📹 Biden has announced he is "considering" Australia's request to close the Julian Assange case

13 years ago Biden called Assange a terrorist - what will Joe's next step be?

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Putin calls launch of Angara space rocket a landmark event and another stage of Russian space industry.

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Moscow was forced to respond to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy facilities but refrained from doing so in the winter, Putin said

Russia is not invited to the peace conference in Switzerland, while trying to achieve it without them is just a paradox, the president added.

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❗️The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) prevented an impending terrorist attack in a religious Jewish institution in Moscow at the time of a mass gathering of citizens.

It is noted that a native of one of the countries of Central Asia planned to carry out a terrorist attack, conducted reconnaissance at one of the synagogues in Moscow, and purchased components to make a sniper rifle.

When detained, he offered armed resistance and was neutralized by return fire.

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❗️On April 11, Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) stopped the activities of a terrorist cell that was planning an attack at a Russian Armed Forces facility in Donetsk.

The group that planned the terrorist attack in Donetsk included six citizens of one of the Central Asian states.

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The activities of the group that planned the terrorist attack in Donetsk were coordinated from the territory of Ukraine, the FSB added.

Members of this group, after committing a terrorist attack in Russia, planned to move to Turkiye and from there to Ukraine.

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The US has warned Iran against attacking Israel, the White House said.

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📹 The FSB showed footage from the apartment of the person reportedly planning a terrorist attack in one of the Moscow synagogues.

A ready-to-use sniper rifle was discovered and seized at the the place of residence.

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▪️Why Israel's GPS jamming can't disrupt a potential Iranian strike and Top 8 Iranian missiles that could reach Israel

▪️Israel-Iran tensions: latest updates

▪️Zelensky's new counteroffensive will end in complete disaster for Ukraine with the final defeat of his armed forces

▪️Diplomacy at its worst: Has Ukraine ever asked for anything politely?

▪️EXPOSED: Ukrainian International Legion gambles on recruiting Spanish-speaking ‘guns for hire’

▪️How Ukraine's draconian draft laws have turned connoscripts into slaves

▪️CIA operatives active in Ukraine under State Department cover, insider claims

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Russian FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova spoke of the political reasons for Zelensky’s statement about a new counteroffensive in Ukraine

"Zelensky’s public belchings like this happen for three reasons.

Firstly, to show Western sponsors a decisive determination to continue the bloodshed and an urgent need for new financial injections and arms supplies.

Secondly, to regularly remind the world about him, about Zelensky.

Thirdly, the most important thing is to play along with the White House in the pre-election scenario, to demonstrate the viability of the Biden project called 'Ukrainian democracy.'

What could all this lead to? Zelensky will finally exterminate the Ukrainians," she said.

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Why Europe’s cotton import dependency threatens its weapon makers?

European arms manufacturers have made a surprising discovery of late: apparently, munitions production in Europe largely depend on raw materials from China.

The material in question is cotton linters that, among other things, are used to produce nitrocellulose. This flammable compound, also referred to as guncotton, is being used in the modern arms industry for making explosives and munitions.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger claimed that more than 70 percent of Europe’s supply of cotton linters came from China.

Ironically, the European Union currently moves towards banning all imports of products made with forced labor, which may be aimed against China, according to Vasily Kashin, director and senior research fellow at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

“This bill, even though it contains no mention of China, is effectively aimed exclusively against China; it is based on the allegations that China was carrying out mass arrests of Uyghur people in Xinjiang that were spread in recent years, mostly by the United States,” Kashin told Sputnik.

While cotton linters are also produced in the United States and in some European countries, their share of this material’s production on a global scale is dwarfed by that of China. Thus, if the EU does ban Chinese cotton imports, it would have to seek an alternative supply – a task Brussels would likely accomplish but at a cost, Kashin told Sputnik.

“The expansion of the European military-industrial complex’s capacities will be going at a slower rate and at a greater cost,” the scholar remarked.

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The US has reached out to a number of partners, including ones in Europe, China and Turkiye, to urge Iran to refrain from escalation with Israel, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a briefing.

Miller said that US remain concerned about the risk of escalation in the Middle East, and particularly about the threats that Iran has voiced in recent days against Israel.

He also noted that the conflict between Israel and Iran will affect not only the countries of the region, but also the whole world, including in economic terms.

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Ukraine to drag Europe into nuclear nightmare by shelling Zaporozhye power plant

Ukraine's persistent shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant could lead to a disaster affecting the entire Europe, warns Dr. Chris Busby, a physical chemist and scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk.

▪️A NATO-grade cruise missile attack on one of the reactor buildings could theoretically result in its penetration.

▪️There could be a fatal destruction of the control room and control facilities, so that the reactor can't be controlled.

▪️The cooling system could be knocked out.

▪️The electricity supply could be cut; the stand-by generators could be destroyed. Aforementioned incidents could trigger a domino effect, leading to radioactive contamination and radiation exposure.

▪️The substances released could include Caesium-137 with a half-life of about 30 years, causing cancer, affecting muscles, and leading to a spike in child arrhythmia cases.

▪️The contamination would include Strontium-90, which binds to DNA, causes cancer and kills children in the womb, or causes malformations.

▪️Uranium particles, which have a half-life of billions of years, cause leukemia, birth defects, contaminate air, land and water.

Albeit the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe happened over a thousand miles away from the UK, in England, in the 1990s, about one in 6 developed cancer. In 2022 it was closer to one in 3. It is predicted (by the WHO) to be soon 1 in 2, according to the scholar.

"As far away as Wales and Scotland children died from leukemia; I know this, I studied the numbers which were released to me when I was part of the UK Committee examining Radiation Risk from Internal Emitters, CERRIE. Babies developed leukemia in Germany and Greece," Bursby wrote, warning that the explosion of one reactor at Zaporozhye would be a much bigger deal than Chernobyl.

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West not condemning Ukraine looks like indirect support of attacks on Zaporozhye power plant

West's unwillingness to condemn the actions of the Ukrainian side looks like an indirect support of Kiev's attacks on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Russian Perm. Rep. to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said.

"The main problem, of course, is with Western countries. No matter what Ukrainians do, they are never, under any circumstances, ready to say anything negative about the Ukrainian side. And it looks like an indirect support of the attacks on the Zaporozhye power plant," Ulyanov said after the meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

He also added that he has "a feeling that... such an atmosphere has been created, which... encourages the Ukrainian side to act recklessly."

Despite such actions the meeting was positive and Russian managed to draw attention to the dangerous actions of the Ukrainian side at the facility, Ulyanov said.

"I am generally satisfied with the meeting that took place. We wanted to draw attention to the dangerous actions of the Ukrainian side at the Zaporozhye power plant, we wanted the Council members to have the opportunity to call for the immediate cessation of such actions, so that they would support the position of the director general in this regard," Ulyanov said.

Ulyanov also noted that during the meeting only Russia and Syria directly called Ukraine guilty of the attacks on the Zaporozhye plant.

"Ukraine was directly called as the guilty party, of course, by us, since we know about it 100%, and by our Syrian friends, the permanent representative of Syria. Others, in conditions when there is no official conclusion on the guilt of the Ukrainians by the IAEA, avoided this moment. But many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America have called quite strongly for these attacks to stop immediately. This is what, in fact, we wanted to see and hear," Ulyanov told reporters.

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Russian specialists have arrived in Niger to train local forces on combating terrorism, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.

"Now, the African corps here will be building relationships and jointly forming and training the Nigerien army. We have brought with us a training and material base to train various specialists. We have a lot of experience in combating terrorism. And we are here to share this experience with our friends," a Russian specialist who arrived in Niger told Sputnik.

"The personnel is fully prepared and vaccinated against deceases, was acquainted with local deceases ... I think we will manage," a Russian medical worker who arrived with the specialists said.

Niger's state broadcaster RTN aired the landing of Russia's IL-76 aircraft in Niamey. The broadcaster reported that this came after a recent conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin with Abdourahmane Tchiani, the chairman of Niger’s National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland. While discussing the bilateral agenda, Putin and Tchiani then expressed the intention to intensify political dialogue and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in a wide range of areas.

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Hungarian companies want to stay on Russian market

A number of large Hungarian companies operating in areas not affected by sanctions are interested in staying on the Russian market, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

Szijjarto said he had held a meeting with the heads of Hungarian companies present on the Russian market, since Hungary sees further development of Hungarian-Russian economic ties in areas unaffected by sanctions as an important foreign economic task, and since there is demand on the Russian market for Hungarian goods.

“Our exports to Russia last year also exceeded $1 billion, and the presence of the largest Hungarian companies: [oil and gas] MOL, OTP [bank] and Richter [pharmaceutical company] in Russia can give other Hungarian companies a sense of security,” Szijjarto wrote on social media.

Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary does not want to give up economic cooperation with Russia, but on the contrary would prefer to increase it in areas not affected by sanctions, since after the end of the conflict in Ukraine, economic activities will continue, and the Russian market is important for Hungary.

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Russian air defense forces destroyed 4 Ukrainian drones in Novoshakhtinsk, Rostov region, and there were no casualties or damage to facilities, according to Governor Vasily Golubev

Biden growing frustrated with Congress delay to approve Ukraine aid, no plan B

Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the Biden administration is also growing frustrated with allies in Europe over delays on their part to put together a plan to use profits from frozen sovereign Russian assets to help Ukraine.

There are concerns mounting that Russian forces could make major gains in Ukraine in the coming weeks, the report noted.

US officials said "there is no Plan B” for the US to help Ukraine aside from the $60 billion in military aid included in the Senate-passed supplemental bill, the report said.

Earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he and his colleagues are still reviewing different options to potentially take on the Ukraine aid issue.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republican hardliners have threatened to move forward on a motion to oust Johnson from his position as House Speaker if they are displeased with his handling of funding for Ukraine.

The US has been unable to provide Ukraine with significant security packages since funding ran out in late December.

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Ukraine is planning a new counteroffensive in 2025, according to a French official who recently participated in talks with Kiev.

The Ukrainians are telling us: 'Help us hold out in 2024, and in 2025 we can resume the offensive,'" Figaro quoted the official as saying.

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Israel is expecting a direct attack from Iran on southern or northern Israel within the next 24 to 48 hours, The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The report said, citing a person briefed by the Iranian leadership, that no final decision has been made yet, although plans for an attack are being discussed.

The report also cited a US official familiar with the situation as saying that intelligence reports of the United States indicate an Iranian strike within days, "possibly on Israeli soil."

On April 1, Israel carried out an airstrike on the consular annex of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, destroying the building. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said seven of its members had been killed in the attack, including two commanders. The Syrian Health Ministry said the next day that the attack had also killed four Syrians and injured 13 more.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said it "reserves the right" to respond to the Israeli attack and "punish the aggressor." Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also vowed that Israel would pay a "heavy price" for the strike.

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