michael Horowitz said.

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🚀 Roscosmos and the Samara-based Progress Rocket and Space Center (RSC) signed a contract for the technical design of the Amur-SPG reusable methane rocket, the project will be ready by the end of next year, the Russian state corporation said.

The Amur-SPG launcher will be built at the Vostochny spaceport. Its design is planned to take into account the possibility of controlled descent of the first stage of the rocket and its subsequent reuse.

At the beginning of 2023, Progress CEO Dmitry Baranov told reporters that Roscosmos had accepted a draft design of a reusable methane rocket, and further development of the rocket would take place as a technical design.

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US Lawmaker: Washington Wants Russia to Lose in Ukraine But Not 'Too Badly'

The United States wants Russia to lose in Ukraine, but is not seeking its "abject defeat" or even "collapse" since it would be detrimental to global stability, Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton, a strong supporter of military aid to Ukraine, stated.

"I don’t know if it's good for the stability of the world if the Russian regime collapses," Moulton said in a podcast conversation at the Hudson Institute.

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Revived Ancient Zombie-Virus From Siberian Permafrost Hasn't Lost Its Touch, Study Warns

Permafrost covers one-fifth of the Northern Hemisphere, including parts of Alaska, Canada and Russia. The combination of cold, lack of oxygen, and light allows the remains of living organisms to persist well in the permafrost. Viruses may also be among these organisms.

A team of scientists led by Professor Jean-Michel Claverie of the French Aix-Marseille University has determined that a revived ancient viruses found in the permafrost could still prove dangerous for both animals and humans.

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🇮🇱 Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that the resumption of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh was a failure of the Israeli government's foreign policy, as it deprived Israel of its regional defense barrier from the alleged Iranian threat.

On Frinday, Iran and Saudi Arabia had agreed to resume relations and reopen embassies within the next two months. The historic agreement came after several days' worth of negotiations that were facilitated by China.

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The new Russian R-37M air-to-air missile has shown the highest combat effectiveness during its use as part of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, an informed source told Sputnik.

The source added that the R-37M has been used against various Ukrainian air targets and has been launched from Russian Su-35S multi-role fighters, the MiG-31BM interceptor aircraft, as well as the fifth generation Su-57 fighters.

The maximum launch range of the R-37M is about 300 kilometers (186 miles); the altitude of potential targets is between 30 meters (98 feet) and 25 kilometers, while the missile's maximum flight speed is six times the speed of sound, which basically makes it hypersonic.

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📹 The Russian Defense Ministry published a video of a Tornado-G multiple-launch rocket system destroying an observation post of Ukrainian forces in the Zaporozhye direction.

💬 "This afternoon, the task was given to destroy an observation post, which was identified by one of our unmanned aerial vehicles. As a result, the crew, which was at a distance of 200–300 meters from the firing position, advanced and inflicted a fire attack. The UAV recorded the destruction of the observation post," the commander of a Russian Armed Forces' MLRS unit said.

The Tornado-G is a modernized version of the BM-21 Grad MLRS. The system has an increased fire effectiveness, more powerful ammunition, and automated guidance, aiming, and navigation equipment.

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🦠 Joe Biden says he has not made a decision on whether to sign the bill that requires the US government to declassify all the information regarding the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier in the day, the US House of Representatives passed legislation requiring the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to declassify materials related to the origin of the novel coronavirus.

The bill requires DNI to declassify information on potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China and the genesis of COVID-19 no later than 90 days after enactment of the legislation.

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🇲🇼 🇷🇺 Malawi has asked Russia to send its specialists to fight cholera outbreak, Russian Ambassador to Zimbabwe and Malawi Nikolai Krasilnikov told the national broadcaster

According to the diplomat, the Malawians "are showing interest in restoring and developing cooperation with Russia in various fields."

🗣 "Recently, contacts took place between Rospotrebnadzor [Russian health watchdog] and the Ministry of Health of Malawi on the possible participation of Russian specialists in the fight against cholera," he said

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Russia Enters India's Top 5 Trading Partners for First Time: Indian Commerce Ministry

🇮🇳🇷🇺 As of today, Russia ranks fifth on the list of India's main trading partners, which is the first time since the late 1990s, when India began to keep such statistics.

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🪱☔️ A viral video showing an area apparently being showered with worm-like creatures has left the Internet shocked.

Residents of the Chinese province of Liaoning were told to seek shelter after it looked like it had started to rain worms. One theory suggests that the “worms” were actually poplar flower stalks.

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'An Injustice & Disgrace': Outrage Surges Over 'Shameful' Corsican Language Ban on French Island

A verdict issued on March 9 in the Corsican city of Bastia ruled that only French was to be allowed for public office use on the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean and a “territorial collectivity” of France. Furthermore, use of the Corsican language in debates - something that had been commonly practiced by the Assembly (unicameral legislative body of Corsica) - was pronounced as running counter to the French constitution.

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German Railway Carrier Halts Free Transportation of Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine, Reports Say

Since February 2022, DB Cargo has transported 1,300 containers with food, hygiene products, water purification equipment, generators and wheelchairs to Ukraine by rail and road, the newspaper said, adding that the transportation costs of almost 5 million euros ($5.3 million) were borne by the German railways. DB Cargo will no longer be able to finance the transportation of humanitarian aid for legal reasons, the sources clarified.

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