Russia will soon submit its draft resolution on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in space, taking into account discussion of the US-Japan project, and ideas approved by the majority, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia said.

Russia is ready to sign an international agreement “even tomorrow” to ban placement of any kind of weapons in space, not just WMDs, Nebenzia emphasized.

Earlier the Russian diplomat clarified that a US- and Japan-sponsored draft resolution that would have called against developing nuclear weapons and other types of WMDs specifically designed to be placed in orbit represents a cover-up for a cunning plan by the West.

"Yet, behind this fig leaf, there was a cunning plan that was concocted by our Western colleagues," Nebenzia told the UN Security Council before a vote on the draft resolution.

Russia blocked the draft resolution after a Russian-Chinese amendment to extend the ban on the placement of any type of weapons in space rather than just the weapons of mass destruction was rejected in a 7-7 vote with one abstention.

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About 40% of Americans don’t believe Joe Biden would last through the end of a second term if he is reelected, according to a poll conducted by JL Partners.

Scarlett Maguire, the director of the firm, told The Sun that many US voters worry about Biden's age - and his ability to face off against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We asked the American people whether they even thought Biden would still be alive in four years time, by the end of his second term. Four in ten didn't think he'd be able to make it to the end," Scarlett emphasized.

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Ukrainian pilots being trained to fly F-16 fighter jets in Europe will not be ready until late 2024 or early 2025, French newspaper Le Monde reported, citing a military source.

Ten Ukrainian pilots lack sufficient experience, causing delays in their training, the report quoted the source as saying. According to the article, six of them had never piloted a fighter jet before arriving in the United Kingdom, where one of the stages of their training takes place. The other four pilots had only piloted Aero L-39 jet trainers in Ukraine, the newspaper said.

After six months in France, if the pilots show satisfactory results in their training, they will be sent to a yet-to-be-determined country, where they will complete their training by flying F-16s, the source told the newspaper. Romania is expected to host the final phase of the training, the duration of which is estimated at four months, the report said. Therefore, no Ukrainian pilots trained in Europe are expected to join the fighter fleet before late 2024 or even early 2025, Le Monde clarified.

Western countries have been providing Ukraine with military aid since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. The support evolved from lighter artillery munitions and training to heavier weapons, including tanks and jets.

Russia has repeatedly warned NATO countries that arms supplies to Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets. Moscow has accused NATO countries of "playing with fire" by arming Ukraine, emphasizing that such actions hinder the possibility of Russia-Ukraine negotiations.

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The Yemeni movement Ansar Allah, commonly known as the Houthis, announced new military operations against US and Israeli vessels and a US destroyer in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean after a week-long hiatus.

“In response to the oppression of the Palestinian people and the US-British aggression against our country, the Yemeni navy carried out a military operation against an American ship (Maersk Yorktown) in the Gulf of Aden using a number of suitable ship-to-ship missiles whose aim proved accurate,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria told Al-Masirah TV.

“At the same time the Yemeni Air Force conducted two military operations, one targeting a US destroyer in the Gulf of Aden using a number of drones, and the other targeting an Israeli ship (MSC Veracruz) in the Indian Ocean using a large number of drones. Both operations successfully achieved their objectives,” he added.

The British maritime security company Ambrey reported the incident off the coast of the Yemeni port of Aden.

The Houthi military spokesman claimed “the Yemeni armed forces will continue to prevent the passage of Israeli-affiliated ships or shipping to ports in occupied Palestine in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean until the aggression is stopped and the blockade of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is ended.”

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The United States destroyed four drones over Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen and a coalition vessel engaged an anti-ship missile, US Central Command said in a statement via social media platform X.

“At 11:51 a.m. (Sanaa time) on April 24, a coalition vessel successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden,” the statement said. “Separately… US Central Command successfully engaged and destroyed four airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.”

The ASBM was likely targeting a US-flagged, owned and operated vessel with 18 US and four Greek crew members, the statement said. The incident did not result in any damage or injuries, the statement said.

The ASBM and UAV presented an “imminent threat” to the US coalition and merchant vessels in the region, the statement said.

Houthis have been launching attacks on commercial and military vessels in the region for months, in response to Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip. The attacks prompted the US to form a multinational coalition to protect shipping in the area, as well as to strike Houthi targets on the ground.

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Biden signs foreign aid bill providing military assistance to Ukraine

After months of languishing in congressional purgatory, Washington lawmakers finally passed renewed spending for Ukraine’s proxy war against Russia over the weekend.

The bill’s passage prompted a dramatic display of patriotic pride – but not for the United States. A sea of Ukrainian flags was observed as representatives waved miniature versions of the blue and yellow banner. The scene prompted criticism from some Republicans, who questioned the legality of the display of a foreign flag in the legislative chamber.

“You'll see that of that, only $14 billion is direct military aid to the Kiev regime in Ukraine,” said security analyst Mark Sleboda on Sputnik’s Fault Lines program. “The largest chunk of that is $20 billion worth that is supposedly going to restock US military inventories because the Biden administration cut too deep into the US military's own supplies already.”

Perhaps most controversially, a significant portion of the aid will go towards simply maintaining Ukrainian civil society – a contentious prospect as the country is frequently ranked Europe’s most corrupt.

“$8 billion is going to support the Ukrainian budget, because it is entirely dependent on Western aid,” said Sleboda. “So they'll be paying for peoples' salaries and health care for Ukrainians because actually Ukraine has a government health care system… Hey, American taxpayers, you can't get a health care system but the Kiev regime that you support in Ukraine thanks you for your hard-earned tax dollars for that, because that's part of the Ukrainian budget.”

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At least 75 French mercenaries in Ukraine have been killed, wounded or have returned to France since the start of Russia's special military operation, Nicolas Cinquini, a former French counter-terrorism intelligence officer, told Sputnik.

Cinquini is currently searching for information about French nationals who fight in the conflict on the side of Ukraine.

“Including those killed, wounded and those who have returned, the list I have published as of today includes 75 individuals who have been identified accurately or under pseudonyms, which can already tell us a lot,” Cinquini said.

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Trump allies Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, and Jenna Ellis are among 18 people charged in an election interference case in the state of Arizona, court documents revealed.

"Defendants' attempts to declare Unindicted Coconspirator 1 and Pence the winners of the 2020 Presidential Election contrary to voter intent and the law, involved numerous other charged and uncharged coconspirators," the court documents said.

Former President Donald Trump is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the filing.

The defendants are accused of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Arizona, the court documents stated.

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❗️ US officials to meet with Niger's authorities on April 25, 29 to initiate discussions on the US troops pullout from Niger, the US state department spokesperson said.

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