Mark Sleboda, international relations and security analyst, joined us to discuss Macron and von der Leyen’s visit to China and Beijing’s hidden signals of what kind of relations the three parties have

🎧Listen to more of Sleboda’s analysis in our podcast Fault Lines

Footage shows the return of more than a hundred Russian soldiers from Ukrainian capitivity.

Margaret Flowers, activist and editor of PopularResistance.org, join us to discuss the means by which the US is trying to maintain its dominance

🗣️”Despite all of the efforts that Western imperialism, NATO have made to try to prop up Ukraine, it is not going to be successful,” she claimed

🎧Listen to more of Flowers’ analysis in our podcast The Critical Hour

🌋 Volcanologists in Kamchatka were caught in strong ashfall from the Bezymianny volcano, which was accompanied by falling rocks, according to traveler Pyotr Kirinkin, who was part of the expedition.

"Stones and lapilli - porous volcanic formations reaching the size of a small fist - began to fall. It was decided to urgently remove the sleds from the snowmobiles and use them as an improvised shelter," he noted.

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Andrii Telizhenko, Ukrainian whistleblower, joined us to discuss the holy war in Ukraine

🗣️”[People like Pompeo are] destroying our church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, taking over churches, burning down churches, putting priests, and monks, and the metropolitans to prison without any court orders or decisions just because the government wants them and because they are obeying orders from the outside,” he stated

🎧Listen to more of Telizhenko’s analysis in our podcast The Backstory

The Dalai Lama has expressed regret over an incident with a young pilgrim boy. "His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as to the many friends around the world for any pain that may have been caused by his words," a statement said.

According to the agency, the incident in question was captured on video during the Dalai Lama's meeting with the young pilgrim at the religious leader's residence in Dharamsala on February 28. During the meeting, the young boy asked to hug the Dalai Lama, to which the man kissed the child on the lips and suggested he "suck his tongue."

The Dalai Lama's behavior was explained by his office as his love for "often innocently and playfully teasing people."

In 2017, the Dalai Lama called for the spread of the "spirit of the European Union."

#SputnikInfographic

In July 2022, the Belgorod K-329, the second-largest nuclear submarine in history, was handed over to the Russian Navy. What are its unique characteristics? Check out this infographic to learn more.

The K-329 Belgorod, a nuclear-powered submarine, is able to carry the Poseidon, an unmanned underwater vehicle capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear warheads. The underwater drones, which are essentially beyond the reach of any enemy submarine, can dive to a depth of up to 1,000 meters and move at a speed of up to 185 km/h.

What's more, the Belgorod sub can serve as a mother ship for the Losharik deep-diving nuclear-powered submarine, which is capable of diving to an incredible depth of 6,000 meters. To perform such extreme submersions, the Losharik has a unique design, with its pressure hull formed from seven interconnected spherical titanium components.

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Super-Rich Fleeing Norway For Low-Tax Havens

In 2021, Norway's Labor and Center parties agreed to increase taxes on the country's wealthiest citizens. The following year, this decision led to several affluent Norwegians, including multiple Olympic champion Bjorn Daehlie, moving overseas.

Read more

📹 “We have a lot of untalented people in foreign affairs on all sides”: Austria’s ex-foreign minister Karin Kneissl laments the decline of EU diplomacy

Full interview here

🇮🇳🇨🇳 India and China are currently the major beneficiaries of discounted Russian crude, data from cargo tracker firm Vortexa has revealed.

Check out our infographic for the numbers!

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🔺Intelligence leak exposes US spying on both adversaries and allies
🔺US Senator Marco Rubio: If the whole EU supports Macron’s opinion that Europe shouldn’t be drawn into the conflict over Taiwan, the US may withdraw from Europe and thereby save a lot of money
🔺Saudi delegation arrives in Yemen for talks with Houthis on ending the war

The Critical Hour will cover these and more stories! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 6pm EST|3pm PST|12am CET via the website or app

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

#SputnikInfographic

Take a look at the top 10 countries providing military aid to Ukraine.

The US has provided aid amounting to 43 billion euros in the past year, while the UK has supported Ukraine with up to 6.6 billion euros. The remaining countries have given less than three billion euros in aid to Ukraine.

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Tennessee Democrat Justin Jones Reinstated to State House Seat After GOP Expulsion

Just four days after being expelled from his post in the Tennessee General Assembly, state Rep. Justin Jones was voted unanimously on Monday to reclaim his seat in the state's House of Representatives.

Nashville's Metropolitan Council, which is responsible for filling Jones' seat after his Thursday ouster, agreed in a 36-0 vote to reinstate the Democrat as an interim representative for District 52 until a special election can be held. Jones will be eligible to run for reelection.

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Ukraine Leaks: Has the Pentagon Gone Rogue on Biden?

The White House is continuing to reel from the publication of tranches of classified intelligence documents on the situation in Ukraine and other sensitive matters. Kiev officials rushed to blame Russia for the leaks. However, veteran intelligence expert Gregory Copley says they likely came from within the corridors of power in Washington.

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🎓 Russian researchers have discovered cold-resistant decomposer bacteria in the Sea of Japan that are able to "consume" oil, which could help create a biological product for the purification of water from oil, the Russian Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) said on Monday.

"During large-scale research, scientists of the FEFU Institute of the World Ocean have discovered ... in the Sea of Japan ... bacteria that for the first time ever have demonstrated ability for oil decomposition... Apart from studying species diversity of hydrocarbon-oxidating microorganism, scientists have conducted research and discovered the bacteria's high ability to destroy different oil compounds at low temperatures," the university.

The researchers have managed to identify the ability to decompose oil in 12 species of bacteria, including Idiomarina maritima, Gracilibacillus massiliensis, Lechevaleria flavaand Jeotgalibacillus marinus, according to the press release.

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What Do We Know So Far About Leaked Pentagon Documents?

From US assessments of the ongoing conflagration in Ukraine to issues pertaining to China, the Middle East, and Washington's eavesdropping on key allies like Israel, South Korea, and France, multiple tranches of allegedly leaked classified US military documents have surfaced on social media sites in recent weeks.

Where Did Alleged Secret Docs First Appear?
What Are the Leaked Pentagon Documents About?
What Happens Next?

One Snowden-Like Dissenter Likely Behind Leak of Pentagon Docs, Ex-CIA Analyst Says

Top secret Pentagon files leaked online in recent weeks provide sensitive details on a range of security topics, including with respect to Ukraine, China, and the Middle East. The materials allegedly expose weaknesses in Ukrainian air defenses and indicate Washington had been eavesdropping on allies, among other secrets.

Leaks of classified Pentagon documents were probably carried out by a single dissident within the US security establishment who opposes the Biden administration's policies, former CIA analyst Phil Giraldi told Sputnik.

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Police Vehicle Firebombed as Northern Ireland Dissidents Vow ‘Vigorous Opposition’ to Biden’s Visit

A police vehicle was firebombed in Northern Ireland amid clashes between police and protesters one day ahead of a planned visit to the region by US President Joe Biden to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

The group behind a march that ended with a police vehicle fleeing from demonstrators wielding molotov cocktails pledged that "any notion that US imperialist President Joe Biden will visit Republican areas as part of his excursion to occupied Ireland will be vigorously opposed by the Revolutionary Republican Party Saoradh."

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Why 'Pentagon Files' Reek of Disinfo

A leak of apparently classified Pentagon documents concerning US military plans in Ukraine, as well as sensitive information linked to China and the Middle East, has prompted a heated debate about the origins and value of the trove. Who is behind the dump, and is it genuine?

👉 Find out here

Shiveluch Volcano in Russia's Kamchatka Begins to Erupt - Russian Academy of Sciences

The Shiveluch volcano has begun to erupt on the Kamchatka Peninsula of the Russian Far East, spewing columns of black ash up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) into the sky, the Kamchatka Branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) said on Tuesday.

The Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the RAS said in a statement that volcanic flows from Shiveluch could travel up to 20 kilometers and block roads. The institute said that ash spews pose a significant danger to aviation; thus, the highest level of threat for aviation was declared on the peninsula.

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