Is Japan eyeing a military return to the Pacific?

Japan could soon begin stationing its troops in Pacific Island nations for the first time since World War II. Such a potential move will reportedly be discussed at a meeting next week between Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and counterparts from 14 South Pacific Island nations.

Negotiations are expected to center around Japanese soldiers and police “taking part in local and regional responses as well as training, a dramatic departure from previous post-war policies,” according to the South China Morning Post.

Both Japan and the United States have sought in recent years to draw Pacific Island nations into their geopolitical and military orbit. Despite being small, Pacific Island nations offer strategic locations for naval bases and other military infrastructure. Some US lawmakers have floated the possibility of creating a Pacific equivalent of NATO that would be used to undermine China’s regional position.

Last week, the US Congress approved a $7.1 billion package for the northern Pacific Islands of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands, in exchange for granting US military exclusive rights to base their missiles and perform ICBM testing in the vast sea region between the Philippines and Hawaii.

According to the White House, this budget request was made as part of America’s strategy to “out-compete China” and “maintain our status as a committed partner of choice in the Pacific.”

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❗️Vladimir Putin voted in the Russian presidential elections online.

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📹 Russians can vote online for their next president in 60 seconds or less.

Russian citizens have already submitted over four million applications to vote remotely.

Check out how Russians vote less than in a minute using their phones in our video.

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📹 Vladimir Putin voted online from his residence in the Moscow region.

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🚨Joe Biden’s AI clone makes emergency statement about Russian presidential elections

“We're gonna interferе… oh oops, I meant to say, watch closely. I'll be personally following the Sputnik Telegram channel for all the latest updates and analysis. And I'd encourage you do the same.“

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❗️Turnout in the Russian presidential elections exceeded 30%.

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🚨EXCLUSIVE: International observer Dr. Marco Marsili shares his impressions of how the Russian presidential elections are going.

"Now we are visiting polling station number 547 in Moscow city. Voters are already voting numerously here, so we can assist the electronic vote. People put their passport in the scanner, so the machine scans their passport... and they are identified," Marsili said.

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Why killed Ukrainian journalist’s family is suing Fox News?

Parents of Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova are suing Fox News over the circumstances of their daughter’s death while working for the network.

Kuvshynova perished in March 2022 while accompanying Fox correspondent Benjamin Hall and videographer Pierre Zakrzewski when the group was hit by shelling outside Kiev.

The plaintiffs allege that Fox sent the team into dangerous area despite numerous warnings from security consultants and the locals. They also claim that Fox lied about the circumstances of Kuvshynova’s demise.

"It's time for Fox to come clean for her, for better or worse, and deal with the consequences," Stephen Humphrey, an attorney for Kuvshynova’s family, told NPR.

According to the media outlet, Fox had Kuvshynova’s father sign a waiver for all claims against him in exchange for monetary compensation including his daughter’s life insurance coverage and funeral expenses, though the lawsuit alleges he was unaware of the concessions he made by signing said document.

Along with Fox News, Fox Corporation and its founder Rupert Murdoch, the lawsuit also lists Hall as a defendant, claiming that his memoir was used by Fox to promote false accounts of Kuvshynova’s death.

Fox, however, refuted these allegations and announced its intend to dispute them in court.

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❗️Turnout in the Russian presidential elections exceeded 35%.

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Residents of Avdeyevka are going to the polls despite all difficulties less than a month after their liberation, DPR Children's Ombudsman Eleonora Fedorenko told Sputnik.

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☠️💵 Blood money: Rheinmetall churns in massive profit from Ukraine conflict

German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall AG announced this week plans to set up at least four production facilities in Ukraine.

The move comes as Rheinmetall’s profits soar amid the Ukraine conflict and NATO militarization, with the company’s stock price jumping by more than 400% over the past three years. Rheinmetall is expected to generate a record $10.9 billion profit from arms sales this year.

The new Rheinmetall plants in Ukraine are expected to produce armored vehicles, air defense weapons and shells, with the whole scheme apparently being aimed at reviving the Zelensky regime’s virtually nonexistent military-industrial complex.

Founded in 1889 as the Rheinische Metallwaaren- und Maschinenfabrik AG, Rheinmetall was making weapons and munitions for the German war machine since before World War I and Nazi regime by the time World War II broke out.

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Unfriendly regimes unsuccessfully tried to do everything to disrupt the voting of Russians abroad in the presidential elections, Russian FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

In the United States, where the media cannot “jump off” the topic of Moscow’s influence, the Russian presidential elections are perceived like the elections of their own president, Zakharova added.

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How are Russian presidential elections monitored? Dr. Marco Marsili explains to Sputnik

"There are video cameras that are in each polling station. Through the video monitoring, through the cameras, they [administrators] are able to get the data to monitor in real time what happens in each single polling station from Yakutia to Moscow and to the new territories", Marsili said.

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▪️Presidential elections in Russia: the first of three voting days has ended

▪️Take a look how Russians can vote online for their next president in 60 seconds or less

▪️Foreign observers heap praise on the course of 2024 Russian presidential elections

▪️ Watch Italian independent observer explains how the Russian presidential elections are taking place

▪️Joe Biden’s AI clone makes emergency statement about Russian presidential elections

▪️Voting in style: Parade of characters take Russian polling stations by storm

▪️Is Japan eyeing a military return to the Pacific?

👉 Other stories we have covered today:

▪️Blood money: Rheinmetall churns in massive profit from Ukraine conflict

▪️Why killed Ukrainian journalist’s family is suing Fox News?

▪️'Irresponsible': French MP accuses Macron of dragging his country into war with Russia

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The Russian intelligence received information about Ukraine’s possible attempts to infiltrate the Russian Belgorod and Kursk regions two weeks ago, the Rossiya 1 broadcaster reported.

After Russia received information about potential attacks, President Vladimir Putin instructed to replace connoscripts in border areas with contract soldiers and special forces, according to the broadcaster.

Ukrainian units were ambushed during their attempt to enter the Belgorod and Kursk regions, Rossiya 1 reporter Pavel Zarubin said.

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US President Joe Biden once again insulted Russian President Vladimir Putin, this time trying to convince Congress to pass a stalled bill with new aid to Ukraine.

"I'm sure the vast majority -- I'm sorry to say this -- but I think the majority of members of Congress are ready to do their part. And I continue to urge everyone in this room to stand up to Vladimir Putin. He is a thug," Biden said.

Russia has previously responded to such statements with the adage "he who calls names is called names."

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🇷🇺🗳 "What an honor": Boxer Kevin Johnson on his first vote in the Russian presidential election

🥊 The Russian-American athlete, who was granted the Russian citizenship in January, told Sputnik Africa that the voting process was "pretty easy."

"The voting was pretty easy. You know, you get your paper, you give [them] your passport, you go into your booth, you fill out the ballot for who you want to select, and you drop it in the box," Johnson said.

Furthermore, the overall experience was also excellent.

"Everything, from the moment I touched down in Samara [a city where Johnson voted], everything was 15 stars. How can you go past seven stars? You got to come witness this. It's not just a normal day," he added.

Lastly, talking about the opportunity to vote electronically, Johnson reckoned that the virtual ballots can encourage young people to "get out and vote."

"It supports young people to get out and vote. If you take a young person's schedule between the hours of 9 to 5, that's their busiest time of the day but if they could just take 20 minutes out and do it virtually, not even 25 minutes out and do it virtually, that's everything," the boxer concluded.

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🇷🇺 Russian presidential elections: Insights from the first day of voting

🗳 The first day of voting in the Russian presidential elections has concluded, marking significant participation across the regions. Here’s a detailed roundup of key points from the day:

🔹 Overall Voter Turnout: As of 22:00 Moscow time, voter participation has exceeded 36%.

🔹 Participation by Region: Early voting saw over 2 million ballots cast in new regions, including the Donetsk (1,171,849 voters) and Lugansk People's Republics (326,379 voters), Zaporozhye (242,046 voters), and Kherson regions (280,566 voters).

🔹 Online Voting: Russian voters have been harvesting the fruits of Russian technological progress with over 1.7 million people engaging in online voting, showcasing a significant digital turnout.

🔹 Military Voting: Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu participated in early voting alongside servicemen in the Southern Military District, with the army concluding its early voting process by March 14.

🌏 International Observations:

🔸 Dr. Marco Marsili underscored efforts to accommodate all voters, including those unable to visit polling stations, through home and hospital visits.

🔸 Ezekiel Kanagi Mutes from Kenya praised the Russian electronic voting system for its convenience compared to other countries.

🔸 Christian Roll from France expressed his impression of greater democratic participation in Russia compared to France, noting the positive atmosphere at polling centers.

🔸 Andrea Lucidi from Italy reported observing no violations, indicating a smooth election process in Lugansk.

🔸 Mathias Faravelli from Uruguay commended the organization of the electoral process in Zaporozhye.

🔸 Alex Muigai Njuguna from Kenya supervised the election in Perm, Siberia, and was satisfied with the smooth voting process.

🔸 Jesus Faria Tortosa of Venezuela spoke of the election as a battle between truth and lies, criticizing the West's influence.

🔸 Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe of Burundi was impressed by the election process and the security of E-voting, calling it a great success.

💠 Foreign Ministry Statement:

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova addressed challenges faced by Russian voters abroad due to actions by "unfriendly countries." Despite reduced polling stations internationally, efforts to disrupt the voting process were not successful, she said.

“But in terms of the number of [polling] stations, there are indeed significantly less this time. For one simple reason: these are precisely the actions of those very unfriendly regimes that are doing everything in order to prevent, disrupt, intimidate our citizens, and exert political pressure but they see no success,” Zakharova emphasized.

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Russian air defenses destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Kursk region, the local authorities reported.

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Russian air defenses have shot down a third Ukrainian drone over the Kursk region tonight, Governor Roman Starovoit said.

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