🇪🇺 European citizens are increasingly dissatisfied with their countries' policies and fearful of the future, according to an Ipsos survey conducted monthly in 29 countries.
Overall dissatisfaction with the policies of their governments and anxiety about the future in the West increased by March 2024 compared to January 2022 – right before Western nations dragged themselves into a confrontation with Russia and slapped sanctions on Moscow, contributing to the global energy crisis.
The proportion who believe their country is heading in the wrong direction skyrocketed over the past two years: in the UK, it increased by 14 percent to 79 percent, in France by 10 percent to 82 percent, and in Germany by as much as 20 percent to 72percent.
The Japanese are also more concerned about their future, with the dissatisfaction figure spiking from 60 percent in 2022 to 73 percent in 2024.
But in India, which opted for cooperation with Russia and not conflict, 77 percent of those surveyed stated that the nation is set on the right course – even more than in 2022, when 71 percent were positive about their government’s policies.
A hypothetical military conflict is less of a concern to the global population than inflation, crime and healthcare — despite Western governments' fear-mongering attempts, only 10 percent said they were worried about it.
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Overall dissatisfaction with the policies of their governments and anxiety about the future in the West increased by March 2024 compared to January 2022 – right before Western nations dragged themselves into a confrontation with Russia and slapped sanctions on Moscow, contributing to the global energy crisis.
The proportion who believe their country is heading in the wrong direction skyrocketed over the past two years: in the UK, it increased by 14 percent to 79 percent, in France by 10 percent to 82 percent, and in Germany by as much as 20 percent to 72percent.
The Japanese are also more concerned about their future, with the dissatisfaction figure spiking from 60 percent in 2022 to 73 percent in 2024.
But in India, which opted for cooperation with Russia and not conflict, 77 percent of those surveyed stated that the nation is set on the right course – even more than in 2022, when 71 percent were positive about their government’s policies.
A hypothetical military conflict is less of a concern to the global population than inflation, crime and healthcare — despite Western governments' fear-mongering attempts, only 10 percent said they were worried about it.
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What’s behind spike of US AH-64 Apache helicopter crashes?
The US Army suffered two back-to-back crashes of Apache helicopters this week, with the lost gunships constituting the third and fourth AH-64s lost since February, respectively.
💬 “What’s troubling is that this is the second occurrence within the last week, which we need to take a look at,” Earl Rasmussen, a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years of service under his belt, said of the second incident, which took place Wednesday in Colorado.
The retired officer believes there are three factors to explain the rash of recent Apache-related incidents, including flight conditions, maintenance, and training, with the latter particularly important for National Guard pilots, who get fewer flight hours to master the sophisticated chopper.
Then there’s Apache manufacturer Boeing, Rasmussen noted, referring to the troubled US aviation giant’s increasingly rocky reputation. “We’ve kind of heard in the news some of the issues with the civilian side” of Boeing, Rasmussen said. “We’ve also had incidents regarding Blackhawks as well during training operations,” the observer noted.
“The Apache has had maintenance issues and it’s had to require additional maintenance on it to keep it operational. But it’s a very, very exceptional aircraft. And it has been expanded in its mission capabilities” since originally being fielded, Rasmussen stressed.
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The US Army suffered two back-to-back crashes of Apache helicopters this week, with the lost gunships constituting the third and fourth AH-64s lost since February, respectively.
“Moreover, we’ve had a slew of helicopter mishaps, over the past year especially. Both the Apache as well as Black Hawk helicopter crashes,” Rasmussen told Sputnik.
The retired officer believes there are three factors to explain the rash of recent Apache-related incidents, including flight conditions, maintenance, and training, with the latter particularly important for National Guard pilots, who get fewer flight hours to master the sophisticated chopper.
Then there’s Apache manufacturer Boeing, Rasmussen noted, referring to the troubled US aviation giant’s increasingly rocky reputation. “We’ve kind of heard in the news some of the issues with the civilian side” of Boeing, Rasmussen said. “We’ve also had incidents regarding Blackhawks as well during training operations,” the observer noted.
“The Apache has had maintenance issues and it’s had to require additional maintenance on it to keep it operational. But it’s a very, very exceptional aircraft. And it has been expanded in its mission capabilities” since originally being fielded, Rasmussen stressed.
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Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya, has published a video showing the graves of mercenaries in Europe whose fight against Russia did not turn out well.
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"A video has been shot of the graves of a Frenchman and a Pole who died in the battles for 'free Ukraine'. We will shoot more. Well done team!"
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The Valery Gergiev Symphony Orchestra is playing outside Crocus City Hall during a commemoration event for the victims of a terrorist attack. Photos of the deceased are projected on the wall behind the orchestra's stage.
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A senior Pentagon official was exposed to the "Havana syndrome" at last year's NATO summit in Lithuania and claims that the US may have found evidence of "foreign enemy" involvement in cases of malaise among American officials on foreign business trips, CBS reported.
The report, which is promised to be shown in full on Sunday, goes against the conclusion of the US intelligence community, which a year ago called the version of hostile activity "extremely unlikely."
Manifestations of the "Havana syndrome"—dizziness, nausea, headaches, and hearing problems—were first observed in American diplomats in Cuba in 2016 and 2017, as well as in China in 2018.
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The report, which is promised to be shown in full on Sunday, goes against the conclusion of the US intelligence community, which a year ago called the version of hostile activity "extremely unlikely."
Manifestations of the "Havana syndrome"—dizziness, nausea, headaches, and hearing problems—were first observed in American diplomats in Cuba in 2016 and 2017, as well as in China in 2018.
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🔺EU citizens are increasingly dissatisfied with their countries' policies and fearful of the future — survey
🔺Soviet-era weapons have frequently outperformed Western ones in Ukraine. Sputnik explains why
🔺What’s behind spike of US AH-64 Apache helicopter crashes?
🔺Ukraine plans more political and military reshuffles amid battlefield failures
🔺Ukraine was one of the main trial sites for a drug causing various forms of cancer, which was tested on patients at a Mariupol hospital
🔺Money transfers prove that Crocus 'terrorists for hire' followed orders from Ukraine
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🔺Soviet-era weapons have frequently outperformed Western ones in Ukraine. Sputnik explains why
🔺What’s behind spike of US AH-64 Apache helicopter crashes?
🔺Ukraine plans more political and military reshuffles amid battlefield failures
🔺Ukraine was one of the main trial sites for a drug causing various forms of cancer, which was tested on patients at a Mariupol hospital
🔺Money transfers prove that Crocus 'terrorists for hire' followed orders from Ukraine
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Sputnik International
⚡️ Russian troops have destroyed a fifth Abrams tank near Avdeyevka, Russia’s Defense Ministry confirms
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Watch footage of Russian military hitting another US Abrams tank near Avdeyevka with a Lancet drone earlier today
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💥 Ukrainian militants and fortifications are smashed in the Donetsk region by Russian artillerymen and UAV operators of the Battlegroup Youg.
The gunners of the 1st Army Corps carried out strikes at camouflaged strongholds, fortifications, and concentrations of enemy manpower.
Kamikaze-drone operators have masterfully eliminated Ukrainian militants who had tried to hide in dugouts and trenches.
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The gunners of the 1st Army Corps carried out strikes at camouflaged strongholds, fortifications, and concentrations of enemy manpower.
Kamikaze-drone operators have masterfully eliminated Ukrainian militants who had tried to hide in dugouts and trenches.
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Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be welcome at the Summer Olympics in Paris, said Mayor Ann Hidalgo
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Earlier, Vladimir Putin pointed out that "Russia has been and remains committed to traditional Olympic values. We oppose the politicization of sport, attempts to use it as an instrument of pressure, unfair competition and discrimination."
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Palestinian political groups reject Israel's proposal to send Arab troops to Gaza
Political groups making up the Alliance of Palestinian Forces have rejected Israel's proposal to send Arab troops to the Gaza Strip, Palestinian movement Hamas said on Saturday.
On Friday, Axios reported, citing two senior Israeli officials, that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during his recent visit to the United States, suggested forming a multinational contingent with Arab troops to bolster Gaza's law and order and ensure safe humanitarian aid delivery.
The statement also claimed that the Israeli proposal was "a new Zionist trap and a lie."
Aside from Hamas, the Alliance includes Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and several other organizations that have their own military wings.
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Political groups making up the Alliance of Palestinian Forces have rejected Israel's proposal to send Arab troops to the Gaza Strip, Palestinian movement Hamas said on Saturday.
On Friday, Axios reported, citing two senior Israeli officials, that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during his recent visit to the United States, suggested forming a multinational contingent with Arab troops to bolster Gaza's law and order and ensure safe humanitarian aid delivery.
"The factions of the Alliance of Palestinian Forces reject the Israeli proposal to send Arab forces to govern Gaza and warn against its consequences," Hamas said in a statement.
The statement also claimed that the Israeli proposal was "a new Zionist trap and a lie."
"Turning to certain Arab countries for help, it [Israel], together with the US, seeks to avoid a horrible defeat they have suffered ... to get the occupation army out of the huge moor it finds itself trapped in the Gaza Strip," the statement read.
Aside from Hamas, the Alliance includes Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and several other organizations that have their own military wings.
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🇷🇺 Russian D-30 howitzer crews destoyed an enemy ammunition depot, fortified positions, and boats in the Kherson region.
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Police in Malaysia arrested an Israeli man suspected to be a member of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad
Authorities say the suspect had six handguns, three of which were loaded, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition. The suspect reportedly gave the authorities a fake French passport but surrendered his Israeli passport after being questioned.
Israeli media has identified the man as 36-year-old Shalom Avitan and said he is part of an Israeli crime family who was on a mission to hunt another crime family member.
On Saturday, three Malaysian nationals, including a married couple, were arrested under suspicion of helping the Israeli suspect. The couple is accused of providing the alleged agent with weapons, while the third is under investigation for acting as the suspect’s driver.
Read more in the full article
Authorities say the suspect had six handguns, three of which were loaded, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition. The suspect reportedly gave the authorities a fake French passport but surrendered his Israeli passport after being questioned.
Israeli media has identified the man as 36-year-old Shalom Avitan and said he is part of an Israeli crime family who was on a mission to hunt another crime family member.
“We do not fully trust this narrative as we suspect that there may be another agenda,” the Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said at a press conference late Friday night. Razarudin added that they do not believe the suspect was working alone and said they were probing the possibility that the suspect has links to the Mossad.
On Saturday, three Malaysian nationals, including a married couple, were arrested under suspicion of helping the Israeli suspect. The couple is accused of providing the alleged agent with weapons, while the third is under investigation for acting as the suspect’s driver.
Read more in the full article
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The activities of the UN group of experts overseeing sanctions on North Korea cannot be called impartial, since their goal was to compromise Pyongyang, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
She also added that UN experts "have not been able to properly assess the scale of the blow that UN Security Council sanctions directly or indirectly inflict on ordinary people."
On Thursday, Russia vetoed a US draft resolution on extending the mandate of experts of the UNSC Sanctions Committee on DPRK until April 30, 2025. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said later that Moscow could not support the resolution because sanctions on North Korea had proven ineffective and only harmed ordinary people.
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"The goal of the group of experts, which cannot be called independent and impartial, was not to resolve issues of maintaining international and regional security, but to compromise Pyongyang and discredit our friends from North Korea," Zakharova said in a statement.
She also added that UN experts "have not been able to properly assess the scale of the blow that UN Security Council sanctions directly or indirectly inflict on ordinary people."
On Thursday, Russia vetoed a US draft resolution on extending the mandate of experts of the UNSC Sanctions Committee on DPRK until April 30, 2025. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said later that Moscow could not support the resolution because sanctions on North Korea had proven ineffective and only harmed ordinary people.
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💥 Russian paratroopers have carried out more than 40 strikes at enemy targets in the Donetsk region, eliminating a huge number of Ukrainian militants and hardware.
Assistants of FPV drone operators helped to adjust flight routes for better guidance on the target.
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Assistants of FPV drone operators helped to adjust flight routes for better guidance on the target.
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The Commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is calling for increased global pressure to push Israel; into opening more avenues for humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 31 people, including 27 children have died of malnutrition or dehydration. The ICJ court noted that in Gaza, “famine is setting in.”
“Bold action cannot wait any longer,” he concluded.
Follow the link to learn more
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 31 people, including 27 children have died of malnutrition or dehydration. The ICJ court noted that in Gaza, “famine is setting in.”
“Member states should exert more pressure [on Israel] to implement the ICJ order,” Lazzarini wrote in the post. “Those who stopped funding UNRWA should reconsider their decision to allow the Agency to fulfill its mandate, including help averting famine.”
“Bold action cannot wait any longer,” he concluded.
Follow the link to learn more
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Egypt, Jordan, France oppose Israeli military operation in Rafah
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and France opposed any Israeli operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and also called for an immediate ceasefire in the enclave, the Egyptian State Information Service said.
On Saturday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne held a meeting in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to discuss the Gaza conflict.
The ministers called for the immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages, as well as demanded full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on Gaza, among other things.
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The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and France opposed any Israeli operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and also called for an immediate ceasefire in the enclave, the Egyptian State Information Service said.
On Saturday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne held a meeting in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to discuss the Gaza conflict.
"The three top diplomats of Egypt, Jordan, and France also reaffirmed their opposition to any military assault on Rafah, which shelters 1.5 million displaced Palestinians, stressing that any attack will incur a massive toll on human life and exacerbate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza," the agency said in a statement.
The ministers called for the immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages, as well as demanded full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on Gaza, among other things.
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The second batch of humanitarian aid has been shipped to the Gaza Strip via the Cyprus maritime corridor as part of the Amalthea Initiative, the Cypriot Foreign Ministry said.
The three ships - the Jennifer, the Ledra Dynamic and the Open Arms - towing the MMS ARIS barge left the port of Larnaca, carrying 332 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian population of Gaza, Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros reported.
The Jennifer is reportedly carrying 237 tonnes of food, including sugar, flour, spaghetti, canned food and milk. It also has a wheeled crane that will be used for unloading, the newspaper said. The barge is carrying 109 containers of humanitarian aid weighing a total of 95 tonnes, while the Ledra Dynamic has a crane operating crew on board, according to the report.
The trip from the Cyprus port to the Gaza Strip, where a small dock has been constructed for humanitarian aid ships, will reportedly take about 65 hours.
The humanitarian cargo has been inspected by competent Cypriot authorities and Israeli representatives, Cypriot deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said.
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"The second aid shipment for Gaza via the Cyprus Maritime Corridor Amalthea with [humanitarian NGO World Central Kitchen] has set sail this afternoon. Three ships and a barge are on their way to Gaza, carrying hundreds of tons of food," the ministry wrote on X.
The three ships - the Jennifer, the Ledra Dynamic and the Open Arms - towing the MMS ARIS barge left the port of Larnaca, carrying 332 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian population of Gaza, Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros reported.
The Jennifer is reportedly carrying 237 tonnes of food, including sugar, flour, spaghetti, canned food and milk. It also has a wheeled crane that will be used for unloading, the newspaper said. The barge is carrying 109 containers of humanitarian aid weighing a total of 95 tonnes, while the Ledra Dynamic has a crane operating crew on board, according to the report.
The trip from the Cyprus port to the Gaza Strip, where a small dock has been constructed for humanitarian aid ships, will reportedly take about 65 hours.
The humanitarian cargo has been inspected by competent Cypriot authorities and Israeli representatives, Cypriot deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said.
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A counter-terrorism operation regime has been introduced in Russia's city of Kaspiysk and two districts of Makhachkala, capitol of Russia's Republic of Dagestan, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee reports.
Russia's Federal Security Forces (FSB) has blocked the terrorists in several apartments in residential areas of Makhachkala and Kaspiysk.
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Russia's Federal Security Forces (FSB) has blocked the terrorists in several apartments in residential areas of Makhachkala and Kaspiysk.
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What happened when the USSR tried to join NATO?
Did you know that the Soviet Union actually tried to join NATO, less than five years after the Western military bloc’s creation? It’s true. In March 1954, in a bid to deflate rising Cold War tensions, Moscow sent a note to the governments of France, Britain and the United States requesting that the USSR be allowed to join the Western alliance to create a genuine, “effective system of collective security in Europe” that would help strengthen European and global peace.
Western powers rejected the idea, calling it “totally unrealistic,” prompting the USSR to create the Warsaw Treaty Organization (better known in the West as the Warsaw Pact), to counter NATO. The Warsaw Pact was disbanded in 1991, on the eve of the USSR’s dissolution. But the Western alliance hung around, swallowing up virtually every former Pact member country in a two-decade long eastward march toward Russia’s borders, serving the US-led new world order and ultimately culminating in the current security crisis in Ukraine.
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Did you know that the Soviet Union actually tried to join NATO, less than five years after the Western military bloc’s creation? It’s true. In March 1954, in a bid to deflate rising Cold War tensions, Moscow sent a note to the governments of France, Britain and the United States requesting that the USSR be allowed to join the Western alliance to create a genuine, “effective system of collective security in Europe” that would help strengthen European and global peace.
Western powers rejected the idea, calling it “totally unrealistic,” prompting the USSR to create the Warsaw Treaty Organization (better known in the West as the Warsaw Pact), to counter NATO. The Warsaw Pact was disbanded in 1991, on the eve of the USSR’s dissolution. But the Western alliance hung around, swallowing up virtually every former Pact member country in a two-decade long eastward march toward Russia’s borders, serving the US-led new world order and ultimately culminating in the current security crisis in Ukraine.
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