❗️ Latest statements by Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ The prospects for the "grain deal" are not so bright; the situation with the fulfillment of the terms of the second part of the agreements has not proven.

▪️ Kremlin on Tokyo's protest against Russia's military maneuvers: all exercises are conducted in strict accordance with international law.

▪️ Kremlin on the need for the Russian fleet to pursue full combat readiness: times are turbulent, there is the threat of regional conflict.

▪️ The United States has never abandoned attempts to conduct intelligence activities in the Russian Federation, this will be met with opposition; the Russian special services are working.

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🇺🇸🧪 Russian Duma invites US ambassador to clarify the nature of biological programs in Ukraine

▪️ The lower house of the Russian Parliament (State Duma) invited US Ambassador Lynne Tracy to clarify the activity of US biological laboratories in Ukraine.

▪️ A parliamentary commission investigating outside interference in Russian affairs plans to hold a meeting on April 18 that will focus on compliance with current regulations on foreign agents and the work of foreign NGOs in Russia.

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🇷🇺🇧🇷 Russian FM Lavrov has arrived in Brazil for an official visit

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Google CEO: Society not Ready for AI Advancement

Google and Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai has hinted that society is not prepared for the swift advancement of artificial intelligence (AI).

In an interview with a US broadcaster, Pichai said that "We need to adapt as a society for it," arguing that jobs that would be disrupted by AI would include so-called "knowledge workers," such as writers, accountants, architects and even software engineers.

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⚡️ UK Parliament launches probe into Sunak over his declaration of interest

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

▪️ In the Kharkov region and the Lugansk People's Republic, the actions of three Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were stopped. The losses of the enemy amounted to 35 Ukrainian servicemen and a self-propelled Akatsia howitzer. In addition, Ukrainian P-18 and 36D6 all-round surveillance and targeting radar stations were destroyed.

▪️ More than 70 Ukrainian servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, and a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer were taken out in the DPR and LPR.

▪️ In the Zaporozhye region and the DPR, the activities of Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group were stopped. Up to 60 Ukrainian servicemen, two pickup trucks and one Msta-B howitzer were destroyed. In addition, an ammunition depot was destroyed in the Zaporozhye region, as well as a hangar with weapons and military equipment of the 65th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

▪️ Over 55 Ukrainian servicemen, three vehicles, a US-made M777 artillery system, as well as Akatsia and Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers were destroyed in the Kherson region.

▪️ Air defense forces destroyed four Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles

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🗣️”My theory is that these documents were released by a faction that goes much higher up than this 21-year-old Air National Guardsman,” journalist and political analyst Caleb Maupin speaks about the Pentagon leak story

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

⚡️ Spacex scrubs test launch of starship rocket system, will do wet dress rehearsal instead - broadcast

Blair misled the UK Parliament over 1998 Iraq bombing

▪️ Tony Blair and his closest allies were consistently informed by British legal advisers in 1997 and 1998 that attacking Iraq would be unlawful – but still went ahead in giving the green light for four days of bombing in December 1998.

▪️ The declassified British documents at the National Archives show Blair was already set on taking military action against Saddam Hussein-led Iraq throughout 1998 in the absence of legal arguments to justify it. 

▪️ The Labour prime minister’s dismissal of legal objections to his 1998 bombing campaign – known as Operation Desert Fox – was a direct precursor to his stance on the invasion of Iraq five years later in 2003, which was also deemed illegal.  

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🇬🇧 The United Kingdom's economy will benefit from introducing mandatory math education until the age 18 as the nation's inherent "anti-maths mindset" costs it tens of billions pounds in losses every year, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday.

💬 "We’ve got to change this anti-maths mindset. We’ve got to start prizing numeracy for what it is – a key skill every bit as essential as reading," Sunak said.

▪️ Improving numeracy rates is a matter of long-term interest for the UK, Sunak said.

💭 "If we are going to grow the economy not just over the next two years, but the next 20, we simply cannot allow poor numeracy to cost our economy tens of billions a year or to leave people twice as likely to be unemployed as those with competent numeracy," he stressed.

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S. Korea, US, Japan Hold Missile Defense Drills After Pyongyang's Missile Launch

South Korea, the United States and Japan have carried out missile defense exercises in the East Sea international waters in an effort to strengthen deterrence against North Korean nuclear and missile threats, South Korean media said on Monday, citing the country's navy.

Each participating country sent a destroyer equipped with Aegis system to the drills focused on detecting and tracking a computer-simulated ballistic missile target and sharing related information, the local news agency said.

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🗣️”We're not going to be the puppets on a string anymore when it comes to our economies, when it comes to our trade, when it comes to mobilization. And it's time to kick the US to the curb,” DC senior news correspondent Dr. Colin Campbell speaks about the BRICS nations moving away from the US dollar

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

#SputnikInfographic

🪖 From April 17 to May 11, 2023, the armed forces of 14 different countries will commence the Aurora 23 military exercise, which is aimed at improving their operational capability. The massive exercise will involve around 26,000 troops.

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🌍 Sputnik Africa has launched a new podcast where participating African experts comment on global events from an African perspective.