Study: Full Moon Triggers Rise in Suicide

It has long been suggested that full moons can trigger mysterious changes in people, and new research by US psychiatrists shows that it is more than just a suspicion.

The risk of suicide increases during a full moon, according to a paper published by psychiatrists from the Indiana University School of Medicine. The research team led by Alexander Niculescu, MD, PhD, examined the data on suicides from Marion County coroner’s office and collated the information with lunar phases.

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Serbian Socialists Urge for Economy Minister to be Dismissed Over Calls to Sanction Russia

The Movement of Socialists, a part of the governing coalition in Serbia, urged the dismissal of Serbian Economy Minister Rade Basta on Saturday over his new calls for sanctions against Russia.

"The Movement of Socialists reminds the Serbian public of the call for the dismissal of Rade Basta from the government. He acted earlier as an ill-mannered Russophobe, and now, before the IMF delegation, he showed that he is also undisciplined and opposes the state ... We call on Prime Minister Ana Brnabic to dismiss this incapable instigator and defend the honor of the institution she leads," the party said.

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Faulty Parachutes Blamed for Fatal US Military Accidents

At least three members of various branches of the US Special Forces, such as Navy SEALs and Green Berets, have died or sustained injuries during the past several years due to premature parachute deployment.

According to one US newspaper, all of these incidents involved the T-11 reserve parachute, which is worn on the chest and is used if the main parachute fails to deploy for some reason.

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First-Ever Hound Hooked on Alcohol: Vets Save Labrador From Booze Addiction

There is no direct answer as to how the canine became an alcoholic, and scientists stress that substance abuse among animals is utterly rare.

Coco, a two-year-old Labrador, became the first dog to be treated for alcoholism, a British news outlet has reported. The canine and his counterpart ended up in an animal shelter after the death of their owner. The dogs were suffering from seizures and found themselves in emergency care. Following a checkup, the vets were surprised to discover that the canines were suffering from alcohol withdrawal.

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'Awfully Convenient': Leaked NATO Plans for Ukraine Should Be Taken 'With Grain of Salt'

Classified documents that purportedly outline US and NATO plans for the Ukrainian military were leaked to the public this week, and if US media is to be believed, the Pentagon has already rushed to investigate this apparent breach of security.

During an interview with Sputnik, international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda pointed out that the story was broken by the New York Times. According to him, given that US officials are now claiming that part of the story is true and part of it is not, it begets the question: “why was it leaked and what did they want us to believe?”

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Scott Ritter: US Document Leak 'Much Ado About Nothing'

A series of briefing documents ostensibly prepared for General Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has found its way onto various social media outlets.

At least one of the documents contains classification markings indicating that some of the information contained on the document came from highly classified sources of information, including US-controlled national technical means and sensitive foreign-sourced information.

In all cases, the dissemination of such information is tightly controlled, and any unauthorized public release of such data would represent a serious security problem from within the highest levels of US military command.

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Texas Governor Vows to Pardon Killer of BLM Protester

Nearly three years ago, Daniel Perry shot and killed Garrett Foster. However, recent events suggest that despite facing a life sentence, he may not spend a long time in jail.

After an Austin jury found Daniel Perry guilty of shooting and killing a protester, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced just a few hours later on social media that he planned to pardon Perry as soon as the request hit his desk. This announcement has created waves of both support and astonishment, triggering discussions about the controversial decision.

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Last Surviving Nuremberg Prosecutor Ben Ferencz Dies at Age 103, US Media Reports

▪️ A Harvard-educated New York lawyer from a family of Hungarian Jews, Ferencz secured convictions against 22 Nazi death squad commanders during the Nuremberg Trials following World War II. He turned 103 on March 11. His son confirmed his father's death to NBC News on Saturday.

▪️ US media outlets reported on Saturday that Ben Ferencz died on Friday at an assisted living facility in Boynton Beach, Florida. He is survived by his son, three daughters and three grandchildren, the newspaper said.

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Cocaine & Crack Are Back in NYC, And Fentanyl Makes Everything Much Worse, Reports Reveal

In 2017, opioid drug overdoses, heroin poisoning, and fentanyl poisoning were recognized as a critical national problem in the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100 people died every day from opioid overdoses in America in 2018. But judging by the latest reports, other drugs should not be discounted.

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Saudi-Led Coalition Releases 13 Houthi Prisoners - Ansar Allah Movement

The Houthi rebels (Ansar Allah movement) in Yemen have announced the release of over a dozen prisoners, in exchange for one Saudi prisoner, the head of the Houthis' prisoner affairs committee, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, said.

"Today we met 13 prisoners at Sana'a International Airport who were released by the Saudi authorities in exchange for a Saudi prisoner we released earlier," Abdul Qader al-Murtada said on Twitter on Saturday.

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Classified Docs Leak Hints at Growing Frustration in US With Biden’s Policy on Ukraine

An apparent leak of classified US documents related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which include what seems to be NATO plans for the Ukrainian military, left some experts pondering over the significance of the contents of these papers.

The leaked classified information about Washington and NATO’s plans for Ukraine might have been caused by US military and government officials frustrated with the Biden administration's "demand for a US victory against Russia, where none is possible,” Karen Kwiatkowski, retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former Pentagon analyst, told Sputnik.

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George Soros' Son Allegedly Has Steady White House Access

In recent years, the Soros family has been in the spotlight for their political activism and contribution to liberal causes. George Soros, the billionaire businessman and philanthropist, has long been a controversial figure among conservatives due to his support for left-wing policies and candidates.

His son Alexander Soros has also become a prominent figure in left-leaning circles. According to recent reports, the philanthropist’s son has become a de-facto White House "ambassador," making at least 14 visits there on behalf of his father's Open Society Foundations since President Joe Biden's inauguration.

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Ex-French MEP Lauds Beijing's 'Zero Reception' Toward von der Leyen Amid Her China Visit

Former French MEP Florian Philippot has expressed his satisfaction with China seemingly preferring to ignore European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Beijing earlier this week.

Philippot, who is also head of France's Eurosceptic party The Patriots, tweeted that “China put civil servant von der Leyen in her proper place during Macron’s visit.”

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NYT: Secret Doc Leaks Hurting US Relations With Allies as Washington Eavesdropping on Key Partners

There are now doubts among allied countries regarding Washington’s ability to keep its secrets, the newspaper said on Saturday, adding that the United States appears to be spying not only on Ukraine, but also such important American allies as Israel and South Korea.

In the excerpts published on social media, there are at least two discussions about Seoul's deliberations about whether to provide the United States artillery shells for use in Ukraine, violating South Korea’s policy on providing lethal aid. According to the newspaper, South Korean officials were said to be concerned that President Joe Biden would call his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol in order to pressure Seoul to deliver the shells.

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📹 The second Sunday in April is when Russia celebrates its Day of the Air Defense Forces, which protects civilian and military infrastructure from any air attacks (video by Russian MoD)

▪️ Russia’s air defense forces repel enemy air attacks using drones, multiple rocket launchers, and ballistic missiles on liberated and border localities on a daily basis during the special military operation.

▪️ Targets are successfully engaged in the air by anti-aircraft missile systems.

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Russian Military Creating Special Groups to Destroy Western Tanks in Ukraine

The Russian armed forces have started creating special groups tasked by the defense ministry with destroying the tanks that Western countries supply to Kiev, the head of a combat training center, Yevgeny Arifulin, said on Sunday.

He called the creation of the special groups "a great state systematic work."

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Kremlin: West Overreacting to Russian Plan to Station Tactical Nukes in Belarus

The West is overreacting to Russia's plans to build storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, while forgetting about the presence of US nuclear weapons in Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

"This is a very important topic now. We see a very unrestrained reaction from the collective West to the announcements made by [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin. The collective West is somehow not inclined to recall the issue of American nuclear weapons, which are based here in Europe, around our country, but in this case they are prone to react so hysterically to our plans to build storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus," Peskov told the Rossiya 1 broadcaster.

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

▪️ In the Kharkov region and the Lugansk People's Republic, the actions of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were stopped. During the day, over 35 Ukrainian troops, an armored combat vehicle, and two other vehicles were destroyed in this direction.

▪️ In the Donetsk People's Republic and the LPR, up to 55 Ukrainian soldiers, an armored combat vehicle, a car, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount, and a D-20 howitzer were destroyed.

▪️ Over 250 Ukrainian troops, one tank, three armored combat vehicles, nine vehicles, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount, as well as Msta-B and D-20 howitzers were destroyed in the DPR during the day.

▪️ In the Zaporozhye region and the DPR, the activities of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were stopped. During the day, the enemy’s losses in these directions amounted to up to 20 Ukrainian soldiers, an armored combat vehicle, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount, as well as D-20 and D-30 howitzers.

▪️ In the Kherson region, up to 60 Ukrainian troops, three armored combat vehicles, eight vehicles, Akatsiya and Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mounts, as well as a Giacint-B cannon were destroyed.

▪️ In the Kharkov region, the advanced command post of the operational group of Ukrainian troops "Kharkov" was hit.

▪️ In the area of the city of Zaporozhye, a high-precision missile strike destroyed a storage facility with 70,000 tons of fuel accumulated to support the operations of the Ukrainian Army grouping in Donbass.

▪️ Russian air defenses destroyed 14 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.

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Retired US Marines Berate Kirby for Refusing to Admit Chaotic Afghanistan Exit

Retired US marines have lashed out at National Security Council spokesman John Kirby over his upbeat characterization of the chaotic 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which he claimed was largely successful.

Chad Robichaux, a veteran of the Afghanistan war and co-founder of the Save Our Allies non-profit group, told a US broadcaster that Americans can see through the Biden administration’s “lies” and that Kirby's comments were not entirely accurate, given facts on the ground.

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