⚡️Marine Le Pen along with eight of her associates have been slapped with ineligibility sentences, essentially banning them from seeking public office.

They were found guilty in a case involving the creation of fake jobs for assistants to members of the European Parliament.

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🇷🇺🤝🇨🇳Russia and China: Stronger partnership amid global changes

International changes and conflicts over the past three to four decades have brought Russia and China closer together, Feng Shaolei, director of the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University, said on the sidelines of the Russian-Chinese Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

"I believe that Russia is a reliable partner of China, and most Chinese think so. We have been good friends and partners for a long time," Feng stressed.

The partnership wasn't formed by accident, but has been shaped by global shifts and challenges, bringing both nations closer together, he pointed out.

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⚡️Court sentences Le Pen to IMPOSSIBILITY OF BEING ELECTED, she will not be presidential candidate in 2027 - Sputnik correspondent

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❗️Russian forces struck Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure and drone storage facilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:    

▪️Ukraine lost up to 275 servicemen in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Russian aviation shot down five Ukrainian JDAM bombs and 150 drones.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 420 troops in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 200 soldiers in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 160 troops in the Russian Vostok Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Russia's Battlegroup Sever has struck seven Ukrainian brigades, Ukrainiane lost up to 70 servicemen.

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⚡️A Paris court has slapped Le Pen with a 4-YEAR PRISON TERM, which includes a two-year suspended sentence and two years under electronic bracelet monitoring.

Additionally, the court has prohibited Le Pen from running for public office for a period of five years.

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🔶Russia and the US have not signed any documents on joint rare earth metal projects, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified. But he noted that some US companies have shown interest in mineral projects in Russia.

🔶 Peskov added that Russia continues working with Washington to rebuild bilateral relations, which were severely damaged during the previous US administration, and both countries are focused on settling the Ukrainian conflict.

🔶Talks between Putin and Trump can be quickly arranged when necessary, although none are scheduled at the moment, Peskov said.

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🫡 End of an era? Microsoft just dropped a green ‘death screen’ instead of the classic blue! 😱💻

Windows insiders are getting a sneak peek at new features, but some might never make it past the test phase. Talk about a high-tech plot twist!

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🙅‍♂️No break for Zelensky: political tensions continue to mount

Amid reports that Ukrainian presidential election could happen as early as July, with Volodymyr Zelensky aiming to catch his rivals off guard, the highly popular former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny has refused to comment on his potential participation. He emphasized:

“My answer to this question has not changed. While the war is ongoing, we all need to focus on preserving our country, not on elections. I do not comment on rumors.”

Previously, Zaluzhny's popularity surpassed that of Zelensky, leading to his removal from the role of commander-in-chief and appointment as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK.

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😮 The ground turns to LIQUID during the devastating earthquake in Myanmar

The earth shakes, then suddenly – it turns to liquid. Cracks open and muddy water gushes out, swallowing the ground. This shocking footage captures the rare phenomenon of soil liquefaction as the earth trembles and unleashes its destructive power.

Soil liquefaction happens when incohesive, saturated or partially saturated soil loses strength and rigidity under physical stress.

Footage from social media

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❗️Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has asked the Supreme Court to suspend the ban on the activities of the Taliban* movement in Russia.

* Under UN sanctions for terrorist activities

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💬 Russian FM spokeswoman commented on French court verdict against Marine Le Pen

👉In case you missed it: Le Pen was slapped with a 4-year prison term and prohibited from running for public office for five years.

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💬 ‘Je suis Marine’: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed support for Marine Le Pen

The parliamentary leader of the right wing French National Rally was found guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds by hiring fictitious assistants on Monday.

She was sentenced to five years of ineligibility for public office with immediate effect, plus four years in prison – including two on probation.

Orban’s social media post echoes the slogan "Je suis Charlie" coined in solidarity after the terrorist attack on the editorial office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015.

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💬 Verdict against Le Pen is an ATTACK on democracy – National Rally leader

"Today, it's not just Marine Le Pen who is being unfairly condemned: it's French democracy that is being executed," Jordan Bardella wrote on social media.

Bardella, leader of France's National Rally, has fiercely condemned the court's decision to sentence Marine Le Pen to a four-year prison term, which includes a two-year suspended sentence and two years under electronic bracelet monitoring.

The court also prohibited Le Pen from running for public office for the next five years.

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🇺🇸⚔️🇮🇷 Are US and Iran REALLY on the brink of war?

🗣President Trump warned that if Iran doesn’t “make a deal,” on a new nuclear agreement, “there will be bombing…the likes of which they have never seen before.”

The threat comes against the background of rapidly rising regional tensions, all of them facilitated by US actions, including:

1️⃣Deployment of B-2 bombers at Diego Garcia, in range of Iran and Yemen, Tehran’s Axis of Resistance ally.

2️⃣Intense US bombardment of Yemen at Israel and Europe’s behest.

3️⃣Deployment of a second US carrier strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson, to the Middle East.

4️⃣Economic coercion, including Trump’s threats of “secondary tariffs” and what a top Trump ally said would be the “absolute, abysmal obliteration” of Iran’s economy through the “maximum pressure” campaign.

❓How has Iran responded to US provocations?

1️⃣Iran has rejected direct nuclear talks with Trump, saying the US has to rebuild trust first, but leaving the door open to indirect negotiations.

2️⃣On Monday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any aggression would receive a “crushing and decisive blow” in response.

3️⃣Iran has put missiles on standby, and that these weapons are situated in hardened facilities that can withstand enemy air attacks, The Tehran Times reported.

4️⃣Iran’s military and elite IRGC have been revealing a series of new missile bases and new and upgraded weapons systems.

5️⃣Last week, Iran deployed missiles on three strategic islands west of the Hormuz Strait. It could put Iran in complete control of the surrounding waters, and in range of many US bases in the region, including Al Udeid Air Base and the HQs of CENTCOM and the US Fifth Fleet.

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Dugin: Putin and Trump share respect for traditional values

Russia and Putin have ceased to be the “main evil guy” with the arrival of Donald Trump and his team in the White House, Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin told CNN.

On Ukraine:

🔸 Ukraine could theoretically save its sovereignty if it could manage neutrality, becoming a bridge between Western civilization and Russian-Eurasian civilization.

💬 “If you are not great power, but pretend to be great power, you will pay a big price. That is the case of Ukraine.”

🔸 Ukraine was afforded a historical chance to create its nation after the Soviet Union collapsed. However, after critical decisions taken by Volodymyr Zelensky, I fear there is no more such thing as Ukrainian sovereignty,” said Dugin.

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🫵 NATO’s EPIC swamp FAIL

It took almost a week, but on Monday morning, rescue crews finally managed to extract a 60-ton US M88 Hercules armored vehicle from a Lithuanian swamp. Here’s how a "routine" training exercise took a dramatic turn:

🔹 Four US soldiers from the First Brigade, Third Infantry Division were sent to a drill near the Pabrade training ground, close to the Belarus border.

🔹 Their mission? Drive the 60-ton recovery vehicle into a swamp to pull out another stuck US Army vehicle. What could possibly go wrong?

🔹 The soldiers were reported missing on March 25.

🔹 US Army Europe and Africa confirmed the soldiers were "conducting scheduled tactical training" at the time of the incident.

🔹 A massive rescue operation followed, involving two M88 vehicles, two bulldozers, military helicopters, US soldiers, and Lithuanian forces.

🔹 By March 26, the vehicle had been found, completely submerged in a bog.

🔹 US Navy divers had to literally swim into the swamp, attach cables, and pump water out of the mud.

🔹 The fate of the four soldiers on board remains unknown, according to Lithuanian officials, who said further details would come from US representatives. To add to the awkwardness, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed on Wednesday that the soldiers had been "killed in an incident."

🔹 Shortly after, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart had to walk back the statement, clarifying that no deaths had been confirmed.

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Pepe Escobar: From Sana’a to Saada – Yemen during wartime

While the world focuses on Palestine, Yemen has been suffering in silence for years. Sputnik contributor Pepe Escobar has visited Yemen to witness firsthand how people endure these hardships.

The war's toll is evident in Saada, where a cancer hospital was destroyed, and a children's cemetery stands as a tragic reminder. Despite these challenges, Yemen's resilience and commitment to supporting Palestine remain unwavering, with officials emphasizing the nation’s cultural and military strength.

👉 Click here to know more

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What ceasefire? Zelensky RAMPS UP ATTACKS on Russian energy facilities

Contrary to the Zelensky regime's official statements, Ukrainian forces have escalated their attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure.

Here’s the timeline:

▪️On March 31, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that Ukrainian troops had targeted power facilities in the Bryansk Region twice in a 24-hour period, causing power outages for residential consumers.

▪️On March 29 and 30, Ukrainian combatants repeatedly struck power grids, substations, and transformers in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

▪️On March 28, the Sudzha gas measuring station was effectively destroyed from a Ukrainian HIMARS strike.

▪️On March 26, a Ukrainian drone was gearing up to attack ground equipment at the Glebovskoye underground gas storage facility in Crimea but was shot down by Russia’s anti-aircraft systems, according to the Defense Ministry.

▪️Meanwhile, Zelensky’s media outfits have been spinning conspiracy theories that Ukrainian units "haven't launched strikes on Russian energy infrastructure for a week," and that Russia "is shelling itself."

▪️Hungary confirms that Ukraine regularly targets international energy infrastructure on Russian soil. The attacks have even caused disruptions in oil supplies, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

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