🇫🇷 French President Emmanuel Macron has signed the controversial pension reform into law.

▪️ The law was published in France’s Official Journal (Le Journal Officiel) on Saturday morning.

▪️ On Friday, the French Constitutional Council approved the key article of the pension reform bill, which would gradually raise the age of retirement in France from 62 to 64 years by 2030. Macron was slated to sign the bill within 48 hours.

▪️ French unions urged Macron not to sign the pension reform bill amid Friday protests and called on the country's population to go on a general nationwide strike against the reform on May 1.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Ex-Pentagon Officer: Russia’s Robust Capabilities in Electronic Warfare Second to None

On April 15, the Russian Armed Forces commemorate the Day of the Electronic Warfare (EW) Specialist, which has been celebrated since 2006, in line with a decree issued by President Vladimir Putin. The holiday dates back to April 15, 1904, when the enemy’s communication system was jammed during the siege of the Fortress of Port Arthur amid the Russian-Japanese war.

Since then, Russian EW troops have turned into a force to be reckoned with, something that was once again confirmed by recent Pentagon leaks that in particular contain sensitive information on the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia continues its special military operation.

Read more

🇯🇵 A video appeared on the network, filmed shortly before the sound of a loud explosion was heard at the site of the Japanese Prime Minister's speech in Wakayama Prefecture.

After the incident, law enforcement agencies arrested a 24-year-old resident of the city of Kawanishi.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Seven people were injured when a car rammed into a crowd in the French city of Bordeaux, the local radio reported on Saturday.

▪️ The incident took place on the Rue du Professeur Darget on Friday at around 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT).

▪️ The radio said, citing police, that the car's driver and the three passengers were arrested following the incident. The driver reportedly failed to control the vehicle.

▪️ Two people were hospitalized.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹 A pair of MiG-31BM fighter jets of the Pacific Fleet train to intercept an intruder aircraft during the unexpected combat readiness inspection of the Pacific Fleet

▪️ A pair of MiG-31BM high-altitude interceptors of the Pacific Fleet trained to intercept a mock enemy aircraft as part of the unexpected combat readiness inspection of the Pacific Fleet.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Sudan's Rapid Support Forces claim to have taken control of the presidential palace, the Palace of the Republic

The Sputnik correspondent captured on footage the pick-ups with RSF men entering the satellite city of the capital, Omdurman

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

❗️ Fighter jets began flying over Sudan's capital Khartoum amid clashes between the regular army and the country's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sputnik correspondent reports.

Earlier, videos of the jets flying low over the ground appeared on social media

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

❗️ The Sudanese army has denied the claims of the RSF about the seizure of the presidential palace

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

❗ Sudanese army says conducting airstrikes against RSF bases near Khartoum

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

🇺🇸 The United States plans to provide Kiev with an additional $4.9 billion in aid in September

💬 "The United States has provided $18 billion in budget support to the Government of Ukraine through World Bank mechanisms. An additional $4.9 billion will become available in September. This funding, along with support from the EU, the IMF [ International Monetary Fund] and others, allows the government to provide critical services for its citizens … ," the State Department said.

▪️ According to the release, Kiev authorities have come up with a 10-year reconstruction plan requiring an estimated $750 billion, while the World Bank estimates Ukraine’s reconstruction costs to amount to $411 billion over the next 10 years.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis:

▪️ Russia’s warplanes and artillery inflicted damage firing on the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkov region and the LPR. Up to 40 Ukrainian troops, one armoured personnel carrier, and two motor vehicles have been neutralized.

▪️ Ground-attack aircraft and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces have hit units of the enemy in the LPR and DPR. More than 60 Ukrainian troops, two armored fighting vehicles, and D-20 and D-30 howitzers have been neutralized in this region during the day.

▪️ Fierce battles are underway close to Artyomovsk, near the city of Donetsk.

▪️ Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troop and Artillery strikes of the Russian Armed Forces have hit Ukrainian units in the DPR.

▪️ Missile Troops and Artillery completed 57 firing missions in support of the troops. The total losses of the enemy in this region in the past day have amounted to over 315 Ukrainian troops and mercenaries, two armored fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, and D-20 and Msta-B howitzers, as well as one Grad MLRS.

▪️ Russian military aircraft and artillery fired on Ukrainian units in the DPR, inflicting damage. As many as 30 Ukrainian servicemen, one pick-up truck, and Msta-B and D-30 howitzers were neutralized in these areas during the day.

▪️ Russian troops have neutralized up to 15 Ukrainian troops, two motor vehicles, and three Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers during the day in Kherson region.

▪️ Russian Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery have neutralized 73 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions, personnel target positions and hardware in 95 areas during the day.

▪️ Air defence forces have intercepted five HIMARS MLRS projectiles during the day.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Russia Rolls Out New EW System Capable of Disabling Enemy Spacecraft

Russia has developed a new electronic warfare (EW) system capable of disrupting spacecraft communications in geostationary orbit, a source familiar with the situation told Sputnik.

The Russian Armed Forces’ EW troops are currently equipped with advanced systems of electronic reconnaissance and suppression, which are fairly considered among the best in the world.

Read more

🔥 Descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem

▪️ Orthodox Christians believe that the Holy Fire appears according to the will of God, and the descent of the fire means that there will be no end of the world.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹 Pacific Fleet's IL-38 ASW aircraft train to search for underwater targets as part of the unexpected combat readiness inspection of the Pacific Fleet

▪️ The IL-38 and IL-38N crews searched for underwater targets using radar and hydroacoustic search equipment.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇵🇱 The Polish Council of Ministers on Saturday authorized the heads of relevant agencies to temporarily ban grain imports from Ukraine, the Polish government said.

▪️ Earlier in the day, the Polish Cabinet held a meeting in Warsaw, where Agriculture Minister Robert Telus outlined the current problems related to the uncontrolled inflow of cheap agricultural products from Ukraine. Members of the Council of Ministers, chaired by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, discussed possible solutions and formal measures Poland can take to protect its farmers and consumers, as well as stabilize the agricultural market.

💬 Following the meeting, the Cabinet "authorized the minister of agriculture and the minister of development and technology to issue relevant legislation to protect the Polish agricultural market from destabilization, including a temporary ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine," the government said in a statement.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇩🇪 Berlin has called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia's nuclear industry, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Saturday.

🗣 "The federal government has called on the European Commission to include the civilian nuclear sector [in the sanctions]. This should be part of the next sanctions package," Habeck told German news agency.

📍 He added that nuclear technology was an "extremely sensitive area" in which Russia could no longer be considered a reliable partner.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Images of Distant Galaxies May Challenge Existing Cosmological Model

Images of distant galaxies procured via NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope may challenge our understanding of cosmology, says Mike Boylan-Kolchin, associate professor of astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin.

In a recent study of his, the researcher points out that the most massive galaxy candidates featured in JWST observations appear to be “at the very edge” of the number and stellar mass density limits set by the existing Lambda cold dark matter cosmological model.

Read more

#SputnikInfographic

⚛️ On April 15, Germany proceeded to shut down the three remaining nuclear power plants in the country as Berlin seems poised to continue its transition to renewable energy generation.

▪️ While environmentalist groups in Germany planned to celebrate the reactors’ being shut down, German authorities have already admitted that the country would have to rely on natural gas and pollution-heavy coal to generate electricity until they can improve solar and wind power generation capabilities.

📊 The opinions in Germany about the closure of the nuclear power plants seem to be divided, local media outlets point out.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Syrian Foreign Minister Arrives in Algeria on Official Visit, Media Reports

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has arrived in the Algerian capital of Algiers on an official visit, Syrian media reported on Saturday.

Mekdad will hold talks with senior Algerian senior officials to discuss bilateral relations and coordination, as well as latest developments on the international arena and in inter-Arab relations, the state-run news agency reported.

Read more

Why It's Too Early to Celebrate Plummeting US Inflation Rate

US Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller made it clear on Friday that he wants to further tighten the screws on US monetary policy despite dipping inflation in the country.

The inflation rate is continuing to decline in the US in an apparent sign that the Federal Reserve's efforts to cool the national economy with higher interest rates are working. So what is the current level of US inflation?

👉 Find out here