🇳🇪 The Nigerien military leadership has reportedly called for the temporary suspension of UN agencies and NGOs from working in military zones.

The announcement was said to be made through the country’s Interior Ministry via a statement broadcasted on national radio.

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❗️ The airspace control post in the Pskov region undertook measures to neutralize a single unidentified object, Governor Mikhail Vedernikov has said

🇬🇧 The UK authorities have ordered the closure of more than 100 schools in England days before the start of the academic year amid a high risk of collapse due to the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in their construction, the UK government said on Thursday.

This type of concrete was widely used in the construction of one- and two-story public buildings in the United Kingdom in the 1950s through the 1990s. The material is similar to normal concrete, but it is lighter, less durable and more susceptible to deterioration from moisture. As a result, there are now concerns about the durability of dozens of schools and hospitals, among other structures.

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🇺🇸 Pentagon awards $192mln contract to Raytheon to produce medium-range missiles as part of Ukraine aid budget - statement

🔺 One-China policy no more? Biden approves military supplies for Taiwan under program normally used for sovereign states
🔺Winds of change in Africa: Is Gabon following Niger’s example?
🔺US plan to flood the Pacific with AI-driven drones risks uncontrollable escalation with China

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

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🇯🇵 Department store employees' first strike in 60 years is taking place at one of Japan's largest and best known department stores, SOGO/SEIBU, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday.

The outlet, one of the largest and most profitable of the chain, is located in Tokyo's Ikeburo district. Passers-by constantly stop and take pictures of the closed windows with the word "SEIBU" on them, as strikes are extremely rare in Japan.

Around 900 workers have gathered in front of the now closed entrance to the store, explaining their position to customers and apologizing for the inconvenience caused.

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🇺🇸🇷🇺 The US deployment of F-35s and nuclear weapons to the UK is being cast as a response to tensions with Russia, but is in fact a consequence of long-established US plans to revive a Cold War-era strategy of nuclear standoff as a way to assert US power, a retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, a former analyst for the US Department of Defense, told Sputnik.

Chek out his full interview

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🇺🇸 The Biden administration has approved an $80 million military package for Taiwan, an island considered by Beijing as China's inalienable part.

The package comes within the framework of the State Department’s foreign military financing (FMF), which is usually instrumentalized when Washington wants to disburse aid to a sovereign country.

What's behind the move and the island's militarization?

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Early Thursday, Ben Wallace informed UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about his decision to step down from his post as defense secretary, explaining in his resignation letter that he is now intent on focusing his attention on "invest[ing] in the parts of life that I have neglected, and to explore new opportunities."

So, what's behind the latest reshuffle within the Sunak government?

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🇨🇳🇺🇸 China's commerce minister has urged the US to drop "discriminatory" sanctions against his country and give "equal treatment" to Chinese firms.

Wang Wentao's spokeswoman said the minister had told his US counterpart Gina Raimondo on her visit earlier this week that Beijing wants a level playing field for Chinese companies doing business in the US.

"China demands the US give equal treatment to Chinese enterprises investing in the US in terms of market access, regulatory enforcement, public procurement and policy support," said Shu Jueting. "China expressed serious concerns about the U.S.' discriminatory [Section] 301 tariffs."

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❗️ An analysis of the captured American Bradley infantry fighting vehicle has showed it is completely inferior to the BMP-3 in terms of combat effectiveness, a developer told Sputnik

🇬🇧 The UK's Defense Ministry (MoD) may struggle to secure the resources it needs due to the limited defense expertise of its newly appointed chief, Grant Shapps, former Chief of the British General Staff and member of the House of Lords, General Richard Dannatt, said.

Earlier, the UK's Defense Minister, Ben Wallace, resigned from his post after four years in office. He was replaced by Grant Shapps, who previously headed the UK's Department of Energy.

"We now have a new defense secretary who knows very little about defense, and it's a complex portfolio, so he's going to have to spend a lot of time getting up to speed. ... I think there's a danger that debates about defense resources will stagnate, at least until Grant Shapps gets a grip on the situation," Dannatt explained on British television.

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🇨🇭Former NATO Military Committee Chairman and Chief of Staff of the German Armed Forces Harald Kujat on Thursday warned Switzerland against the rapprochement with NATO.

"I will say this as a former chairman of the NATO Military Committee: Switzerland has a history of maintaining its security through its neutrality. For Switzerland, the future in security and freedom means the need to maintain neutrality," Kujat said in an interview with Swiss media when asked whether Switzerland should get closer to NATO in the present environment.

"This situation could become very unpleasant for Switzerland. I am for eliminating these blocs, not strengthening them so that we come to a multipolar world in which every country is secure and free instead of being tied to another country that pursues other interests and goals. Switzerland has its own goals and interests," Kujat added.

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US President Joe Biden is asking Congress for an additional $24 billion in security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to get Ukraine through next year, although Republicans in the House are opposing sending more aid to Kiev.

Resistance in Congress, depleted stockpiles, among other constraints on US military assistance, could be decisive factors in the Ukraine conflict, with both sides committed to winning and no diplomatic path in sight, experts told Sputnik.

👉 Check out the full analysis

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❗️ BRICS expansion will have a huge impact on Western sanctions that violate international law, economist Jeffrey Sachs told Sputnik

The authorities of the Spanish island of Tenerife have estimated the damage caused by the worst fire in the last 40 years at 80.4 million euros ($87 million), Spanish media reported on Thursday, citing government sources.

The sum reportedly reflects only the impact on agriculture and the reconstruction of roads, hydraulic infrastructure, Teide National Park and protected natural areas of the island.

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🧪 The analysis of over 440 batches of fish caught in Russia after the start of water discharge from the Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) in Japan have shown radiological indicators within permitted limits, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) said on Thursday.

In August, the Russian interregional laboratory conducted 1,272 tests of fish products including cod, flounder, halibut as well as minced meat, canned food, crab, shellfish and others, and increased control measures after Tokyo's decision to release treated water from the Fukushima NPP, the statement read.

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🇮🇷🇷🇺 Tehran and Moscow have signed a five-year cooperation agreement on the standardization of products traded between the two countries, in particular non-industrial goods and halal products, the Iranian Embassy in Russia said.

The document was signed by Anton Shalaev, the head of the Russian Federal Technical Regulation and Metrology Agency, and Mehdi Eslampanah, the head of the Iranian National Standard Organization, at a meeting in Moscow. During the event, the sides also exchanged lists of priority goods to establish a common standard and facilitate bilateral trade.

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🌪 Over 200,000 people remain without power after hurricane Idalia ravages Florida, Georgia

At least three deaths were reported following the hurricane. One individual was killed in Georgia after a tree fell on a vehicle, according to a state official. In Florida, authorities said two men were also killed in separate rain-related crashes just hours before the storm impacted the state.

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🪖 Two buildings damaged in Russia’s Kursk region after Ukrainian nocturnal UAV attack

Two buildings - one administrative and the other residential - were damaged when two Ukrainian drones attacked the town of Kurchatov in Russia's Kursk region overnight, Governor Roman Starovoit says.

The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is in Kurchatov which is approximately 70km from the Ukrainian border.

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💰 BRICS can create viable currency options as dollar dethroned, US economist Sachs says

The bloc will hasten the transition to a multi-currency system, and the US dollar will still have its role, but a much smaller one among many currencies, Jeffrey Sachs, a world-renowned economist and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, told Sputnik.

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