Russian military specialists have arrived in Niger to provide counter-terror training and teach Nigeriens how to operate an air defense system, Nigerian state broadcaster RTN reported.
"What all the external players and Niger have to deal with is the entrance and role of Russia in the wider scheme of things," Akinyinka Akinyoade, political analyst and senior researcher at the African Studies Center Leiden, the Netherlands, told Sputnik.
It is unsurprising that Russia agreed to lend a helping hand to Niamey against the backdrop of Moscow's increasing influence in Sahel, according to Akinyoade.
"Russia had relatively recently been supporting the governments of Mali and Burkina Faso, in near-similar political, military and economic context. Thus in the emerging situation in Niger, it was natural that Russian involvement would happen," the expert said.
In the aftermath of a military takeover of July 26, 2023, which was supported by the majority of the Nigerien population, the Tchiani government demanded that the French and US military pull out from the region. While Paris withdrew its troops in December 2023, the US is still hesitating after Niamey announced the end of the status of forces agreement between Niger and the US on March 16.
Niger's message to Paris and Washington was clear: "Either we will cooperate on some kind of understandable, mutually beneficial basis, or you are simply not welcome here anymore," Sergey Eledinov, a Russian expert on African security issues and founder of Convoy Africa, told Sputnik.
While France, the US and Russia have interests in the Sahel region, it is African countries who have the final word, the Russian expert concluded.
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❗️ Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, announced a rocket attack on Israel's Sderot.
Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said that it fired dozens of rockets at Israeli artillery positions on the border with Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces said that about 40 rocket launches were recorded from Lebanon into northern Israeli population centers. No casualties were reported. The massive rocket fire came amid reports that Tehran may retaliate to a recent Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed several officers of elite units of the Iranian military.
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“Al-Quds Brigades: Together with the forces of Omar al-Qassem, we carried out rocket attacks on Sderot and the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip in response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy against our people,” the military wing of Islamic Jihad said in a statement on Telegram.
Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said that it fired dozens of rockets at Israeli artillery positions on the border with Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces said that about 40 rocket launches were recorded from Lebanon into northern Israeli population centers. No casualties were reported. The massive rocket fire came amid reports that Tehran may retaliate to a recent Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed several officers of elite units of the Iranian military.
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US enemies can exploit Baltimore bridge collapse, supply chain disruptions
Foreign adversaries of the US could exploit the recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and ensuing supply chain disruptions, according to an intelligence report obtained by ABC News.
The intelligence report notes that in the aftermath of the bridge collapse in the port of Baltimore, any further supply chain disruptions will be unsurmountable.
At the same time, the document said that there have been so far no indications that adversaries have made any attempts to exploit the situation.
In the early hours of March 26, a commercial Singapore-flagged cargo ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore soon after it departed the port for Sri Lanka's Colombo. The bridge collapsed, sending at least eight people from a construction crew working on the bridge into the water. Ship traffic in the port of Baltimore was suspended until further notice following the bridge's collapse.
US officials have yet to provide a timeline for the complete restoration of the bridge, which took five years to build in the 1970s.
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Foreign adversaries of the US could exploit the recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and ensuing supply chain disruptions, according to an intelligence report obtained by ABC News.
The bridge collapse has "reduced the resiliency of US port and shipping operations" and created "opportunities for foreign adversary exploitation," the report quoted the document as saying.
The intelligence report notes that in the aftermath of the bridge collapse in the port of Baltimore, any further supply chain disruptions will be unsurmountable.
"Additional supply chain disruptions will be more difficult to overcome since the standard procedure of partially rerouting ad hoc cargo through the Port of Baltimore is no longer feasible," the document said.
At the same time, the document said that there have been so far no indications that adversaries have made any attempts to exploit the situation.
In the early hours of March 26, a commercial Singapore-flagged cargo ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore soon after it departed the port for Sri Lanka's Colombo. The bridge collapsed, sending at least eight people from a construction crew working on the bridge into the water. Ship traffic in the port of Baltimore was suspended until further notice following the bridge's collapse.
US officials have yet to provide a timeline for the complete restoration of the bridge, which took five years to build in the 1970s.
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❗️ Six people, including a child, were killed as a result of the Ukraininan army's shelling of the apartment sector of the Zaporozhye Region Tokmak town, the governor of Zaporozhye Region, Yevgeny Balitsky, said.
The head of the Zaporozhye public movement "We are together with Russia", Vladimir Rogov, specified that there might still be people under the rubble.
The removal of the rubble at the site where shells hit residential buildings continues, Rogov added.
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The head of the Zaporozhye public movement "We are together with Russia", Vladimir Rogov, specified that there might still be people under the rubble.
The removal of the rubble at the site where shells hit residential buildings continues, Rogov added.
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US Republicans introducing bill to require proof of citizenship to vote
US House Republicans will introduce legislation to require proof of citizenship in order to vote in federal elections in the United States, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced.
Democrats want to use an open border to turn immigrants into their voters, Johnson added.
US Congressman Chip Roy said earlier that he authored the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to require proof of citizenship to vote in elections for federal office.
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US House Republicans will introduce legislation to require proof of citizenship in order to vote in federal elections in the United States, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced.
"House Republicans are introducing a bill that will require proof of citizenship to vote," Johnson said during a press conference on Friday. "It seems like common sense."
Democrats want to use an open border to turn immigrants into their voters, Johnson added.
US Congressman Chip Roy said earlier that he authored the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to require proof of citizenship to vote in elections for federal office.
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Sputnik International
❗️ Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, announced a rocket attack on Israel's Sderot. “Al-Quds Brigades: Together with the forces of Omar al-Qassem, we carried out rocket attacks on Sderot and the settlements surrounding…
Iranian authorities have not yet decided whether to attack Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a source.
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While plans to attack Israel are being discussed, no final decision has been made, the publication said, citing a person in contact with Iran's leadership.
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Ukraine prompting Poland, Romania, Spain to send Patriot systems
Ukraine is encouraging Poland, Romania and Spain to supply it with their own Patriot air defense systems, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Meanwhile, European leaders are reportedly unwilling to provide Ukraine with more Patriot batteries, as they need to maintain their own defense capabilities, the Financial Times reported.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, in particular, ruled out further Patriot deliveries to Ukraine, saying that Warsaw could supply more of its Soviet-era missiles, but without specifying any details, the report said.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba had recently asked him for seven Patriot systems to deliver to Kiev. The latter told The Washington Post that his "nice and quiet diplomacy didn't work," and now he planned to harshly demand the Patriot air defense system from Ukraine's Western allies.
Last week, German FM Annalena Baerbock said that Germany's reserves of air defense systems had been exhausted and that Berlin, together with its partners, was looking for opportunities to purchase these systems for Ukraine from third countries.
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Ukraine is encouraging Poland, Romania and Spain to supply it with their own Patriot air defense systems, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
"They [the Ukrainian authorities] need seven [Patriot systems] ... But it's complicated," an unnamed source told the newspaper.
Meanwhile, European leaders are reportedly unwilling to provide Ukraine with more Patriot batteries, as they need to maintain their own defense capabilities, the Financial Times reported.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, in particular, ruled out further Patriot deliveries to Ukraine, saying that Warsaw could supply more of its Soviet-era missiles, but without specifying any details, the report said.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba had recently asked him for seven Patriot systems to deliver to Kiev. The latter told The Washington Post that his "nice and quiet diplomacy didn't work," and now he planned to harshly demand the Patriot air defense system from Ukraine's Western allies.
Last week, German FM Annalena Baerbock said that Germany's reserves of air defense systems had been exhausted and that Berlin, together with its partners, was looking for opportunities to purchase these systems for Ukraine from third countries.
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Zelensky could end Ukraine’s viability as a country with mobilization law
“Figures within the Kiev regime are once again talking about mobilizing women in a separate bill, so that’s come up again,” Sleboda explained, adding that the medical exceptions, including for injuries in combat, have been lowered. “For instance, if you already fought and lost a leg, you’re not exempt anymore. You can still pilot a drone, right? That’s the mentality of the new bill.”
Still, Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelensky has kept his grip on power, preventing any kind of resistance from the Ukrainian people.
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“There are a lot more people in the 35-plus age bracket and a much smaller group of people in the younger bracket,” Mark Sleboda, a security and international relations expert told Sputnik’s Fault Lines. “They’re seriously at such a demographic crisis,” that it has put at risk “the future, the viability of Ukraine as a country.”
“Figures within the Kiev regime are once again talking about mobilizing women in a separate bill, so that’s come up again,” Sleboda explained, adding that the medical exceptions, including for injuries in combat, have been lowered. “For instance, if you already fought and lost a leg, you’re not exempt anymore. You can still pilot a drone, right? That’s the mentality of the new bill.”
Still, Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelensky has kept his grip on power, preventing any kind of resistance from the Ukrainian people.
“You can’t really have protests in the country except for wives and mothers, because any men who show their face in public are instantly sent to the trenches in Kupyansk.”
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A video, showing a Ukrainian army's officer beating a soldier and shooting in his direction, was found on the phone of a Ukrainian soldier who died near Kherson, Russian security agencies told Sputnik and provided the footage
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Watch Russian Su-25 crews striking Ukrainian troops' strongholds and manpower in the vicinity of Avdeyevka with unguided aerial missiles
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Sputnik International
Germany's Lufthansa suspends flights to Tehran until Thursday German flag air carrier Lufthansa has suspended flights to and from Tehran until Thursday, a spokesperson for the company has said, citing security threats as the reason. "[Lufthansa], after…
The German airline Lufthansa has extended a suspension on flights to and from Tehran until April, 18, the company's spokesperson said.
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and speculation that Iran may carry out a retaliatory strike against Israel, the airline said that it will no longer use Iranian airspace.
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Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and speculation that Iran may carry out a retaliatory strike against Israel, the airline said that it will no longer use Iranian airspace.
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In response to the recent attack by Lebanon, Israeli fighter jets struck a military complex belonging to Hezbollah containing military compounds and a post in the area of Rihan, Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces reported.
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Latest updates amid anticipated Iranian strike on Israel
Speculation has been rife that Iran might launch an attack on Israel in revenge for the strike on its embassy in Damascus that killed top military officials.
◾️ The US expects Iran to strike multiple targets inside Israel and also in the region, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources. The US will help with interceptions of projectiles, the report added.
◾️ The Islamic Republic is considering various assault scenarios, including a direct strike using medium-range missiles, the WSJ reported, citing an adviser to the Iranian military.
◾️ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his country’s determination to retaliate against any assault, saying, “Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively.”
◾️ The US Embassy in Israel has announced certain travel restrictions for its diplomatic personnel and their families.
◾️ CENTCOM Commander Michael Erik Kurilla has arrived in Israel to coordinate moves in the event of an attack by Iran.
◾️ The US has moved its own additional military assets to the region, as per Bloomberg. Two Navy destroyers, including the USS Carney, were relocated to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea last week, a Navy official was cited as saying.
◾️ While the UK has two warships in the region, including the HMS Diamond, it has no plans to join US operations off the coast of Israel, a UK Royal Navy source told The Telegraph.
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Speculation has been rife that Iran might launch an attack on Israel in revenge for the strike on its embassy in Damascus that killed top military officials.
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Sputnik International
❗️ Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, announced a rocket attack on Israel's Sderot. “Al-Quds Brigades: Together with the forces of Omar al-Qassem, we carried out rocket attacks on Sderot and the settlements surrounding…
The Israel Defense Forces struck three launchers that had 20 rockets in them, allegedly primed for an attack on central Israel, in the Gaza Strip, the IDF reported.
The strike came shortly after Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired rockets at the city of Sderot. In the attack, the IDF says the Iron Dome intercepted three rockets, and artillery forces later shelled the launch site.
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The strike came shortly after Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired rockets at the city of Sderot. In the attack, the IDF says the Iron Dome intercepted three rockets, and artillery forces later shelled the launch site.
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Multiple stabbings have been reported at a shopping center in Sydney, Australia
A police operation is underway at a busy mall near Bondi Beach after the suspected attack, according to a news site.
Hundreds of visitors have been evacuated following the suspected terrorist attack.
Unconfirmed reports speak of 4-6 killed.
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A police operation is underway at a busy mall near Bondi Beach after the suspected attack, according to a news site.
Hundreds of visitors have been evacuated following the suspected terrorist attack.
Unconfirmed reports speak of 4-6 killed.
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Which countries have warned citizens against travel to Israel and Iran?
🛩 The Russian Foreign Ministry strongly recommended its citizens “refrain from travelling to the region”, underscoring security risks in Israel, Lebanon and Palestine.
🛩 Austria warned of an expected "tense situation in the region in the coming days," and advised against visiting Israel and Iran.
🛩 The German Foreign Ministry issued a recommendation to citizens not to visit Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Iran.
🛩 The Italian Foreign Ministry recommended avoiding non-essential travel to the region.
🛩 French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has advised its citizens against travelling to Israel, the Gaza Strip, Iran, and Lebanon. All relatives of Iran-based diplomats are to return to France.
🛩 The Swiss Foreign Ministry also issued a recommendation not to visit Israel.
🛩 Poland’s Foreign Ministry advised against travel to Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon
🛩 The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned its citizens against “all travel” to northern Israel, the Gaza Strip, territory near the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, with the exception of East Jerusalem and Route 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
🛩 The US has restricted its citizens employed in Israel and their family members from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheba areas.
🛩 Canada has told its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Israel, as well as all travel to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and parts of the Golan Heights closest to the Syria border.
🛩 Australia has instructed citizens to refrain from travel to Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. It urged them to “reconsider” travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
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🛩 The Russian Foreign Ministry strongly recommended its citizens “refrain from travelling to the region”, underscoring security risks in Israel, Lebanon and Palestine.
🛩 Austria warned of an expected "tense situation in the region in the coming days," and advised against visiting Israel and Iran.
🛩 The German Foreign Ministry issued a recommendation to citizens not to visit Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Iran.
🛩 The Italian Foreign Ministry recommended avoiding non-essential travel to the region.
🛩 French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has advised its citizens against travelling to Israel, the Gaza Strip, Iran, and Lebanon. All relatives of Iran-based diplomats are to return to France.
🛩 The Swiss Foreign Ministry also issued a recommendation not to visit Israel.
🛩 Poland’s Foreign Ministry advised against travel to Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon
🛩 The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned its citizens against “all travel” to northern Israel, the Gaza Strip, territory near the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, with the exception of East Jerusalem and Route 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
🛩 The US has restricted its citizens employed in Israel and their family members from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheba areas.
🛩 Canada has told its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Israel, as well as all travel to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and parts of the Golan Heights closest to the Syria border.
🛩 Australia has instructed citizens to refrain from travel to Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. It urged them to “reconsider” travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
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Sputnik International
Multiple stabbings have been reported at a shopping center in Sydney, Australia A police operation is underway at a busy mall near Bondi Beach after the suspected attack, according to a news site. Hundreds of visitors have been evacuated following the…
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At least six adults and one child were injured in a knife attack at a Sydney shopping center.
One man has been shot dead by police, and is believed to be one of the attackers, AFP reported.
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One man has been shot dead by police, and is believed to be one of the attackers, AFP reported.
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Shouldn’t restraint work both ways?
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke by telephone with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and urged restraint amid fears of a strike on Israel by Tehran.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden in a message to Iran said "Don't [attack Israel]," adding that the United States would help defend Israel, as he expects Iran to attack the country "sooner than later."
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Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke by telephone with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and urged restraint amid fears of a strike on Israel by Tehran.
“We cannot risk escalation at such an extremely volatile stage. All regional actors must show responsibility,” Tajani said.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden in a message to Iran said "Don't [attack Israel]," adding that the United States would help defend Israel, as he expects Iran to attack the country "sooner than later."
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