🇵🇸🇮🇱 Israeli military strikes Gaza after nine rockets fired in wake of Al-Aqsa Mosque clashes

The attack comes as a response to a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip following the Al-Aqsa Mosque clashes. Earlier on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said that a total of nine rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip at Israel overnight.

💬 "5 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel tonight. 4 of them were intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array," the IDF said on Twitter, adding that "following the additional sirens that sounded, 4 rockets were launched from Gaza and landed in open areas."

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What Happened During Trump's First Day in Court as Criminal Defendant?

History was made on April 4, as for the first time a former President of the United States appeared in court as a criminal defendant. The 45th POTUS was earlier indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on charges related to hush-money payments made before and after the 2016 presidential election.

Here is a look at Trump's first day in court and what could come next in the indictment.

Ukrainian strike drone falls near Zaporozhye NPP

💬 "The Ukrainian regime has made yet another attempt to attack the power plant with the use of a Polish-made UAV despite the presence of the IAEA personnel at the plant. The weight of the UAV was over two kilograms. The location of the UAV wreckage may indicate that the ZNPP's infrastructure was the target of the attack. Causes of the drone crash are being determined by specialists," a commander of the Russian unit ensuring the safety of the plant has told Sputnik.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi visited the ZNPP on March 29 and said that the plant should not be considered a target during the hostilities and used for return fire. During the visit, Grossi inspected the site together with the plant's management and responsible technical staff. The official said that new measures have to be taken to protect the ZNPP as the situation there was not getting better.

Following the visit, Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said that Moscow supports the IAEA efforts aimed at protecting the nuclear safety of the plant.

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❗️The Russian Foreign Ministry calls for the immediate release of, and medical assistance for Metropolitan Bishop Pavel, vicegerent of the contested Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

'Dangerous & Illegal Overreach': GOP, Allies Slam Trump's Criminal Indictment

After Tuesday's arraignment of former President Donald Trump, who faces 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to 2016 hush money payments that he denies, Republican lawmakers, political leaders and the public have been reacting to the historic indictment.

Read more

❗️Death toll from earthquakes in Turkiye reaches 50,339

💬 "The identification of the bodies continues. The number may yet be updated," Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said, as quoted by Turkish media.

On February 6, two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 hit the southeastern regions of Turkiye at a nine-hour interval, toppling thousands of homes.

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❗️Russia is ready to work on implementation of IAEA initiative on safety of the ZNPP

Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev held a meeting with IAEA head Rafael Grossi in Russia's Kaliningrad. The sides discussed the safety of the ZNPP.

💬 "The participants of the meeting discussed the state of affairs around the initiative of the IAEA director general to ensure nuclear and security safety at the Zaporozhye NPP. The readiness of the Russian side to continue work on its implementation was emphasized," Rosatom said.

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❗️(1) Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️Introduction of Finland into NATO does not strengthen stability and security in Europe, but rather creates a threat to Russia;

▪️Russia needs additional measures to ensure its security after Finland's entry into NATO and will do everything necessary to achieve this;

▪️Russia does not currently see any prospects for negotiations with Ukraine;

▪️Russia cannot interfere in the internal affairs of the United States and will not comment on the situation with Trump's arraignment;

▪️Putin will deliver a comprehensive speech on foreign policy issues at the ceremony of presenting letters of credence to ambassadors.

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❗️(2) Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️Heads of the four new regions in Russia will personally be present with Putin in the Kremlin at the Security Council meeting;

▪️Putin may hold a separate meeting with the heads of the new regions after the Security Council meeting on Wednesday;

▪️The communication between Putin and Lukashenko today will be devoted to bilateral issues and common concerns in the field of security;

▪️On relations with China: we rely on the content and spirit of the contacts between the two leaders.

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What are the 34 Charges Against Donald Trump?

Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan last week on charges related to a hush money payment and cover-up involving an alleged affair with Stormy Daniels.

On April 4, he made his initial appearance in court, where he was charged with 34 felony criminal charges of falsifying business records. The proceeding lasted less than an hour.

Read the full text of Trump’s indictment

🇪🇺The European Union intends to continue constructive cooperation with China on solving global issues, but expects China to "behave positively," especially with regard to the situation in Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday.

"The European Union is committed to continue a constructive engagement with China in order to solve the global challenges. But China is expected to behave as a positive, a constructive global player, especially with regard to Russia's aggression against Ukraine," Borrel said, during opening remarks at the second day of the NATO foreign Affairs ministerial meeting in Brussels.

On Tuesday, Borrell said that he will pay a visit to Beijing next week.

Earlier in the day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in China for an official three-day visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Catch our Fault Lines show, where we provide updates and analysis on all the most vital stories! Here's our line-up for today:

🔺To kick things off, we’ll be discussing new details concerning the Nord Stream explosions, as well as the formalization of Finland’s NATO membership
🔺Next, we’ll continue monitoring the Trump indictment
🔺Finally, we’ll speak about Credit Suisse maintaining its board despite the bank’s collapse

More trending stories coming your way! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 7am EST|4am PST|1pm CET via the website or app!

📻Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

🇷🇺🇸🇱 Russia, Sierra Leone Agree to Boost Bilateral Ties, Moscow Says

Russian top diplomat Sergey Lavrov has discussed boosting cooperation in various spheres with his Sierra Leonean counterpart, David Francis, during a phone call, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

🗣 "The foreign ministers have discussed current issues of bilateral relationships including prospects for boosting trade and investment ties. The diplomats have agreed to take further steps towards expanding cooperation in geology, energy, agriculture and education," the ministerial statement read

👉READ THE FULL STORY

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

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 40 Ukrainian troops, two armored fighting vehicles, and two pickups;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to 80 servicemen, an armored fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, and one D-20 howitzer;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, the Russian Army destroyed more than 410 Ukrainian troops, two armored personnel carriers, one tank, four armored fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and one D-30 howitzer during the day;

▪️In the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, three sabotage and reconnaissance groups were suppressed. Ukrainian losses in these directions during the day amounted to 30 servicemen, one armored vehicle, two pickups, as well as two ammunition depots;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian troops neutralized up to 20 Ukrainian servicemen, two motor vehicles, and one Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer;

▪️Russian aviation hit a Ukrainian MIG-29 fighter in the DPR;

▪️Russian air defenses destroyed 13 Ukrainian HIMARS MLRS rockets and one HARM anti-radar missile. In addition, 22 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the DPR hand LPR were destroyed.

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❗️LIVE NOW: Putin receives credentials of 17 ambassadors
Join the live stream here or follow this link to Sputnik’s website

⚡️ Russia expects establishment of international commission to investigate the terrorist attack on Nord Stream, Putin says

'Pathetic Orientalism': TIME's Exclusive With Imran Khan Slammed, Fact-Checked by Pakistani Public

🇵🇰🇺🇸 Pakistani journalists have pointed to a string of factual errors about Khan's biography in the article, laying bare the blatant bias of the American publication.

💭 "They've written a typical commentary that does not beyond the West's binary, myopic & fallacious view of the Muslim world," one of the commentators on social media opined.

👉 Details