🔺He crystal-balled it: Russian politician who predicted Russian special operation in Ukraine, escalation in the Middle East and much more

🔺China has brought the former empire back to a harsh reality

🔺How Russia can disarm threat of Ukraine’s ultra-long range drones?

🔺'Russia's evil empire': Poland resorts to hysterical pretexts to justify militarization

🔺Ukraine's ammunition shortage is so severe that soldiers have to search for unexploded Russian shells in swamps

🔺Strike on aid workers in Gaza: 'US knows how to be silent' on Israel's violations – analyst

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❗️ A car rammed into a crowd of protesters in Tel Aviv who were demanding early elections and an immediate deal to release hostages in Gaza. One woman was taken away by ambulance, Sputnik's correspondent reports

Japan to deploy troops to the Philippines

Japan and the Philippines are planning to sign an agreement permitting rotational deployment of troops on each other’s territories, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez declared at an online news conference. The full deal will be unveiled soon after the US-Japan-Philippines summit in Washington, DC next week, Romualdez added.

Under the agreement, Japan and the Philippines would organize regular joint training exercises and patrols. Japan also plans to install satellite communication systems on Philippine patrol vessels, in addition to the coastal radar systems that it already provides to Manilla.

There was no immediate comment by China. Last year, the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned against military exercises involving US and its allies in the South China Sea waters harming its security and territorial interests.

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🇸🇰 The head of the Slovak parliament, Peter Pellegrini, wins his country's presidential election with 54.32% of the vote after counting more than 96% of total ballots.

Ivan Korcok, former foreign minister of the republic, recognized the defeat and congratulated Pellegrini.

Both have previously said they would not allow the Slovak military to be sent to Ukraine if they won the election. However they differ in their assessment of the ongoing conflict, possible military assistance to Kiev and Ukraine's potential NATO membership.

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The winner of the presidential election in Slovakia and current head of parliament Peter Pellegrini has promised the republic will be on the side of peace, not war.

Previously Pellegrini said arming Ukraine was ineffective and could lead to disaster.

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Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Ecuador amid fallout from Mexican embassy invasion

Nicaragua announced it had completely severed diplomatic relations with Ecuador Saturday over the storming of the Mexican embassy in Quito by Ecuadorian police.

"Following the unthinkable and reprehensible acts committed... in Quito by forces that are supposed to protect the order and security of Ecuadorian citizens and their lives, our strong and irrevocable condemnation is transformed into a sovereign decision to sever all diplomatic relations with the Government of Ecuador," read a statement by the Nicaraguan government.

The highly provocative violation of the embassy, considered sovereign Mexican territory under international law, provoked condemnation across Latin America. Chile, Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela, Honduras, and Brazil issued statements expressing anger over the incident.

Glas had been sheltering in the Mexican embassy since shortly after Ecuador issued a warrant for his arrest in December. Ecuador's government has been engaged in a persecution campaign against supporters of former President Rafael Correa for several years. The country has been on a downward economic spiral since the populist leader left office, with the security situation in the country also deteriorating.

Economic instability has created an environment for organized crime to thrive in Ecuador, as in other Latin American countries where Western-backed neoliberal policy has resulted in similar consequences.

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💥 Russian Artillerymen destroy mortar crew and ammunition depot of Ukrainian forces near Avdeyevka

Artillery units employed Akatsiya self-propelled artillery systems to destroy targets with indirect fire.

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Security Council to discuss Palestine's request for full UN membership Monday

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will consider Palestine's request for full membership in the organization and its transfer to the UNSC Committee on the Admission of New Members on April 8, a schedule of meetings for next week revealed.

The presidency of the UNSC will hold consultations to discuss further actions on Palestine's request at 10:00 am local time (14:00 GMT) Monday, the schedule read. At 12:00 noon local time the presidency will convene the council's closed meeting to confirm receipt of Palestine's letter and transfer it to the relevant committee.

Currently Palestine has only observer status at the UN, a recognition it has been granted since 2012.

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Israel claims to open Erez land crossing following phone call with Biden

Israel said the country will temporarily open its Erez land crossing into Gaza for humanitarian aid after a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, but questions remain over the United States' willingness to seriously challenge its Middle Eastern ally.

The US president reportedly threatened to withhold support during the call Thursday and "underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians.”

Despite the threat the White House has not yet stated it will cease supplying their ally with weapons. When asked about the supply of lethal aid to Israel becoming “conditional,” US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby insisted he would not “preview decisions that haven’t been made yet”.

The Biden White House previously announced sanctions on a handful of West Bank settlers in a rare concrete measure against Israel, but the policy was recently walked back amid opposition from Israel's treasury chief.

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🎥 Sappers of the Russian army destroyed about 5,000 explosive objects near Mariupol since the beginning of 2024.

The sappers of the engineering troops' combined demining unit continue to work on demining the territories liberated by Russian troops. The sappers destroy everything that can explode on the spot, while the rest is taken to a training ground.

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Russian Armed Forces have destroyed a foreign anti-aircraft defense system near the Kharkov airport, the coordinator of the Nikolaev resistance movement, Sergei Lebedev, told Sputnik.

"The missile struck near the airport, they [Russian forces] directly hit a new foreign air defense system, it detonated, but not with missiles," he said.

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Ukrainian soldiers are massively and routinely attacked by Russian guided aerial bombs, said Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister.

“ [Ukrainian forces] are being massively and I would say even routinely attacked by guided aerial bombs that wipe out our positions,” he told the Financial Times.

Kuleba added that one "cannot jam them," "cannot hide from them."

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit China on April 8-9 to talk with his counterpart Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Ministry announced.

The talks are expected to cover a number of burning issues, including the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Last October, Lavrov met with Wang Yi in Beijing ahead of the international forum "One Belt - One Road." The ministers expressed satisfaction with the “positive dynamics of Russian-Chinese comprehensive interaction.”

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Peter Pellegrini officially won the Slovak presidential election with 53.12%, the State Election Commission announced.

Pellegrini is the head of the Slovak parliament and opposes arms sales to Ukraine. Prime-minister Fico previously supported him, calling him "a moderate candidate who understands the value of peace."

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US reluctant to cut off Israel's arms pipeline despite Gaza deaths

Despite its verbal rhetoric about Israel's actions in Gaza, the Biden administration is reluctant to cut off Tel Aviv's lucrative arms pipeline.

When Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call after the deadly attack on the WCK workers to minimize civilian harm in Gaza, he did not at any point threaten to limit US arms supplies, the NYT noted.

Biden "has the power to limit any foreign arms deliveries, even those previously approved by Congress," yet there was no specific "or else" delivered to Netanyahu during their exchange, officials were quoted as saying.

The US is the largest supplier of arms to Israel:

◾️According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, it will account for 69% of Israel's arms imports between 2019 and 2023.

◾️Shipments to Israel will continue under a 10-year military deal signed in 2016 that guarantees Israel $3.3 billion a year to buy weapons from the US. Another $500 million a year is earmarked for missile defense.

◾️There is a legal loophole tied to the price tag that allows the sales to bypass congressional oversight. The State Department notifies Congress only if the tranche is worth more than $25 million.

◾️Three new Israeli arms orders reportedly exceeded the price tag threshold requiring congressional review, but were pushed through using "emergency" authority.

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🔸Peter Pellegrini, who opposes military supplies to Ukraine, has become Slovak president, getting 53,12% of votes

🔸Sappers of the Russian army destroyed about 5,000 explosive objects near Mariupol since the beginning of 2024

🔸US reluctant to cut off Israel's arms pipeline despite Gaza civilian deaths, remaining the largest weapons supplier to Tel Aviv

🔸Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Ecuador amid fallout from Mexican embassy invasion

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The IDF withdrew all ground forces from the southern Gaza Strip overnight after four months of fighting near the city of Khan Younis, Israeli media reported.

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