🇸🇦🇮🇷Saudi king invites Iranian president to pay official visit to Saudi Arabia

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a letter to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, inviting him to visit Saudi Arabia following the official resumption of bilateral relations between the countries, Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs to Iran's President Mohammad Jamshidi said on Sunday.

"In a letter to President Raisi, H.E Salman bin Abdulaziz the King of Saudi Arabia welcomed the deal btw the 2 brotherly countries, invited him to Riyadh & called for strong economic/regional cooperation," Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs to Iran's President Mohammad Jamshidi tweeted

The Iranian official added that Raisi welcomed the invitation and stressed the country's readiness to expand cooperation.

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🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel, Palestine agree to create mechanism to curb violence

Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday hosted a five-sided meeting between Israel, Palestine, Egypt, the United States and Jordan aimed at de-escalation in the region.

"The two sides agreed to establish a mechanism to curb and counter violence incitement and inflammatory statements and actions, which will report to the quintet leadership in April, in a resumed session of the meeting in Sharm El Sheikh," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson tweeted.

The sides have also agreed to take step toward improving the economic conditions of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed the importance of continuing to hold such meetings "with a view to consolidating the basis for direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis," according to the statement.

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Macron's Approval Rating Drops to Record Low of 28% Amid Pension Reform

According to a recent poll by a French newspaper, the approval rating of French President Emmanuel Macron has fallen to 28%, a level not seen since the yellow vests protests in 2019.

This drop in approval comes after Macron utilized Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, which enables the government to override parliament and increase the retirement age, a decision that has been met with criticism.

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Russia is not the only country that does not recognize the International Criminal Court’s authority. Take a look at Sputnik's infographics to find out who else is on the same side.

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🌍 Africans need to start "decolonizing their consciousness and minds," Kassaye Nigussie, professor of the theory and history of international relations at Russia's RUDN university, says

🗣 "The system imposed on us remains intact, exploiting former colonies. Former metropolises have been sending proxies to control African reserves, ending up in charge of Africa's scientific sphere, resources, and manpower," Nigussie said at the second Russia-Africa parliamentary conference.

▪️ He believes Western languages and cultures are offered "at a very high price" of losing African identity, adding that the idea of multilingualism being a problem causing Africa's backwardness is not true and supporting it with the example of Russia with its "rich linguistic background and multiculturalism"

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📹Repair units continue to maintain military hardware used in the special military operation

The maintenance specialists have deployed repair stations to carry out their work.

The video courtesy of Russian MoD.

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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Khan Charged With Terrorism

In his video message, the former prime minister said that his opponents intend to either put him in prison or kill him, and denounced the raid on his home in Lahore as "shameful tactics, conspiracies and plans."

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🇺🇸🇮🇱 Joe Biden has talked to Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone, offering support in resolving issues relating to the controversial judicial reform in Israel, the White House said.

💬 “The President reinforced the need for all sides to take urgent, collaborative steps to enhance security coordination, condemn all acts of terrorism, and maintain the viability of a two-state solution," the White House said in a Sunday statement after the talks.

According to the release, Biden told Netanyahu that there should be a genuine checks and balances system in all "democratic societies" and major changes must be enacted with a broad base of popular support.

💬 "President Biden reiterated his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and the ongoing cooperation between our national security teams, including to counter all threats posed by Iran. Both leaders agreed to stay in regular contact over the coming weeks," the White House said.

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10 Years, 40 Meetings: What to Expect From Xi Jinping’s Visit to Russia for Talks With Putin

Chinese President Xi Jinping will embark on a three-day state visit to Russia on Monday at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

What issues are the two leaders expected to discuss? What’s the significance of the trip, and what message does he plan to convey to Moscow and the rest of the world?

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⚡️ 🇮🇳 All mobile internet services, all SMS services (except banking & mobile recharge) & all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except the voice call, have been suspended in Punjab till March 21

This comes after on Sunday, videos emerged on social media showing a group of supporters of the Khalistan separatist movement protesting outside the Indian mission in London 🇬🇧 in the wake of police action against fugitive Amritpal Singh.

#USInvasionofIraq20🇮🇶 The US invasion of Iraq was marked by mass protests around the world, with the biggest rallies of February 15 and 16, 2003 being attended by six to ten million people worldwide. The outcry, however, did not break the Pentagon’s war plans.

Sputnik sat down with two prominent American anti-war activists to discuss the rise and the eventual decline of the US grassroots peace movement during the Iraq War.

Michael Žmolek teaches world history, international studies, and development studies at the University of Iowa. In the early 2000s he was among those actively opposing the bombing, sanctions and military occupation of Iraq. Žmolek was one of the organizers of the February 15, 2003 protest in New York.

He said that many mainstream outlets have been bringing grist to Pentagon’s mill, giving much less airtime to peace activists and mostly voicing talking points of the Bush administration:

💬 “It's hard to get a strong, consistent, pro-peace anti-war position when you've got a lot of groups that, say, are working with one or the other parties, or are much larger than most of the other groups. Nobody's really clear what their agenda is, and yet they're organizing the rallies. A lot of people show up for rallies with no idea who the organizers were. It's a bit like herding cats.”

Click here to learn more about the rise and fall of the US anti-war movement

❗️Latest statements from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service on the ongoing conflict in Syria:

▪️The US is planning to hand over dozens of four-wheel drive pickup trucks with heavy machine guns, as well as Igla MANPADS, TOW and NLAW anti-tank missiles, to Islamist groups in Syria;

▪️Representatives of US Сentral Сommand take part in the planning of the most important operations against Syrian government;

▪️Washington's close engagement with Islamic terrorists is a manifestation of state terrorism;

▪️The US continues to use Islamist groups under its control in Syria to undermine the positions of the legitimate government of this country.

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🇨🇳🇷🇺 Xi Jinping’s plane is already over Russia’s Kirov Region and will soon land in Moscow, Flightradar data shows.

More than 10,000 Flightradar users are tracking a Chinese plane believed to be the one flying to Moscow with the Chinese president on board. This aircraft now ranks number one in the world’s topmost tracked flights.

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Sweden Lacks 'Plan B' for NATO Bid as Finland Gears Up to Join First

Sweden's already troubled NATO talks were complicated further at the start of 2023 by a string of high-profile provocations, which include Turkish President Recep Erdogan hanged in effigy in Stockholm, a Quran-burning, ostensibly intended as a "lesson in free speech" for Turkiye, and, lastly, a cartoon contest held by a Swedish newspaper specifically to mock the Turkish leader.

Billstrom admitted that his country "has a longer way to go than Finland," yet said he was "completely convinced" that Sweden would join the US-led military bloc during the alliance’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in July.

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'The Immortal': Narendra Modi Popular Among Chinese Netizens

🇮🇳🇨🇳 On the Chinese internet, the Indian prime minister is often referred to as "Modi Laoxian", which translates as "Modi the Immortal" — a rare compliment to be bestowed on an international leader.

💭 "Laoxian is an elderly immortal with unusual abilities. The nickname implies that Chinese netizens regard Modi as uniquely gifted," foreign media has reported.

Referring to India's relations with other nations, Chinese users say that, whether it is 🇷🇺Russia, 🇺🇸 the US or the nations of the Global South, India can maintain friendly ties with all of them, which Chinese netizens find "extremely admirable".

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❗️Chinese Foreign Ministry on Putin's arrest warrant: ICC must avoid politicization and double standards and uphold international law in good faith

🇨🇳🇷🇺 The number of Flightradar users who are tracking a Chinese plane believed to be the one flying to Moscow with the president of China on board has increased to over 80,000.

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