US Resumes Large-Scale Production of Plutonium Pits for Nukes

The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has announced plans to resume large-scale production of "plutonium pit" detonators for nuclear weapons, with a goal of producing 80 per year by 2030.

The production will take place jointly at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Savannah River Site in Georgia. The NNSA report also revealed plans to extend the service life of the B61 Mod 12 nuclear weapons.

The total cost of the program has increased from $8.3 billion to $9.6 billion. The production of new plutonium cores is part of the US' ongoing modernization of its nuclear triad, which is expected to cost up to $1.5 trillion over the next 30 years.

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Russia becomes world's second producer of mineral fertilizers after China

Russia has overtaken the United States in the production of mineral fertilizers and has become the second in the world after China, Russian Fertilizers Producers Association (RFPA) President Andrey Guryev said on Thursday.

"Over the past 10 years, we have increased production by 40% — up to 55 million tons — of all types of fertilizers. We have overtaken the United States and India in production and today we are the largest producer of mineral fertilizers in the world after China.

This is a huge achievement," Guryev said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A total of 70% of Russia's mineral fertilizer exports go to friendly countries, the official added.

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The current US debt ceiling situation may be the most challenging yet, according to David Tawil, president and co-founder of the ProChain Capital crypto fund manager

💬"If there's ever been a chance that we could, in fact, get to the [debt ceiling] deadline and not have a deal, this might be the best one out of all the ones we've had thus far," Tawil told Sputnik

For more of his analysis and insights, click here

🏦The collapse of US banks amid the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes raises questions about the health of the US economy and reliability of its currency, prompting the emerging de-dollarization trend.

🗣"Dollarization very much depends on the confidence that traders, investors and, generally speaking, economic agents have on the dollar as the currency of reference for transactions," Fabrizio Carmignani, professor of economics and dean at Griffith Business School, told Sputnik. "Obviously, as the relative strength of the American economy and other big economies in the world changes, also the extent of dollarization changes."

For more of his analysis and insights, click here

🫣 Joe Biden invites a little girl to "hang with" him in the Oval Office, but she refuses

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🇹🇷 The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant was formally inaugurated on Thursday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin joining his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a ceremony of the loading of fuel into the plant’s first reactor, built by Rosatom.

“Today, no other company undertakes such complex and long-term projects, because this project will last at least 60 years, taking into account the construction and operation of the station. Therefore, this is extremely beneficial for Turkiye, because it removes a lot of issues, like, for example, the construction of a spent nuclear fuel storage facility, the acquisition of competence for the disposal of radioactive residues after the plant’s closure, and so on. For these reasons, Ankara will continue to expand cooperation with Russia in the nuclear sector, and most likely, will not limit it to the construction of the four reactors at Akkuyu,” says Alexey Anpilogov, an energy expert and head of the Osnovanie Research Center.

For more of his analysis, click here.

🔺Another pack of provocations: the US plans to send a nuclear ballistic submarine to South Korea, triggering China
🔺What’s at stake? France is losing its dominance in West Africa
🔺No free press in the US? We’ll discuss the new Twitter Files, media coverage of the Nord Stream sabotage, as well as the Tucker Carlson erasure

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

The video clip shows how Russian forces obliterated a Ukrainian army vehicle and three Kiev regime militants.

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Bye Bonhomie? Panda Ambassador of Friendship Returns to China From US Zoo

🐼 Chinese netizens accused the American zoo of mistreating the animal, fearing that Ya Ya was not served proper food and was living in poor conditions. They demanded that the poor animal be returned to China as soon as possible.

What happened to the panda? 👉 Find out on Sputnik

🇫🇷 Three French protesters facing prison for flipping Macron the finger

The protesters are facing up to a year in prison and a €15,000 fine. None of the protesters have a criminal history. A fourth person was also arrested but the charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

When Macron arrived in Selestat he was met with a crowd demanding his resignation and a chorus of boos. Macron’s approval rating in the country has been plummeting since he decided to move forward with pension reforms despite massive monthslong protests around the country against the reforms.

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🇺🇸 Donald Trump mocks Joe Biden’s frequent spells of disorientation and confusion during his first campaign appearance since the incumbent US president launched his reelection bid

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