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Source: http://rt.com/Root.rss

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<title>RT - Daily news</title>
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<title>RT - Daily news</title>
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<title>Another African state considers closing French military base - media</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/africa/596664-gabon-considers-closing-french-military-base/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/africa/596664-gabon-considers-closing-french-military-base/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662cd37b85f54031cf6e5f91.jpg" /> A proposal for Gabon to review its security ties with France Gabon has reportedly been submitted to the military government <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596664-gabon-considers-closing-french-military-base/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The proposal in Gabon will be discussed at an ongoing national dialogue forum on Saturday
A Gabonese political commission has called for the closure of the French military base in the Central African nation and the review of defense agreements with Paris, Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on Friday.
According to the outlet, the proposal was presented in a report at an ongoing national dialogue in the capital, Libreville, which was convened by the Gabonese military government with the goal of returning the country to civilian rule.
The resolution will reportedly be adopted on Saturday during the plenary session of participants of the Inclusive National Dialogue (DNI), which was launched on April 2 and is expected to conclude on Tuesday.
France has about 400 soldiers stationed at its base, located north of Libreville, who are tasked with training Gabonese troops. In September, Paris temporarily suspended military cooperation with the country in response to a <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/582068-gabon-military-regime-elections/">coup</a> that deposed longtime president Ali Bongo. However, just over a week after halting operations, the French Armed Forces Ministry announced that it was “slowly” <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/582855-france-gabon-military-operations/">resuming</a> them.
French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu justified the move, claiming that the political situation in Libreville was incomparable to that of Niger, where Paris has repeatedly declared that it will not cooperate with what it considers an “illegitimate” military government.
Gabon’s call for an end to France’s military operations is the latest in a series of similar moves by other former French colonies in recent years. Military leaders in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have all severed defense ties with Paris for allegedly failing to combat jihadist insurgents in the Sahel region in a decade-long counterterrorism mission.
Gabonese military ruler General Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the August coup to prevent Bongo from serving a third term after 14 years in power, stated last month that he will respect DNI decisions. He has promised to hand back power in August 2025.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.02/thumbnail/65d300e3203027662e49af6e.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: EFF supporters marching to the French Embassy on May 25, 2022 in Pretoria, South Africa." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/592665-africa-post-colonial-challenges-france/">Adieu, colonizer: France’s malign influence still hangs over Africa, and that needs to change</a></figcaption>
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At the month-long national dialogue, which was reportedly attended by thousands of people, including opposition parties and religious leaders, the subcommittee on political institutions proposed that the mineral-rich African nation adopt a new constitution. 
“They wanted a constitution that was rigid and therefore difficult to revise. The Gabonese people wanted the executive, particularly the President of the Republic, to have more time to carry out its various economic and social programs,” RFI cited the chairman of the committee, Telesphore Ondo, as saying.]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>Musk doubts White House Ukraine claims</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596660-musk-ukraine-victory-condition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596660-musk-ukraine-victory-condition/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662cbd5185f54076804d72b9.jpg" /> Elon Musk has reiterated his doubts about White House claims that Ukraine can win the conflict with Russia <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596660-musk-ukraine-victory-condition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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It’s not clear what a victory over Russia is supposed to look like, the entrepreneur has claimed
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has challenged the administration of US President Joe Biden to define what “victory” would look like in the Ukraine conflict, after a senior White House official claimed that Kiev can defeat Russia.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan backed Ukraine’s capabilities on MSNBC on Friday, as he hailed Biden’s drawdown of an additional $1 billion worth of weapons for Kiev’s war effort against Moscow.
A delay in arms supplies caused by partisan clashes in the US Congress has put Ukrainian forces into a “hole” from which they are yet to dig themselves out, Sullivan said. He claimed, however, that Kiev’s “strategic position is strong” and that US officials “believe ultimately Ukraine can win this war.”
“Ukraine has the will to win this war, and we have the will to support them in that effort,” Sullivan vowed.
Reacting in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk asked: “What does victory look like?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">What does victory look like?— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1783950136684720181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The billionaire has long been skeptical about the Biden administration’s Ukraine strategy, including its declared willingness to let Kiev dictate the goals of the conflict and the ways of achieving them.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has insisted that a “just peace” requires nothing short of full control of all the territory claimed by Kiev.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596649-us-patriot-batteries-ukraine/">US has no Patriots to spare for Ukraine – White House</a></figcaption>
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The Ukrainian demands, as outlined in the so-called ‘Zelensky formula’, also include war reparations, tribunals for senior Russian officials, and long-term international support of Ukraine’s security and reconstruction. Switzerland is set to host a summit in mid-June, where Kiev and its Western backers will try to convince neutral nations to sign up for the Ukrainian plan.
Moscow, which has not been invited to the event, has rejected the Ukrainian formula as being detached from reality. It perceives the hostilities as a Washington-driven proxy war against Russia, in which Ukrainians serve as ‘cannon fodder’. This week, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu estimated Ukrainian military casualties as approaching 500,000 in the conflict.
Explaining their opposition to continued arms supplies to Ukraine, US Republican lawmakers have cited the lack of a clear game plan by Zelensky and Biden. Instead, they argue that the funds would be better spent on America’s own needs, particularly the security of the southern US border.]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>UK blocked Ukraine peace deal – Moscow</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596665-kremlin-istanbul-peace-deal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596665-kremlin-istanbul-peace-deal/</guid>
<description>
<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ccc3285f5407a5305b9e1.jpg" /> Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied claims in the German press that the Istanbul peace negotiations broke down because of Moscow <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596665-kremlin-istanbul-peace-deal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Claims that Russia was to blame for the failure of negotiations are mere “speculation,” the Kremlin has said
Ukraine abandoned a draft peace treaty with Russia in 2022 under British pressure, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
The deal, which could have ended the Ukraine conflict weeks after it started, was approved by negotiators in Istanbul, but Kiev later pulled out of the talks.
The German newspaper Welt reported on Friday that Moscow had issued additional demands after a deal had already been outlined, such as making Russian the second official language in Ukraine, implying that this had ended any hopes of an agreement.
Peskov denied those claims on Saturday, citing remarks made by Ukrainian MP David Arakhamia, who led Kiev’s delegation at the talks.
In an interview to domestic media last November, Arakhamia said then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had intervened in the peace process and had urged the Ukrainians to “just fight” Russia.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/661934822030275e445a6741.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in August 2022." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/595811-johnson-uk-ukraine-investment/">West gets ‘fantastic value’ out of Ukraine – Boris Johnson</a></figcaption>
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Kiev effectively discarded the deal under “direct pressure by London,” Peskov stressed. “The rest is speculation. I suggest we learn from the source.”
Asked whether the draft treaty could serve as a basis for further peace talks, Peskov said Kiev’s public position was to reject talks with Russia. The idea of reviving the failed agreement was floated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko when he met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin earlier this month.
Johnson has denied derailing the peace talks, but has also bragged on multiple occasions about his policy of nudging Kiev into continuing hostilities with Russia, which the British politician claims to be a fight for global democracy.
“There could be no more effective way of investing in Western security than investing in Ukraine, because those guys without a single pair of American boots on the ground are fighting for the West,” Johnson told students at Georgetown University during a visit to the US this month. The Ukrainians “are effectively fighting our own fight, fighting for our own interests,” he added.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596659-russia-ukraine-peace-deal-2022/">
READ MORE: Details emerge of failed Russia-Ukraine peace treaty – Welt
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Russian officials have described the Ukraine conflict as a Western proxy war against Moscow, which the US and its allies allegedly intend to wage “to the last Ukrainian.” Their goal, according to Moscow, is to contain Russia and stall its development, rather than protect the interests of the Ukrainian people.]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>US economy could be headed for stagflation – Business Insider</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/business/596658-us-economy-stagflation-slow-growth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/business/596658-us-economy-stagflation-slow-growth/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ccc222030274d084c3ef1.jpg" /> The American economy could face stagflation as growth has been much weaker than expected, Business Insider reports <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596658-us-economy-stagflation-slow-growth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The grim warning comes as growth falls short of estimates
The latest macroeconomic data released by the US Department of Commerce indicates that the country’s economy could be moving towards stagflation, Business Insider has reported. The gloomy signs hint at tough challenges ahead, the outlet added.   
Thursday’s report revealed that American GDP increased at an annualized rate of only 1.6% in the first quarter of the current year, well behind projections of 2.5%. The slower than expected growth followed a 3.4% gain recorded in October-December 2023 and 4.9% in the previous quarter. 
“This was a worst of both worlds report – slower than expected growth, higher than expected inflation,” David Donabedian, chief investment officer of CIBC Private Wealth US, told the media outlet. 
Weak growth and soaring consumer prices are distinct signs of stagflation, which is characterized by economic sluggishness and rising inflation over a prolonged period of time. The US was last hit with stagflation in the 1970s, when inflation surged into double digits as the economy tumbled. US policymakers responded by hiking the key interest rate to as much as 20%, cooling down prices but sending the economy into a deep recession. 
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596061-imf-us-rising-debt/">IMF lambasts US over ballooning debt</a></figcaption>
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 In March, the US Federal Reserve skipped an interest rate hike, leaving it unchanged between the 5.25%–5.5% target range. The next meeting of the Fed’s Open Market Committee is scheduled on May 1. 
At the same time, the personal consumption expenditures price index, used as a key inflation measure by the Fed, increased at a 3.4% annualized pace, marking the biggest gain in a year. Consumer spending in the US saw a 2.5% increase in January through March, down from a 3.3% gain in the fourth quarter of 2023, and below the projected 3%, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported. 
According to Business Insider, this puts serious limits on the Fed’s ability to take action, as the regulator has made clear it needs inflation to decline before any rate cuts can happen.]]>
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<title>Spain to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596663-spain-patriot-missiles-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596663-spain-patriot-missiles-ukraine/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662cbf6620302706334762e9.jpg" /> Kiev is going to get “a set” of missiles for the Patriot air defense system, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles has said <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596663-spain-patriot-missiles-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Kiev will receive munitions for the US-made air defense system, Madrid has announced
Spain will supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles, Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed on Friday, amid outside pressure to provide the weapons. 
Robles made the announcement during a virtual meeting of the so-called Ramstein Group, which comprises Ukraine’s Western backers. A statement from the Defense Ministry in Madrid added that an unspecified number of munitions for the US-made missile system will arrive in Ukraine within the next four days.
The Spanish defense chief did not mention anything about deliveries of actual Patriot batteries to Ukraine. Each system consists of a phased array radar, an engagement control station, computers, power generating equipment, and up to eight missile launchers.
Spanish newspaper El Pais earlier reported that Madrid will supply Patriot missiles to Ukraine due to immense pressure from the EU and NATO. According to the outlet, Spain operates only three Patriot batteries and keeps a “war reserve” of about 50 missiles for them.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bdb8385f5400e7b2be2d3.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Patriot missile systems." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596643-spain-patriot-missiles-ukraine/">Spain buckling to EU pressure on Patriots for Ukraine – El Pais</a></figcaption>
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During an address to the Ramstein Group, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky insisted that Kiev needs “at least seven” Patriot batteries from its Western backers to be able to repel Russian missile attacks.
In late March, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at least five Patriots operated by Ukraine had been destroyed by Moscow’s forces since the start of the year. Spain is among six European nations – including Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Greece – that have Patriot systems in service.
While Berlin has promised to supply another Patriot system to Ukraine, taking its donated tally to three, Poland and Greece insisted earlier this week that they have no air defense systems to spare.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated on Friday that Washington is also unable to provide Kiev with more air defense systems. “The US Patriot systems right now are being deployed around the world, including in the Middle East, to protect US troops,” Sullivan told MSNBC.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596649-us-patriot-batteries-ukraine/">
READ MORE: US has no Patriots to spare for Ukraine – White House
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Russia has warned that deliveries of foreign weapons systems to Kiev will not prevent Moscow from achieving its military goals, but will merely prolong the fighting and could increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. According to officials in Moscow, the provision of arms, the sharing of intelligence, and the training of Ukrainian troops means that Western nations have already become de-facto parties to the conflict.]]>
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<title>Tesla Autopilot feature linked to hundreds of crashes and 14 deaths – safety body</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596662-tesla-autopilot-linked-crash-investigation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596662-tesla-autopilot-linked-crash-investigation/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662cbf2c2030274d3e3dc628.jpg" /> US auto-safety regulators have linked Tesla’s Autopilot system to hundreds of crashes and over a dozen deaths <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596662-tesla-autopilot-linked-crash-investigation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The system was found to give drivers a false sense of security, according to US Transportation Department
Tesla’s Autopilot, an advanced driver-assist feature that Elon Musk insists will eventually lead to fully autonomous cars, has been linked to hundreds of crashes and over a dozen deaths in the latest report by US auto-safety regulators, published on Thursday.
The US Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that their investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot had identified at least 14 fatal crashes in which the feature was involved.
During its three-year investigation, which started in 2021, the agency has examined nearly 1,000 reported crashes that occurred between 2018 and August 2023. It found that the misuse of the Autopilot system had caused at least 14 accidents which led to fatalities and “many more involving serious injuries.”
NHTSA’s Office of Defective Investigations (ODI) found evidence that Tesla’s “weak driver engagement system was not appropriate for Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities,” which resulted in a “critical safety gap.”
Of the 956 crashes examined, officials revealed Autopilot-related trends in about half of them.
Of the remaining 467, ODI identified 211 crashes in which “the frontal plane of the Tesla struck a vehicle or obstacle in its path.” These accidents, which were often the most severe, had resulted in 14 deaths and 49 injuries. Over a hundred of the incidents also involved in roadway departures where Autosteer, a component of Autopilot, was “inadvertently disengaged by the driver’s inputs,” the report said.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/661d5b0885f540640a2b2cfb.jpg" alt="A Tesla electric-powered sedan stands at a Tesla charging staiton at a highway reststop along the A7 highway Rieden, Germany." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596006-tesla-signs-deal-with-indian-tata/">Tesla signs deal with Indian conglomerate – media</a></figcaption>
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The investigators concluded that drivers using Autopilot, or the system’s more advanced Full Self-Driving feature, “were not sufficiently engaged in the driving task.” Tesla’s technology “did not adequately ensure that drivers maintained their attention on the driving task,” the NHTSA said.
The investigation also found that the electric carmaker’s claims did not match up with reality.
The NHTSA raised concerns that Tesla’s Autopilot name “may lead drivers to believe that the automation has greater capabilities than it does and invite drivers to overly trust the automation.”
US safety authorities said on Friday that they have opened another investigation into Tesla’s largest-ever recall in December, covering over 2 million US vehicles, or essentially all of its vehicles on US roads.
The recall was ordered by the NHTSA over Tesla’s software update, which is designed to limit the use of its Autopilot feature. The company plans to unveil its robotaxi on August 8.]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>Details emerge of failed Russia-Ukraine peace treaty – Welt</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596659-russia-ukraine-peace-deal-2022/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596659-russia-ukraine-peace-deal-2022/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662cb70f2030274cf61ffdd2.jpg" /> Russia and Ukraine were close to a peace deal in 2022, under which Kiev was ready to commit to neutral status, Welt has reported <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596659-russia-ukraine-peace-deal-2022/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Kiev would have committed to neutral status and received international security guarantees, according to a draft agreement
Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching a peace deal in the spring of 2022, under which Kiev was ready to commit to neutrality, Welt reported on Friday, citing a draft treaty. Moscow’s insistence that Ukraine make Russian its second official language was reportedly among the stumbling blocks. 
Citing a 17-page document dated April 15, 2022, the German newspaper claimed that an agreement had largely been hammered out by Moscow and Kiev, and that any remaining differences would have been discussed at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Vladimir Zelensky. 
According to Welt, Ukraine would have committed to “permanent neutrality,” would have agreed not to allow foreign weapons and troops into the country, and would have pledged not to “receive, produce or acquire” nuclear weapons. Kiev would also reportedly have guaranteed not to hold military drills with other countries.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b831d85f540019034f563.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: The US-made HIMARS is one of the weapons Washington has donated to Kiev." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596619-china-nato-ukraine-conflict/">NATO responsible for Ukraine crisis – China </a></figcaption>
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In return, Russia would have pledged not to attack Ukraine again, while agreeing that Kiev could receive security guarantees from the US, UK, France, and China. If Ukraine came under attack, its guarantors would support its right to self-defense within three days, with the relevant agreements being ratified by each participating state, making them legally binding. 
Welt also claimed that the treaty had excluded Russia’s Crimean Peninsula, as well as parts of Donbass, from any security guarantees granted to Ukraine. 
However, it is unclear which parts of Donbass were covered by the clause. The outlet noted that while Russia had wanted the exact borders to be determined at a Putin-Zelensky summit, Kiev had refused, insisting that they be based on the Ukrainian interpretation. 
At the same time, Moscow had reportedly signaled it was ready to withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory, but not from Crimea and Donbass. The details were said to have been slated for discussion by Putin and Zelensky. 
The two sides also reportedly had major disagreements over the size of the Ukrainian military, as Kiev wanted to maintain far more troops than Moscow was prepared to allow. 
Welt reported that while the belligerents were close to an agreement, Moscow subsequently demanded that Russian be made the second official language in Ukraine. It also purportedly wanted all mutual sanctions to be lifted and lawsuits dropped in international courts, while insisting that Kiev ban Nazism and “aggressive nationalism.” Those demands were rejected by Ukraine, the paper claims.   
Commenting on the potential agreement, one Ukrainian negotiator told Welt: “That was the best deal we could have had,” arguing that Kiev was in a stronger negotiating position in 2022 than it is now. 
Russian officials earlier confirmed that Ukraine and Russia had been close to a peace deal, but claimed that progress had been derailed by then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who allegedly advised Kiev to keep fighting. Johnson has denied the accusation.]]>
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<title>CNN pressures Blinken on Chinese ‘election interference’</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596656-blinken-cnn-election-interferense/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596656-blinken-cnn-election-interferense/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662caecb203027457e7c3675.jpg" /> US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claims there’s “evidence” of Chinese attempts to meddle in US elections <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596656-blinken-cnn-election-interferense/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Washington has seen “evidence of attempts” to influence the US ballot coming from Beijing, the secretary of state has said
There is evidence that China has attempted to manipulate US elections, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN on Friday, as he wrapped up his three-day visit to the Asian nation.
Host Kylie Atwood asked the senior diplomat about a pledge not to interfere in American democratic processes which Chinese President Xi Jinping gave to his US counterpart Joe Biden during their meeting in San Francisco last November. Recent reports have suggested that Beijing has failed to honor this promise, she claimed.
Blinken refused to discuss any specifics. In general, Washington would consider any election interference “unacceptable,” he stressed, and that is what he reiterated during talks with top Chinese officials this week.
”We have seen, generally speaking, evidence of attempts to influence and arguably interfere. And we want to make sure that’s cut off as quickly as possible,” the secretary of state added.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596625-blinken-china-sanction-threat/">Blinken threatens China over Russia ties (VIDEO)</a></figcaption>
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Atwood’s conclusion from Blinken’s remarks was that China is “not heeding” US warnings.
A threat assessment issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in February stated that Beijing “aims to sow doubts about US leadership, undermine democracy, and extend Beijing’s influence” through information operations and possible election meddling.
”Even if Beijing sets limits on these activities, individuals not under its direct supervision may attempt election influence activities they perceive are in line with Beijing’s goals,” the document stated.
Claims that Chinese accounts online are trying to influence politics in the US came recently from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a London-based think tank, and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington DC-based lobbying organization.
Both reports focused on ‘Spamouflage’, a purported Chinese online influence operation. FDD claimed its research demonstrates “that social media takedowns are necessary, but not sufficient, to combat foreign malign influence operations.”
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596524-biden-signs-tiktok-bill/">
READ MORE: US sets clock ticking for TikTok
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Earlier this week, Biden signed into law a bill which gives the owner of TikTok nine months to divest or face a ban in the US market. Proponents claim that ByteDance, which owns the popular social media outlet, is beholden to the Chinese government.
Polls indicate that TikTok is a major news source for younger American voters, while older citizens prefer more traditional outlets, such as cable television and newspapers. Its management intends to challenge the law on First Amendment grounds.]]>
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<title>Israel rebuffs US call to investigate mass graves in Gaza – Politico</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596655-gaza-mass-graves-israel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596655-gaza-mass-graves-israel/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ca70785f54079916021c7.jpg" /> Accusations against Israeli troops of torture and executions are “fake news,” an IDF spokesman has told Politico <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596655-gaza-mass-graves-israel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Accusations against Israeli troops of torture and executions are “fake news,” an IDF spokesman told the outlet
Israel will not carry out further probes into mass graves found at Gaza hospitals, as it has already investigated the matter and found no wrongdoing by its troops, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has told Politico.
On Wednesday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Washington wanted to see the deaths “thoroughly and transparently investigated.”  Officials in Gaza have said a total of 392 bodies, including those of children and women, with signs of torture and executions, have so far been found at makeshift burial sites at two hospitals that were earlier raided by the Israeli military.
IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani told Politico on Friday that reports of Israeli troops having anything to do with the burials were “fake news.”
When asked whether that meant that Israel would not investigate the matter, he replied: “Investigate what?”
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6627ca8f85f5404bec245c63.jpg" alt="Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza left in ruins after withdrawal of Israeli forces" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596463-un-mass-graves-gaza-hospitals/">UN human rights chief ‘horrified’ by reports of mass graves at Gaza hospitals</a></figcaption>
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“We gave answers. We don’t bury people in mass graves. Not something we do,” the spokesman insisted, without specifying to whom those answers were given.
An unnamed US official told Politico that “the Israelis have told us privately what they’ve said publicly, that they totally reject the allegations.” However, the source stressed that the authorities in Washington “aren’t in a position to validate that, and would like a thorough and transparent investigation into the reports.”
Israel earlier said its forces had to fight inside the Nasser and Al-Shifa hospitals because Hamas militants used them as their bases – a claim that both the Palestinian armed group and medics have denied. According to the IDF, its troops killed around 200 militants at Al-Shifa, without harming civilians.
Sullivan’s call for a probe into the mass graves came on the same day that US President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package, which included $26.4 billion in military assistance for Israel.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596651-us-idf-sanctions-human-rights/">
READ MORE: US won’t sanction IDF despite ‘gross human rights violations’ – media
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The death toll from Israel’s airstrikes and ground offensive in Gaza over the past six months has reached 34,356, with 77,368 others wounded, according to the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry. The campaign was launched in response to an incursion into Israel by Hamas militants on October 7, in which at least 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.]]>
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<title>Drone raid on Russian energy infrastructure repelled</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596652-drone-raid-on-russian-energy-repelled/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596652-drone-raid-on-russian-energy-repelled/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662c8e0e20302744f23aff0e.jpg" /> Ukrainian UAVs attacked several Russian oil refineries in Krasnodar Region on Saturday <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596652-drone-raid-on-russian-energy-repelled/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Ukrainian UAVs targeted several oil refineries in Krasnodar Region on Saturday, in the latest series of attempted strikes
Russia repelled a wave of attempted Ukrainian drones strikes on oil refineries and energy infrastructure in the southern Krasnodar Region on Saturday, the local governor has said.
Air defenses foiled “an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack” and intercepted more than ten drones over the Slavyansk, Kushevsk and Seversky districts, Veniamin Kondratyev wrote in a Telegram post on Saturday morning. There were no reports of casualties, he added.
The Russian military intercepted a total of 68 UAVs overnight, including two over the Crimean Peninsula, the Defense Ministry reported on Saturday morning.
An aerial strike damaged a distillation column at the Slavyansk-on-Kuban oil refinery, the head of the Slavyansk district, Roman Sinyagovsky, reported. The attack caused a fire which has since been extinguished, the official wrote in a Telegram post.
“There have been nine attacks in total on the tank farm and distillation column. Thanks to the built-in protection system, the tank farm hasn’t been damaged.”
The region’s operational headquarters later reported that a fire had also been extinguished at a separation unit at the crude processing facility.
Eyewitnesses told the SHOT Telegram channel that Ukrainian kamikaze drones had struck at around 4 a.m. Explosions reportedly lasted for more than 30 minutes as air defense and electronic warfare systems were activated.
The Slavyansk oil refinery in Krasnodar Region has already been targeted by Kiev’s forces. In March, it caught fire after a Ukrainian drone strike in which one person died from a suspected heart attack, local officials said.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662385762030277b0b5832c2.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO. Servicemen of the Russian Air Defense Forces are seen at their workplaces in the combat control vehicle." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596300-ukrainian-drone-raid-russia/">Large-scale Ukrainian drone raid repelled in Russia – MOD</a></figcaption>
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Since January, Ukraine has launched a series of long-range drone attacks on Russian energy facilities, including oil depots and refineries.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has suggested the strikes are intended to impress Kiev’s Western supporters and compensate for a lack of progress on the front line.
US Vice President Kamala Harris privately told Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to refrain from striking Russian oil refineries when they met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February, the Washington Post wrote earlier this week.
The White House reportedly fears attacks on refineries inside Russia could raise global prices and provoke massive retaliation from Moscow.]]>
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<title>US won’t sanction IDF despite ‘gross human rights violations’ – media</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596651-us-idf-sanctions-human-rights/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596651-us-idf-sanctions-human-rights/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662c787620302737757c3ca6.jpg" /> Washington has determined that three IDF units committed “gross human rights violations,” but will keep military aid to Israel flowing <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596651-us-idf-sanctions-human-rights/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Israel has reportedly offered a “path to effective remediation” for the delinquent units
The US government has determined that three Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units committed human rights violations against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, but will still continue military aid to Israel, according to reports.
Under the so-called Leahy Law, the US Departments of State and Defense are prohibited from extending military assistance to foreign armies and law enforcement units that are proven to have flagrantly violated human rights. There is an exception, however, for when steps have been taken “to bring to justice the responsible members of the unit,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined in an undated <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-sanction-israeli-military-units-accused-human-rights/story?id=109651562" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">letter</a> to House Speaker Mike Johnson obtained by ABC News and AP on Friday.
The accusations against two civilian and three military units, including the Netzah Yehuda Battalion composed primarily of ultra-Orthodox Jews, stem from incidents unrelated to the war against Hamas in Gaza.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6624b0d985f540405b70be8b.jpg" alt="Netzah Yehuda volunteers at their military graduation, May 2013, Jerusalem, Israel" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596334-us-sanctions-idf-netanyahu/">Potential US sanctions on IDF ‘absurd’ – Netanyahu</a></figcaption>
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According to Blinken, four units have since undergone “proper remediation steps,” and Israel has promised to deal with the remaining one in the near future. According to previous reports, the unit in question is the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which was redeployed to the Golan Heights in Syria in January last year after a “relatively large number of incidents” in which soldiers were arrested for beating Palestinians.
“The Israeli government has presented new information regarding the status of the unit and we will engage on identifying a path to effective remediation for this unit,” Blinken wrote.
Even though the US has determined that three battalions under review committed “gross human rights violations,” the findings “will not delay the delivery of any US assistance and Israel will be able to receive the full amount appropriated by Congress,” Blinken wrote.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596276-eu-sanctions-israel-settlers/">EU sanctions Israeli ‘extremists’</a></figcaption>
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“This will have no impact on our support for Israel’s ability to defend itself against Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, or other threats,” he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the idea of sanctioning the IDF last week, adding that he has been in touch with US officials to work against the potential decision. At a time when the IDF is “fighting terrorist monsters,” this intention is “the height of absurdity and a moral low,” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), insisting his government will act “by all means against these moves.” ]]>
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<title>Violent tornadoes leave trail of destruction in US (VIDEOS)</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596650-tornado-destruction-nebraska-iowa/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596650-tornado-destruction-nebraska-iowa/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662c5a2885f54076804d727a.jpg" /> Multiple powerful tornadoes have ripped through the central US, leaving hundreds of houses badly damaged or completely destroyed <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596650-tornado-destruction-nebraska-iowa/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The city of Omaha in Nebraska was hardest hit, with more severe weather expected
Multiple powerful tornadoes have ripped through the central US, leaving hundreds of houses badly damaged or completely destroyed in their path. Authorities have warned that severe storms are expected to continue until Sunday.
The National Weather Service had received over <a href="https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/today.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">90 reports</a> of tornadoes in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa as of 9pm Central Time. 
Dramatic photos and videos of the violent weather circulated online, some captured by local news outlets and others taken by storm spotters.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">More incredible videos coming out of Nebraska of today's tornado outbreak. From outside of Lincoln to Elkhorn to Omaha. The damage done was immense and the residence of NE will forever remember this day. Prayers for all the beautiful people of Nebraska. <a href="https://t.co/WvkIHUWQue">pic.twitter.com/WvkIHUWQue</a>— ✞ Gabriel ✞ (@gabrielhaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/gabrielhaynes/status/1783991686734979356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
One of the most powerful tornadoes ripped through Omaha, a city of some 485,000 people in Nebraska. Local authorities reported major damage to homes and businesses, but no confirmed fatalities.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My brother sent me this….this was about 10 minute drive from where I live. So much destruction!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Midwest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Midwest</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Omaha?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Omaha</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nebraska?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nebraska</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Weather?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Weather</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tornado?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tornado</a> <a href="https://t.co/cPExwZF8QY">pic.twitter.com/cPExwZF8QY</a>— HayesCampbell/AugustMoon Groupie (@romancejunkie48) <a href="https://twitter.com/romancejunkie48/status/1783996136400810374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“There’s lots of trees down. There’s roofs missing from houses. You definitely see the path of the tornado,” police Lt. Neal Bonacci said, as footage on social media showed multiple completely destroyed or heavily damaged structures.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">VIDEO ALERT! Footage coming in shows the intensity of the tornado ripping through <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nebraska?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nebraska</a>! Watch as the twister tears through homes and businesses, leaving destruction in its wake. Stay safe, Omaha! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TornadoWarning?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TornadoWarning</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEwx?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NEwx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TornadoVideos?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TornadoVideos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tornado?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tornado</a> <a href="https://t.co/VjARIX3zqn">pic.twitter.com/VjARIX3zqn</a>— Sami Ullah (@SammiUllahh) <a href="https://twitter.com/SammiUllahh/status/1783964734020108672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“We’ll be looking throughout properties in debris piles, we’ll be looking in basements, trying to find any victims and make sure everybody is rescued who needs assistance,” Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bossman added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Minden, Iowa got sideswiped on the SE side by a violent <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tornado?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tornado</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanHallWX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JordanHallWX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iawx?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iawx</a> <a href="https://t.co/iGBvxSy7KY">pic.twitter.com/iGBvxSy7KY</a>— MyRadar Weather (@MyRadarWX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MyRadarWX/status/1784003454165287261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Another “particularly dangerous” tornado touched down near the towns of Harlan, Shelby and Minden in Iowa, with meteorologists warning of possible “catastrophic damage.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">JUST IN: Massive half-mile wide tornado reported in several counties in Nebraska, knocking over a semi-truck. Western Omaha residents are being told to seek shelter now as the tornado is moving towards Elkhorn. Multiple toronados have been reported in the Lincoln area with… <a href="https://t.co/2ZmrgBKAqW">pic.twitter.com/2ZmrgBKAqW</a>— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1783964073132183700?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Weather Service issued an “ominous” forecast, according to AP, warning that large hail and strong wind gusts were on Saturday, with more tornadoes expected across parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.]]>
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<title>US has no Patriots to spare for Ukraine – White House</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596649-us-patriot-batteries-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596649-us-patriot-batteries-ukraine/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662c3d6f85f54031cf6e5f5f.jpg" /> Washington is not willing to risk undermining its own security, but wants partners to share their air defense capabilities with Kiev instead <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596649-us-patriot-batteries-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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American air defense capabilities are stretched around the globe, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has claimed
The US is not willing to risk undermining its own security but is working around the clock to pressure the EU, NATO, and other partners to share their air defense capabilities with Ukraine instead, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said.
Addressing a virtual <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3758274/2-year-anniversary-of-ukraine-defense-contact-group-comes-with-billions-in-new/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meeting</a> of the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Friday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky demanded “at least seven” Patriot batteries from his Western backers. Kiev’s main sponsor, however, has indicated that it has none to spare.
“The US Patriot systems right now are being deployed around the world, including in the Middle East, to protect US troops,” Sullivan told MSNBC later in the day.
“If we can unlock further American Patriot batteries we would send them. But we are doing a lot of the supplying of the actual missiles that go into those batteries that get fired,” the US official insisted.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bb1e185f5407a1f37787b.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: A Patriot air defense system at the airport of Rzeszow-Jasionka, Poland." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596634-greece-ukraine-patriot-nato/">EU state says it won’t give missile systems to Ukraine</a></figcaption>
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The Pentagon has pledged additional Patriot munitions as part of a “historic” $6 billion assistance package announced on Friday. However, the interceptors could take months or even years to arrive, as the batch will not come from existing Pentagon stockpiles. Instead, the announcement “represents the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3757794/biden-administration-announces-historic-new-security-assistance-package-for-ukr/">beginning</a> of a contracting process” with the US defense industry.
Manufactured by US arms giant Raytheon, a single MIM-104 Patriot battery costs over $1 billion. It consists of multiple truck-mounted units, including power, radar, antenna, engagement control and other support vehicles, as well as up to eight launchers with interceptor missiles.
The US has produced over 1,100 Patriot launchers over the years. It is estimated to have hundreds in active service and in storage, but has only sent a single battery to Ukraine. Germany has donated two more full batteries, while the Netherlands has shared two individual launchers.
“In the meantime, what we’re going to do is work with European partners and partners in other parts of the world to get them to provide additional air defense capability to Ukraine,” Sullivan added.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bdb8385f5400e7b2be2d3.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Patriot missile systems." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596643-spain-patriot-missiles-ukraine/">Spain buckling to EU pressure on Patriots for Ukraine – El Pais</a></figcaption>
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In addition to Germany and the Netherlands, other European nations that operate Patriot systems include Poland, Spain, Greece, and Romania. While Berlin recently promised to supply yet another Patriot battery to Ukraine, Warsaw said earlier this week that it has no air defense systems to spare. 
Spain has stated it can only provide a “small number” of Patriot interceptor missiles from its stocks, but not the actual systems. Greece has also resisted outside pressure, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has insisted no action will be taken “that could even remotely endanger our nation’s deterrent capabilities or air defense.”]]>
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<title>Biden drops menthol cigarette ban to court black voters – WSJ</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596648-biden-menthols-black-voters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596648-biden-menthols-black-voters/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662c298420302744b83f1d16.jpg" /> Keeping African-Americans’ favorite tobacco product legal has to do with bad polling, not public health, critics have said <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596648-biden-menthols-black-voters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The plan had divided the African-American community, the Democrats’ traditional base
The White House has indefinitely postponed plans to ban menthol cigarettes, after polls showed a drastic drop in African-American support for President Joe Biden ahead of the November election, according to the Wall Street Journal.
About 81% of black smokers used menthols as of 2020, the year when Biden got 91% of the black vote. Recent polls showed only 68% of African Americans planning to support the Democrat this time around, however.
“It’s clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/menthol-cigarette-ban-explained-0c41df7a" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> in a statement on Friday, noting the feedback the proposed ban received from civil rights and criminal justice reform groups.
The ban was <a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/522445-aclu-menthol-cigarettes-ban-warning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first proposed</a> in April 2021, as part of Biden’s “Cancer Moonshot” initiative. The White House argued that outlawing menthol cigarettes would help “people of color” improve health outcomes. Menthols account for more than 30% of all cigarettes sold in the US each year, and are the most popular among black and Hispanic smokers.
The plan ended up sharply dividing the Democratic voter base, however. Biden’s former domestic policy adviser Susan Rice has argued that delaying the ban “puts more Black lives at risk,” while the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) endorsed the ban on flavored tobacco products as a “social justice issue.”
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/572223-biden-stupid-black-history/">Biden calls himself ‘white but not stupid’</a></figcaption>
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) countered that the ban would create a black market for menthols and drive up negative interactions between police and African Americans, all of which would “disproportionately impact people of color, as well as prioritize criminalization over public health and harm reduction.”
Altria Group and Reynolds American, the two largest US cigarette makers, also lobbied against the ban. 
Canada effectively banned menthols by 2018 and the EU did the same in 2020. A study from the University of Waterloo in Canada, based on those bans, projected that the White House proposal would cause 1.3 million smokers to quit within two years, including some 380,000 African Americans.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/586212-biden-issues-ai-executive-order/">Biden bans AI racism</a></figcaption>
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“The science is clear that there will be a massive health benefit from removing menthol cigarettes,” said Mitch Zeller, former director of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products. Zeller suggested that political considerations were behind the Biden administration’s decision.
According to the FDA, it is “likely that menthol cigarettes pose a public health risk above that seen with non-menthol cigarettes.”
“This is a commonsense plan which could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly, an Illinois Democrat who chairs the Health Braintrust of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Menthols are currently banned in two US states, California and Massachusetts, and over 100 municipalities across the country.

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<title>UK accuses alleged arsonist of working for Russia</title>
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<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596647-uk-arson-plot-russia-wagner/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662c13122030274502710288.jpg" /> London claims that arson at two Ukrainian-owned warehouses was masterminded in Moscow, in the first prosecution under new Security Act <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596647-uk-arson-plot-russia-wagner/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Charges in London warehouse fire are the first under the new National Security Act
British authorities have pressed charges for the first time under the National Security Act introduced last year, accusing a Leicestershire man of organizing two arson attacks on behalf of Russian intelligence, UK media revealed on Friday.
Judge Daniel Sternberg of the Westminster Magistrates Court has also lifted reporting restrictions imposed on April 20, allowing news outlets to identify the suspects and the charges against them.
The government claims 20-year-old Dylan Earl of Elmesthorpe acted as a “conduit” for Russian intelligence and recruited men to set fire to two warehouses in east London last month.
“He was recruited online by those acting on behalf of Russia and the terrorist organization the Wagner Group to recruit others and engage in malign activity,” Prosecutor David Cawthorne told reporters. “The arson which caused a significant fire in a commercial premises was intended to send out the message that if you assist Ukraine there will be punishment to follow.”
London <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/583033-uk-wagner-terrorist-organization/">designated</a> the Wagner Group as a terrorist organization last September – a month after the outfit’s head, Russian businessman Evgeny Prigozhin, perished in a plane crash. Any evidence of Earl’s connection to Wagner or Russia has yet to be presented.
Two units of an industrial park in Leyton were damaged by fire on March 21. It took eight fire engines and 60 firefighters to put out the blaze, according to the media. Prosecutors said the fire was set deliberately, using gasoline as an accelerant.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596639-uk-universities-china-espionage/">MI5 to vet British academics for Chinese spy links – media</a></figcaption>
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While the charging documents did not specify who owned the warehouses that burned up, company records identified them as Oddisey and Meest UK, parcel delivery services owned by British-Ukrainian businessman Mikhail Prikhodko and his wife Jelena Boikova.
“This is a highly significant moment and investigation for us,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, the head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism command, noting that it was “the first time that we have arrested, and now charged anyone using the powers and legislation brought in under the National Security Act.”
In addition to Dylan Earl, the NSA was invoked against Jake Reeves, 22, of Croydon, for allegedly “agreeing to accept a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service.” 
Reeves was also charged with aggravated arson, along with Paul English, 60, of Roehampton and Nii Kojo Mensah, 21, of Thornton Heath.
The fifth defendant in the case was identified as 22-year-old Dmitrijus Paulauska, a friend of Reeves from Croydon, who was charged with having information about terrorist acts but not reporting it to the authorities. 
All five men are scheduled to appear for a hearing at the Old Bailey on May 10. They have not yet entered any pleas in the case. According to Murphy, the investigation “remains ongoing.”]]>
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<title>African state suspends BBC and VOA</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/africa/596645-burkina-faso-killings-coverage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/africa/596645-burkina-faso-killings-coverage/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662c084e203027451f0c754f.jpg" /> Burkina Faso has banned outlets BBC and VOA for two weeks after their coverage of report accusing the army of massacres <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596645-burkina-faso-killings-coverage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Burkina Faso banned the outlets for two weeks after coverage of report accusing the army of mass killings
Burkina Faso has suspended the radio broadcasts of UK-funded BBC Africa and US-funded Voice of America (VOA) over their coverage of a report accusing the country’s army of conducting mass executions.
According to authorities cited by media, broadcasts by the two outlets have been taken off air and each organization’s website has been banned for two weeks.
In a report published on Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW), a US-based group, has accused the country’s military forces of “summarily executing” at least 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in two villages in February. The HRW has called on authorities to investigate the massacres.
According to the report, the Burkinabe army has repeatedly committed mass atrocities against civilians in the name of fighting terrorism. HRW also suggests that the “massacre” appeared to be part of a “widespread military campaign” against civilians accused of collaborating with armed groups.
Burkina Faso’s communication council claimed that HRW’s report contained “peremptory and tendentious” declarations against the army that are likely to create public disorder. It has also warned other media networks against reporting on the story.
Both the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and VOA (Voice of America) said they intend to continue covering events in the country.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596467-african-union-new-terrorism-fight-approach-calls/">African leaders push for new approach to fighting terrorism</a></figcaption>
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The West African country, a former French colony, is run by a military government led by Captain Ibrahim Traore who seized power in a coup in September 2022, eight months after an earlier military coup had overthrown the democratically elected President Roch Marc Kabore.
Burkina Faso is one of several Sahel nations that have been struggling to contain Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent groups, which have been carrying out regular attacks in several African states. At least 7,800 civilians were killed in the first seven months of 2023 in the Sahel alone, according to figures reported by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).
The African Union (AU) Commission President Moussa Faki Mahamat said at a security summit this week that escalating attacks by armed groups in all African regions necessitate greater local-led peacekeeping efforts. The AU called for a more robust counterterrorism strategy, including the deployment of a standby security force to address surging extremist violence across the continent.







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<title>West must rebuild relations with Russia from scratch – Kremlin</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596646-west-rebuild-relations-scratch-kremlin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596646-west-rebuild-relations-scratch-kremlin/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662c03d085f54079f17cbca2.jpg" /> Russia and Europe will have to rebuild their relations from scratch on a “new basis” after the Ukraine conflict ends, the Kremlin has said <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596646-west-rebuild-relations-scratch-kremlin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Moscow has had enough of Europe’s hostile attitude, Dmitry Peskov has said
Contacts between Russia and Europe will never be the same even after the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev ends, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday. Russia has seen enough of the West’s hostile treatment and does not want to stick to the old model of relations, he said.
”Russia threatens no one in Europe and expects no one in Europe to threaten it,” Peskov said. That does not mean, though, that the West would be able to continue “business as usual” with Moscow, he warned.
European nations will still have Russia as their neighbor after the conflict and will be bound to maintain certain relations with it, the Kremlin spokesman said. “There will be no relations as before. No one will want it,” he stated, adding that Moscow would certainly oppose reverting to old practices.
”We have had a lot of experience with how the Europeans treat us,” the official explained. “We will always take this experience into account.” Any future relations would thus be based on some “new foundations,” according to Peskov.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/590896-russia-cant-trust-west-lavrov/">Russia can’t trust West – Lavrov</a></figcaption>
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The Kremlin spokesman’s words echoed earlier statements by top Russian officials, including by President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In January, the nation’s top diplomat said that the Ukraine conflict had clearly shown that Moscow cannot trust the West.
”If there had been any illusions left over from the 1990s, that the West would open its arms to embrace us and that democracy would unite us all, they have been completely dispelled,” the minister said at that time, adding that the only thing Washington and its allies wanted was to “live at the expense of others.”
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/595384-stop-lying-russia-us-relations/">‘Stop lying,’ Russia tells US</a></figcaption>
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Late last year, Vladimir Putin admitted that he’d been “naive” early on in his political career, despite having served in the Soviet KGB. He said he believed that there was no fundamental reason for the West and Moscow to be at odds after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The president then said that he eventually understood that the West was seeking to break Russia into several entities that would have less ability to protect their national interests.
Earlier this month, Moscow also pinned the blame on Washington for the current crisis in relations between Russia and Western nations. The ongoing standoff was an exclusive choice of the West itself, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said at the time. It was not Moscow that “moved its war machine to NATO’s borders” and spearheaded unprecedented economic and personal sanctions, the diplomat said, adding that America simply refuses to understand that Moscow would never give up on its national interests.]]>
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<title>Andrew Tate to stand trial in Romania for sex trafficking and rape</title>
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<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596644-andrew-tate-rape-trial-romania/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bead9203027451f0c7542.jpg" /> Controversial influencer Andrew Tate lost a motion to have sex-trafficking and rape charges dropped before his trial, but said he’ll appeal <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596644-andrew-tate-rape-trial-romania/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The online influencer’s court date has not yet been set
A Bucharest court has moved to proceed with the trial of Andrew Tate, the Anglo-American social media influencer who has been charged with rape, human trafficking, and running a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan were arrested in December 2022. Both men were indicted last June, along with two Romanian women alleged to have been their accomplices. They have denied all allegations.
The Tates have challenged the indictment in the preliminary chamber stage. On Friday, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled it would allow the case to go forward, but has not set a trial date.
“The ruling issued by the preliminary chamber judge lacks legal basis and reasoning,” said Eugen Vidineac, one of the lawyers for the Tate brothers. “We have filed a strong appeal as we believe the ruling to be unlawful.”
Another attorney, Ioan Gliga, told AP that the arguments challenging the criminal investigation and the indictments “did not receive the necessary attention in the preliminary hearing,” but that the Tates’ defense was confident that the appeals court will rule in their favor.
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READ MORE: Andrew Tate and brother arrested in Romania
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The brothers were jailed for three months before being moved to house arrest. Since then, the courts have allowed them to move around Romania but denied their petition to travel within the EU.
Last month, Romania agreed to extradite the Tates to the UK over allegations of “sexual aggression” dating back to 2012-2015, but only after the domestic legal proceedings have concluded.
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<title>Spain buckling to EU pressure on Patriots for Ukraine – El Pais</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596643-spain-patriot-missiles-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596643-spain-patriot-missiles-ukraine/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bdb8385f5400e7b2be2d3.jpg" /> Madrid has given in to US and EU pressure to send Kiev some interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems, as it has no launchers to spare <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596643-spain-patriot-missiles-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Interceptor missiles will reportedly be sent, as there are no launchers to spare

Madrid will send Kiev missiles for the Patriot air defense system, due to intense pressure from the EU and NATO, the daily El Pais has reported, citing government sources.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has demanded six US-made launchers from NATO, one of them being a Spanish system currently deployed to the Turkish-Syrian border, according to the outlet. Madrid has refused, but will instead transfer “a small number” of missiles to Kiev instead.
Spain operates only three Patriot batteries, purchased in used condition from Germany between 2004 and 2014. One of them has been deployed near the Turkish city of Adana since 2013, while the other two are in Valencia. One of those is actually being used to train Ukrainian soldiers in operating the system, El Pais said.
The newspaper’s sources did not say how many missiles Spain intended to send, only that Madrid keeps a “war reserve” of about fifty and that they are very expensive, costing about a million euros apiece. Spain is also planning to refurbish ten more Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and send them to Ukraine, in addition to the ten delivered last year.
The Spanish Defense Ministry wants to buy four of the newest Patriot models, the PAC-3. Last October, the US greenlit the potential sale, valued at €2.6 billion ($2.78 billion), but the government in Madrid has not yet approved the contract. Under the best circumstances, the new batteries would not be available until 2028 at the earliest.
<a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596561-peskov-atacms-missiles-ukraine/"></a>
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596561-peskov-atacms-missiles-ukraine/">Russia comments on ATACMS delivery to Kiev</a></figcaption>
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Supplying other air defense systems to Ukraine is “problematic,” according to the outlet, because Spain has none to spare. Madrid only has four NASAMS batteries, with one permanently stationed in Latvia and another on rotation in Estonia. Ammunition for the 12 Hawk launchers provided to Ukraine has long run out, as it is not being manufactured anymore. The Spanish government has already agreed to prioritize deliveries of domestically produced ammunition to Kiev, over replenishing the “almost empty” army arsenals, said El Pais.
Germany has just announced it would send another Patriot battery – the third so far – to Ukraine, while the Netherlands said it would be willing to fund the purchase of interceptors from third countries. Greece has been under pressure to send some of its Patriot launchers as well, though Athens has not yet given in.
Pressure on the European members of the US-led bloc has lessened somewhat after the US Congress passed the $61 billion bill to fund Ukraine, according to the Spanish daily.
Russia has repeatedly said that new deliveries of weapons to Ukraine won’t change the battlefield dynamic and will only result in more needless Ukrainian deaths. ]]>
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<title>MI5 to vet British academics for Chinese spy links – media</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596639-uk-universities-china-espionage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596639-uk-universities-china-espionage/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662beb5685f54031cf6e5f41.jpg" /> Hostile states have been attempting to steal sensitive research from British institutions, M15 claims <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596639-uk-universities-china-espionage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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London’s espionage chief claims foreign states have been targeting UK universities
Academics and researchers at British universities will be vetted by the nation’s security services as part of government plans to crack down on alleged Chinese espionage, according to The Times.
The measures were reportedly announced following a meeting on Thursday between MI5 Director General Ken McCallum and the vice-chancellors of two dozen leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.
McCallum reportedly warned that hostile states are actively targeting universities to steal technology that can “deliver their authoritarian, military and commercial priorities.”
According to the M15 chief, a secret review into the vulnerabilities of the UK’s higher education sector has shown that countries like China are deploying both “overt and covert mechanisms” to “acquire intellectual property and steal advantage.”
Consultations are underway on a new system of government vetting that would see academics who have access to sensitive research face background checks by security services, according to the report.
The government will also be looking at new funding for higher education institutions to increase security around sensitive sites. Universities could also reportedly be required to consult with the security services when entering into funding partnerships and collaborations with foreign institutions.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/558527-chinese-students-leave-uk/">Chinese students leave UK amid crackdown – MI5</a></figcaption>
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Alicia Kearns, chairwoman of the foreign affairs select committee, said in a post on X that academia has for “too long” pretended it has “no role to play in our national security” and could operate “free from geo-strategic realities.” 
“Significant evidence indicates a systematic attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate British academia and exfiltrate critical research, capabilities and technologies,” she said.
Beijing has repeatedly denied any espionage-related accusations, branding them as “malicious smears.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said this week during a news briefing: “We would like to reiterate that the claim that China could be stealing UK intelligence is a groundless accusation and malicious smear, and we firmly oppose that accusation. Such malicious manipulation aimed at China should stop.”
MI5 had previously identified more than 50 Chinese college students enrolled at UK universities which it said were linked to the People’s Liberation Army, who have left the country in recent years as a result of a crackdown on what the spy agency described as the theft of defense-related technology and other sensitive research materials.]]>
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<title>‘Our Europe could die,’ Macron says. Who’s the killer?</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596642-europe-death-macron-france/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596642-europe-death-macron-france/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662be49c85f5407991602191.jpg" /> French President Macron spoke at Sorbonne University on the EU’s achievements, but has little to boast about <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596642-europe-death-macron-france/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The French president has given a speech to highlight the EU’s achievements – but there’s little to celebrate
“We must be clear about the fact that our Europe today is mortal,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a <a href="https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2024/04/24/discours-sur-leurope" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">speech</a> this week. “She can die, and it depends only on our choices. But these choices are to be made now.”
What Macron portrays as an urgent need to resuscitate the EU comes after he himself has spent nearly seven years in power, having even been president of the Council of the European Union in 2022. He’s been credited for the nomination and confirmation of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, described by Forbes last year as the world’s most powerful woman. Or, as some might say, an unelected, omnipotent bureaucrat whose supranational authoritarianism supersedes the democratic process of member states. Or, as others might now say after Macron’s address, the Nurse Ratched at the EU’s deathbed.
Macron’s interminable speech should have been one big mea culpa on behalf of the EU’s establishment class. Tell us how you screwed up. At least then we’d know that there was hope for an actual course correction rather than just more of the same.
Instead, Macron argued that the EU hasn’t ever been a vassal of Washington. Saying that you’re not a vassal is exactly like having to tell people you’re not a prostitute. It’s not something that one has to go around saying if the optics aren’t already glaring. Queen Ursula is basically America’s viceroy in Europe at this point, and Macron himself can’t seem to manage to carve out any positions independent of the US that last longer than the time it takes for Uncle Sam to reach over and administer a transatlantic spanking.
Macron’s speech was a fascinating blend of delusion and insecurity. He chose Paris’ Sorbonne University as the venue. The theme? “<a href="https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/stocktake-of-european-action-by-the-president-of-the-french-republic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stocktake of European action</a>.” Sure, tell us what’s really going on as though you had a clue – and an actual strategy and vision that wasn’t subjected to the constant whims and trends of the moment or any given election cycle.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a56a920302773090839b7.jpg" alt="French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, on April 25, 2024." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596569-macron-speech-mortal-europe/">‘Our Europe’ could die – Macron</a></figcaption>
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Macron gave a similar speech at the Sorbonne in September 2017. Why there? Because as Macron said last time, “living collectively was the ideal of Robert de Sorbon” – the theologian who founded the university. It just so happens that circling the drain collectively is what the EU is really all about right now, thanks to the special brand of iron-fisted incompetence of those in charge. There’s a European Parliament election coming up, and the populists are surging in the polls right now.
The first step to recovery is admitting that there’s a problem. Macron, however, apparently feels compelled to do the opposite of that, and talk about all of the EU’s failures as though they’re successes. Like counterterrorism, for instance. France has made such great progress on that front that the country is now back on the highest alert just days before it's slated to host the Paris Olympics, including an open air Opening Ceremony along the Seine. It barely seems to have ever been downgraded from high alert; the initially white terror warning signs have been turning yellow from years of light exposure in the windows of buildings where they’re now permanent fixtures. Macron, however, highlighted the role of a new bureaucratic entity called the ECOFIN Council. Because nothing deters terrorists more than meetings.
In addressing Africa, Macron underscored the importance of another meeting: the “European Union - Africa Summit” held two years ago. The sparse content in the Africa section of Macron’s talk could be explained by minor details like French troops being drop-kicked back across the Mediterranean by African countries after French stability missions resulted in coups (which are kind of the opposite of stability).
Clearly not deterred by any inconvenient discrepancies between reality and projected fantasy, Macron’s speech also celebrated addressing the migration challenge, which the EU has basically paid to outsource to countries like Turkey, Tunisia, Mauritania and Egypt. The last I checked, none of these countries were actually in Europe. But the EU has outsourced almost everything else by this point, so they may as well.
Macron talked about the EU leading the ecological and environmental transition. To what, exactly? Poverty, probably. Just ask the farmers straitjacketed by Brussels' climate change diktats, their farmland being spied on by satellites to ensure compliance, how great that is. He brought up the EU’s energy sovereignty and reindustrialization. Not so fast; Germany in particular is still busy going in the opposite direction and de-industrializing. So it might be a while before the EU’s economic engine comes out on the flip side.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596540-macron-eu-commission-election/">Macron wants von der Leyen replaced – Bloomberg</a></figcaption>
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The EU has become more dependent on pricier American liquefied natural gas, which sounds like the opposite of sovereignty. France’s own LNG imports from the country the EU implies an explicit need to be sovereign from — Russia — are now up 75% in the first few months of this year, compared to a year ago. France was Russia’s top customer for LNG in Europe last February, according to a <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/france-talk-tough-ukraine-while-gobble-up-more-russia-gas/#:~:text=France%20is%20far%20from%20the,the%20same%20period%20last%20year. " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Politico report</a>. For all the noise it makes, it’s not like the EU has stopped importing gas from Russia. They just replaced their Russian pipeline gas imports with Russian LNG – a billion dollars worth of Russian arctic liquified natural gas into the EU every month, to be exact. In 2023, the bloc was actually still importing 15% of its pipeline gas from Russia, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/new-west-east-route-keeps-europe-hooked-russian-gas-2024-04-03/#:~:text=EU%20statistics%20and%20Reuters%20calculations,37%25%20of%20EU%20gas%20supply. " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>. While that’s down from 45% before the conflict in Ukraine, it still might come as a shock to people who were actually listening to Brussels brag about how they were sticking it to Putin by depriving him of energy revenues, that they were still importing any pipeline gas at all. The NGO Global Witness <a href="https://www.globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/eu-imports-russian-lng-have-jumped-40-invasion-ukraine/ " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> last year that the EU really just pivoted to importing Russian liquefied natural gas, instead of pipeline gas, with Russian LNG imports into the EU jumping 40% since the onset of the conflict — even more than in each of the previous two years.
Speaking of Ukraine, Macron said that “the sina qua non condition for our security is that Russia does not win the war of aggression it is waging against Ukraine. This is essential.” What’s more essential is that Macron should spell out what Ukraine “winning” actually means. It would seem that Ukraine not continuing to senselessly grind down its demographics should be seen as a win, given the non-zero chance of a battlefield game-changer that risks igniting a Third World War. Macron, however, clearly has other ideas, what with all his cosplaying as Napoleon Bonaparte and fantasizing about smoking Russians by openly talking about sending French troops to Ukraine.
Not that Ukraine is actually in the EU, but Macron now explains that the EU has “started to rethink our geography within the boundaries of our neighborhood.” Imagine the EU’s reaction to Russia uttering those same words.
In the end, however, this is just another speech, calibrated for maximum impact ahead of the upcoming June EU parliamentary elections. Like much of what EU leaders such as Macron are peddling nowadays, firehosing reality and diluting it with ideological rhetoric might tug on a few hearts, but won’t win over any brain that isn’t totally shot full of holes like a block of Comté.]]>
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<title>Soros funding US pro-Palestinian protests – media</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596640-student-protests-palestine-soros/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596640-student-protests-palestine-soros/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bc26e20302745b8569b8d.jpg" /> Student groups organizing pro-Palestinian tent cities at US universities have reportedly received money from George Soros’s foundations <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596640-student-protests-palestine-soros/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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A network of nonprofits has reportedly paid student groups organizing tent cities in colleges, according to the New York Post

Several student groups that have organized protest “camps” at major US universities have received money from activist billionaire George Soros, the New York Post reported on Friday.
Protests that began earlier this month at Columbia University in New York City have since spread to 40 universities and colleges in the US and Canada, including Harvard, Yale and UC Berkeley. The Columbia protest was organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Within Our Lifetime.
All three have received funding from Soros’s Open Society Foundations through a network of nonprofits, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/26/us-news/george-soros-maoist-fund-columbias-anti-israel-tent-city/">Post claimed</a>, citing its own research. Other major donors to the student groups were identified as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and former Wall Street banker Felice Gelman.
None of the groups responded to the Post’s requests for comment.
The outlet also named three “fellows” of the Soros-funded US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), paid several thousand dollars to organize campaigns on campus. Two of them are former interns for congressional Democrats.
<a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596631-us-university-protest-crackdown-palestine/"></a>
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662baa8385f5407d33647c16.jpg" alt="Police detain a demonstrator during a pro-Palestinian protest at Emory University on April 25, 2024." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596631-us-university-protest-crackdown-palestine/">WATCH police fire taser at pro-Palestinian protester at US college</a></figcaption>
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Activists have demanded that universities “divest” from companies such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft, as well as Lockheed Martin, that have contracts with the Israeli government. They also want the US government to stop giving any more money to Israel, citing its “genocide” of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Leader of the pro-Israel group Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, blamed the protests on “campus proxies” of Iran in an interview with MSNBC this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596581-netanyahu-us-antisemitic-protests/">has claimed</a> that “anti-Semitic mobs have taken over leading universities” in the US and were calling for “the annihilation of Israel.” He compared the protesters to German Nazis in the 1930s and said their actions had to be “condemned and condemned unequivocally.” 
Israel sent troops into Gaza after a series of deadly raids by Hamas on October 7 last year, killing an estimated 1,200 Israelis. Netanyahu has vowed to completely destroy the Gaza-based Palestinian group. So far, over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military operation and another 80,000 wounded. Much of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed as well.]]>
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<title>Russia must fear NATO – bloc member</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596641-russia-must-fear-nato-poland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596641-russia-must-fear-nato-poland/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bc02420302745b8569b88.jpg" /> Moscow should keep in mind that it would lose in a war with the West, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596641-russia-must-fear-nato-poland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Moscow would lose in a war with the West, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has claimed
Russia should fear a clash with NATO because such a war would end in “inevitable defeat” for Moscow, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told his country's parliament on Thursday. The US-led military bloc has several times more troops and resources than Moscow, he claimed.
Sikorski’s comments come after a number of European leaders warned that Russia may attack an EU member state if it is allowed to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield.
“It is not we, the West, who should fear a clash with Putin, but the other way around,” he insisted, adding that “it is worth reminding [people] about this” to show that an attack by Russia on any NATO member would end in Moscow’s defeat. 
“Putin’s only hope is our lack of determination,” he stated.
The minister said the US-led military bloc remains a “defensive pact,” but nevertheless boasted that it has three times as many military personnel, three times the aerial resources, and four times as many ships as Russia.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596562-french-defense-minister-us-nukes-poland/">France warns against placing nukes in Poland</a></figcaption>
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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had previously also warned that Europe is in a “pre-war era,” while President Andrzej Duda has expressed the country’s readiness to host US nuclear weapons under NATO’s nuclear-sharing program. The move would place the bloc’s nuclear arsenal on the border of Belarus – a key Russian ally.
Moscow has responded by stating that its military would take “all necessary countermeasures” to ensure its security if US nuclear weapons were deployed to Poland. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has also slammed Warsaw’s statements as a “provocation” and an attempt to “snuggle up” to Washington with its “deeply hostile policy towards Russia.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Moscow has no plans to attack any US “satellites” in Eastern Europe, and insists that claims of a potential Russian invasion are merely government propaganda aimed at scaring citizens “to extract additional expenses from people, to make them bear this burden [of funding Ukraine] on their shoulders.”]]>
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<title>France makes military request to Greece – media</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596627-france-greece-missile-system/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596627-france-greece-missile-system/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bb9dc20302745b8569b7e.jpg" /> French authorities have reportedly asked to borrow an air defense system from Greece for the Paris Olympics <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596627-france-greece-missile-system/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Paris is reportedly seeking to use the Greek Crotale air defense system during the summer Olympics
The French government has made an official request to borrow an air defense system from Greece for the duration of the Paris Olympics, Greek daily Kathimerini has reported, citing sources.
France has been calling on its international allies to help it enhance security for the summer games, which will run from July 26 to August 11. Around 45,000 French police and gendarmes, 18,000 troops, and up to 22,000 private security guards are expected to work at the event.
According to Kathimerini, a request for the transfer of a Crotale short-range surface-to-air missile system from the Greek Air Force was submitted on Thursday. Diplomatic negotiations on a possible transfer began last November, the newspaper said, but had yielded no progress until now.
The Crotale system is French-built and has been used by the Greek Air Force since 2003. It has a firing range of 11-20 kilometers and a maximum engagement altitude of 6km, which Kathimerini said was “ideal” for France’s needs.
According to the outlet’s sources, France has been insisting that while it intends to provide anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, it needs allied assistance to ensure the defense of critical infrastructure in Paris during the Olympics.
The French request to Greece is “clearly yet another very indirect suggestion to Athens to ‘unlock’ part of its anti-aircraft defense, in the general European effort to strengthen Kiev,” Kathimerini wrote.
EU governments have been under growing pressure to supply more protective systems to Kiev, particularly countries such as Greece and Spain that have such systems in their arsenals.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/595099-france-foreign-troops-olympics/">France wants foreign troops to reinforce Olympics security – media</a></figcaption>
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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said late on Thursday that the country cannot offer its air defense systems – which include Patriots and the S-300 – to Ukraine. “We were asked and we explained why we cannot do it,” Mitsotakis told Skai TV, adding that these systems are “critical to our deterrent capability.” 
“We have already provided tangible assistance to Ukraine and its people,” he added, saying that no action would be taken “that could even remotely endanger our nation’s deterrent capabilities or air defense.”
According to a report by the Financial Times, during a summit in Brussels last week European leaders personally urged Mitsotakis and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to supply air defense systems to Ukraine.
The US is expected to put further pressure on Greece on Friday during a planned teleconference on assistance to Ukraine.]]>
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<title>Russia assesses impact of possible US seizure of assets</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/business/596633-nabiullina-russia-assets-us-confiscation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/business/596633-nabiullina-russia-assets-us-confiscation/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bb6d82030273a24551035.jpg" /> The confiscation of Russian assets won’t shake the country’s financial stability, central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina says <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596633-nabiullina-russia-assets-us-confiscation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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American lawmakers approved a bill allowing the confiscation of another state’s funds earlier this week
Russia’s financial stability will not be affected if the US seizes its frozen assets, Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina told journalists on Friday.
The US and its allies have blocked around $300 billion in Russian central bank assets as part of Ukraine-related sanctions, most of which are being held in the EU. On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden signed a bill allowing the White House to seize some $6 billion in Russian state assets that are sitting in US banks.
“As for the possible confiscation of our gold and foreign exchange reserves, it will not have any impact on financial stability, as we have halted operations with them long ago, we do not use them,” Nabiullina said at a news conference.
The Bank of Russia has been diversifying its forex reserves for several years, and is currently conducting operations with reserves that are not affected by sanctions, she added. 
“This will help mitigate financial stability risks if they arise, but currently there are no such threats,” the head of the regulator stressed.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596610-us-russian-frozen-assets-seizure-de-dollarization/">US seizure of Russian assets would accelerate de-dollarization – ex-IMF official </a></figcaption>
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The White House has long insisted on confiscating the funds to aid Ukraine in its war effort against Russia. Meanwhile, EU lawmakers, as well as G7 finance chiefs, have raised deep concerns over the legal ramifications of any asset seizure. EU nations, which hold the lion’s share of frozen Russian funds, are concerned that expropriating them would trigger an outflow of investment and destabilize the euro.
Nabiullina previously warned that the seizure of profits from frozen Russian funds, as well as the confiscation of the funds themselves, would lower the attractiveness of the euro and the dollar as reserve currencies in international markets.
Moscow has repeatedly said the seizure of its assets would be “theft.” After the US House of Representatives approved the bill authorizing the confiscation of Russian money, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Moscow would immediately retaliate to the move. 
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said Moscow could downgrade diplomatic relations with Washington if the assets are seized.
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<title>EU state says it won’t give missile systems to Ukraine</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596634-greece-ukraine-patriot-nato/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596634-greece-ukraine-patriot-nato/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bb1e185f5407a1f37787b.jpg" /> PM Mitsotakis has said Greece cannot part with Patriots and S-300s for Ukraine as they are crucial deterrents <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596634-greece-ukraine-patriot-nato/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The country can’t part with air defense systems that are crucial for its deterrence capabilities, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said
Athens will not supply Kiev with US-made Patriot or Soviet-designed S-300 air defense systems, the prime minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has said.
Local media reported earlier this week that the country might provide Kiev with at least one Patriot system, following pressure from the EU and NATO on member states to increase support for Ukraine as it experiences a shortage of air defense systems and munitions.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596601-pentagon-ukraine-military-contracts/">US begins spending $61bn Ukraine war chest – Politico</a></figcaption>
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However, in an interview with Iefimerida on Wednesday, Mitsotakis made it clear that the delivery is not going to happen. “Greece will not send either S-300[s] nor Patriot[s] to Ukraine,” he said.
“We have said from the start that we cannot provide weapons systems that are critical to our deterrence capability,” the prime minister explained.
Athens has supported Kiev “in various ways,” including by providing weapons, during the conflict with Russia and will continue to do so if it finds “surplus material,” he promised.
But the air defenses in question “are critical systems for the protection of Greek airspace and cannot be ceded to Ukraine,” he reiterated.
Together with Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Spain, Greece is among six European nations that operate the Patriot systems.
While Berlin has promised to supply another Patriot to Ukraine, Poland said earlier this week that it has no air defense systems to spare. Spanish daily El Pais reported on Friday that Madrid will only provide air defense missiles to Kiev, but not the Patriot systems.
In late March, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that at least five Patriots operated by Kiev’s forces have been destroyed by the Russian military since the start of the year.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that the decline in deliveries of Western aid in recent months has left Ukrainian troops “outgunned, allowing Russia to push forward on the front line.”
“Ukraine has lacked air defense, enabling more Russian missiles and drones to hit their targets,” he said. However, the NATO chief claimed that “it is not too late for Ukraine to prevail because more support is on the way.”
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596400-tusk-ukraine-patriot-missiles/">
READ MORE: Poland doesn’t have Patriots to give Ukraine – Tusk
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Russia has warned that deliveries of foreign weapons systems to Kiev will not prevent Moscow from achieving its military goals, but will merely prolong the fighting and could increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. According to officials in Moscow, the provision of arms, the sharing of intelligence, and the training of Ukrainian troops means that Western nations have already become de-facto parties to the conflict.]]>
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<title>Dozens escape from Nigerian prison after rainstorm chaos</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/africa/596629-nigeria-rainstorm-jailbreak/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/africa/596629-nigeria-rainstorm-jailbreak/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bb3f420302743d01758aa.jpg" /> Nigeria’s prison service authorities said they are in hot pursuit to recapture more than 100 inmates who fled jail this week <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596629-nigeria-rainstorm-jailbreak/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The West African country’s security authorities say they are in “hot” pursuit to recapture them
More than 100 inmates have escaped from a prison in Nigeria after heavy rains caused extensive damage to a prison, authorities in the West African nation reported on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service, said in a statement that a “heavy downpour” that lasted several hours on Wednesday night had destroyed the perimeter fence of the medium security custodial center in Suleja, Niger State and allowed 118 inmates to flee. 
“The service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies, has so far recaptured 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody, while we are in hot pursuit to recapture the rest,” Duza stated.
The authorities have blamed the incident on the “old and weak” condition of the country’s prison infrastructure, constructed during the colonial era before Nigeria’s independence from Britain in 1960.
Thousands of inmates have reportedly escaped from Nigerian prisons in the past, including in the capital, Abuja, where nearly 900 inmates broke free in 2022.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/africa/595799-prisoners-escape-jail-comoros/">
READ MORE: Dozens escape from prison in island state
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A <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/nigeria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report</a> on human rights practices in Nigeria published on Tuesday by the US described conditions at prisons and detention centers in Africa’s most populous nation as “harsh and life-threatening due to gross overcrowding.”
According to the 2023 report, many of the facilities built 70 to 80 years ago had 50% more inmates than their designed capacity as of last September.
In the statement on Thursday, the Nigerian Correctional Service said it is “making frantic efforts to ensure that all aging facilities give way to modern ones.”]]>
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<title>WATCH police fire taser at pro-Palestinian protester at US college</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596631-us-university-protest-crackdown-palestine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596631-us-university-protest-crackdown-palestine/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662baa8385f5407d33647c16.jpg" /> Police officers in Georgia were filmed tasering a pro-Palestinian student during a crackdown on a protest camp <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596631-us-university-protest-crackdown-palestine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Officers used tear gas to disperse activists at Emory University campus amid a nationwide crackdown
Police officers in the US state of Georgia used tear gas and tasers to disperse a pro-Palestinian student encampment on Thursday, as law enforcement targeted activists at university campuses nationwide.
The clashes took place at Emory University in Atlanta, where protesters – including students from several nearby universities – had set up tents. They were rallying against what they termed “the genocide of Palestinians” by Israel, and against Cop City, a local police and fire department training center currently under construction.
“We are demanding total institutional divestment from Israeli apartheid and Cop City at all Atlanta colleges and universities,” an organizer said. “We are occupying Emory, not because it is the only institution that is complicit in genocide and police militarization, but because its ties are some of the strongest.”
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596581-netanyahu-us-antisemitic-protests/">
READ MORE: US campus protesters akin to 1930s Nazis – Netanyahu
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The university said in a statement that several dozen people had “trespassed” on its campus, and warned that it would “not tolerate vandalism or other criminal activity.” Members of the Emory Police Department, Atlanta Police, and Georgia State Patrol were called to the scene, according to local media.
”Atlanta community members were indiscriminately attacked today with pepper bullets, tear gas, and tasers for the simple act of camping out on a school lawn,” the organizers said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Extremely disturbing footage. Atlanta cops tasing a restrained student protester at Emory university minutes ago. <a href="https://t.co/Iq9p98za8y">pic.twitter.com/Iq9p98za8y</a>— Read Let This Radicalize You (@JoshuaPHilll) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaPHilll/status/1783518484137226284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A video purportedly filmed at the location shows several officers holding down a handcuffed man, as one of them appears to fire a taser into his leg.
The APD confirmed using “chemical irritants,” but stressed that its officers did not “deploy rubber bullets,” contrary to some reports circulating online.
While the university initially claimed that the activists were “not members of our community,” it later acknowledged that out of 28 people arrested in the raid, 20 were from Emory.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b54e285f54002544cdac9.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Former Speaker of the US House Nancy Pelosi." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596607-pelosi-palestine-protest-tinged/">Pelosi insulting Americans – Moscow</a></figcaption>
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Pro-Palestinian activists faced crackdowns across the US this week. The wave of campus demonstrations was triggered last week by a protest at Columbia University in New York, and then spread to some 40 universities and colleges in the US and Canada, according to NBC News. On Thursday, police reportedly targeted encampments at Indiana University Bloomington and Ohio State University.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the US police crackdown, branding the protesters “anti-Semitic mobs” and comparing them to Nazi sympathizers in the 1930s.
Jonathan Greenblatt, leader of the US pro-Israel group Anti-Defamation League, claimed in an interview with MSNBC this week that the wave of protests was organized by “campus proxies” of Iran.
Israel attacked Gaza in October last year in retaliation for a deadly incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas, in which 1,200 Israelis were reportedly killed. The death toll in the enclave has since surpassed 35,000, according to Palestinian officials.]]>
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<title>Blinken in Beijing: The US tried to turn China against Russia – but did it work?</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596632-blinken-in-beijing-russia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596632-blinken-in-beijing-russia/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662bab2585f5407a5305b975.jpg" /> Washington wants Beijing to disown Moscow so that it is isolated in a potential confrontation <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596632-blinken-in-beijing-russia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Washington wants Beijing to disown Moscow so that it is isolated in a potential confrontation
Antony Blinken traveled to China this week to warn Beijing about sanctions for supplying military technology to Russia, according to the Financial Times and Bloomberg in their previews of the US secretary of state’s visit.
They didn’t specify which sanctions might follow, although FT sources suggested that financial and other institutions in China could face restrictions. Meanwhile, the Izvestia newspaper has revealed that several Chinese banks, including the largest, ICBC, are already not accepting payments in yuan from Russia, for fear of secondary sanctions. Almost 80% of payments to China have been returned, the newspaper claimed.
Washington is apparently convinced that China’s support for the Russian defense industry, although not publicized, is genuine and that this is having a significant impact on the course of the Ukraine conflict.
Even with all this in mind, it was hard to imagine that Blinken would communicate in the language of threats and ultimatums. The first experience of this type of rhetoric between the administration of US President Joe Biden and the Chinese showed that hard and fast pressure does not work with the current leadership in Beijing.
In fact, it has the opposite effect. Proof of this was the failed meeting in Alaska in March 2021, when Blinken and National Security adviser Jake Sullivan tried to pressure their Chinese counterparts, only to be met with a harsh rebuke – and a public one at that – which was a far cry from the spirit of Beijing’s traditionally restrained diplomacy.
Blinken subsequently adopted a much more subtle game. He likely tried to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing by exploiting the fact that China’s peace initiatives to resolve the Ukraine conflict do not match the maximalist demands of Russian officials (at least in public).
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596504-good-news-middle-east/">Here’s why Iran decided not to attack Israel again</a></figcaption>
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That may not have worked, considering that the Chinese openly stated on Friday that NATO was responsible for the Ukraine crisis.
Beijing is calling for a cessation of hostilities, in effect a freezing of the conflict, but has made no mention of Ukraine’s demilitarization, denazification,or regime change in Kiev.
Recently, there have been signals that could be interpreted as a willingness by Beijing to distance itself from Moscow.
Specifically, an article in The Economist by Feng Yujun, a professor at Peking University, has caused a stir. This methodical, official expert on Russia and the Ukraine conflict speaks very much in the spirit of Western political thought: he criticizes Moscow, predicts its defeat, praises Kiev for its “strength and unity of its resistance,” and even suggests that if Russia doesn’t change its power structure, it will continue to threaten international security by provoking wars.
Knowing how Chinese society is organized, it’s hard to imagine that the professor who penned this article was acting at his own risk without the support of responsible comrades in Beijing. The recent refusal of four major Chinese banks to accept payments from Russia, even in yuan, can also be seen as an alarming signal to Moscow. In other words, it may turn out that the Russian-Chinese alliance, so strong in words, is far from being effective and trouble-free in practice. And Blinken would certainly have tried to consolidate this trend.
There is a problem, however: the overall context of US-China relations doesn’t make it any easier for Washington.
The package of military aid to Taiwan recently passed by the US Congress certainly doesn’t create a favorable emotional background for the delicate negotiations that Blinken tried to conduct in Beijing. Washington’s efforts to create anti-Chinese military and political alliances in the region – from the Philippines to Australia, from India and Vietnam to Japan – also aren’t conducive to mutual understanding between the two superpowers. American strategists make no secret of the fact that the main, most dangerous and most principled geopolitical opponent of the United States is not Russia, but China.
If that’s the case, what’s the point of Beijing meeting Washington’s demands and joining its pressure on Moscow? Only so that later, when the US achieves its goals in Russia, Beijing will have to confront it alone? This is hardly in the plans of Comrade Xi and his team.

This article was first published by <a href="https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6663940" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kommersant</a>, translated and edited by the RT team]]>
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<title>Venetians clash with riot police over tourist toll (PHOTOS, VIDEO)</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/business/596618-venice-clash-police-tourist-fee/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/business/596618-venice-clash-police-tourist-fee/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ba16a20302750fd533426.jpg" /> Protesters in Venice have clashed with police after city authorities went ahead with plans to charge tourists to enter <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596618-venice-clash-police-tourist-fee/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Many of the city’s residents are against new admission charge for visitors, introduced to reduce overcrowding
Hundreds of Venetians took to the streets of their sinking city on Thursday in protest against an entrance fee that the local authorities have started charging visitors, to protect the UNESCO world heritage site from the effects of over-tourism.
The new fee of about $5.50 (€5) is being sought from visitors entering the famous Italian city between 8:30am and 4pm local time and came into force on Thursday as part of a pilot program. Outside of those hours, access is free. Day-trippers failing to pay the fee may face fines of over $300.
Local authorities have erected signs to warn tourists about the new payment, while municipal workers started carrying out random checks at five main arrival points. Overnight visitors are exempt from the charge, but are obliged to obtain a QR code to get through the gates located at the city’s main access points.
The scheme, the aims of which are to reduce crowds at peak hours, to encourage longer visits and to improve the quality of life for residents, has outraged many locals. Several hundred Venetians clashed with riot police over the regulation, with some protesters trying to break through a blockade of officers at Piazzale Roma.
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Demonstrators were holding banners reading “No to ticket, Yes to housing and services for all,” “Venice is not sold, it is defended” and “Venice for all, end the ticket wall,” as well as mock tickets that read “Welcome to Veniceland,” a protest against turning the city into a “theme park.”
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The measure will be “ineffective in containing mass tourism” according to the local branch of Arci, a cultural and social rights association, as cited by the Guardian, but would generate “unequal treatment between different categories of visitors.” Arci’s spokesperson highlighted the “dubious constitutional legitimacy” of the measure, in terms of restricting free movement.
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Ruggero Tallon, one of the protest organizers and the spokesperson for anti-cruise ship campaign group No Grandi Navi, told CNN that they are campaigning against a closed city that would look like museum.
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“A ticket does nothing, it doesn’t stop the monoculture of tourism, it doesn’t ease the pressure on Venice, it’s a medieval tax and it’s against freedom of movement,” the activist argued.
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<title>Trump plans to sanction countries for refusing to use dollar – Bloomberg</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596630-trump-advisers-dollar-sanctions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596630-trump-advisers-dollar-sanctions/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ba26c2030275461445679.jpg" /> Donald Trump’s advisers are looking for ways to sanction US allies and opponents for diverting trade away from the dollar, Bloomberg says <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596630-trump-advisers-dollar-sanctions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Advisers to the former US president are considering penalties for nations seeking to trade in national currencies, the outlet has reported
Economic aides to former US President Donald Trump are looking for options to stop countries from shifting away from the US dollar as it faces a growing challenge from emerging markets, including BRICS nations, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
The presumptive Republican nominee for the November presidential election and his team are discussing penalties against both allies and adversaries who seek to divert their trade from the greenback to other currencies. The options could include export controls, currency manipulation charges, and tariffs, the outlet said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The global trend toward using national currencies in trade instead of the dollar gained significant momentum after Russia was cut off from the Western financial system and had its foreign reserves frozen in 2022, as part of Ukraine-related sanctions.
A bill with provisions authorizing the US to confiscate frozen Russian assets, which Biden signed on Wednesday, could further spur de-dollarization, financial experts have warned. The so-called REPO Act, which was incorporated in the $61 billion military aid package for Kiev, authorized the US president to seize Russian state assets held in American banks.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b77fd20302750fd5333e6.jpg" alt="RT" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596610-us-russian-frozen-assets-seizure-de-dollarization/">US seizure of Russian assets would accelerate de-dollarization – ex-IMF official </a></figcaption>
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As quoted by Bloomberg, Trump warned on Thursday that with US President Joe Biden, “you’re going to lose the dollar as the standard. That’ll be like losing the biggest war we’ve ever lost.”
According to the news agency, Trump’s economic advisers and his campaign team have specifically considered curbing de-dollarization efforts by BRICS countries.
The group – which recently expanded and now comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt – is boosting the use of national currencies in mutual trade. It has even signaled the possibility of introducing a new single currency in the coming years.
Trump has repeatedly said that he wants the dollar to remain the world’s reserve currency.
“I hate when countries go off the dollar,” Trump told CNBC in March. “I would not allow countries to go off the dollar because when we lose that standard, that will be like losing a revolutionary war,” he said, adding that it would be a “hit” for the US.]]>
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<title>160 million Indians cast ballots in intense heat</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/india/596628-millions-in-india-vote-second-phase/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/india/596628-millions-in-india-vote-second-phase/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b9ab220302750fd53341c.jpg" /> The second phase of India’s general polls is being held amid rising temperatures and intense political debates <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596628-millions-in-india-vote-second-phase/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Voters in 12 states and one union territory are participating in the second phase of the general election 
Over 160 million Indians are casting their votes on Friday despite an intense heat wave that is sweeping the country. The second of seven polling phases, the vote is taking place in 88 parliamentary constituencies across 12 states and the Jammu and Kashmir union territory. The elections, which will take place until June 1, will decide on who will occupy the 543 seats in the lower house of parliament (Lok Sabha). 
The focus is on Kerala, southern Indian state, where Rahul Gandhi, de facto leader of the Congress, India’s largest opposition party, is <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596406-wayanad-rahul-gandhi-congress-kerala/">contesting from the Wayanad constituency</a>. The incumbent is facing off against Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Both parties are part of the INDIA alliance, which is challenging the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram has seen one of the most intriguing contests for a parliamentary seat. Shashi Tharoor, who is seeking a fourth term as MP, is being challenged by BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a minister in Modi’s cabinet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Polling Station Queues Building in India - Spirits Remain High Despite the Heat! Video shows men and women turning out in Rajasthan's Barmer to cast their votes.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LokSabhaElections2024?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LokSabhaElections2024</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Elections2024?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Elections2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/ldcFI7vV1Y">pic.twitter.com/ldcFI7vV1Y</a>— RT_India (@RT_India_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/RT_India_news/status/1783787230680568194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The polls are being held as the country battles an intense heat wave; temperatures have reached near-record highs in some areas. The lower-than-expected turnout in the first phase of polling last week (66%) has been at least partially attributed to the scorching weather. Election officials have set up a taskforce to review heat waves and humidity five days before each polling phase for any “concerning developments,” and will take measures if necessary.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/india/596174-india-lok-sabha-elections-2024/">
READ MORE: India votes: How 970 million people are deciding on who the leader of world’s new powerhouse will be
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According to the commission which governs India’s election process, 39.1% of the voters had cast their ballots by 3pm in the afternoon. Unlike during the first phase of the election, held on April 19, no major incidents of violence have been reported.
It is not just the seasonal heat or the number of eligible voters that have made this year’s election unique. The polling is being held against the backdrop of debates about the redistribution of wealth in the nation of 1.4 billion, which has the world’s fifth-largest economy. Modi’s party has repeatedly accused the Congress of harboring plans to hand over people’s wealth to “minorities” – with Muslims being the largest minority in the country.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596566-new-delhi-blasts-western-media/">Western media trying to be ‘political player’ in Indian election – foreign minister</a></figcaption>
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On Thursday, the Election Commission issued a notice to the BJP over recent remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he allegedly referred to Muslims as “infiltrators,” according to the Hindustan Times. The report noted that the poll body has sought a response from the BJP to the complaints filed by the opposition parties and civil society groups. 
However, BJP president J. P. Nadda doubled down, despite the attacks, on Friday. “The Congress says that the first right to the resources of the country is that of Muslims. Whereas PM Narendra Modi says that the first right to the resources of the country is that of the poor,” Nadda said.
The controversy over wealth distribution was worsened by another episode, in which US-based Congress party leader Sam Pitroda suggested considering a US-style inheritance tax in India, wherein a percentage of a deceased person’s wealth would be handed over to the state. Modi launched a scathing attack against the proposal and reiterated claims that the Congress wants to “snatch” away people’s property. The Congress has rejected these claims.
Where India Meets Russia – We are now on WhatsApp! &lrm;Follow and share RT India in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va6XvWh7IUYZaRQrlU3y">English</a> and in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7ALQtK0IBcl7uI7O3v">Hindi</a> ]]>
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<title>US to withdraw troops from African states</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/africa/596626-washington-withdraw-troops-niger-chad/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/africa/596626-washington-withdraw-troops-niger-chad/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b9ded85f5407c6a592d36.jpg" /> The Pentagon says Washington will conduct a full pullout of its troops from Niger, while its forces in Chad will be temporarily repositioned <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596626-washington-withdraw-troops-niger-chad/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The Pentagon says complete pullout will take place in Niger, while forces in Chad will be temporarily repositioned
Washington will fully withdraw its troops from Niger and is also relocating military personnel stationed in Chad, as it considers other options for continuing America’s counterterrorism mission in the Sahel region, the Pentagon announced on Thursday.
The move comes in response to demands from the military governments of both African nations that US forces discontinue operations there. Last month, Niger’s new leadership terminated a security agreement with the US, declaring as unwelcome the presence of 1,000 American troops stationed in the West African country. 
Chad, which shares a border with Niger, has also reportedly questioned whether an existing agreement covered US troops deployed at the only American air base in the Central African nation.
Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3756690/pentagon-press-secretary-air-force-maj-gen-pat-ryder-holds-a-press-briefing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> reporters on Thursday that Washington will “reposition” the approximately 100-strong contingent stationed in Chad. 
“This is a temporary step as part of the ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume after Chad’s May 6th presidential election,” Ryder said.
He said State Department officials were scheduled to meet with Nigerien authorities on Thursday to discuss “an orderly and safe withdrawal of US forces from Niger.”
Follow-up meetings have been planned for next week to “coordinate the withdrawal process in a transparent manner and with mutual respect,” Ryder added.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596336-chad-us-military-presence/">Another African state moves to kick out US military – media</a></figcaption>
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Since seizing power in a coup last July, Niger’s new government has been reviewing military agreements with partners engaged by the deposed civilian leaders, including France and the US, which have conducted anti-jihadist operations in the Sahel since 2013. These missions have been deemed ineffective across the region, and France – Niger’s former colonial ruler – was ordered to remove its troops by the end of last year.
The landlocked country has turned to Moscow for its security needs, with its transitional leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani, discussing anti-terrorism cooperation in the Sahel region with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Local media <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/595778-niger-russian-military-instructors/">reported</a> weeks later that Russian military instructors had landed in Niamey with a planeload of equipment to assist the Nigerien army with counterterrorism training, despite the US expressing concerns over Niger’s deepening relations with Russia.]]>
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<title>Russian defense minister comments on Western military ‘advisers’ in Ukraine</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596623-shoigu-foreign-advisers-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596623-shoigu-foreign-advisers-ukraine/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b94f585f54008e53c1e6d.jpg" /> The West is supplying weapons and helping Kiev’s military instead of de-escalating hostilities, Sergey Shoigu claims <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596623-shoigu-foreign-advisers-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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NATO countries are supplying weapons and helping Kiev’s military instead of de-escalating hostilities, Sergey Shoigu claims
Foreign military advisers are directly involved in preparing Ukrainian attacks on Russia, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Friday during a high-level meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries.
Apart from helping to prepare attacks, the West is also continuing to offer Kiev real-time intelligence data and train its military personnel, while foreign specialists and mercenaries are actively taking part in the fighting, he claimed.
“Almost every day, with the tacit consent of the West, Kiev uses the weapons it receives to cause damage to civilian infrastructure of the Russian Federation,” Shoigu said.
Instead of working towards de-escalation, the West has continued to “pump Kiev” with weapons, the uncontrolled movement of which creates a risk of them falling into the hands of terrorists, he added.
The minister also stated that Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant continue to this day, and warned that such actions could have catastrophic consequences. 
He restated accusations of Kiev’s involvement in last month’s brutal attack on a concert hall near the Russian capital, which resulted in the deaths of 140 people.
“Traces of the terrorist attack committed on March 22 at the Crocus City Hall also lead to Ukraine,” Shoigu said, adding that “all those guilty of these illegal actions and atrocities will definitely suffer the deserved punishment.”
“It’s only a matter of time,” he said.
Shoigu also noted that NATO forces had started to create additional threats to Russia’s military security by pushing up to its borders.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596621-shoigu-us-ukraine-conflict/">US created Ukraine conflict – Shoigu</a></figcaption>
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“I want to emphasize that it was not us, but they who came [to our borders.] This once again shows that we cannot trust the Westerners. Now we are being reproached that if Russia is not stopped in Ukraine, then allegedly we will attack the countries of the alliance.”
The minister reiterated that Russia “adheres to a policy of non-interference in the affairs of other states,” and noted that, despite its promises not to expand, the US-led military bloc had continued to advance to the east since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Russian forces will continue conducting the special military operation and will inevitably achieve all its goals, Shoigu declared, noting that Western attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on Moscow are “futile.”
He made the remarks at a Council of Defense Ministers meeting of SCO members, which include China, Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The gathering, which took place from Wednesday to Friday in Astana, Kazakhstan, saw attendees discuss global and regional affairs, as well as defense and security collaboration.]]>
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<title>Western leaders lying about threat posed by Moscow – Russian defense minister</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596622-shoigu-nato-threat-russia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b944985f54004e33ccb64.jpg" /> Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has accused the US-led bloc of creating military risks for his country <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596622-shoigu-nato-threat-russia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The US-led bloc has expanded along the country’s border, compromising national security, Shoigu has said
Western leaders are falsely claiming Moscow intends to attack their nations in order to justify stoking the Ukraine conflict, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu warned on Friday.
The minister rebuked the US-led military bloc during a meeting with his counterparts from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a nine-strong Eurasian economic and defense group that includes Russia, India and China. The organization is regarded as the biggest geographic regional grouping on Earth and accounts for some 20% of global GDP.
Unlike the US and its allies, Russia does not seek to meddle in the affairs of other states, Shoigu said. Meanwhile, NATO has expanded six times since 1999 – in violation of promises given to Moscow – creating a direct military threat to Russia, he added.
”We did not come to them, they came to us,” he said. “This proves once again that the West cannot be trusted.” NATO’s intention to absorb Ukraine, and its increasing presence in the country, was one of the key triggers of hostilities with Russia, according to Moscow.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596621-shoigu-us-ukraine-conflict/">US created Ukraine conflict – Shoigu</a></figcaption>
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Western nations have pledged to support Kiev “for as long as it takes” to defeat Russia, and have donated an unprecedented amount of weapons for the Ukrainian war effort.
”They now claim that if Russia is not stopped in Ukraine, we will attack members of the alliance,” Shoigu said, referring to a claim that senior US officials, including President Joe Biden, have made to justify sending more military aid to Kiev.
”Russia has never threatened NATO,” the Russian minister said, stressing that an attack on the bloc would in no way serve Russia’s geopolitical or military interests.
Shoigu’s speech in Astana, Kazakhstan, came on the same day that Western donors held a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which coordinates arms supplies. Washington is expected to announce a new $6 billion batch of aid during the event.]]>
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<title>Russian forces strike train carrying Western weapons – MOD</title>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b9bb220302753bd519241.jpg" /> Russian forces have successfully attacked a train carrying military equipment donated to Kiev by the West in the Donetsk People’s Republic <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596624-train-military-weapons-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The attack took place in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the Defense Ministry
Russian forces have struck a freight train carrying military equipment supplied to Ukrainian forces by Kiev's Western backers, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
The combined attack involved aircraft, missiles and artillery, the ministry said in a statement on Friday. 
“A train with Western weapons and military equipment was hit in the area of the settlement of Udachnoye in [Russia’s] Donetsk People’s Republic,” it added..
Udachnoye, translated as ‘lucky’ in English, is located in the western part of the republic.
Personnel and equipment from the 67th Ukrainian mechanized brigade were also struck at a railway loading station in the area of Balakleya in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, the ministry said.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596621-shoigu-us-ukraine-conflict/">US created Ukraine conflict – Shoigu</a></figcaption>
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Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces have also destroyed five US-made M777 howitzers, two American M102 105mm lightweight towed howitzers, a US-designed AN/TPQ-50 counter-fire radar, a British FH-70 howitzer, and other hardware, according to the statement.
The flow of Western aid to Ukraine decreased drastically in recent months as Republicans in the US Congress resisted attempts by President Joe Biden to push through another $61 billion in military assistance for Kiev. The standoff, which had dragged on since the autumn, was resolved earlier this week when lawmakers passed the legislation and Biden signed off on it.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that the delays in aid from the US and the EU had led to “consequences” on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces have been “outgunned, allowing Russia to push forward on the front line,” he said. Stoltenberg argued, however, that “it is not too late for Ukraine to prevail because more support is on the way.” 
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596616-nato-ukraine-stoltenberg-aid/">
READ MORE: NATO failed to keep its promises to Ukraine – Stoltenberg
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Russia has repeatedly warned that foreign weapons deliveries to Kiev will not prevent Moscow from achieving its military goals, but will merely prolong the fighting and could increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. According to officials in Moscow, the provision of arms, intelligence-sharing, and training of Ukrainian troops means that Western nations have already become de facto parties to the conflict.]]>
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<title>Blinken threatens China over Russia ties (VIDEO)</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596625-blinken-china-sanction-threat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596625-blinken-china-sanction-threat/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b9f2885f5407c6a592d3e.jpg" /> The US secretary of state says Washington is prepared to impose more sanctions on Beijing over the alleged transfer of military components <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596625-blinken-china-sanction-threat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The US secretary of state says Washington is prepared to impose more sanctions on Beijing over the alleged transfer of military components
Washington is ready to introduce more sanctions against China over its alleged transfer of dual-use goods and components, which it claims can be used by the Russia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the US official recalled that Washington has already imposed sanctions against more than 100 Chinese entities and is “fully prepared to act” and “take additional measures.”
Blinken claimed that China’s alleged support for the Russian defense industry raises concerns not only about the situation in Ukraine, but also about a “medium to long-term threat that many Europeans feel viscerally that Russia poses to them.”
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal also reported that the US was drafting sanctions that could cut off some Chinese banks from the global financial system unless Beijing severs its economic ties with Russia.
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The outlet claimed that US officials believe trade with China has allowed Russia to rebuild its military industrial capacity and could help it defeat Ukraine in a war of attrition.
Beijing, in turn, has accused the US of hypocrisy for providing billions of dollars in assistance to Ukraine while “unreasonably criticizing the normal trade and economic relations between Russia and China.”
“This is a very hypocritical and irresponsible approach,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Friday in response to Blinken’s concerns about Beijing's support of Moscow.
China has also vehemently rejected accusations leveled by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg of “fueling” the Ukraine conflict. Beijing has instead blamed NATO for instigating the crisis by continuing its expansion in Europe and refusing to respect Russian national security concerns.
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Following his meeting with Blinken, Xi suggested that the US and China “should be partners, not rivals” and should strive towards achieving “mutual success and not harm each other.”
“I proposed three major principles: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. They are not only a summary of past experience, but also a guide to the future,” the Chinese leader was quoted as saying.
Beijing has maintained a policy of neutrality on the Ukraine conflict, with Chinese officials repeatedly stating that the country is not selling weapons to either Russia or Ukraine. Earlier this month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning insisted that China “regulates the export of dual-use articles in accordance with laws and regulations,” urging “relevant countries” not to “smear or attack the normal relations between China and Russia.”
In December last year, US President Joe Biden issued a decree which enabled sanctions on foreign financial institutions that continue to deal with Russia. It targeted lenders outside US and EU jurisdictions that help Russia source sensitive items, which reportedly include semiconductors, machine tools, chemical precursors, ball bearings, and optical systems.]]>
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<title>US created Ukraine conflict – Shoigu</title>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b8bfc85f54008e53c1e63.png" /> Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has accused the US of starting and fueling the Ukraine conflict <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596621-shoigu-us-ukraine-conflict/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Washington spreads global chaos for its own benefit, the Russian defense minister has claimed
The US is behind the Ukraine conflict and is deliberately trying to prolong the fighting, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Friday. He was speaking during a meeting with his counterparts from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a nine-strong political, economic and defense organization. 
Shoigu identified Washington as a major source of global instability, citing its record of military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. The US also uses financial and diplomatic tools to damage its adversaries and fuel chaos in different parts of the world, he claimed.
“The US had first created, and now is deliberately prolonging the Ukraine conflict,” the minister stated. “As it signals purported intention to de-escalate, the West keeps pumping Kiev with weapons.”
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596619-china-nato-ukraine-conflict/">NATO responsible for Ukraine crisis – China </a></figcaption>
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Ukraine cannot properly manage the donations, however, which increases the risk that the funds could go to terrorist groups, Shoigu warned. He also pointed to direct NATO involvement in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
“They provide real-time intelligence, train Ukrainian troops, deploy Western military specialists and mercenaries on the battlefield,” Shoigu noted.
The US and its allies claim that Russia launched an “unprovoked” attack on Ukraine in February 2022, and they have since sent tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to Kiev.
Shoigu accused the US of double standards regarding a nation’s right to self-defense. He cited Washington’s blocking of a UN Security Council resolution which would have condemned Israel for attacking an Iranian consulate in Damascus in early April. Tehran’s eventual retaliatory attack was the result of US obstructionism, the Russian minister said, in reference to SCO's newest member.
Iran joined the SCO last year bringing the total membership of the group, which also includes India and China and accounts for some 20% of global GDP, to nine countries. ]]>
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<title>India hits out at US allegations of ‘human rights abuse’</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/india/596614-india-hits-out-at-us-report/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/india/596614-india-hits-out-at-us-report/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b83e085f54031cf6e5eeb.jpg" /> The White House claims New Delhi took “minimal credible steps” to punish officials responsible for ethnic violence in Manipur <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596614-india-hits-out-at-us-report/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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New Delhi says a State Department report criticizing its response to violence in Manipur shows “poor understanding” of the country

New Delhi has condemned a US State Department report containing allegations of human rights violations in the country.
The Human Rights report for 2023 claimed that significant abuses had occurred in the Indian state of Manipur last year, while attacks on minorities, journalists, and dissenting voices had been recorded elsewhere in the country.
A violent ethnic conflict has been underway in Manipur since last May, resulting in more than 200 casualties and the displacement of thousands of people.
”The [Indian] government took minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses,” the US <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report alleged</a>.
A spokesperson for the Indian Foreign Ministry slammed the document as “very biased” and claimed that it showed a “very poor understanding” of India. He added that the government attaches “no value” to the report.
New Delhi has responded sharply on a number of occasions to US criticism of its policies, as well as comments on issues that it regards as “internal matters.”
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596566-new-delhi-blasts-western-media/">Western media trying to be ‘political player’ in Indian election – foreign minister</a></figcaption>
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When the US State Department commented on <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/595334-bureaucrat-turned-opposition-arvind-kejriwal/">the arrest</a> of prominent opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal last month, New Delhi quickly summoned an American diplomat to “strongly object” to the remarks.
India has also <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/594317-india-united-states-citizenship-amendment-act/">taken exception</a> to US comments on its new citizenship law, calling them “misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted.”
Last year, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a federal government body, <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/589171-us-religious-freedoms-body-india/">asked the Biden administration</a> to designate India as a “country of particular concern” under the US Religious Freedom Act. It described alleged efforts to “silence activists, journalists, and lawyers abroad” as a “serious threat” to religious freedoms.
New Delhi <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/589520-india-responds-to-us-religious/">criticized the body</a> for what it called a “motivated and biased approach towards India.”
Lately, ties between New Delhi and Washington have been tense following a <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/588225-us-charges-india-assassin/">US court indictment</a> accusing an Indian government official of involvement in a failed assassination attempt on controversial Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is based in New York. India launched a high-level probe to investigate the US accusations but there has not been any update about the findings.
Earlier this week, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar slammed coverage of the ongoing Indian election in Western media, claiming that they assume they are “political players” in India. The ongoing election has been marked by a string of unflattering reports in the Western press about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his alleged “crackdown” on opposition leaders, particularly Kejriwal.

Where India Meets Russia – We are now on WhatsApp! &lrm;Follow and share RT India in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va6XvWh7IUYZaRQrlU3y">English</a> and in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7ALQtK0IBcl7uI7O3v">Hindi</a> ]]>
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<title>NATO responsible for Ukraine crisis – China </title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596619-china-nato-ukraine-conflict/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b831d85f540019034f563.jpg" /> Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has rebuked NATO for trying to blame the Ukraine conflict on Beijing <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596619-china-nato-ukraine-conflict/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Beijing has flatly rejected the US-led military bloc’s claim that it is “fueling” the conflict
NATO is directly responsible for the Ukraine conflict, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing on Friday, reacting to criticism raised by the US-led military bloc.
On Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg accused Beijing of supposedly supporting Russian weapons manufacturing through the export of dual-use components to the country.
“China says it wants good relations with the West. At the same time, Beijing continues to fuel the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War Two. They cannot have it both ways,” the official warned.
Wang rejected the claim, saying it is based on rumors. China did not start the Ukraine crisis, he insisted, and NATO’s responsibility for it is “unshiftable.” The US-led military bloc “should reflect on its role, stop shifting the blame, and do something practical to promote a political settlement,” he added.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6628ffc42030277eda3d8e3f.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596505-taiwan-arms-china-blinken/">US ‘shooting itself in the foot’ by arming Taiwan – Beijing</a></figcaption>
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According to Beijing, NATO’s expansion in Europe and refusal to take Russian national security concerns into consideration triggered the hostilities. A roadmap to peace that China proposed in early 2023 called for that core problem to be addressed, he noted.
Kiev rejected a potential peace treaty with Moscow which the parties had negotiated in the early weeks of the conflict, and opted to continue armed hostilities. The US and its allies have vowed to stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes” to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia. Moscow has claimed that Ukrainian military casualties since February 2022 are approaching 500,000.
In his rebuke of Beijing, Stoltenberg claimed that in 2023, “Russia imported 90% of its microelectronics from China, used to produce missiles, tanks and aircraft.” Wang said Chinese trade was above board, and claimed that “more than 60% of weapons parts and dual-use items imported by Russia come from the US and the West.”
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596606-wang-blinken-us-china/">
READ MORE: Beijing warns Washington against crossing ‘red lines’
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently visiting China. He reportedly intends to use the threat of financial restrictions, which Washington is poised to impose on Chinese banks involved in trade with Russia, as leverage. During his meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, the latter warned that US attempts to infringe on “China’s legitimate development rights” were undermining bilateral relations.]]>
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<title>France to fall out of top ten global economies – IMF</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/business/596617-imf-france-world-top-economies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/business/596617-imf-france-world-top-economies/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b7fbe85f540019034f557.jpg" /> IMF analysts expect France to drop out of list of the world’s ten biggest economies within five years <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596617-imf-france-world-top-economies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The country’s share of global GDP will drop below 2%, the fund has projected
Slow economic growth will push France out of the list of the world’s ten largest economies within five years, according to an updated global outlook from the International Monetary Fund.
The Washington-based institution expects France’s share of global GDP in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms to drop to 1.98% in 2029, compared to 2.2% recorded by IMF analysts last year.
The fund’s latest projections indicate that France’s budget deficit will remain above 4% until 2029, with public debt expected to exceed 115% of gross domestic product (GDP). The European Commission previously signaled potential conflicts with EU fiscal rules in its response to France’s 2024 budget plan, stressing that the current outlook poses the risk of a negative adjustment by global rating agencies.
According to the database, which was updated by the organization earlier this month, Britain – whose share of global GDP in 2029 is expected to represent 2.2% on a PPP basis – will be ranked the world’s tenth largest economy. Meanwhile, Türkiye is projected to take ninth place, as its share over the next five years will reach 2.09%.
The top five contributors to the global economy will be China, projected to account for 19.48% of the world’s GDP through 2029, the US (14.72%), India (9.23%), Japan (3.21%) and Indonesia (2.79%). The top ten is also expected to include Germany (2.77%), Russia (2.71%) and Brazil (2.19%).
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/business/596284-imf-russia-assets-seizure/">
READ MORE: IMF warns about confiscating Russian assets
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Earlier this month, the IMF raised its global growth forecast for the current year, concluding that the world economy had proved “surprisingly resilient.” The economists expect global GDP growth to amount to 3.2% in 2024, up by a modest 0.1 percentage point from its earlier January forecast. Next year, growth is expected to expand at the same pace of 3.2%.]]>
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<title>NATO failed to keep its promises to Ukraine – Stoltenberg</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596616-nato-ukraine-stoltenberg-aid/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596616-nato-ukraine-stoltenberg-aid/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b78dd20302753bd51921d.jpg" /> The Ukrainian forces have been “outgunned” by Russia due to a decline in Western aid, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596616-nato-ukraine-stoltenberg-aid/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Kiev’s forces have been “outgunned” by Russia due to a decline in Western aid, the chief of the US-led military bloc has said
Insufficient support from the West for Ukraine is the reason for Russia’s advances on the battlefield, but more military aid for Kiev is on its way, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.
He was speaking in Berlin on Thursday, where he received the Eric M. Warburg Award from the German-American NGO Atlantik-Brucke for “his outstanding dedication to the transatlantic friendship and partnership in turbulent times.”
The deteriorating situation for Kiev in its conflict with Moscow was one of the main topics of his acceptance speech, in which he said Ukraine “is where we are being tested.” 
“We have to be honest. The reality is that, in recent months, NATO allies have not provided the support we have promised,” he said. “For months, the US was not able to agree a package. And in Europe, the delivery of ammunition is far below the levels we said we would provide.”
On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden signed a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine following a lengthy standoff between the Democrats and Republicans in Congress. This had reduced deliveries of US weapons and ammunition by almost half.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a2b4720302703164858dd.jpg" alt="US President Joe Biden delivers remarks after signing legislation giving $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596558-us-ukraine-aid-biden/">Biden team doubts US aid will help Ukraine win – Politico</a></figcaption>
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Last year, the EU vowed to supply Kiev with 1 million shells by March 2024. However, the bloc later acknowledged that it would not be able to meet this goal. Ukrainian officials said previously that they had only received around a third of the promised munitions. 
“These delays have consequences,” Stoltenberg acknowledged. Without enough Western aid, “Ukraine has been outgunned, allowing Russia to push forward on the front line.”
However, NATO chief insisted that “it is not too late for Ukraine to prevail because more support is on the way.”
He noted that the UK had recently announced more ammunition, air defenses, and deep-precision strike capabilities for Kiev, while Germany promised to supply a third US-made Patriot air-defense system.
On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that the $61 billion US military aid package or any other weapons deliveries to Ukraine would not “change the dynamics on the front line.”
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596509-peskov-us-aid-no-change-ukraine/">
READ MORE: More weapons for Kiev won’t change battlefield dynamics – Kremlin
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Earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Moscow’s forces currently hold the initiative everywhere along the front line, and are capturing more settlements from the Ukrainians. He estimated Kiev’s losses since the start of the conflict in February 2022 at around half-a-million troops.]]>
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<title>US seizure of Russian assets would accelerate de-dollarization – ex-IMF official </title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/business/596610-us-russian-frozen-assets-seizure-de-dollarization/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/business/596610-us-russian-frozen-assets-seizure-de-dollarization/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b77fd20302750fd5333e6.jpg" /> US seizure of Russian assets would spur de-dollarization, experts warned after Washington passed a bill authorizing the confiscation
 <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596610-us-russian-frozen-assets-seizure-de-dollarization/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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American lawmakers approved a bill allowing the confiscation of funds on Wednesday


The “weaponization” of the US dollar through the seizure of frozen Russian assets could prompt a global shift away from the greenback, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing a former International Monetary Fund (IMF) official.  
US President Joe Biden signed a bill this week allowing the administration to seize Russian state assets held in America.  
Washington has long insisted on the confiscation of the funds to aid Ukraine in its war effort against Moscow. Meanwhile, G7 finance chiefs and EU officials continue to express concerns about the legal precedent of any asset seizure. The US and its allies have frozen around $300 billion in Russian central bank assets, around $5 billion of which is sitting in US banks as part of Ukraine-related sanctions.  
As quoted by Bloomberg, former IMF official Eswar Prasad has warned that “America’s supercharged weaponization of its currency through the seizure of dollar reserves will certainly cause US rivals [to look at de-dollarization].”  
The so-called REPO Act, which Biden signed on Wednesday along with a $61 billion military aid package for Kiev, authorized the US president to seize Russian state assets held in American banks and transfer them to a Ukraine reconstruction fund.  
“It is necessary and urgent for our international coalition to unlock the value of immobilized Russian sovereign assets,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement on Wednesday. 
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596565-russia-reserves-warning-us/">Moscow issues diplomatic warning to Washington</a></figcaption>
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The REPO provision has intensified debate over the potential consequences of foreign demand for US Treasuries and use of the dollar, Bloomberg noted. The outlet also said it is unlikely that the US will seize Russian assets without agreement from other G7 nations and the EU.   
JPMorgan analyst Katherine Lei was quoted as saying that “China may accelerate the process of de-dollarization.” About 70% of Chinese international trade is still denominated in dollars, according to JPMorgan estimates.   
“Countries that use the dollar for international trade and finance need to be sure that their assets will not be seized on the whim of the US,” Paola Subacchi, author of The Cost of Free Money, told the outlet.  
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned on Thursday that Moscow could downgrade diplomatic relations with Washington if the US expropriates frozen Russian funds.  
Moscow’s response to the seizure of its assets could include economic and diplomatic countermeasures, Ryabkov said.

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<title>African officials hail Russia’s role in fight against global terrorism</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/africa/596615-african-officials-commend-russia-counterterrorism-initiatives/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/africa/596615-african-officials-commend-russia-counterterrorism-initiatives/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b76fb85f5407c6a592d07.png" /> African officials have told RT that Moscow’s inclusive security initiatives can help address escalating extremist violence across the world <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596615-african-officials-commend-russia-counterterrorism-initiatives/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Moscow’s inclusive security initiatives can help address extremist violence, representatives at a summit in Saint Petersburg told RT
Africa is willing to collaborate with Russia and other interested nations to fight terrorism, defense chiefs and diplomats from the continent told RT on Wednesday.
The officials made the statements on the sidelines of the 12th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues, which took place in Saint Petersburg from April 23 to 25.
Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service Chief Advisor Abdulaziz Ahmed Adem said terrorism is the “biggest challenge” facing all countries, and that it has been further complicated by the current world order.
Equatorial Guinea’s Ambassador to Russia Luciana Ncoco Ndong Ayecaba echoed his Ethiopian colleague’s call for multilateralism, declaring that his country, as a “friendly state,” will work with Moscow to prevent security threats.
The Minister of Defense and Internal Administration of Sao Tome and Principe, Jorge Amado, also commended Russia’s efforts in the global fight against extremist violence, including hosting the security summit, which included guests from over 100 countries. 
<iframe id="odysee-iframe" style="width:100%; aspect-ratio:16 / 9;" src="https://odysee.com/$/embed/@RT:fd/fighting-terrorism-jorge-amado:2?r=FBtNvdoFYNLoa8hRgK3suxSKXTFgxFke" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“We consider this conference very important. At this conference, we analyze several issues related to global security. I believe that what we were able to talk about with Russia can help lead to a change in the system,” he told RT. 
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596467-african-union-new-terrorism-fight-approach-calls/">
READ MORE: African leaders push for new approach to fighting terrorism
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“As a small country, Sao Tome and Principe, we believe in the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism,” Amado added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his welcome <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/73929" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">speech</a> to participants at the Saint Petersburg security summit, said international terrorism remains one of the “gravest threats of the 21st century.”
He said Moscow is committed to collaborating with all partners to safeguard global and regional security and establish a new multipolar international order that prioritizes the interests of the majority of nations.]]>
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<title>Pelosi insulting Americans – Moscow</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596607-pelosi-palestine-protest-tinged/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596607-pelosi-palestine-protest-tinged/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b54e285f54002544cdac9.jpg" /> Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has blasted Nancy Pelosi for attacking pro-Palestinian protests as “tinged” by Moscow <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596607-pelosi-palestine-protest-tinged/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Attempts to smear pro-Palestinian protests as “tinged” by Russia are an affront to voters, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has said
Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is insulting American voters by trying to blame Moscow for a wave of pro-Palestinian protests across the country, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.
The senior Democrat has linked pro-Palestinian protests in the US with alleged foreign influence on multiple occasions, most recently in an interview with Irish public broadcaster Raidio Teilifis Eireann (RTE) this week. Pelosi also took issue with the ‘Genocide Joe’ nickname that US President Joe Biden has been branded with over his failure to pressure Israel into showing more restraint in its military campaign in Gaza.
Pelosi acknowledged that pro-Palestinian sentiment could impact Biden’s support during the US presidential vote in November, and claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted the presumptive Republican candidate, Donald Trump, to be elected.
“It’s in Putin’s interest for – what’s his name? – to win. And therefore I see some encouragement on the part of the Russians of some of what is going on,” she alleged of the demonstrations. Pro-Palestinian activists are genuine in their feelings, she conceded, but “some of it has a Russian tinge to it.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggests some pro-Palestinian protests, especially those against President Biden, have “a Russian tinge to it.” “It's in Putin's interest for 'What's His Name' to win, and therefore I see some encouragement on the part of the Russians.” <a href="https://t.co/WgDByTwkGZ">pic.twitter.com/WgDByTwkGZ</a>— The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1783186070558933411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Responding to Pelosi’s remarks in a social media post, Zakharova said they “can only be taken as an insult to the Americans and a disregard for democracy.”
In January, the former House speaker called on the FBI to investigate the financing of pro-Palestinian groups, claiming that their demands for a ceasefire in Gaza were “Putin’s message.” Pelosi was also caught on camera lashing out at hecklers outside her home, telling them to “go back to China,” supposedly where their “headquarters” were located.
Biden’s approval ratings have taken a hit among Democratic voters over his pro-Israeli stance, although Pelosi insisted that the president has been “the biggest advocate for humanitarian assistance to Palestinians” amid the conflict in Gaza. “The groups outside with their protest lay some blame at his doorstep, when he is the only one advocating at that level,” she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">"GO BACK TO CHINA WHERE YOU CAME FROM!" Nancy Pelosi lost her temper after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied her driveway. Pelosi recently said that "for them [the protesters] to call for a cease-fire is Mr. Putin's message."… <a href="https://t.co/rWjuag4H4v">pic.twitter.com/rWjuag4H4v</a>— Emeka Gift Official (@EmekaGift100) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmekaGift100/status/1755207601921335514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This week, local authorities across the US used force to disperse pro-Palestinian rallies at university campuses, with mass arrests reported in some cases. Protesters were targeted at Yale, Harvard, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Southern California, and other institutions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the US crackdown, branding the activists “anti-Semitic mobs” and comparing them to Nazi sympathizers in the 1930s.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596581-netanyahu-us-antisemitic-protests/">
READ MORE: US campus protesters akin to 1930s Nazis – Netanyahu
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Putin has publicly stated that he would be more comfortable with “predictable” and “old-school” Biden than Trump as the next US president.]]>
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<title>New Delhi seeks global anti-terrorism tech measures</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/india/596608-new-delhi-seeks-global-effort-terrorism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/india/596608-new-delhi-seeks-global-effort-terrorism/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b5d10203027499e5b62d3.jpg" /> At an international conference in Russia, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval called for closer cooperation in cybersecurity <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596608-new-delhi-seeks-global-effort-terrorism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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At a Russia-hosted meeting, India’s national security adviser emphasized the need to cooperate on information security
Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval has called for broader cooperation to counter the misuse of information technology by extremists and criminals, and for a crack down on terrorism funding.
Speaking at the XII International Meeting of High-Level Security Officials in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, Dhoval said India wants to work with other countries to build an open, stable, secure and reliable framework for information security. He stressed that such cooperation needs to happen at domestic and international levels.
Dhoval jointed delegates from over 100 nations at the annual gathering, hosted by the Russian Security Council since 2010. The meeting involves secretaries of security councils, national security advisers, deputy prime ministers, heads of security forces and intelligence agencies.
In his address to the conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that this year’s event would prioritize “issues of protecting the information space from external and internal threats.”
“This topic is relevant for all countries, extremely significant for ensuring national security, social stability, and economic development,” Putin said. “We firmly believe that the global community needs to systematically and consistently establish unified, legally binding norms and principles of conduct for states in the information sphere.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">In his intervention at the plenary session on Ensuring Information Security in the Polycentric World, NSA Shri Ajit Doval underscored India’s policy to use digital technology for inclusive economic development and calls for international cooperation for an open, stable, secure,… <a href="https://t.co/Y0JhbHSL1f">pic.twitter.com/Y0JhbHSL1f</a>— India in Russia (@IndEmbMoscow) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndEmbMoscow/status/1783091057959346234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Opening the plenary session, Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev pledged that Russia will continue to advocate for the creation of a “just world order” that meets the interests of the majority of countries, based on the principles of equality and respect for cultural and civilizational diversity.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/india/595083-crocus-hall-attack-ukraines-survival/">M.K. Bhadrakumar: Moscow massacre proves the West has created a Frankenstein monster on its own doorstep</a></figcaption>
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This year’s meeting was held just weeks after a <a href="https://www.rt.com/shows/documentary/595944-crocus-attack-support-spirit/">devastating terrorist attack</a> at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, in which over 140 people were killed. Russian investigators earlier <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596039-link-between-moscow-terror-attack-and-ukraine-confirmed/">linked</a> the attack with Ukrainian nationalists. Kiev, which initially claimed that Moscow itself had staged the massacre, has denied any involvement, while its Western partners maintain that it was carried out by ISIS-K, an Afghanistan-based offshoot of the once-powerful international terrorist organization Islamic State. The group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
During the two-day conference, Dhoval has also held a series of bilateral meetings, including with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev and his Myanmar counterpart Admiral Moe Aung, as well as the chief adviser to the President of Brazil, Celso Amorim, according to the Indian Embassy in Moscow.
Doval also addressed the BRICS national security advisers’ meeting, where he called for closer cooperation against terrorism, and concrete actions to prevent cross-border planning, funding and execution of terrorist acts.

Where India Meets Russia – We are now on WhatsApp! &lrm;Follow and share RT India in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va6XvWh7IUYZaRQrlU3y">English</a> and in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7ALQtK0IBcl7uI7O3v">Hindi</a> ]]>
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<title>Beijing warns Washington against crossing ‘red lines’</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596606-wang-blinken-us-china/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596606-wang-blinken-us-china/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b506d85f54004e33ccb3e.jpg" /> Negative factors in bilateral relations are “increasing,” Chinese FM Wang Yi has told his US counterpart Antony Blinken <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596606-wang-blinken-us-china/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Negative factors in US-China relations are increasing, the country’s foreign minister has told his American counterpart
The US is challenging China’s core interests and suppressing the country’s development, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated on Friday during talks with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The “giant ship” of China-US ties had stabilized, “but negative factors in the relationship are still increasing and building,” Wang said during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
Blinken arrived in Beijing on Thursday from Shanghai, where he urged the Chinese government to provide a level playing field for US firms in the country.
Bilateral ties face “all kinds of disruptions. China’s legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and our core interests are facing challenges,” Wang  stressed.
Beijing and Washington could either engage in cooperation or confrontation, the foreign minister warned.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596560-blinken-china-visit-us/">Here’s what makes Blinken’s job in China so difficult</a></figcaption>
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China is interested in “stable, healthy, and sustainable” relations and “win-win cooperation” with the US, he pointed out.
In order for it to continue, however, Washington should not interfere in Chinese internal affairs or cross Beijing’s ‘red lines’ when it comes to the nation's sovereignty, security and development, he stressed.
The foreign minister was apparently referring to the tensions around Taiwan, which Beijing views as a Chinese province. Despite agreeing with the ‘One China’ policy on paper, the US maintains ties with the self-governing island and supplies Taipei with weapons.
Blinken told Wang that “there's no substitute in our judgment for face-to-face diplomacy” between the two countries. The administration of US President Joe Biden wants to ensure that “we're as clear as possible about the areas where we have differences, at the very least to avoid misunderstandings, to avoid miscalculations,” he said.
Ahead of Blinken’s trip, US State Department officials indicated that China’s alleged support for Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine will top the agenda during his meetings with Chinese officials. Beijing hasn’t supplied any weapons to Moscow, but US officials claim that Chinese-made circuitry, aircraft parts and machine tools have been helping Russia boost its military industrial capacity.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596579-china-condemns-us-missiles-philippines/">
READ MORE: China threatens US with response to missile deployment
</a>

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The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week, citing informed sources, that the US authorities are preparing sanctions that would not only target Chinese companies, but would also cut off some of the country’s banks from the global financial system.]]>
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<title>Battle Royale: How a king ended up on the ballot in India</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/india/596595-maharaja-mysore-india-election-2024/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/india/596595-maharaja-mysore-india-election-2024/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b311285f54002fc467a90.jpg" /> The appeal of Yaduveer Wodeyar, a young and handsome member of a royal family of Mysuru, has convinced the BJP to dump their sitting MP <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596595-maharaja-mysore-india-election-2024/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The 32-year old scion of the 500-year-old Wodeyar family is running in India’s general election in Mysuru; reverence for his dynasty almost ensures a win.
<a href="https://www.ykcwadiyar.in/about-ykcwadiyar/">Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar</a> is the scion of a 500-year-old royal family. He’s also the candidate of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the April 26 parliamentary election in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore">Mysuru</a> (Mysore) in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
“How handsome he looks,” say rural women voters during his roadshows.
Yaduveer, the 27th head of the <a href="https://www.karnataka.com/mysore/the-wodeyar-kings-of-mysore/">Wodeyar</a> royal family in Mysuru is a 32-year-old who studied English and Economics at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in the USA. “Today, there is no King or subject,” he told Russia Today. “We are all one. The Constitution has given us equal rights.” 
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596174-india-lok-sabha-elections-2024/">India votes: How 970 million people are deciding on who the leader of world’s new powerhouse will be</a></figcaption>
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Tell that to his voters. 
First-time voter Chandrakanth was excited to see Yaduveer in person, for it is rare for the royals to appear in public; the only exception being the region's biggest religious festival, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_Dasara">Dasara</a>. “I am very happy to see the King in close proximity,” he said, and declared that his first vote would not go wasted.
Madegowda, a farmer in Chamdudeshwari on the outskirts of Mysuru who witnessed the durbar (court) of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayachamarajendra_Wadiyar">Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar</a> (father of Yaduveer’s predecessor, <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/tPr7z4p2OEvlOiUj41tqiP/Mysore-prince-Srikantadatta-Narasimharaja-Wodeyar-dies.html">Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar</a>) in the early 1970s, says that no-one should have contested against the king. “He should have been elected unopposed,” he felt.
“I am overwhelmed by the response from the people,” Yaduveer says, greeting the public as they wave and shout “Maharaja, Maharaj” at his roadshow.  
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/original/662b1d8f85f54002fc467a87.jpg" />
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Indian Mysore royal Raja Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar and his wife Rani Trishika Kumari Singh, from the royal family of Rajasthan, take part in the launch of the Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Foundation (HHSNW) at the Bangalore Palace on February 19, 2018.

©  MANJUNATH KIRAN / AFP 
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Yaduveer is not the first royal scion to enter the rough and tumble world of Indian elections. His great-grand-uncle and predecessor, Srikantadatta Wodeyar, was the first; he contested from the royal city of Mysuru, about 140 km southwest of Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, known as India’s silicon valley. 
Srikantadatta Wodeyar served three five-year terms as a member of the Indian National Congress. In 1991, however, he contested as a BJP candidate and lost. He switched back to Congress, won in 1996 and 1999, but lost in 2004 as a BJP member.
<h2>A 500-year-old dynasty</h2>
The Wodeyars are one of India’s most prominent royal families and respected by the people of Karnataka for their welfare measures, development, and reformist approach over the centuries. They built the first-ever reservoir in central Karnataka, named the Vani Vilas Sagar, built the more famous Krishna Raja Sagar Dam across the river Cauvery, and established educational institutions, including the University of Mysuru and Mysuru Medical College.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596029-narendra-modi-indian-election-2024/">Who is Narendra Modi, the Indian strongman seeking a third term in the 2024 polls?</a></figcaption>
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The Wodeyars sowed the seeds of India’s public sector defense undertaking, <a href="https://hal-india.co.in/">Hindustan Aeronautics Limited</a> (HAL), and generously donated funds and land to set up the premier <a href="https://iisc.ac.in/">Indian Institute of Science</a>. They were responsible for the first hydroelectric power station in Asia. Bengaluru was the first city in Asia to have streetlights in the early 20th century. They also established the first steel and iron factory.
The Wodeyars were also the first in the country to give women the equal right to vote. They established a representative assembly in 1881. They revived the world-famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_silk">Mysore Silk</a>.
The role of the Wodeyars is now largely ceremonial; the princely states were abolished after India gained independence from the UK. 
Citizens in the old Mysuru state, the geographical part of Karnataka, which was under Wodeyar control prior to the 1956 <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/explainer-reorganization-states-india-and-why-it-happened-52273">reorganization of States</a>, still revere the Wodeyars as being on par with God. (In 1956 Karnataka, comprised predominantly of Kannada speakers, came into existence).
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A procession, led by the Maharaja seated under a canopy on a caparisoned elephant, parades through the city on November 8, 1939, in Mysore, India during Dussehra festival.

©  KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images 
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<h2>Rivals dare not criticize him</h2>
Aware of his legacy and heritage, Yaduveer cheerfully plunged into politics. By entering this domain, one can do better social service and be close to the people, he told RT. “I was mentally prepared that a day would come to do this,” he said. 
Yaduveer said he chose the BJP because he was influenced by the Prime Minister and his work ethics over the past ten years, as well as by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology. 
In fact, Mysuru had a sitting BJP member in the Lok Sabha (lower house), Pratap Simha, who was jettisoned because of Yaduveer’s likelihood of winning and the respect that the family commands even today (perhaps because of <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/parliament-security-breach-who-is-bjp-mp-pratap-simha-visitor-passes-how-they-are-issued-9066921/">this controversy</a>).
Even his Congress rivals think twice about attacking the Wodeyar family. Any negative comments are not taken kindly by voters, although the royal family itself is always silent on such criticism. 
Yaduveer says any criticism is welcome as long as it is civil and constructive, geared at helping society or at correcting oneself.
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Indian Mysore royals Raja Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar and his wife Rani Trishika Kumari Singh during their visit to a government run school in Bangalore on March 21, 2018.

©  MANJUNATH KIRAN / AFP 
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Yaduveer’s rival M Lakshmana, an engineering graduate, says that it is a fight between the King and a commoner.  The scion, however, responded by saying both have equal rights. “I am also going to people seeking votes and have tried to understand their problems,” Wodeyar says. “Elections give me that opportunity. It is for the people to accept or reject me.” 
Jettisoned MP Pratap Simha sarcastically remarked that now the king will come to hear the people’s grievances, and that he has to come out of the palace. He also said the king would resolve a number of properties in dispute between the government and the palace, in favor of the government. 
Dayashankar Maily, a senior journalist closely associated with the royal family, says that the reverence for the royals remains the same. “People will for sure vote for him this time, because he is the royal scion,” he says. “But if he is to get re-elected, Yaduveer has to perform.”
A number of people, the young, the aged, both men and women, and even minors too young to vote, have come to see Yaduveer during his campaign.  Most people who spoke to RT were surprised to see the ease with which the “Maharaja” mingled and spoke. 
All this will make his electoral debut a little easier, but last minute strategies could upset anyone. 
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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga with others to celebrate the International Day of Yoga in front of the Mysore Palace in Mysore on June 21, 2022.

©  Manjunath Kiran / AFP 
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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, long known for opposing the royal family, has taken this election seriously. He is also a native of Mysore and wants to win this election for Congress at any cost, to nip any post-election challenge to his position.
The Karnataka government is fighting a legal battle to take over Bengaluru Palace, which belongs to the royal family. Spread over hundreds of acres in the middle of the city, the property is estimated to be worth more than Rs one trillion ($12 billion). 
Recently, the royal family handed over 15 acres of land for road widening; the government agreed to give the family Rs 14 billion ($168 million) worth of transferable development rights. 
<h2>The ancient Curse on the Royals</h2>
The 500-year-old dynasty was <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/south/story/wadiyar-royals-mysore-vijayanagara-empire-tirumalaraja-alamelamma-talakadu-220486-2013-12-11">cursed in 1612 by Queen Alamelamma</a>. The story is that Raja Wodeyar, one of the vassals of the later Vijayanagara kings, dethroned Tirumalaraya, the representative of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/India/The-Vijayanagar-empire-1336-1646">Vijayanagara empire</a>, and declared himself king. 
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596406-wayanad-rahul-gandhi-congress-kerala/">No Gandhi: India’s main opposition party is struggling. Here’s why</a></figcaption>
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After hearing about this, Alamelamma, who was decorating the deity <a href="https://mytempletrips.in/shri-ranganthaswamy-temple-srirangapatna-karnatka-adi-ranga/">Adinayaki</a> at the Sri Ranganatha temple every Tuesday with her gold in Srirangapatna (about 15 km from Mysuru), fled with her ornaments to Talakadu. 
Raja Wodeyar sent his soldiers to capture her. Seeing the soldiers, Alamelamma jumped into the Cauvery river and cursed them: “May Talakadu become a barren expanse of land, Malangi turn into a whirlpool, and may the kings of Mysore never beget children for all eternity.”
Raja Wodeyar installed a golden statue of Alamelamma in the palace, where she is worshiped even today. Legend has it that Raja Wodeyar’s only son died a few months after the curse.
Even in the modern era, the Wodeyars have a male child only once every two generations. 
He adopted one of his nephews to succeed him. The successor had an heir, but not his son. This is how Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar had no heir; his father Chamarajendra Wodeyar (whose 1970s durbar was mentioned earlier) was adopted by Krishnaraja Wodeyar the fourth.
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The Prince Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the last leader of the state of Mysore and Sir Kanthirava Yuvaraj Sri Narasimharaja Wodeyar Bahadur on August 8, 1935.

©  Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images 
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<h2>Maharaja in the making</h2>
On December 10, 2013, when 60-year-old Srikantadatta Wodeyar died without naming a successor, his spouse Queen Pramoda Devi chose the 22-year-old Yaduveer as heir. 
Before becoming Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar, his name was Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs. He was the only son of Swarup Anand Gopal Raj Urs and Princess Leela Tripurasundari Devi. Swarup Gopal Raj Urs was the grandnephew of Chamaraja Wodeyar, and the nephew of Srikantadatta Wodeyar.
On May 28, 2015, Yaduveer was crowned Maharaja after a series of elaborate rituals. He was married to Trishika Kumar in 2016. They had a boy, Aadyaveer Narasimharaja Wodeyar in 2017. If the legend of the curse continues, Aadyaveer will have no child and will have to adopt one. 
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Royal priests perform the traditional ritual for adoption of Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs as the 27th royal heir to the throne of Wodeyar dynasty on February 23, 2015.

©  AFP 
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It was Wodeyars who introduced the world-famous Dasara festival, a colorful nine-day celebration in October of the Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of the royal family. 
The nine-day celebrations conclude with a grand jamboree where a decorated elephant carries a 750-kg golden throne of the Wodeyars (now in possession of the Government) holding an idol of the Goddess Chamundeshwari. 
Hundreds of thousands come to witness the event. The scion performs a number of rituals besides holding a private durbar in his Amba Vilas Palace, also known as the Mysuru palace. It was built in 1912 at a cost of Rs 414.7 million ($5 million) and continues to be the biggest attraction for international tourists. Last year it attracted 3.3 million, the majority of whom were foreigners. ]]>
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<title>Another EU state could help Kiev repatriate military-age men</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596603-lithuania-ukrainian-men-mobilization/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662b0d7e20302763a3767a23.jpg" /> Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas has said Ukraine is “very short of mobilization reserves” <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596603-lithuania-ukrainian-men-mobilization/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Lithuania could follow Poland’s lead in dealing with fighting-age Ukrainians, the defense chief has said
Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas has acknowledged that Ukraine is “very short of mobilization reserves,” after Kiev suspended the issuing of passports for conscription-age men residing abroad.
Ukraine has barred all men between the ages of 18 and 60 from receiving or renewing documents at consular offices, unless they are properly registered for mobilization. Poland's defense minister suggested on Wednesday that it could eventually help Kiev repatriate potential soldiers.
While Lithuania is not yet ready to introduce concrete measures on its own, it will closely follow the decisions adopted by its EU neighbor, Kasciunas <a href="https://www.delfi.lt/en/politics/lithuania-may-consider-how-to-help-ukraine-return-conscription-age-men-96412635">told</a> reporters in parliament on Thursday.
“The direction is right… but it is too early to say what measures this will transform into,” the minister said, noting that options could include limiting such persons’ access to “social benefits, work permits, documents.”
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596544-poland-help-ukraine-draft-dodgers/">EU state ready to help Ukraine hunt down military-aged men</a></figcaption>
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“Let’s wait and see what option they [Poland] will offer, maybe it will be suitable for Lithuania,” Kasciunas added. “Of course, no one will round up and send them to Ukraine – this will not happen.”
According to EU officials, an estimated 860,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age are living in the bloc. Kasciunas said “not many” of those are currently in Lithuania, but was unable to give an exact figure.  
“Ukraine is very short of mobilization reserves… This is not fair to those citizens who are fighting for their country,” Kasciunas argued, echoing the words of his Polish counterpart, who argued that Ukrainian soldiers have “justified grievances against their peers who have scattered around the world.”
Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba claimed on Tuesday that the decision to strip Ukrainian men of their rights was “fair” and in line with controversial military mobilization reforms which President Vladimir Zelensky signed into law this month.]]>
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<title>US ATACMS will help Ukraine attack Crimea – NYT</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596602-ukraine-atacms-targets-crimea/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662af76a85f5407c6a592cdd.jpg" /> US-supplied ATACMS will allow Ukrainian forces to target Russia’s Crimean peninsula “more effectively,” the New York Times has reported <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596602-ukraine-atacms-targets-crimea/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Kiev could use the systems to “put more pressure” on the peninsula, according to the newspaper
US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, will allow Ukrainian forces to target Russia’s Crimean peninsula “more effectively,” the New York Times has reported, citing senior Pentagon officials.
Washington secretly sent Kiev an unspecified number of longer-range ATACMS last month, US officials confirmed earlier this week, after several outlets claimed that Kiev has already begun using the weapon against Russian targets far behind the frontlines.
The “goal” of supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles was to put more pressure on Crimea, “where, right now, Russia has had relatively safe haven,” the NYT <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/us/politics/ukraine-aid-atacms.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> on Thursday, citing an unnamed US defense official.
The US delivered the ATACMS missiles, believed to have a range of up to 300 kilometers, to Ukraine as part of a $300-million arms package approved by President Joe Bidenin mid-March. On Wednesday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed the delivery, but US officials have refused to comment on the exact modification and range of the weapon.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a085a85f5402a8f6e1f45.jpg" alt="UK Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Tony Radakin in London on March 13, 2023." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596548-uk-military-chief-ukraine-long-range-strikes/">Ukraine to step up long-range strikes on Russia – UK military chief</a></figcaption>
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On the morning of April 17, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said his forces had attacked an airbase in Dzhankoy, Crimea, after media reports alleged that Kiev used the missiles for the first time in the attack on the airfield about 165 kilometers (103 miles) from the frontline. The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the claim.
Ukraine first received mid-range ATACMS <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/585181-ukraine-us-atacms-missiles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">last September</a>. The Russian military quickly began <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/585765-russia-intercepts-atacms-missiles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">shooting them down</a>, however, <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/589480-russian-military-shoot-down-atacms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">thwarting</a> Zelensky’s plan to damage or destroy the Crimean Bridge. Earlier this month, Zelensky reiterated that he and his government “really want to destroy Russian infrastructure,” including the Crimean Bridge.
“I think the time is right, and the boss [Biden] made the decision the time is right to provide these based on where the fight is right now,” vice-chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, Adm Christopher Grady, told AP on Wednesday. “I think it was a very well considered decision, and we really wrung it out.”
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596558-us-ukraine-aid-biden/">
READ MORE: Biden team doubts US aid will help Ukraine win – Politico
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The delivery of long-range missiles to Kiev is “impossible to justify,” Russia’s Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said on Thursday. The move by Washington “increases the threat to the security of Crimea, including Sevastopol, the new Russian regions and other Russian cities,” he added.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/66178b4185f54054c00be892.jpg" alt="A patrol boat is seen near the Crimean Bridge, repaired after the July 17 sea drone strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Republic of Crimea, Russia." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/595721-zelensky-wants-to-destroy-crimean-bridge/">We really want to destroy Europe’s longest bridge – Zelensky</a></figcaption>
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Crimea voted overwhelmingly to join the Russian Federation in 2014, six decades after the historically Russian peninsula was transferred to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in an administrative decision by Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev. In September 2022, four former Ukrainian regions – the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Kherson, and Zaporozhye – were also admitted to the Russian Federation after similar referendums. 
Kiev declared the referendums a “sham” and has been pushing for its own “peace formula” under which Russia would withdraw its troops not only from the four regions but from Crimea as well before any talks can start.]]>
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<title>US begins spending $61bn Ukraine war chest – Politico</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596601-pentagon-ukraine-military-contracts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596601-pentagon-ukraine-military-contracts/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ae7c42030271700303662.jpg" /> The Pentagon is putting together $6 billion worth of defense industry contracts for ammunition that might reach Kiev in a year or two <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596601-pentagon-ukraine-military-contracts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Much of the equipment won’t be ready for years, however
The Pentagon is preparing to announce a new batch of weapons and ammunition for Kiev worth up to $6 billion, anonymous officials have told Politico.
Among the items featured in the package are Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, artillery shells, HIMARS rockets, air-to-air missiles, drones, and counter-drone weapons, the sources <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/25/us-weapons-contract-ukraine-00154450" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>.
Washington has already rushed $1 billion worth of ammunition to Kiev, drawn down from US military stocks, since President Joe Biden signed a bill providing for $61 billion in aid to the Ukrainian government.
The pending $6 billion batch will not come out of the Pentagon’s stockpile, however, as it is funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), through which the Pentagon issues contracts to the US military industry to build new equipment for Kiev. This means the goods “likely won’t arrive in Ukraine for several years,” Politico noted.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629218c85f540459d20c9df.jpg" alt="Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba speaks to the media before a United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting on Ukraine on July 17, 2023 in New York City." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596520-kuleba-ukraine-aid-kremlin/">Ukrainian foreign minister agrees with Kremlin</a></figcaption>
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The $61 billion aid package, of which the latest consignment is part, was approved earlier this week after months of languishing in Congress. The Republicans, who held it up in the House of Representatives, signed off on it without securing any significant changes from the Democrats.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky had blamed the suspension of American aid for a series of battlefield setbacks that his army has experienced since last year. Most Western media outlets have predicted a turnaround in Ukrainian fortunes now that the new US funding has been approved.
An analysis published by the Economist on Thursday went so far as to suggest that the bill may have prevented a Russian offensive this summer, which Moscow “might have hoped” to use to “force a Ukrainian surrender on humiliating terms.”
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596539-pentagon-ukraine-aid-shipment/">
READ MORE: Pentagon details shipment of military supplies to Ukraine
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Meanwhile, the Kremlin has shrugged off the new US aid bill as <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596509-peskov-us-aid-no-change-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unable to change</a> the battlefield dynamics, which are firmly in Russia’s favor. According to President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596431-kremlin-peskov-aid-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Peskov</a>, the only thing the new US funding will do is get more Ukrainians killed.]]>
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<title>Milei’s reforms have made Argentine peso world’s top performing currency – Bloomberg</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/business/596600-argentina-peso-performing-milei/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/business/596600-argentina-peso-performing-milei/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ad84385f540019034f521.jpg" /> President Javier Milei’s deregulation and austerity spree has managed to bolster the peso he once hated and wanted to abandon <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596600-argentina-peso-performing-milei/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The anarcho-capitalist president had wanted to scrap the national coin for US dollars
Argentinian President Javier Milei’s controversial “shock therapy” has bolstered the country’s currency in a key foreign-exchange market, performing at levels unmatched across the globe, according to Bloomberg.
The “parallel peso” trading on the blue-chip swap exchange has risen 25% against the US dollar over the past three months, more than any of the 148 other currencies tracked.
The outlet called it a “shocking statistic” given that the peso was inflating at an annual rate of 300% when Milei took power last December. Since then, the self-described anarcho-capitalist has managed to slash government spending and “choke off” demand for everything – including dollars – in order to tame runaway inflation.
“The great novelty in Argentina is that the person in charge is not worried about paying the political cost that comes with austerity – that’s unusual,” the outlet quoted Javier Casabal, head of research at AdCap Grupo Financiero in Buenos Aires. 
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.02/thumbnail/65e0b68a2030272bb946a9bc.jpg" alt="President of Argentina Javier Milei gives a speech after his Inauguration Ceremony at "Casa Rosada" Presidential Palace on December 10, 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/593448-argentina-loan-imf/">Argentina seeks more cash from IMF – Bloomberg</a></figcaption>
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Milei’s budget cuts may not be “the largest in the history of humankind,” as he described them, but have in percentage terms been more severe than about 90% of austerity programs carried out around the world in the last several decades.
The president has slashed almost 4% off Argentina’s GDP. On paper, this has caused a deep recession and layoffs. It has also propelled the peso to steadily rise since January. The standard that gauges Argentina’s actual purchasing power shows it is up by 72%, for example.
This has enabled Argentina’s central bank to buy dollars and replenish the previously depleted hard-currency reserves. It is also no longer financing government spending by printing money and has lowered interest rates, for the fourth time since Milei took office.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.02/thumbnail/65d3448a203027653c3cda4d.jpg" alt="RT" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/592676-argentina-poverty-record-high/">Poverty in Argentina soars to record high – study</a></figcaption>
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“Under this government, economic policy is starting to become rational,” said Carlos Perez, director of the consulting firm Fundacion Capital.
Argentines also appear to have more confidence in their currency, which has lowered the demand for dollars. Perez noted that many people who had bought up the US currency as an inflation hedge are now selling it back, to get the pesos they need for everyday business.
Bloomberg has described the peso rally as “an ironic twist” for Milei, given that he called the currency “excrement” on the campaign trail and called for scrapping it entirely in favor of the dollar.]]>
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<title>EU parliament condemns Iran over strikes on Israel</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596598-eu-parliament-iran-sanctions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596598-eu-parliament-iran-sanctions/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ad28085f54002fc467a66.jpg" /> The EU Parliament has urged more sanctions against Tehran over its recent retaliatory strikes on Israel <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596598-eu-parliament-iran-sanctions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The body urged more restrictions on the heavily-sanctioned country, while calling for “de-escalation” in the Middle East
The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday condemning recent Iranian drone and missile strikes on Israel and calling for new sanctions against Tehran.
The resolution was backed by an overwhelming majority, with 357 MEPs voting in favor and only 20 against. It reiterated the European Parliament’s “full support for the security of the State of Israel and its citizens” and condemned Tehran’s actions.
The April 13 retaliatory strikes were prompted by a deadly attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria two weeks prior, which killed seven senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.
Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the strike on the diplomatic mission. While the resolution said the MEPs “deplore the attack” on the consulate and underscore “the importance of the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises,” it did not call for any action in response. Instead, it demanded more sanctions against Iran and its partners.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596504-good-news-middle-east/">Here’s why Iran decided not to attack Israel again</a></figcaption>
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“MEPs welcome the EU’s decision to expand its current sanctions regime against Iran, including by sanctioning the country’s supply and production of unmanned drones and missiles to Russia and the wider Middle East. They demand that these sanctions be urgently put in place and call for more individuals and entities to be targeted,” said the resolution.
The parliament also explicitly called for designating Iran’s elite IRGC force as a terrorist entity, arguing that this was “long overdue due to malign Iranian activities.” The Iranian-backed Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, should also be placed on the list “in its entirety,” MEPs argued, apparently referring to both the militant and political wings of the group.]]>
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<title>Here’s what makes Blinken’s job in China so difficult</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596560-blinken-china-visit-us/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596560-blinken-china-visit-us/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ad37d20302760f124e16b.jpg" /> “Overcapacity” and “dual-purpose trade” are catchphrases to hide the fact that Washington is getting trounced in the economy of the future <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596560-blinken-china-visit-us/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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“Overcapacity” and “dual-purpose trade” are catchphrases to hide the fact that Washington is getting trounced in the economy of the future
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in China on Wednesday to kick off a three-day trip. It is reported that he will speak with his Chinese counterpart and potentially with President Xi Jinping. As the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/world/asia/blinken-arrives-in-china.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>, quoting officials privy to the visit, one of the main topics will be China’s alleged support of Russia, which includes the supposed sale of weapon components and dual-use products. It also comes at a time of increased tensions.
Relations have shown a flicker of warmth since US President Joe Biden and Xi’s encounter at the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco last year. However, this visit comes sandwiched between significant moves by the Biden administration. 
On the one hand, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-hold-key-test-vote-ukraine-aid-israel-funding-tiktok-ban-rcna148685" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Biden recently signed off</a> on a hefty military aid package for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, coupled with a divest-or-ban provision for the Chinese social media juggernaut, TikTok. On the other, a historic <a href="https://news.usni.org/2024/04/12/biden-affirms-ironclad-commitment-to-japan-philippines-china-protests-multilateral-naval-drills" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trilateral summit</a> involving the US, Japan, and the Philippines hints at potential formal military collaborations down the road, with the US <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/22/asia/us-land-attack-missile-philippines-china-intl-hnk-ml/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deploying medium-range missiles in the Philippines</a>, a move with unmistakable implications for China.
Blinken’s trip also follows closely on the heels of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/09/world/asia/xi-lavrov-russia-china.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recent visit to China</a>, which coincided with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s presence in the country. Lavrov’s visit underscored the enduring bond between Russia and China, while Yellen’s seemed to foreshadow potential trade tensions over what Beijing perceives as baseless accusations of <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-14/yellen-says-nothing-off-table-in-response-to-china-overcapacity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“overcapacity.”</a>
Behind the diplomatic niceties lies a deeper agenda: the concerted effort by the US and some of its allies to curb China’s economic and technological ascent. This was laid bare when EU officials on Tuesday <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Hvtt3AVL1lXlHkriixSyqA?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">executed unannounced raids</a> on the offices of a Chinese company in Poland and Denmark.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6628ffc42030277eda3d8e3f.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596505-taiwan-arms-china-blinken/">US ‘shooting itself in the foot’ by arming Taiwan – Beijing</a></figcaption>
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<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_24_2247?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The European Commission said</a> that its “unannounced inspections” are based on “indications that the inspected company may have received foreign subsidies that could distort the internal market pursuant to the Foreign Subsidies Regulation.” Despite this explanation, it appears the EU is mirroring Washington’s growing scrutiny of and hostility against Chinese firms. The EU’s alignment with the US on trade policy, particularly regarding China, signals a loose front aimed at constraining China’s global economic reach.
The issue of Russia is also another excuse to limit China. The bilateral partnership has been extraordinarily beneficial for both sides: their trade reached <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=china+russia+trade+2023&rlz=1C5CHFA_enPE1087BO1089&oq=china+russia+trade+2023&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgAEAAYgAQyBwgAEAAYgAQyBwgBEAAYgAQyBwgCEAAYgAQyDAgDEAAYFBiHAhiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCDQzNjlqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a record $240.1 billion in 2023</a>, and Russia’s economy grew by 3.6% the same year despite Western sanctions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/17/russia-forecast-to-grow-faster-than-advanced-economies-in-2024-imf.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">predicts</a> Russia’s economy will grow faster than all advanced economies in 2024.
This is due in no small part to trade with China, the world’s second-largest economy, but it’s also due to the fact that many other large countries, such as Brazil and India, have not joined Western sanctions on Russia – they just aren’t trading in strategic sectors of the economy like China is. But even in those sectors, the US and its allies have never revealed evidence that Beijing is directly helping Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
What it’s really about was revealed in 2021 when US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated bluntly that “we (the US) need to work with Europe” to “slow down China’s rate of innovation.” Even during the administration of former President Donald Trump, the US was strong-arming European countries to implement <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/uk-banned-huawei-because-us-told-us-to-former-minister/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bans on Huawei</a> and <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-08/12/c_139283552.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">attempting to bully</a> others into signing public tenders with US companies over Chinese competitors.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6627e62985f5404e32648721.jpg" alt="File photo: J-20 stealth fighter jets rehearse for the Changchun Air Show in China, July 24, 2023." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596477-us-war-china-prevail/">US would beat China in a war – intel official</a></figcaption>
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The idea was that without the ability to compete globally, Chinese firms in the high-tech sphere would inevitably become less profitable and, thus, less innovative. But this is not the case, in fact. While Western countries attempt to control the narrative with accusations of unfair trade practices and military equipment sales, the reality is that Chinese firms continue to dominate global markets in crucial sectors like solar power, telecommunications, and electric vehicles.
They are simply implementing protectionist policies to prop up their own companies while failing to take concrete steps to actually compete in the market. But for Europe, it should be noted how one-sided this is. The continent is reliant on US tech; the EU’s GDP advantage has crumbled over the past decade-and-a-half since the 2008 financial crash; and it is becoming strategically compromised due to US influence and a lack of domestic innovation.
In essence, the diplomatic dance between Blinken and his Chinese counterparts encapsulates a broader struggle for supremacy in a rapidly evolving world order. Overcapacity is a myth; China has the best industrial base in the world and shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Accusations of assisting in war efforts – made even more absurd by America’s open support for Israel’s operation in Gaza, which has been credibly accused of genocide – are just noise. The US and its underlings are simply just getting beat in almost every meaningful sphere, which will make Antony Blinken’s job especially tough this week.]]>
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<title>US Congress probing 13 banks for January 6 ‘collusion’</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596599-us-banks-capitol-collusion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596599-us-banks-capitol-collusion/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662aca4c85f54031cf6e5e86.jpg" /> House Republicans are demanding explanations from over a dozen financial institutions who helped the FBI spy on Americans without a warrant <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596599-us-banks-capitol-collusion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Purchases of Bibles or searches for “MAGA” and Trump were considered indicators of “extremism”
Republicans in the House of Representatives have sent letters to 13 financial institutions they suspect of colluding with the FBI and the Treasury Department to spy on Americans without a warrant in relation to the 2021 Capitol riot.
Supporters of then-President Donald Trump had stormed the legislature just as Republican lawmakers were starting to register objections to certifying the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden. Democrats labeled the unrest as an “insurrection” and sought to arrest over 1,000 people involved in any way.
Some of these people were apparently targeted by financial institutions working with the FBI and Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), according to the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, led by the Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
“The Committee and Select Subcommittee remain concerned about how and to what extent federal law enforcement and financial institutions continue to spy on Americans by weaponizing backdoor information sharing and casting sprawling classes of transactions, purchase behavior, and protected political or religious expression as potentially ‘suspicious’ or indicative of ‘extremism’,” said a letter from Jordan, which the Daily Mail obtained exclusively on Thursday.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596070-telegram-durov-reveals-pressure-us/">Apple and Google more dangerous than governments – Telegram founder</a></figcaption>
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Jordan has pointed to evidence that the FBI and FinCEN instructed banks to look for purchases of Bibles or search terms such as “Trump” or “MAGA,” the acronym for the 45th president’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
Congress was already investigating Bank of America, Chase, US Bank, Wells Fargo, Citi Bank and Truist. Thursday’s letter was sent to Charles Schwab, HSBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, PayPal, Santander, Standard Chartered and Western Union. That makes 13 banks or financial institutions potentially involved in the dragnet.
Bank of America alone sent data on 211 individuals to the FBI and FinCen by January 17, 2021. However, its Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) was sent after the federal agencies asked banks to look for “extremist” purchases. Four of the 211 were tagged for a follow-up and visited by FBI agents. None of them ended up being charged with anything.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/594173-trump-capitol-protesters-pardon/">Trump pledges to release Capitol rioters</a></figcaption>
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“This kind of warrantless financial surveillance raises serious concerns about the federal government’s respect for Americans’ privacy and fundamental civil liberties,” Jordan wrote in a separate letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, also obtained by the Daily Mail.
Since 2021, the FBI has <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/571258-fbi-disavows-report-on-catholic-extremists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">targeted</a> “radical-traditionalist Catholics” as well as <a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/540473-fbi-whistleblower-garland-parents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">parents</a> who spoke up at school board meetings – on issues such as mask mandates or critical race theory – as potential domestic terrorists. Both programs were officially denounced after being revealed by whistleblowers.]]>
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<title>Fugitive drug trafficker caught after strolling with ‘dead dolphin’ (VIDEO)</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596597-dead-dolphin-drug-trafficker/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596597-dead-dolphin-drug-trafficker/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ab27a85f540172121c7e2.png" /> A viral video showing a man carrying around a “dead dolphin” has led to the arrest of a drug trafficking suspect <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596597-dead-dolphin-drug-trafficker/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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A Russian man who was on a wanted list has ended up in custody after starring in a bizarre viral video
Russian police have apprehended a 40-year-old drug trafficking suspect, after he was spotted on CCTV casually carrying what was described as a “dead dolphin” around the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
A bizarre video circulating online shows the man, who was on a wanted list, carrying his ‘catch’ into his apartment.
Local police said on Thursday that after examining the footage, they identified the man as a fugitive from Moscow Region who was being sought on drug-trafficking charges.
Police described the animal as a “dead dolphin,” although footage suggests it was actually a harbor porpoise, a small whale species related more to belugas and narwhals than to dolphins.
The animal was already dead when the suspect found it on the beach, police noted, without elaborating on why he had decided to take it with him.
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The suspect was taken into custody at his residence in the beachside town of Adler, just to the south of Sochi. He will shortly be handed over to the authorities of Moscow Region to face charges of trafficking drugs in exceptionally large quantities. If found guilty, he faces between 15 and 20 years behind bars.]]>
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<title>Spanish PM takes break from public duties</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596580-spain-pm-wife-inquiry/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596580-spain-pm-wife-inquiry/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662ab0f985f54031cf6e5e7e.jpg" /> Prime Minister of Spain is to take a step back from duties amid inquiry into influence peddling and alleged corruption by his wife <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596580-spain-pm-wife-inquiry/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Pedro Sanchez says he needs a time-out as his wife faces inquiry over influence peddling
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has suspended public duties to “stop and reflect” on whether to remain in the job, after a court opened a preliminary inquiry into alleged illegal activities by his wife.
The prime minister issued a four-page letter on Wednesday, saying he was taking a five-day break from public duties and would announce his decision to stay or quit on Monday. Sanchez has been in office since 2018 and last year secured another term for his Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) as leader of a minority coalition government. 
“I urgently need to answer a question that I keep asking myself: Is it worth it for me to remain [in office] in spite of the right and far-right’s mudslinging?” the PM wrote, explaining the decision on what he called “unprecedented slander and harassment.”
The announcement came hours after Spanish media reported that a Madrid judge had launched a preliminary investigation into whether the PM’s wife, Begona Gomez, had used her government connections to further her private business interests.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Carta a la ciudadanía. <a href="https://t.co/c2nFxTXQTK">pic.twitter.com/c2nFxTXQTK</a>— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) <a href="https://twitter.com/sanchezcastejon/status/1783181535337734409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The court did not give details of the accusations against Gomez other than to say it had begun investigating allegations of influence peddling and corruption on April 16.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/595611-spain-golden-visa-investors/">Spain to end golden visa program</a></figcaption>
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The complaint against Gomez was raised by anti-corruption campaigners Manos Limpias, or Clean Hands, who have taken part in a number of high-profile court cases in recent years. The platform is reportedly led by a man linked to the far right.
Manos Limpias put out a statement on Thursday acknowledging that its allegations might be false, because they were based on online newspaper reports. “If they are not true, it will be up to those that published them to take responsibility for the falsehood,” the platform claimed.
According to media reports, Madrid’s prosecuting authority on Thursday requested the dismissal of a corruption case against Gomez.
Sanchez said his wife would defend her honor and work with the judiciary to make clear there is no substance to the allegations against her.]]>
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<title>‘We’re gonna make it!’: Putin addresses business leaders on Russia’s economic strength, strategic goals</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596564-russian-economy-growth-putin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596564-russian-economy-growth-putin/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a7a2385f54004e33ccae0.jpg" /> Russia’s economy has continued to develop despite unprecedented challenges, President Putin tells assembled industrialists, entrepreneurs <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596564-russian-economy-growth-putin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The president was speaking at the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
The Russian economy has demonstrated buoyant growth despite unprecedented external challenges, Vladimir Putin said during an address on Thursday to Russia’s Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP). The president stressed that he appreciated the contribution of the business community and proposed more engagement on strategic goals. Here are some key takeaways from Putin’s speech at the event, held in Moscow.
<aside class="listicle">
Strong dynamics A country’s success, including on the battlefield, depends on how quickly technological challenges are resolved, Putin said. “And we are making it!” he told the gathering. Russia’s economy has been positively dynamic, he reported. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has demonstrated “good growth” in the first months of this year, following 3.6% growth in 2023, he said. In January 2024 GDP growth was 4.6% in annual terms and, in February, 7.7%. “Despite the unprecedented challenges we have faced in recent years, positive trends are strengthening in the domestic economy,” he told the audience.
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Unemployment at historic low The Russian economy has gained strong momentum, which could be seen from the state of the labor market. Unemployment remains at a historic low of less than 3%, and has also fallen among young people. “The growth in employment … among other things is the result of the efforts of businesses, companies, and the entire business community,” Putin emphasized. The average monthly salary in real terms increased by 8.5% in January, and real incomes in 2023 rose by 5.4%. Touching on a projected shortage of personnel in Russia, the president said this cannot be covered by migrant workers, and called for other approaches to be taken.
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Greater freedom of action for business The Russian president urged that relevant authorities ensure maximum transparency for the conduct and development of business in the country. Every opportunity exists, he said, including “solid state resources and the potential of domestic business,” to implement the planned initiatives. “The government will continue to support businesses so that they launch promising projects, increase capital investment, and create new jobs,” the Russian leader told the union congress.
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Tax-system adjustment The president cited tax system reform as key among important steps to improve the investment climate in Russia. He noted that new tax conditions should be fixed for longer terms. “Modernization of the fiscal system should ensure a more equitable distribution of the tax burden, while stimulating businesses that develop and invest, including in infrastructure, social, and personnel projects. In short, it is necessary to ensure stable and predictable conditions for reliable, confident business operation,” according to Putin.
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Privatization review Putin recalled that law enforcement agencies have recently initiated proceedings to return some assets to state ownership. “I would like to emphasize that this is not about revising privatization, we talked about this at the previous meeting, but about cases when the actions or inactions of the owners of enterprises and property complexes cause direct damage to the country’s security and national interests,” the president explained.
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Industrial growth “In the next six years, we need to radically … increase the volume of industrial production. Moreover, new enterprises, including high-tech ones, in critically important areas should appear literally everywhere,” Putin reiterated. Companies that implement individual projects could use special state-support measures, which would be gradually expanded, he said. In particular, additional resources will be directed to the development of industrial mortgages. “Russia’s strategic task is to increase the production of goods and services, primarily on its own technological base,” the president emphasized.
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<title>US considers ‘mobile bases’ for Pacific war</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596583-navy-oil-platform-conversion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596583-navy-oil-platform-conversion/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a822e20302771610c8ff3.png" /> An American defense contractor has proposed converting a number of oil rigs into floating supply depots and missile launchers <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596583-navy-oil-platform-conversion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Civilian oil platforms could be modified into supply depots and missile launchers

An American military contractor wants to repurpose unused oil rigs as mobile bases that would help resupply US Navy vessels in the Pacific and host missile launchers.
Gibbs & Cox, a naval architecture subsidiary of Leidos, presented the Mobile Defense/Depot Platform (MODEP) concept at the Sea Air Space 2024 exhibit in Washington, DC earlier this month.
“Our target here is to find a solution to help the challenging problem of having capacity issues in the Western Pacific. For not enough cells, not enough missiles, not enough of being able to keep those ships in the forward station,” Dave Zook, a solutions architect and combat systems department manager at Gibbs & Cox, told Naval News.
The MODEP concept refers to “a large floating island base” capable of positioning itself “at an ideal distance from shore” and independently operating for almost six months. It would be configured for either a supply function or missile launching.
The US Navy currently lacks the capability to reload its missile launchers at sea. The supply MODEP would solve this by having two cranes capable of lifting 100 tons each.
<a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596477-us-war-china-prevail/"></a>
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596477-us-war-china-prevail/">US would beat China in a war – intel official</a></figcaption>
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The missile base version could hold up to 512 Vertical Launch System (VLS) missile cells, or up to 100 new Large Missile Launchers (LML). The concept also “reduces risks and costs associated with land-based defense systems,” Leidos and Gibbs & Cox also said. Japan has considered using converted oil rigs as an alternative to its canceled Aegis Ashore missile defense program.
Both variants could travel at speeds of 5-8 knots to cover about 200 nautical miles a day and maintain stability even in waves up to 60 feet (20 meters) tall.
The concept calls for the MODEP to have a range of 4,000 nautical miles without refueling, generate between 6-20 megawatts of power, hold up to 2.3 million gallons (8.7 million liters) of fuel and host a maintenance and repair shop for warships.
The best part, according to Gibbs & Cox, is that there are up to six commercial oil rigs that could be converted to military use at a relatively low cost due to an “oversupply in the oil market.” The platforms could be ready within as little as two years, the company said.
Neither the Pentagon nor the Navy have officially commented on the proposal.]]>
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<title>European leader admits hugging nuke</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596585-lukashenko-hugging-nuclear-warheads/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596585-lukashenko-hugging-nuclear-warheads/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a8aa9203027671a141e5c.jpg" /> Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has admitted hugging a strategic nuclear warhead <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596585-lukashenko-hugging-nuclear-warheads/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says he once had an intimate moment with a nuclear warhead
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has revealed he once got up-close and personal with a “strategic nuclear warhead” and actually hugged it.
The president made the remarks on Thursday at the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, a major gathering of top officials and public figures in Minsk, at which Lukashenko lamented the fact that Belarus had surrendered its Soviet nuclear arsenal in the early 1990s.
“I had to sign this document. But if I had to make a decision then, we would never have withdrawn strategic nuclear weapons from the territory of Belarus. It had the most powerful arsenal. We would not need any other modern weaponry. But this was decided before me at the request of the Americans,” he told the gathering.
Still, the Belarusian leader claimed to have managed to snatch an intimate moment with a nuclear warhead before they were removed from the country. The nukes “were deployed, I saw them. Like I said, I hugged a strategic nuclear warhead,” Lukashenko stated.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a1d942030270378144c67.jpg" alt="Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596553-ryabkov-nuclear-weapons-poland/">US nuclear weapons in Poland would be priority military target – Moscow</a></figcaption>
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The president likewise hailed the recent deployment of Russian nuclear missiles in the country. While the Russian nukes are tactical, rather than strategic, they perfectly fit the Belarusian doctrine of having the capability to inflict unacceptable military damage to deter potential adversaries, Lukashenko explained.
“[The nukes] must stay on Belarusian soil,” he stressed.
The deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus was announced by President Vladimir Putin early last year in an apparent response to the UK’s decision to provide Ukraine with depleted uranium munitions.
Minsk had repeatedly requested such deployments in the past, citing aggressive Western policies towards Belarus and the perceived threat posed by US nuclear weapons in Europe.]]>
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<title>US campus protesters akin to 1930s Nazis – Netanyahu</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596581-netanyahu-us-antisemitic-protests/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596581-netanyahu-us-antisemitic-protests/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a7c5720302771610c8feb.jpg" /> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced as “anti-Semitic” the surge in protests at universities across America <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596581-netanyahu-us-antisemitic-protests/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The Israeli Prime Minister has denounced as anti-Semitic the growing surge of pro-Palestine protests at American universities
Pro-Palestinian protests sweeping across university campuses in the US are anti-Semitic and must be stopped, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, claiming that mobs have been attacking Jewish students and faculty members.
His comments come after US police arrested more than 80 protesters on Wednesday in a crackdown on the pro-Palestine demonstrations taking place at some 21 universities in states like Massachusetts, California and New York, among others.
The students have been demanding that the US government cease all funding for the Israeli military and “stop giving them any more money to continue this genocide,” referring to the ongoing Israeli offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza.
In a video published on his X account on Wednesday, Netanyahu said that the protests on America’s college campuses are “horrific” and claimed that “anti-Semitic mobs have taken over leading universities” and are calling for “the annihilation of Israel.”
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a512d203027749c0c5300.png" alt="Various of pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas at Austin" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596551-us-university-protests-israel-palestine/">Dozens arrested at pro-Palestine protests in US (VIDEO)</a></figcaption>
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“This is reminiscent of what happened in German universities in the 1930s. It’s unconscionable. It has to be stopped. It has to be condemned and condemned unequivocally,” the prime minister said, in an apparent reference to the Nazi Student League, which persecuted German students and university faculty members who were not of Aryan descent or were considered political opponents of the Nazi regime.
The Israeli leader also slammed what he called the “shameful” response of some university presidents to the protests. “More has to be done,” Netanyahu urged, saying there has been an “exponential rise of antisemitism throughout America and throughout Western societies.”
The Israeli leader also claimed the student protesters “want to kill Jews wherever they are” and are chanting slogans like “Death to the Jews.”
Earlier this week, Rabbi Elie Buechler urged Jewish students of New York’s prestigious Columbia University to stay home, claiming they were no longer safe amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests. That was after a group of Jewish counter-protesters on Sunday got into an altercation with demonstrators from a Gaza Solidarity Encampment on university grounds.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596432-columbia-university-jewish-students/">
READ MORE: Rabbi tells Jews to leave prestigious American university
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The White House has denounced any “calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community.”
Activists, however, have denied that the protests are anti-Semitic and say many Jewish students and organizations are involved in organizing the demonstrations. Hundreds of Columbia faculty members staged a walkout on Monday to criticize the university leadership and to express their solidarity with the protesters, after the university president called police to the campus.
History professor Christopher Brown branded the move as “unprecedented, unjustified, disproportionate, divisive and dangerous.”
A surge of demonstrations followed the deadly attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas last October. The students are protesting Israel’s relentless retaliatory bombardment of Gaza, which has caused unprecedented destruction in the enclave and has left more than 34,000 dead, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.]]>
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<title>German Greens lied to push nuclear power phase-out – media</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596584-germany-greens-nuclear-power/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596584-germany-greens-nuclear-power/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a8a5e20302771610c8ffd.jpg" /> Senior officials from the Green Party reportedly falsified experts’ conclusions to ensure that Germany’s nuclear power plants were shut down <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596584-germany-greens-nuclear-power/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Environmentalist diehards reportedly manipulated experts’ conclusions to fit their own agenda
Top-ranking German government officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs intentionally falsified experts’ reports to make it look like nuclear power was no longer viable in the country, Cicero magazine <a href="https://archive.ph/2flYR#selection-445.0-457.587" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> on Thursday.
Citing internal documents and e-mails it obtained via a court order, the media outlet claims that long-time Green Party proponents of a nuclear phase-out in high positions swept reports under the rug, or altered them, if they ran counter to their ideological convictions.
Following the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011, Germany’s parliament voted in favor of shutting down all similar facilities in the country. In April 2023, Germany’s last three operational nuclear power plants were taken offline.
In the article, Cicero claims that Patrick Graichen and Stefan Tidow, then-undersecretaries at the Economy and Environment ministries respectively, played a key role in the effort to portray the prolongation of German nuclear power plants’ operational life as dangerous.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/592175-germany-gas-power-plants-construction/">Germany spending billions to replace nuclear power</a></figcaption>
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The two allegedly conspired to prevent their respective bosses from getting acquainted with any technical reports that refuted this assumption. According to the article, these documents dated March 2022 clearly pointed out that with starkly diminishing Russian gas imports, an “extension of the nuclear power plants’ operational life” could have alleviated the dire situation in Germany’s energy sector and prevented prices from skyrocketing in the coming winter.
However, the Green higher-ups, unhappy with this conclusion, allegedly rewrote the document, ramming home the message that any prolongation of the remaining nuclear power plants’ operation “is not tenable on technical-security grounds.”
Cicero claims that Economy Minister Robert Habeck most likely only saw the reworked version of the report, and not the original.
Faced with the threat of looming energy deficits, on October 17, Chancellor Olaf Scholz ordered the remaining three nuclear power plants to remain operational throughout the winter, despite warnings coming out of the Economy and Environment ministries. However, as Cicero notes, the overall trend toward the total phasing out of nuclear power-generation has remained unchanged.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/business/592225-german-industry-relocation-plans/">
READ MORE: German industry ‘moving abroad’ – Bild
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With energy prices on the rise, Germany’s prized industrial sector has found itself increasingly at a disadvantage, with one in three manufacturers considering moving production overseas as a result, Bild reported in February.]]>
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<enclosure url="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a8a5e20302771610c8ffd.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="123"/> <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 17:07:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>Zelensky’s top rival has gone missing: Where is General Zaluzhny?</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596582-zaluzhny-zelensky-ukraine-rival/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596582-zaluzhny-zelensky-ukraine-rival/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a86a520302729165f84ee.jpg" /> Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief Vladimir Zaluzhny, slated to become ambassador in London, has been suspiciously absent from public eye <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596582-zaluzhny-zelensky-ukraine-rival/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The former Ukrainian commander-in-chief, slated to become ambassador in London, has been suspiciously absent from the public eye
There is only one genuinely puzzling question left about Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky: Why is he still in office? By now, at least, everything else about him is obvious: A self-centered actor with a vast-yet-insecure ego easily manipulated by flattery – call him Churchill and see what happens – he has played a charismatic president, first on TV, then in reality. In the process, he has failed to protect his country by maintaining a balance between Russian and Western interests, a task Ukraine’s place on the map and in history make inevitable.
Crudely siding with the West like no Ukrainian president before him, not even Pyotr Poroshenko, he has sacrificed Ukraine’s national interest to Western, specifically US geopolitical strategizing. Due to Zelensky’s apparently blind trust in Western promises – mainly but not exclusively that of NATO membership – Ukraine has been used as a proxy in an attempt to permanently degrade Russia. In the end, and it’s near, that strategy will have failed irretrievably: Russia will emerge stronger than before, and Ukraine will have been ruined not only for a foreign cause but for a lost one, too.
If you doubt this outcome, consider two facts: Even now, American officials are already letting it be known in mainstream Western media (this time, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/24/biden-ukraine-russia-war-aid-00154143" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Politico</a> serves as their mouthpiece) that “some” of them doubt that the latest and, probably, really, the last US aid package of about $61 billion dollars will save Ukraine. And, at the same time, they are also <a href="https://strana.news/news/463105-voennoj-pomoshchi-ssha-khvatit-ukraine-do-kontsa-hoda.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">making it clear that there won’t be more money for the rest of 2024</a>. Do the math: By 2025, the issue is likely to be irrelevant. And Washington knows it.
So, why is the one Ukrainian official most responsible for this now-very-predictable outcome still in power? The simple answer is because Zelensky has built an authoritarian system, a tendency he mightily displayed well before the Russian attack of February 2022, as many Ukrainians back then loudly criticized. One result: While he should have faced elections this March, he chose not to. Constitution be damned.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6613cf7120302754dd4358b0.jpg" alt="Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/595580-tagesspiegel-ukraine-zelensky-popularity-dwindling/">Support for ‘authoritarian’ Zelensky falling – German media</a></figcaption>
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How practical, because Zelensky has long lost his aura of invincible popularity. Also in March, one of Ukraine’s <a href="https://ukraine-elections.com.ua/en/socopros/opinion_poll_show/2152" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">top pollsters</a> found <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-in/video/watch/ukraine-zelensky-will-lose-to-zaluzhny-in-election-if-held-today/vi-BB1jKdRr" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">that he would have lost</a>. And the man who would have beaten him is Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s most popular general. Zaluzhny served as the country’s – much over-hyped – commander-in-chief, from 2021 until February this year, when he was, in effect, sacked by Zelensky.
The president and the general hate each other’s guts; there is really no milder way of putting it. But Zelensky’s main motive was a belated attempt to kneecap a very dangerous potential rival. Especially because Zaluzhny is, of course, well-connected in three directions: with parts of the Ukrainian military leadership and many lower-ranking officers, too, with Ukraine’s very well-armed far right (which overlaps with parts of its army), and with Zelensky’s other main rival, former President Pyotr Poroshenko. <a href="https://strana.news/articles/analysis/460886-kak-otpravka-zaluzhnoho-poslom-v-ssha-povlijalo-na-ukrainskuju-politiku.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“President Zaluzhny, Prime Minister Poroshenko”</a> – that was a common fear or hope, depending on your point of view.
Still, Zaluzhny fired was not the same as Zaluzhny gone. So, the plan was to send the 50-year-old off as ambassador to Britain. <a href="https://strana.news/news/463004-valerij-zaluzhnyj-nachnet-rabotu-poslom-v-britanii-v-blizhajshie-nedeli.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to Dmitry Kuleba</a>, Kiev’s foreign minister, one of Zelensky’s reasons for picking London for Zaluzhny’s golden exile is that the British capital features many diplomatic representatives of the Global South. An intriguing move: Countries of the Global South have generally not sided with the West and Ukraine, and the Ukrainian far right, to which Zaluzhny has occasionally signaled his affinity and benevolence, includes hardcore white supremacists. Perhaps the former comedian in the president’s office is enjoying a practical joke.
However, Zaluzhny has not yet left for the UK. In recent days, two things happened. First, there have been rumors, which have remained unsubstantiated, that, in reality, he was under some form of house arrest. Then the Ukrainian authorities <a href="https://strana.news/news/463004-valerij-zaluzhnyj-nachnet-rabotu-poslom-v-britanii-v-blizhajshie-nedeli.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rushed to announce</a> that he is, finally, about to leave and that, of course, there was nothing odd about the long delay: The general the president loves to hate – and to fear – took a breather, formalities with the British needed time and, finally, the bulky general is now undergoing a crash course in diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry – another intriguingly comical idea.
We may never know why exactly it has taken so long to send off Zaluzhny. Some observers have speculated that the West was blackmailing Zelensky: First, you pass a new mobilization law to feed more Ukrainian cannon fodder into the proxy war, then we release $61 billion in US aid for you and let you ship off your nemesis to London. Again, mere rumors, at this point.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/661adbc9203027692e383994.jpg" alt="A patch with the Ukrainian flag on a trooper's arm as Ukrainian soldiers take part in a military training in Poland, on April 4, 2024" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/595870-ukraine-mobilization-zelensky-defeat/">Mobilizing for defeat: The Zelensky regime insists more Ukrainians must die before it’s all over</a></figcaption>
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We do know something else, however: Less than a month ago, <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-great-risk-front-line-collapse-war-russia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Politico published a long article based on statements by anonymous Ukrainian officers</a> close to the former commander-in-chief. Their quintessence was that Ukraine’s military situation is desperate and that even the release of the US aid package – then mired on Capitol Hill and facing an uncertain future – would not turn things around.
As one of them put it, there is “nothing that can help Ukraine now because there are no serious technologies able to compensate Ukraine for the large mass of troops Russia is likely to hurl at us. We don’t have those technologies, and the West doesn’t have them as well in sufficient numbers.” Others acknowledged Russian sophistication and adaptation and were explicit about the fact that Ukraine’s crisis is not only military but also political.
At that moment, emphasizing Ukraine’s distress was, of course, welcome in Kiev, since it served to persuade the US – and others – to release yet more aid. Yet, for the same reason, saying that it was too late anyhow, was, obviously, verboten. So, what was that Politico article really about? Mere defeatism from a group of officers loyal to the former commander-in-chief (and probably either out of a job, demoted, or simply under a cloud of disfavor under his successor)? Unlikely. A signal that the West should stop betting on Zelensky and try a new approach with a new man – Zaluzhny – at the top? More likely.
What the episode did reveal, in any case, are two important things: Not only is Zaluzhny not down and out, he also still has many friends. And his friends still have good connections in the West. Was that, perhaps, the real meaning? A message sent not so much by the talkative-if-anonymous officers but by those giving them a forum to remind Zelensky that he is replaceable? In that case, has Zelensky already come to regret his London plan? Maybe the pertinent issue isn’t those representatives of the Global South Kuleba was referring to, but the many ways in which Zaluzhny could network with those of the West, far from Kiev and hard to control.
And that is the crux: Short of a convenient accident, Zelensky has no way of really stopping Zaluzhny. He’s dangerous to him in Ukraine and anywhere else as well. The president can try to sideline him but, even when he does, the ambitious, popular general remains very much in play. The more so when the war is going badly for Ukraine. Because, after all, Zelensky relieved Zaluzhny of responsibility just about when the worst was to come. That now is for his successor – and old rival – Aleksandr Syrsky to deal with. Wherever Zaluzhny is, he’ll live in Zelensky’s head – and for good reason.]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>US births reach 45-year low – report</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596578-american-birth-rate-record-low/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596578-american-birth-rate-record-low/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a6c91203027671a141e3c.jpg" /> Americans are delaying having children or giving up on the notion entirely <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596578-american-birth-rate-record-low/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Americans are having far fewer babies for a large number of reasons



Women in the US are having children at the lowest rate since record-keeping began, the National Center for Health Statistics has revealed. Only 3.59 million births were recorded in the country in 2023, the lowest since the 3.4 million figure recorded in 1979, a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr035.pdf">report</a> by the NCHS has noted. The US population was 225 million at the time, compared to almost 335 million now. 
The general fertility rate fell 3% from the year before to 54.4 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age (defined as 15–44). The total fertility rate was just 1.61, down 2% from 2022. The US birth rate has been below the replacement level of 2.1 since 2007. 
Unplanned pregnancies – mostly among teenagers – have fallen by 2% from the previous year, representing a 68% decline from 2007 levels. Birth rates for the 20-24 age bracket have dropped by almost 50% since 2007 as well. The only demographic that saw an increase in birth rates was Hispanic women, with a modest 1% gain from 2022. 
The NCHS is a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It relies on birth certificates to provide a snapshot of US population trends and does not look at the underlying factors, said Brady Hamilton, the lead author of the report.
<a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596252-researchers-raise-alarm-russian-demographics/"></a>
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6622664a2030274d221baaff.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: A newborn in the ward of a maternity hospital in Voronezh, Russia." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596252-researchers-raise-alarm-russian-demographics/">Researchers raise alarm over Russian demographics – media</a></figcaption>
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Karen Guzzo, a demographer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has pointed to research that shows young Americans are delaying family formation for financial reasons. Among the factors Americans have cited for waiting or not having children at all are economic strain, work instability, political polarization, student loans, healthcare cost and accessibility, climate change and global conflicts, Guzzo told the Wall Street Journal.
US birth rates rose slightly right before the 2008 financial crisis, but have declined by 11% overall since 2000. Guzzo has pointed to “unstable work hours” and lack of paid leave in the “gig economy” that has arisen since the Great Recession. 
Demographers such as Guzzo have argued that Americans need paid family leave and other benefits to promote the standard of living for young families. US surveys have persistently shown frustration with the “skyrocketing” cost of healthcare and childcare as well.
Birth rates in many wealthy nations with arguably better social support have been declining as well, however, which demographers have commonly attributed to “uncertainty” and “economic instability.” Meanwhile, the countries with the highest birth rates in the world in 2023 were all in sub-Saharan Africa: Niger (6.73), Angola (5.76) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5.56).]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>Don’t ‘lecture’ Indians on how to run their country – JPMorgan Chase CEO</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/india/596577-jpmorgan-%D1%81eo-hailed-india-leadership/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/india/596577-jpmorgan-%D1%81eo-hailed-india-leadership/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a6713203027749c0c5340.jpg" /> Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan, hailed India’s leadership for lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596577-jpmorgan-%D1%81eo-hailed-india-leadership/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Billionaire Jamie Dimon has praised the policies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done an “unbelievable job” running the country, Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase asserted. The billionaire, who was speaking at an event in New York, underlined that Modi's policies have lifted 400 million people out of poverty. 
Between 2005 and 2021 around 415 million Indians stopped being poor, according to the 2023 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). Modi’s government have been in power since 2014.
“I know the liberal press here beat the hell out of him [Modi],” Dimon observed. He noted that while India wants to trade with the US, the latter can’t stop lecturing them, “fantasising about climate, labour, and how we think they should be running their country.”
“He [Modi] has 400 million people without toilets… and we’re lecturing him how to do things?” he asked incredulously.
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The billionaire CEO also mentioned a few noteworthy policies of the Indian government, such as the implementation of the 'Aadhaar' identification system, and the opening of bank accounts for 700 million people. Dimon described the improvement of the country's education system and infrastructure as “unbelievable.”
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/india/595800-asian-development-bank-india-growth/">Asian Development Bank raises Indian growth projection</a></figcaption>
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Dimon called Modi “tough”, adding that the Indian leader, through his policies, is “breaking down” systematic problems in India such as corruption. “We need a little bit more of that here (in the US),” he asserted.
The banker’s comments come against the backdrop of the ongoing general elections in India, in which Modi is eyeing a third term. Meanwhile, the Indian economy is growing rapidly, and expected to become the third largest by the end of this decade – behind only the US and China.
Earlier this month, a Bloomberg Economics analysis said that India could claim the title of number one contributor to global growth in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms by 2028.
In Bloomberg Economics’ base case scenario, Indian growth could accelerate to 9% by the end of the decade from an estimated 7.6% during the fiscal year that ended on March 31. Owing to continued growth, New Delhi has raised its gross domestic product (GDP) growth outlook for fiscal year 2023-24 from 7.3% to 7.6%.

Where India Meets Russia – We are now on WhatsApp! &lrm;Follow and share RT India in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va6XvWh7IUYZaRQrlU3y">English</a> and in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7ALQtK0IBcl7uI7O3v">Hindi</a> 
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<title>Liberal world order must be destroyed – Orban</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596567-orban-liberal-world-order-over/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a7790203027732947c226.jpg" /> This year’s elections could put an end to global “progressive liberal hegemony,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has predicted <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596567-orban-liberal-world-order-over/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The values system dominating the West has “brought chaos,” the Hungarian prime minister believes
Western liberal hegemony has failed and must be destroyed, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated on Thursday, suggesting it could end as soon as this year.
Addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC Hungary) in Budapest, Orban criticized the existing “world order based on progressive liberal hegemony,” saying it has spawned numerous figureheads who are “not fit to be leaders,” with even “beauty pageants” knowing more about peace then they do.
He accused liberal politicians of building “hegemonic ideological control to which everyone must submit” instead of actual governing, while turning “state bodies into tools of oppression.” Such forces are a dangerous enemy whose time is coming to an end, Orban claimed.
“The progressive liberals sense the danger, the end of this era also means their end,” the prime minister argued. Their dominance could be overcome as soon as this year, Orban predicted, citing the upcoming EU Parliament and US presidential elections. 
“The proponents of the old world are sitting in Brussels, and although it is not my business to interfere in American politics, I fear that they are also sitting in Washington. This is what we are doing this year. This year, we will try to drive them out,” the Hungarian prime minister said.
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This year, God willing, we can end the inglorious era of the Western civilization. We can end the world order built on progressive liberal hegemony. The progressive liberal world spirit has failed. It gave the world war, chaos, unrest and destroyed economies.
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The emerging world order will be based on true sovereignty, with countries driven by their actual national interests rather than a global ideology, according to Orban.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596099-orban-eu-leadership-hungary/">
READ MORE: EU leadership must go – member state’s PM
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“Let the era of sovereignty come, let’s get back towards peace and security. Let’s make America great again, let’s make Europe great again,” he concluded.]]>
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<title>China threatens US with response to missile deployment</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596579-china-condemns-us-missiles-philippines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a7a3c85f540019034f4f5.jpg" /> China has lambasted Washington amid the latter’s wargames with the Philippines, accusing the US of undermining regional peace and stability <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596579-china-condemns-us-missiles-philippines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Beijing has accused Washington of undermining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region
Beijing has condemned Washington’s deployment of intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region and will take all effective measures to prevent the US from “messing up” the South China Sea, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Thursday.
His comments come after the US kicked off its largest joint exercise with the Philippines since the Cold War in the South China Sea earlier this week. The exercise, dubbed Balikatan, is set to run through May 10 and is said to involve over 11,000 US soldiers and 5,000 Philippine servicemen. A French frigate as well as troops from France and Australia are also participating in the event.
Earlier this month, the US also held a separate two-week round of exercises with the Philippines dubbed Salaknib 2024, during which it deployed SM-6 missiles capable of reaching Taiwan. The weapon has a maximum range of more than 400km while a new medium-range MRC Typhon land missile system is capable of launching from the Philippines island of Luzon. 
Asked to comment on the move, Wu stated that Beijing “firmly opposes” the deployment of such weapons by the US in the Asia-Pacific and stressed that such an action by Washington “severely threatens the security of regional countries and undermines regional peace and stability. China will take resolute countermeasures.”
“We hope the relevant country could refrain from opening the door to the devil, which will only end up hurting everyone, including itself,” the spokesman said.
Wu stated that China sees the strengthening diplomatic relations between the US and the Philippines as the two countries’ business. However, he stressed that such relations must not harm China’s, or any other country’s interests, and must not undermine peace and stability in the region.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6620ccd785f54017c27c31ae.jpg" alt="A US-made Typhoon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system being unloaded from a cargo plane." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596159-typhoon-us-philippines-antonov/">Russia responds to new US missile deployment in Asia</a></figcaption>
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China's military will continue to pay close attention to the situation in the region and will take “all effective measures to respond effectively and will never allow relevant parties to mess up the South China Sea,” Wu added. 
Russia’s ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said earlier that the Pentagon’s deployment of medium-range missiles in the Philippines would constitute a “dark day” for international security and accused Washington of deliberately escalating military confrontation, fueling hotbeds of tension and creating closed groups and military-political alliances in the region.
“[The US] is trying to return the world to the worst times of the Cold War and teetering on the edge of a nuclear conflict,” Antonov said earlier this month, urging Washington not to open this “Pandora’s box.”]]>
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<title>Hamas names terms for laying down arms</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596574-hamas-israel-gaza-palestine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596574-hamas-israel-gaza-palestine/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a61c8203027742a695c7e.jpg" /> Hamas will turn into a purely political party if the Palestinians are given their own state, a top official for the group has told AP <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596574-hamas-israel-gaza-palestine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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A top official for the militant group has said it will turn into a purely political party if Palestinians are given their own state
Hamas is willing to lay down arms if a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is reached along pre-1967 borders, a top political official for the group, Khalil al-Hayya, has told AP. Hamas, whose stated goal is the destruction of Israel, had previously rejected such a possibility outright.
In an interview on Thursday, al-Hayya said Hamas wants to join the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to form a unified government that would control Gaza and the West Bank.
Hamas would agree to “a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with the international resolutions” along Israel’s pre-1967 borders, he claimed.
As a result of the Six-Day War between Israel and a coalition of Arab nations, the Jewish state occupied the West Bank, Gaza, Syria’s Golan Heights, and other areas.
If a two-state solution is reached, the military wing of Hamas will dissolve, the official, who represents the group in the now stalled ceasefire and prisoner exchange talks with Israel, insisted.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a512d203027749c0c5300.png" alt="Various of pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas at Austin" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596551-us-university-protests-israel-palestine/">Dozens arrested at pro-Palestine protests in US (VIDEO)</a></figcaption>
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“All the experiences of people who fought against occupiers, when they became independent and obtained their rights and their state, what have these forces done? They have turned into political parties and their defending fighting forces have turned into the national army,” al-Hayya explained.
According to AP, it is “unlikely” that Israel would consider such a scenario as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting Hamas until its complete elimination, and has repeatedly spoken out against a sovereign Palestinian state.
In January, another senior Hamas official – Khaled Mashal – told Kuwaiti podcaster Amar Taki that “we have nothing to do with the two-state solution.” The group’s members “reject this notion, because it means you would get a promise for a [Palestinian] state, yet you are required to recognize the legitimacy of the other state, which is the Zionist entity,” he said.
Mashal insisted that the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, in which at least 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage, was a sign that the Palestinians could retake all their lands. “I believe that the dream and the hope for Palestine from the river to the sea and from the north to the south has been renewed,” he said.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596514-nancy-pelosi-netanyahu-resign/">
READ MORE: Netanyahu should resign – ex-US House speaker
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The death toll from Israel’s airstrikes and ground offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the Hamas incursion, has surpassed 34,305, with 77,293 others wounded, according to the latest data from the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry.]]>
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<title>Russia freezes assets of largest US bank</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/business/596568-russian-court-orders-seizure-jpmorgan-funds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a622320302735a702c9ee.jpg" /> A St. Petersburg court has frozen JPMorgan’s assets in Russia after VTB bank filed a lawsuit to recover sanctioned funds
 <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596568-russian-court-orders-seizure-jpmorgan-funds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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A court ruling supported the lawsuit filed by state bank VTB, which seeks to recover funds blocked under Western sanctions
A St. Petersburg court ordered the freezing of funds owned by US banking giant JPMorgan Chase in Russia on Wednesday. The ruling was made in favor of the country’s second-largest lender, VTB, which had filed a lawsuit seeking to recover $439.5 million blocked abroad under US-led sanctions.
VTB sued JPMorgan and its subsidiaries in the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region on April 17, court filings showed on Monday. The order targeted funds in JPMorgan’s Russian accounts and “movable and immovable property,” including the bank’s stake in a Russian subsidiary. 
The dispute centers on $439.5 million in funds that VTB held in a JPMorgan account in the US, which were blocked by Washington as part of Ukraine-related sanctions in 2022.
The court ordered the seizure of all funds in JPMorgan bank accounts in Russia, including correspondent accounts and those opened in the name of a subsidiary.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596165-kill-swift-vtb-kostin/">SWIFT must be ‘killed off’ – top Russian banker</a></figcaption>
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It also revealed that VTB had requested interim steps because the respondents were “taking measures to withdraw their assets” from Russia, while the Russian lender was seeking to recover money from the US bank.
In its own lawsuit against VTB last week in the Southern District of New York, JPMorgan sought to block the Russian bank’s efforts, noting that US law prohibited the bank from releasing the $439.5 million owned by VTB.
JPMorgan is concerned that VTB will try to seize its Russian assets, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing the US lender.
The Wall Street bank admitted to the outlet that VTB’s prospects were good, since Russian courts had granted at least six other local lenders relief against US and EU banks that were required to comply with sanctions laws.
The next hearing in the JPMorgan case is scheduled for July 17.

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<title>Lenders must stop leveraging Africa’s resources for debt – AfDB</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/africa/596570-african-economist-criticizes-natural-resource-backed-loans/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/africa/596570-african-economist-criticizes-natural-resource-backed-loans/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a5cf0203027749c0c532a.jpg" /> The African Development Bank is demanding an end to loans with natural-resource conditions attached, claiming they are bad deals <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596570-african-economist-criticizes-natural-resource-backed-loans/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Opaque credit deals are undermining the continent’s economic growth, the president of African Development Bank has said
Loans offered to African governments in exchange for oil and other minerals are contributing to the continent’s crippling debt levels, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina has warned.
Adesina, a Nigerian economist and banking expert, criticised the use of “asymmetrical” and “non-transparent” resource-backed loans in an interview published by Semafor Africa on Wednesday.
“I think it’s time for us to have debt transparency accountability and make sure that this whole thing of these opaque natural resource-backed loans actually ends, because it complicates the debt issue and the debt resolution issue,” he said.
According to Adesina, the continent’s external debt surged to $824 billion in 2021, with some countries allocating 65% of their GDP to debt servicing. It would spend a staggering $74 billion on payments for this year alone, a stark rise from $17 billion in 2010, he added.
A <a href="https://resourcegovernance.org/articles/african-leaders-must-come-clean-terms-controversial-high-value-resource-backed-loans" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report </a>published in 2020 by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) on 52 resource-backed loans issued between 2004 and 2018 found that 30 facilities, totaling some $66 billion, had been allocated to sub-Saharan African nations.
It claimed that more than 50% of the funds had been borrowed from the China Development Bank and China Eximbank, with the rest provided by international commodity traders such as Glencore, Trafigura, and Standard Chartered, mainly to Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.03/thumbnail/65e6e18e2030274a37526a9f.jpg" alt="RT" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/593782-uranium-africa-energy-markets/">Africa’s secret weapon: Extracting this resource will help present the continent’s true potential to the world</a></figcaption>
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The president of the AfDB, which managed over $18 bn in assets, told Associated Press that the uneven nature of the negotiations, with lenders typically holding the upper hand and dictating terms to cash-strapped African nations, makes the loans “just bad.”
Adesina, however, said study into resource-linked loans has no “fixation” on one country being particularly susceptible to these types of lending agreements.]]>
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<title>‘Our Europe’ could die – Macron</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596569-macron-speech-mortal-europe/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596569-macron-speech-mortal-europe/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a56a920302773090839b7.jpg" /> French President Emmanuel Macron has urged European Union member states act more boldly in pursuit of the bloc’s self-interest <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596569-macron-speech-mortal-europe/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The EU must prove that it is not a vassal of the United States, the French president has said in a keynote speech
French President Emmanuel Macron has urged EU nations to make decisive changes to secure the bloc’s interests ahead of crucial parliamentary elections across the bloc. The US cannot be relied on for protection, he warned.
Opinion polls are projecting that EU voters will shift towards right-wing nationalist politics in the European Parliament elections in early June.
Macron called for significant policy changes as he addressed his counterparts across the continent from the Sorbonne University in Paris on Thursday.  
”Our Europe today is mortal and it can die,” Macron warned. “It can die, and this depends only on our choices.”
The French leader touted ‘strategic autonomy’ for Europe, particularly in terms of military production. He reiterated that member states should spend more on defense and give priority to locally-produced weapons – a suggestion that critics perceive as lobbying for French arms manufacturers. Macron said that this would reduce the continent’s dependence on Washington.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6622a79185f540398a0a5c7d.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596279-nato-step-away-troops-ukraine/">NATO ‘one step away’ from sending troops to Ukraine – Orban</a></figcaption>
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The EU “must show that it is never a vassal of the United States and that it also knows how to talk to all the other regions of the world,” the president said.
He also advocated a wider revision of policies on fair trade, manufacturing standards and other areas that affect the competitiveness of European businesses.
”It cannot work if we are the only ones in the world to respect the rules of trade – as they were written up 15 years ago – if the Chinese and the Americans no longer respect them by subsidizing critical sectors,” Macron declared.
He labeled Russia’s “uninhibited” behavior as a key threat to Europe. Moscow has argued that the EU has shot itself in the foot by following the US and joining what it regards as a proxy war against Russia, in one instance being waged in Ukraine.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596540-macron-eu-commission-election/">
READ MORE: Macron wants von der Leyen replaced – Bloomberg
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Macron’s presidency will expire in three years. His political party Renaissance lost its majority in the French parliament in 2022, while the right-wing National Rally party, which is projected to win the EU elections in France in June, has threatened to demand a dissolution of the national parliament, should the president’s centrist coalition suffer a crushing defeat in June.]]>
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<title>Harvey Weinstein rape conviction overturned</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/596571-harvey-weinstein-appeal-overturn/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/596571-harvey-weinstein-appeal-overturn/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a5e6c85f54008e53c1dd7.jpg" /> The New York state Court of Appeals has overturned the 2020 rape conviction against Harvey Weinstein <a href="https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/596571-harvey-weinstein-appeal-overturn/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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An New York appeals court has ruled that the 2020 trial against the Hollywood mogul, a key target of the MeToo movement, was prejudiced
An appeals court in New York has overturned the 2020 rape conviction against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. In a 4-3 decision on Thursday, justices decided that the high-profile trial was prejudiced against the defendant.
The Miramax studio boss, who helped make Oscar winners such as ‘Shakespeare in Love’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’, was found guilty of forcibly performing oral sex on a production assistant in 2006 and third-degree rape of an aspiring actress in 2013. He was sentenced to 23 years behind bars and sent to the Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles (160km) northwest of Albany, New York.
“The trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the court’s decision said. “The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.”
The testimonies were “untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant’s character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges [against Weinstein]” and amounted to “an abuse of judicial discretion” by Judge James Burke, the appeals court ruled. 
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/543482-weinstein-appeal-retrial-hearing/">Judges mull Harvey Weinstein retrial – reports</a></figcaption>
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Weinstein, 72, has maintained his innocence and argued that any sexual activity was consensual. He will remain imprisoned, however, because of another rape conviction in Los Angeles in 2022, which earned him a 16-year sentence.
Allegations against Weinstein launched the #MeToo movement in the US, with dozens of women coming forth to accuse the powerful producer. 
At a hearing in February, Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, argued that Judge Burke had turned the trial into a “Get Harvey” spectacle. Burke’s decision to allow testimony from women whose allegations weren’t part of the case figured in Weinstein’s decision not to take the witness stand even though he was “begging to tell his side of the story.”
Aidala also brought up Burke’s decision not to remove a juror who had written a novel involving predatory older men, which he claimed showed bias in Weinstein’s case. Burke retired from the bench in 2022. 
Appellate Chief Steven Wu, arguing for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, countered that the jury was not confused because it acquitted Weinstein on the most serious charges – two counts of predatory sexual assault and a first-degree rape charge involving actress Annabella Sciorra.]]>
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<title>Western media trying to be ‘political player’ in Indian election – foreign minister</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/india/596566-new-delhi-blasts-western-media/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/india/596566-new-delhi-blasts-western-media/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a550b85f5407c6a592c9b.jpg" /> The head of India’s foreign ministry has suggested Western media “think they are political players” in his country’s election <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596566-new-delhi-blasts-western-media/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Top diplomat S. Jaishankar has questioned criticism of Indian democracy in the global press
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has hit out at Western media for criticizing the country’s system of democracy amid polling to elect the next government. He addressed the issue while speaking about the “respect” New Delhi has gained internationally. 
“I get a lot of these noises from the Western press,” said the top diplomat, who was speaking at an event in Hyderabad, Telangana, on Tuesday. “If [Western media] criticize our democracy, it is not because they lack information,” he asserted. “It is because they also think they are political players in our election.”
The foreign minister’s comments come in the wake of reports questioning the credibility of the Indian election, given the threats posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly “deepfakes,” as well as concerns over “divisions within the country.”
Many <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240321-india-blocks-access-residency-permits-of-overseas-citizen-critics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports</a> have been critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for “cracking down” on the opposition, particularly in the wake of the recent <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/595658-indian-court-kejriwal-arrest/">arrest</a> of Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s chief minister and founder of the opposition Aam Admi Party (AAP) for alleged involvement in a liquor scam.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A Country Which Forgets Its History Will Never Be Respected - EAM Jaishankar On Foreign Media View Of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LokSabhaElections2024?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LokSabhaElections2024</a> Dr. S Jaishankar quipped about the 'understanding' of why India was holding polls during a heatwave. <a href="https://t.co/Fk4PVh80sg">pic.twitter.com/Fk4PVh80sg</a>— RT_India (@RT_India_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/RT_India_news/status/1783111145228050765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Bloomberg’s<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-04-22/india-election-extreme-heat-is-keeping-voters-away" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> opinion piece </a>by David Fickling on Tuesday went so far as to question why the country is conducting an election in the middle of a heat wave. Referring to the piece, without naming it, Jaishankar pointed out: “I wanted to say, listen: In that heat, my lowest turnout is higher than your highest turnout.” “They will question your election system, your EVM (electronic voting machines), your election commission, even the weather,” he added.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596168-rt-show-mahesh-jethmalani/">A strong India challenges ‘supremacy of the West’ – lawmaker</a></figcaption>
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In a recent article, former Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta<a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/sanitary-inspectors-indian-elections-and-a-biased-western-media/cid/2015608" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> described</a> the Western media as “sanitation inspectors” for their relentless attacks on the Indian government.
“The temptation to tell Indian voters what is good for their well-being has never deserted the Western agenda,” he wrote, recalling a letter written by several well-known people in the diaspora to The Guardian, in which they argued that “it would bode ill for India’s future” if Narendra Modi becomes PM. Modi’s party secured a majority both in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
India has been on the radar of not just the media, but US and Europe-based non-profit organisations and even state agencies for alleged “democratic backsliding.”
The US State Department’s annual human rights assessment earlier this week found “significant” abuses in India’s Manipur state last year and attacks on minorities, journalists, and dissenting voices in the rest of the country. “The government took minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses,” the report claimed. 
The allegations came just days after Modi <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/timely-intervention-by-centre-saved-manipur-pm-modi/articleshow/109125952.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spoke</a> about the “need for collective responsibility” to deal with the Manipur situation “sensitively” and the “improvement in the situation due to the timely intervention” of the <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596057-indian-government-unity-manipur/">central government</a>.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/india/596235-uk-religious-freedom-india/">
READ MORE: UK weighs in on ‘religious freedom’ and poverty in India ahead of polls
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Last year, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) asked the Biden administration to designate India as a “country of particular concern.” New Delhi has repeatedly slammed the criticism of its policies and comments on what it regards as “internal matters” and has lately resorted to<a href="https://www.rt.com/india/594782-india-summons-german-diplomat-over-kejriwal/"> summoning</a> Western diplomats over such comments.


Where India Meets Russia – We are now on WhatsApp! &lrm;Follow and share RT India in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va6XvWh7IUYZaRQrlU3y">English</a> and in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7ALQtK0IBcl7uI7O3v">Hindi</a> ]]>
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<title>Dozens arrested at pro-Palestine protests in US (VIDEO)</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596551-us-university-protests-israel-palestine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596551-us-university-protests-israel-palestine/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a512d203027749c0c5300.png" /> US police have arrested dozens of protesters in a bid to curb pro-Palestine rallies across university campuses <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596551-us-university-protests-israel-palestine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Thousands of students have staged demonstrations in response to Israel’s assault on Gaza
US police arrested more than 80 protesters on Wednesday as part of a crackdown on pro-Palestine demonstrations which have gained momentum across American university campuses.   
A wave of demonstrations from Massachusetts to California began last week after students at New York’s Columbia University set up tent camps, demanding that universities cut ties to Israel and divest from companies allegedly contributing to the Gaza conflict. They also publicly called for a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.  
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Companies being targeted include Amazon and Google, which are part of a $1.2 billion cloud-computing contract with the Israeli government. Microsoft, whose services are used by Israel’s Defense Ministry and Israeli civil administration, has also been condemned, as well as arms manufacturers profiting from the war such as Lockheed Martin.  
Students at schools including New York University, Harvard, and Yale demand that the US government “cease all funding for Israeli weapons and stop giving them any more money to continue this genocide,” Cameron Jones, part of Columbia’s Jewish Voice for Peace movement, said in a video statement on Wednesday.   
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Visiting the campus at Columbia on Wednesday, US House Speaker Mike Johnson denounced the protests as “mob rule” and condemned what he called a “virus of anti-Semitism” at colleges nationwide.  
“And it’s detestable, as Columbia has allowed these lawless agitators and radicals to take over,” he claimed, calling for the resignation of the university’s president.   
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Activists deny that the protests are anti-Semitic, and say Jewish students are largely involved in organizing the demonstrations.    
Hundreds of Columbia faculty members staged a walkout on Monday to criticize the university leadership and express their solidarity with the protesters. Demonstrators condemned the Columbia president’s decision to call police onto campus. History professor Christopher Brown publicly branded it “unprecedented, unjustified, disproportionate, divisive and dangerous.”
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The rallies have led to mass suspensions and hundreds of student arrests in New York and other cities. At least 34 people, including a photojournalist, were detained after police stormed the campus at the University of Texas in Austin on Wednesday, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. At least 50 more were detained by police at the University of Southern California, local media reported.
A surge of demonstrations followed the deadly attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas in October. The students are protesting Israel’s relentless retaliatory assault on Gaza, which has caused unprecedented destruction in the enclave and left more than 34,000 people dead, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

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<title>France warns against placing nukes in Poland</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596562-french-defense-minister-us-nukes-poland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596562-french-defense-minister-us-nukes-poland/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a49bf85f54008e53c1dbe.jpg" /> French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu has warned that sending US nuclear weapons to Poland would violate key NATO-Russia accords <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596562-french-defense-minister-us-nukes-poland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The defense minister’s remarks came after President Duda signaled Warsaw’s willingness to host US nuclear weapons
A potential deployment of US nuclear weapons to Poland would breach key arms control accords between NATO and Russia, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu warned on Thursday. Polish President Andrzej Duda said earlier this week that his country was willing to host such weapons if Washington supported the idea.
Under NATO’s nuclear sharing program the US maintains some of its weapons of mass destruction in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye.
Last year, Russia placed its own tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, with President Vladimir Putin citing the two countries’ strategic alliance as well as increased NATO military activity close to Belarusian and Russian territory. The president pointed out at the time that Washington has for decades deployed its own nuclear weapons in allied nations.
In an interview with Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, published on Wednesday, Lecornu pointed out that a hypothetical deployment of US nuclear weapons to Poland would first require thorough discussions between NATO member states, as it “would undermine the NATO-Russia founding act.”
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662666e5203027271f364d43.jpg" alt="Polish president Andrzej Duda." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596401-polish-president-contradicts-pm-pre-war/">EU state’s president rejects own PM’s ‘pre-war’ warning</a></figcaption>
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The minister also noted that France, the sole nuclear power within the European Union, does not participate in NATO’s nuclear planning group. Lecornu explained that Paris is “completely autonomous in our planning and in our deterrence system.”
On Thursday, Polish President Duda told reporters that he had invited Prime Minister Tusk for a meeting on May 1 to discuss their apparent divergence of opinion on the issue of US nuclear weapons.
In an interview with the Polish daily Fakt on Monday, President Duda revealed that such a development “has been a topic of Polish-American talks for some time.” The head of state – whose powers do not exceed those of the prime minister under Poland’s parliamentary system – added that he had “declared our readiness” in case “our allies decide to deploy nuclear weapons… on our territory.”
Commenting on President Duda’s remarks, Prime Minister Tusk, who represents a rival political force, stated that the president’s words warrant clarification as “this idea is very massive.”
The premier emphasized that at present Warsaw has no specific plans to host foreign weapons of mass destruction.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS news agency on Thursday that should Warsaw and Washington go ahead with such “deeply destabilizing” and “threatening” arrangements, the sites hosting American nuclear weapons would “definitely become targets” for the Russian military.]]>
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<title>Moscow issues diplomatic warning to Washington</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/business/596565-russia-reserves-warning-us/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/business/596565-russia-reserves-warning-us/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a709485f54002544cda90.jpg" /> The status of Russia-US relations is at risk if sovereign assets are confiscated, the deputy foreign minister has warned <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596565-russia-reserves-warning-us/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Russia could downgrade relations with the US if its assets are confiscated, the deputy foreign minister has warned
Moscow could downgrade diplomatic relations with Washington if the US expropriates frozen Russian assets, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned on Thursday.
The US and its allies have frozen around $300 billion in Russian central bank assets as part of Ukraine-related sanctions, most of which are being held in the EU.
Washington has long advocated for confiscating the funds, so that the money would then be handed over to Kiev for its war effort against Russia. The latest push came on Saturday, after the US House of Representatives approved a bill authorizing the confiscation of Russian money.
The so-called REPO Act, which lawmakers in Washington passed last weekend along with a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine, authorized the US president to confiscate Russian funds held in American banks and hand them over to Kiev. More than $6 billion of the $300 billion in frozen Russian assets is sitting in US banks. US Senator Rand Paul, who is skeptical of the proposal, warned earlier this year that the move would be “an act of economic war.”
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596318-congress-assets-russia-ukraine/">US House approves gifting seized Russian assets to Ukraine</a></figcaption>
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Officials in several Western nations, notably the US and the UK, have insisted on the outright confiscation of Russian assets despite widespread concerns that this would have no legal basis. In contrast, the EU has been reluctant to do so, reportedly fearing Russian retaliation. EU nations, which are holding the lion’s share of the frozen funds, are reportedly concerned that expropriating the money would destabilize the euro.
Moscow’s response to the confiscation of its assets by the G7 countries could include economic and diplomatic countermeasures, Ryabkov was cited by RIA Novosti as saying.
“We are now studying the appropriate form of reaction, where among the countermeasures there are actions against the assets of our Western opponents and diplomatic measures of response,” Ryabkov told the media outlet. “One does not cancel the other, but there are simply no solutions yet, because there are no solutions on the other side either,” he added.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596461-switzerland-russian-frozen-assets/">‘Neutral’ Switzerland blocking $14 billion worth of Russian assets</a></figcaption>
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The senior diplomat has previously warned that the US should not “act under an illusion... that Russia is clinging with both hands to diplomatic relations with that country.”
Moscow has repeatedly said the seizure of its assets would be “theft.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned the US will damage its own economy, as well as the global financial system, if it follows through on its threat to expropriate the funds and give them to Ukraine. 
“This would be nothing short of a breakdown of all foundations of the [global] economic system,” according to Peskov.
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<title>Russia comments on ATACMS delivery to Kiev</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596561-peskov-atacms-missiles-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596561-peskov-atacms-missiles-ukraine/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a479985f5407c6a592c87.jpg" /> Kremlin spokesman Peskov has commented on previously undisclosed delivery of US-made ATACMS long-range rockets to Ukraine earlier this year <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596561-peskov-atacms-missiles-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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A previously-undisclosed delivery of the long-range weapons by the US was confirmed by the White House this week
The “secret” supply by Washington to Ukraine of long-range surface-to-surface ATACMS rockets only spells more trouble for Kiev, Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday.
On Wednesday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed media reports that the US had delivered Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine as part of the arms package announced by President Joe Biden in mid-March. The assistance came as the Biden administration was pressuring the House to approve an additional $60 billion in Ukraine-related security spending. The Pentagon did not mention the missiles at the time.
Peskov mocked the fact that, prior to the confirmation, there was much speculation among the Western press that ATACMS rockets could be included in a pending new shipment of arms, after lawmakers cleared the spending request. The Russian official said the shift in the narrative was fitting what he described as a “predictable” pattern of actions by the West.
”As soon as they start to discuss something particular in detail, it means the delivery is being made,” he said.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629445a85f54004e33cca51.jpg" alt="File photo: Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) in action." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596527-atacms-secret-delivery-ukraine/">US secretly shipped ATACMS missiles to Ukraine – media</a></figcaption>
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The spokesman said it was not Moscow’s job to judge whether the delivery was legal under US law, but assured reporters that the capability of the weapons in question would not impact the outcome of the Ukraine conflict, in which Russia intends to achieve all its national-security goals one way or another.
”We will get what we want. But this [the weapons] will result in more problems for Ukraine,” he predicted.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky previously blamed the suspension of American aid for the series of battlefield setbacks, which his army has experienced since last year. He claims that Kiev has no alternative to beating Russia and achieving what he touts as a “just peace”. Moscow has branded Kiev’s victory goals as detached from reality.
Some officials in the Biden administration are skeptical about the impact of the new spending on the battlefield dynamics, Politico reported on Wednesday.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596558-us-ukraine-aid-biden/">
READ MORE: Biden team doubts US aid will help Ukraine win – Politico
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“There’s lots of debate about what a winning endgame for Ukraine looks like at this point,” an anonymous Democratic source told the outlet.]]>
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<title>AUKUS will turn Asia-Pacific into ‘nuclear minefield’ – North Korean expert</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596563-north-korea-aukus-expansion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596563-north-korea-aukus-expansion/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a44be85f5407c6a592c7e.jpg" /> The AUKUS partnership has been considering adding Japan and South Korea as partners <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596563-north-korea-aukus-expansion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The US, UK and Australian partnership has been considering adding Japan and South Korea as partners
Plans for AUKUS pact countries to work with Japan and South Korea would turn the Asia-Pacific region into a “touch-and-go nuclear minefield,” North Korean international affairs analyst Kang Jin Song has warned, in an article published on Thursday by state news agency KCNA.
His comments come after the defense chiefs of the US, UK and Australia issued a statement earlier this month announcing that they were considering cooperation with Japan on advanced military technology for the trilateral security pact. The group is also considering the addition of South Korea, Canada and New Zealand as potential partners.
Kang blasted Washington’s plans to add more crew members to the “confrontation ship called AUKUS” as “sinister,” and stated that the goal of the group was to “push the nuclear minefield in the Asia-Pacific region closer to China.”
“This is mainly aimed at building double and triple infrastructure for implementing the integrated deterrence strategy against China by ultimately putting together tools designed for achieving supremacy existing in the Asia-Pacific region in a latticed way,” Kang wrote.
The analyst called on the “peace camp in the region and the rest of the world” to “heighten vigilance against the reckless moves of Washington to frantically expand its alliance sphere without limits, targeting a central state.”
AUKUS was originally established in 2021 between the US, the UK and Australia under the guise of technology sharing. The three nations have insisted that the partnership is not a formal military alliance. Under the pact’s so-called ‘Pillar 1’, Washington and London have pledged to help Canberra obtain nuclear-powered submarines.
‘Pillar 2’ of the agreement provides for broader technology-sharing between the pact members and can potentially involve other countries.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6627bed72030275f0315783c.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596471-aukus-pacific-arms-race/">US denies submarine pact will trigger arms race</a></figcaption>
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On April 8, the AUKUS members released a joint statement, announcing that the group was officially considering cooperation with Japan on Pillar 2 advanced capability projects, but said they would not be extending official membership to Tokyo just yet.
China has condemned the project as an attempt to build an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO,” and has warned that AUKUS could kick off an “arms race” in the region, calling on the international community to address the nuclear “proliferation risks” posed by the group.
Other South Asian countries have also criticized the pact, with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickermensinghe stating last year that AUKUS was a “strategic misstep” and a “military alliance” aimed against China, which would only divide Asia into rival camps and destabilize the region.]]>
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<title>Belarus reveals alleged plot to attack Minsk from EU</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596559-belarus-lithuania-drone-attack/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596559-belarus-lithuania-drone-attack/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a3ac9203027742a695c56.jpg" /> Belarusian law enforcement has prevented a drone strike which would have been launched from Lithuania, its security chief has claimed <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596559-belarus-lithuania-drone-attack/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The plan was to launch combat drones from within Lithuania, security chief Ivan Tertel has claimed
Security forces in Belarus have prevented a plot to launch combat drones from Lithuania and attack targets in and near the capital, Minsk, the head of the Committee for State Security (KGB) Ivan Tertel has revealed.
The operation took place “recently” and in cooperation with “colleagues from other security structures,” the senior official said on Thursday, as he was delivering a speech to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, a leading political body.
The senior official told members of the assembly that his agency has concerns regarding the further escalation of tensions in the world, potentially leading to a “conflict of a global scale.” Belarus would prefer to remain peaceful and independent, but its sovereignty and status as a close Russian ally “make it the target of the West’s destructive intentions,” he noted.
The US and its allies seek full control of Belarus and its national wealth, Tertel claimed. Lithuania, as well as Poland and Ukraine, host militant forces, which Western nations intend to use as tools against Belarus; to destabilize it and potentially topple its government, he warned.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629049a2030270f6b0b921f.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596512-ukraine-global-order-lukashenko/">Future of the world will be decided in Ukraine – Russian ally</a></figcaption>
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“The radicals are producing combat drones to deliver strikes on critical sites in Belarus,” Tertel claimed.
He said his agency was not in a position yet to make public details about the plot to attack Minsk, but assured that “we continue the work on this issue.”
Since the beginning of 2023, the agency has put a stop to over 40 criminal operations, which sought to smuggle weapons, including explosives, from Ukraine into Belarus, Tertel reported.
He said Ukrainian special services were behind multiple attempted terrorist attacks in Belarus and Russia, and the threat remained a “daily reality for members of the border guard, interior affairs and state security.”
The Ukrainian government has plans to use Belarusian nationals to seize territory and install a Western-backed government, the KGB chief claimed. The agency estimates the strength of the would-be occupation force at 1,000 troops.
Tertel identified a specific hospital in Kiev, which he claimed served as a base of operations for the Ukrainian-backed radicals.]]>
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<title>Biden team doubts US aid will help Ukraine win – Politico</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596558-us-ukraine-aid-biden/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596558-us-ukraine-aid-biden/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a2b4720302703164858dd.jpg" /> Battlefield dynamics in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have shifted significantly, American officials have told Politico <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596558-us-ukraine-aid-biden/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Battlefield dynamics have shifted significantly in Russia’s favor, White House officials have told the outlet
US officials are not convinced that another $61 billion in American assistance for Ukraine will be enough for it to prevail in the conflict against Russia, Politico has reported.
President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package on Wednesday, which also included funding for Israel and Taiwan. The Senate voted on the legislation earlier this week, ending a standoff between the Democrats and the Republicans that had dragged on since the autumn. 
“Battlefield dynamics [in the Ukraine conflict] have shifted a lot in the last few months,” Politico reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed members of the Biden administration. This happened partially because the stalemate in Congress led to Ukrainian forces running low on weapons and ammunition, the sources suggested.
“The immediate goal is to stop Ukrainian losses and help Ukraine regain momentum and turn the tide on the battlefield. After that, the goal is to help Ukraine begin to regain its territory,” one of the officials said. “Will they have what they need to win? Ultimately, yes. But it’s not a guarantee that they will. Military operations are much more complicated than that.” 
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6628fcf12030270f6b0b9210.jpg" alt="Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596509-peskov-us-aid-no-change-ukraine/">More weapons for Kiev won’t change battlefield dynamics – Kremlin</a></figcaption>
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A senior Democratic Senate aide also told Politico that the question now is whether more US aid can lead to a Ukrainian victory, or if it would just be enough to fend off Russian forces temporarily. “There’s lots of debate about what a winning endgame for Ukraine looks like at this point,” the source said.
The outlet argued that there is a difference between Kiev “winning” by getting “most or all of its territory back” and “not losing,” which means that “Ukraine can hold its lines and advance some but fail to claw back what Russia seized.” 
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s stance that Kiev should fight until it takes back all of its territory, including Crimea, “commits the US to a much longer conflict with no guarantee Zelensky will achieve his goals,” Politico stressed.
Commenting on the $61 billion US military aid package on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that “all these new batches of weapons... will not change the dynamics on the front line.” 
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596457-ukraine-russia-front-line/">
READ MORE: Russia has seized initiative in Ukraine conflict – defense minister
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Earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that Moscow’s forces currently hold the initiative everywhere along the front line and are capturing more settlements. He estimated Kiev’s losses at half a million troops since the start of the conflict in February 2022.]]>
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<title>Iconic Moulin Rouge cabaret suffers damage in Paris (VIDEO)</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596557-paris-moulin-rouge-mill-blades-fall/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596557-paris-moulin-rouge-mill-blades-fall/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a243f85f540019034f49e.jpg" /> The blades of the windmill on top of the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris have fallen off but no casualties were reported <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596557-paris-moulin-rouge-mill-blades-fall/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The blades of the windmill that crowns the famous venue fell off in the early hours of Thursday morning
The blades of the windmill sitting on top of the world-famous Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris fell off in the early hours of Thursday morning, the local fire department has reported. The incident did not result in any casualties.
The Moulin Rouge, which translates as ‘Red Mill’ in English, opened its doors back in 1889 and has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in the French capital. The venue is celebrated as the birthplace of the can-can, with its flamboyant shows popularizing cabaret across Europe and beyond.
The only previous incident that resulted in any damage to the Moulin Rouge was a massive fire that ravaged the building in 1915.
On Thursday, the blades of the mill fell and knocked the first three letters of an illuminated sign bearing the name of the venue. The cause of the incident remains unknown.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Les joies d’aller bosser à 3h : se retrouver nez à nez avec l’hélice du moulin rouge tombée par terre <a href="https://t.co/Xi9zI0TJHu">pic.twitter.com/Xi9zI0TJHu</a>— Adélaïde Malavaud (@AMalavaud) <a href="https://twitter.com/AMalavaud/status/1783360578406264852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A spokesperson for the Moulin Rouge told Reuters that the mill blades had fallen between 2am and 3am, some time after the last show had finished.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/558409-eiffel-tower-poor-state/">
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AFP quoted a representative for the iconic venue as saying that “every week, the cabaret’s technical teams check the windmill mechanism, and did not notice any problems.”]]>
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<title>EU state seeks to compensate Africa for slavery</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/africa/596556-portugal-africa-slavery-colonialism-compensation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/africa/596556-portugal-africa-slavery-colonialism-compensation/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a249020302701f134ada1.jpg" /> Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa says Lisbon is obligated to compensate for colonial and slavery-era wrongs <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596556-portugal-africa-slavery-colonialism-compensation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Portugal brought nearly half of the 12.5 million slaves from the continent to the Americas to work on plantations
Portugal accepts full responsibility for crimes committed during the colonial and transatlantic slavery eras and must offer reparations for the mistakes of the past, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Tuesday.
Rebelo de Sousa made the statement at a dinner event with foreign reporters in Portugal, according to multiple news outlets. 
“We have to pay the costs. Are there actions that were not punished [where] those responsible were not arrested? Are there goods that were looted and were not returned? Let’s see how we can repair this,” Rebelo de Sousa said.
Portugal is widely thought to have been the first European nation to play a significant role in slave trading in the 15th century, according to historians. The southern European nation brought more enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean than any other country during the colonial era — nearly half of the 12.5 million who were forcibly removed from their homeland and brought to the Americas.
Between the 15th and 19th centuries more than two million Africans are believed to have died on the journey to the Americas, where slaves were then forced to work on plantations.
African and Caribbean governments and activists have long <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/587310-africa-slave-trade-reparation-demands/">demanded</a> monetary compensation and other forms of accountability for slavery and colonization in their respective countries.
Last year, the Portuguese President proposed that Lisbon should formally apologize for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, which the UN has labeled as the largest forced migration in history. The country, however, stopped short of a full apology.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.01/thumbnail/65a1167520302703116eb8c0.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO. Prisoners from the Herero and Nama tribes during the 1904-1908 war against Germany." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/590523-reparations-africa-herero-namaqua-genocide/">Poisoned gifts: The West’s apologies and reparations can be another tool to enslave Africa</a></figcaption>
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On Tuesday, Rebelo de Sousa insisted that merely apologizing for past wrongs is not enough. 
“Apologizing is sometimes the easiest thing to do; you apologize, turn your back, and the job is done. No, it’s taking responsibility for the future of what we did, good and bad, in the past,” he said, according to The Portugal News.
Brazil — a former Portuguese colony where most of the estimated 5.8 million trafficked Africans were sent, announced plans to offer technology and industrial and agricultural assistance as reparations to African countries last year.]]>
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<title>US nuclear weapons in Poland would be priority military target – Moscow</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596553-ryabkov-nuclear-weapons-poland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596553-ryabkov-nuclear-weapons-poland/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a1d942030270378144c67.jpg" /> Poland would undermine its security by hosting American nuclear weapons, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has warned <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596553-ryabkov-nuclear-weapons-poland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Warsaw wants to host NATO arms under the bloc’s sharing scheme
Russia would consider foreign deployments of nuclear weapons in Poland a primary military target, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has warned.
Warsaw is in talks with Washington on potentially hosting nuclear arms as part of a NATO program. President Andrzej Duda reiterated Poland’s willingness to host the weapons in an interview this week.
Moscow considers any expansion of NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangement as “deeply destabilizing” in nature, “and in fact threatening” Russia, Ryabkov was quoted as saying by TASS on Thursday. This applies to joint missions, where non-nuclear members of the US-led bloc are trained to use American hardware, and even more so to the permanent stationing of such weapons “which hotheads in Warsaw are talking about,” he said.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596423-poland-president-pm-nuclear/">NATO nation’s PM questions president’s nuclear claim</a></figcaption>
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Polish politicians vying for American nukes on their soil “must understand that any shift in that direction will not provide additional security to Poland, since relevant sites will definitely become targets. Our military planners will consider them a priority,” the senior diplomat added.
Duda told the Fakt newspaper on Monday that he had personally asked the US to station part of its nuclear arsenal in Poland.
”If our allies decide to deploy nuclear weapons as part of nuclear sharing also on our territory to strengthen the security of NATO’s eastern flank, we are ready for it,” he said.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who belongs to a rival political force, downplayed the president’s remarks on the same day, saying he would like Duda to clarify what his intentions were in making them.
”This idea is very massive, I would say very serious,” the prime minister added, explaining that Poland has no specific plans to host foreign nukes.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596471-aukus-pacific-arms-race/">
READ MORE: US denies submarine pact will trigger arms race
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According to public sources, the US keeps some of its nuclear gravity bombs in five non-nuclear NATO states: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye. Poland’s previous conservative government led by Law and Justice (PiS), to which Duda belongs, has been seeking admission into this club for years. Tusk is the leader of Civic Platform, and returned to power as prime minister last December.]]>
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<title>Indian minister collapses at election rally (VIDEO)</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/india/596552-indian-minister-collapses-at-election-rally/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/india/596552-indian-minister-collapses-at-election-rally/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a1e9c20302702b916ec8d.jpg" /> Indian Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari felt “discomfort” during the election rally amid record-high temperatures <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596552-indian-minister-collapses-at-election-rally/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The politician was addressing a crowd in Maharashtra amid intense temperatures ahead of polling on Friday
Indian Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari collapsed on Thursday while delivering a speech in the western state of Maharashtra, as the country struggles with an extreme heat wave. The distressing incident happened during a live broadcast of Gadkari’s speech on his social media accounts. The minister was carried away and received first aid, but returned to the platform shortly afterwards to finish his address. “I felt discomfort due to the heat at the rally,” Gadkari later <a href="https://twitter.com/nitin_gadkari/status/1783094371396817070">clarified on X</a> (formerly Twitter), adding that he was “completely healthy.”  Gadkari was delivering remarks in support of Rajashri Patil, an election candidate from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) backed by the regional Shiv Sena group. Polling in eight constituencies out of 48 will be held in Maharashtra on Friday, which marks the second phase of voting. The first phase was held on April 19. The state is the second-largest contributor of MPs to India’s Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, after Uttar Pradesh.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Union minister & BJP leader Nitin Gadkari Faints During Election Rally in Maharashtra's Yavatmal - he posted on X later that he's fine now after suffering with the heat 📹 The Live Nagpur <a href="https://t.co/GzdM6FCXJX">pic.twitter.com/GzdM6FCXJX</a>— RT_India (@RT_India_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/RT_India_news/status/1783140466160255069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a href="https://www.rt.com/india/596266-experts-hail-worlds-biggest-election/">Voting is taking place</a> as India battles an intense heat wave in which temperatures have reached near-record highs in some parts of the country. According to the national meteorological authorities, a prolonged spell of extreme heat is expected over east and south peninsular India for at least the next five days. An alert has also been issued for parts of Maharastra’s capital, Mumbai, from April 27 to 29, with temperatures expected to surpass 40C (104F).
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/india/596174-india-lok-sabha-elections-2024/">
READ MORE: India votes: How 970 million people are deciding on who the leader of world’s new powerhouse will be
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The heat wave has been cited as a reason for the lower-than-expected turnout during the first phase of polling last week. The average turnout registered across the states scheduled for voting on April 19 was around 66.1%, a dip of 4% from the 2019 election. India’s 18th general election is being held in seven phases, during which around 970 million people are expected to cast their votes to elect the next government. Given the low turnout, the Election Commission of India has discussed steps to ensure polling is not affected by heat in the remaining six phases, national media reported. A taskforce will review heat waves and humidity five days before each polling phase for any “concerning developments,” and will take mitigatory measures if necessary. Voting runs until June 1, and the results will be announced on June 4.

Where India Meets Russia – We are now on WhatsApp! &lrm;Follow and share RT India in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va6XvWh7IUYZaRQrlU3y">English</a> and in <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7ALQtK0IBcl7uI7O3v">Hindi</a> ]]>
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<title>Yemen’s Houthis claim they targeted US and Israeli ships </title>
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<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596550-houthis-attack-us-israeli-ships/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a1d3f203027760c78dff0.jpg" /> Yemen’s Houthis have claimed they hit two US ships in the Gulf of Aden and an Israeli ship in the Indian Ocean <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596550-houthis-attack-us-israeli-ships/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The American military confirmed the attack, saying it downed one anti-ship missile and four drones
Houthi militants have attacked what they said were two US ships in the Gulf of Aden and an Israeli vessel in the Indian Ocean, a spokesman for the Yemeni military has announced.   
The Houthis, styling themselves as the government of Yemen, began targeting Israeli-linked ships in late October in response to Israel’s retaliatory strikes in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The group have more recently started targeting vessels linked to owners or operators in the UK or US following airstrikes by those countries on their positions.  
The militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday, saying they had targeted the US ship Maersk Yorktown and a US warship in the Gulf of Aden, as well as the Israeli ship MSC Veracruz in the Indian Ocean.  
“Both operations achieved their goals successfully,” spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV without specifying the date of the strikes.  
American authorities confirmed the attack and said US-led coalition forces off the coast of Yemen had shot down four drones and an anti-ship missile launched by the Houthis.  
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/594437-suez-canal-trade-halved/">Red Sea attacks halving Suez Canal trade</a></figcaption>
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US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that a coalition vessel had “successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM)” launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.  
“It was determined that the ASBM and UAVs presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM added.  
The US and the UK have repeatedly launched airstrikes against the Houthis since mid-January in an effort to “degrade” the group’s capabilities and ensure the safe passage of merchant ships through the Red Sea.  
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November. They pledged to continue their campaign “until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops.”  
Attacks on vessels in the Red Sea region disrupted global shipping through the Suez Canal, a vital route between Asia and Europe. Consequently, numerous shipping firms rerouted vessels involving longer and more expensive journeys around the Cape of Good Hope.]]>
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<title>Ukraine to step up long-range strikes on Russia – UK military chief</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596548-uk-military-chief-ukraine-long-range-strikes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596548-uk-military-chief-ukraine-long-range-strikes/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a085a85f5402a8f6e1f45.jpg" /> Ukraine will step up long-range strikes on Russian targets, the Chief of Britain’s Defence Staff, Tony Radakin, has predicted <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596548-uk-military-chief-ukraine-long-range-strikes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Russian authorities claim Kiev’s attacks involving Western-supplied munitions have killed over 200 civilians since the start of the year
Ukraine will step up its long-range strikes inside Russia, the chief of Britain’s defence staff has predicted. Admiral Tony Radakin also suggested that incoming Western aid will help Kiev gain the upper hand despite the “difficult” situation.
On Monday, the British government announced what it described as its largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine, worth £500 million ($617 million). It includes an undisclosed number of long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
Two days later, US President Joe Biden signed off on a massive defense aid package that envisages $61 billion for Kiev. The legislation had been deadlocked since last fall over political bickering in Congress.
While expressing gratitude to Washington, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told the Guardian on Wednesday that “no single package can stop the Russians,” with a long-term Western commitment needed for this.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov predicted that “these new batches of weapons… will not change the dynamics on the frontline.”
In an interview with the Financial Times published on Thursday, Radakin said that “as Ukraine gains more capabilities for the long-range fight… its ability to continue deep operations will [increasingly] become a feature” of the conflict.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/66294c942030274f0e7ae660.jpg" alt="155mm artillery shells that are ready to be shipped are stored at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania, US on April 12, 2023." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596539-pentagon-ukraine-aid-shipment/">Pentagon details shipment of military supplies to Ukraine</a></figcaption>
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While acknowledging that “Russia has been able to conduct more effective long-range strikes than last year,” the British admiral warned against focusing on the current gloomy “snapshot.” He argued that long-term trends might favor Ukraine, as more Western weapons allow Kiev to “shape [the fighting] in much stronger ways than it has before.”
On Wednesday, several US media outlets, citing an anonymous US government official, reported that Washington had secretly provided Kiev with an unspecified number of longer-range ATACMS missiles in March.
Last September, the US opted to deliver only the mid-range modification of the rocket to Ukraine, citing risks of an uncontrollable escalation of the conflict.
The Ukrainian military allegedly used the new weapon, boasting a range of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles), last Wednesday, targeting a Russian airfield.
Earlier this month, Russia’s ambassador-at-large for Ukraine’s crimes, Rodion Miroshnik revealed that between January 1 and March 31, 201 Russian civilians, including 11 children, were killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russian territories, with hundreds more injured.
The diplomat claimed that Kiev’s forces mostly used Western-supplied shells in the attacks, accusing Ukraine’s backers of turning a blind eye.]]>
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<title>Lukashenko names conditions for leaving power</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/russia/596549-lukashenko-transition-power-belarus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/russia/596549-lukashenko-transition-power-belarus/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662a0aea85f54004e33cca84.jpg" /> Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has explained his vision of his political retirement at a keynote event in Minsk <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596549-lukashenko-transition-power-belarus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Belarus needs guaranteed political stability and a trustworthy successor to take charge, the president has said
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has revealed that he would consider ending his political career after 30 years in power, once he is certain that a smooth transition is ensured.
Lukashenko made the remarks on Wednesday at the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, a political gathering convened in Minsk. The body, which includes officials from all branches and levels of government, as well as representatives of civic society, was given constitutional powers after a referendum in 2022. Lukashenko was elected chairman of the assembly during the session.
In his acceptance speech, the president said he backed giving the body the authority to take key policy decisions to ensure future stability in Belarus.
“You must not be silent. If you will be, it would mean I was mistaken. That you will not be able to defend the country, especially without me,” he told the audience.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629049a2030270f6b0b921f.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596512-ukraine-global-order-lukashenko/">Future of the world will be decided in Ukraine – Russian ally</a></figcaption>
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“Even if the head of state is wrong, you must say so directly,” he added. “You must be like wolfhounds.”
Lukashenko expressed concern that Belarus could be vulnerable to malign foreign influence during the transition to a new generation of officials. Younger people tend to be overconfident and disregard the experience of their predecessors, the leader claimed, urging delegates to remain firm because “you don’t hold power with a loose hand.”
“I want to finish my political career in a dignified way… so that we don’t ruin everything we’ve built with our own hands,” Lukashenko said. “I will retire, once you tell me in some form: ‘enough’. And once there is a person next to me who would not betray [Belarusian interests]”.
The leader denied accusations of corruption directed at him by critics abroad, declaring that he “was never a crook” and that he holds his family and associates to the same standards.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/596359-us-voter-interest-historic-low-poll/">
READ MORE: US voter interest sinks to historic low – poll
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Under the constitution, the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly is considered the highest representative body of the population. Its authority includes the power to remove the president from office, impose a state of emergency, initiate referendums, certify the legitimacy of elections, and authorize military deployments on foreign soil.]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>Moscow reacts to secret US delivery of ATACMS missiles to Kiev</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596546-atacms-us-ukraine-antonov/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596546-atacms-us-ukraine-antonov/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629fb9a20302701f134ad79.jpg" /> Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov has warned Americans that they will get stuck in a bloody swamp in Ukraine <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596546-atacms-us-ukraine-antonov/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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America will get stuck in a bloody swamp in Ukraine, Russia’s Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov has warned
The long-range ATACMS missiles that the US has supplied to Ukraine will not help Kiev turn the tide of the conflict against Moscow despite “extremely dangerous weapons,” Russian ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov has said.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Wednesday that US President Joe Biden had ordered the provision of Kiev with a “significant” number of ATACMS missiles for use inside Ukraine back in February. The ATACMS, which have a range of 300km, “were transferred quietly to Ukraine in order to maintain operational security,” Pentagon spokesman Major Charlie Dietz stressed.
The delivery of long-range missiles to Kiev is “impossible to justify,” Antonov wrote in a post on Telegram on Thursday. The move by Washington “increases the threat to the security of Crimea, including Sevastopol, the new Russian regions [the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions] and other Russian cities,” he added.
The assurances by the US officials that the long-range missiles will not be used against Russian territory are “particularly cynical,” the ambassador stressed. “How can we ignore the numerous terrorist attacks by Kiev’s criminals? Deadly strikes on hospitals, schools, kindergartens, bridges and even their own servicemen?”
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629445a85f54004e33cca51.jpg" alt="File photo: Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) in action." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596527-atacms-secret-delivery-ukraine/">US secretly shipped ATACMS missiles to Ukraine – media</a></figcaption>
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Antonov reminded that the Russian forces have already shot down mid-range ATACMS missiles, which Ukraine had received last September. The same will happen with their long-range counterparts, he assured, adding that “neither these missiles nor other weapons can help defeat Russia.” 
“Aren’t local politicians [in the US] afraid of drowning in the quagmire of conflict? Washington will not be able to get out of the horrible swamp that has absorbed the blood of ordinary soldiers,” the ambassador warned.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed to the fact that Washington’s acknowledgement of the delivery of long-range ATACMS to Ukraine comes amid attempts by Kiev and its Western backers to “deceive the international community into some kind of conference on the ‘Zelensky formula’.” 
“Washington’s plan is sickeningly simple: drag everyone into a pointless meeting under the pretext of ‘peaceful intentions’, while at the same time boosting [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky’s terrorist potential,” she said on Telegram.
Switzerland said earlier this month that it is going to host a peace conference on Ukraine in June, without Russia’s participation.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/594915-ukraine-aid-pentagon-spent/">
READ MORE: Pentagon’s ‘new’ Ukraine aid package was spent months ago – Politico
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Zelensky’s plan for ending the conflict, which he has been promoting since 2022, calls for Russia to withdraw from all territory held by Ukraine prior to 2014, for Moscow to pay reparations, and for the formation of a war crimes tribunal. Russia instantly rejected the plan as “unrealistic” and a sign of Ukraine’s unwillingness to look for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>EU state backs Chinese peace plan for Ukraine</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596545-hungary-china-ukraine-peace-plan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596545-hungary-china-ukraine-peace-plan/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629cdce20302702b916ec72.jpg" /> Budapest supports Beijing’s plan as a potential basis for peace in Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596545-hungary-china-ukraine-peace-plan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Hungary is concerned that “pro-war voices are extremely loud”

Budapest supports Beijing’s proposals for resolving the Ukraine conflict, and believes there is “no solution to wars on the battlefield,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday. He was soeaking following talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing.
The Hungarian diplomat expressed concern that the “pro-war camp,” supported by global media and NGOs, remains “extremely loud” and is undermining peace efforts.
“We support the Chinese peace plan, simply because it exists and calls for peace. And in our opinion, any initiative that diverts international political debates and international political discourse from war to peace is useful,” Szijjarto <a href="https://www.facebook.com/szijjarto.peter.official/videos/402553262626620" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> in a statement following the talks.
“But we must be louder in supporting peace,” he <a href="https://pestisracok.hu/szijjarto-peter-ujabb-hazai-vasuti-fejlesztesek-valosulhatnak-meg-a-kinai-egy-ovezet-egy-ut-kereteben/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">added</a>. “Both China and Hungary are strengthening the peace camp.”
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662673e42030271a7c78ff3e.jpg" alt="RT" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596405-hungary-nato-russia-war/">Many NATO leaders believe they are at war with Russia – Hungary</a></figcaption>
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Szijjarto previously claimed many leaders of EU and NATO member states are suffering from “<a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596405-hungary-nato-russia-war/">war psychosis</a>,” feeling as if they are already at war with Russia. He described the tone at a recent meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers as that of an army headquarters, where for hours “almost everyone was talking about how many units of what weapons and according to what schedule they are ready to supply to Ukraine” from stockpiles that are practically empty.
From the onset of the conflict, Hungary has been calling for a ceasefire and negotiations to save Ukrainian lives, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban insisting “time is on the side of the Russians” and that “almost <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/592935-orban-ukraine-win-eu/">nobody</a>” believes that Kiev can actually win on the battlefield.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/661e61692030271f913da1ef.jpg" alt="German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) sits opposite Xi Jinping, President of China, during talks at the State Guest House." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596034-china-ukraine-conflict-four-principles/">China reveals plan to end Ukraine conflict</a></figcaption>
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China has also long urged peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, and issued a 12-point peace plan to end the hostilities one year into the conflict, in February 2023. The initiative, hailed by Moscow, includes a call for a cessation of hostilities, a resumption of peace talks, abandoning the “Cold War mentality,” and respecting the sovereignty of all nations.
In contrast to Beijing’s proposal to end the fighting, Kiev’s ten-point peace formula – first presented by President Vladimir Zelensky in the autumn of 2022 – demands the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces from all territories within Ukraine’s 1991 borders.  
Moscow has described Zelensky’s peace formula as an “absolutely hollow” ultimatum that is “divorced from reality.”]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>EU state ready to help Ukraine hunt down military-aged men</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596544-poland-help-ukraine-draft-dodgers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596544-poland-help-ukraine-draft-dodgers/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629a53385f5407c6a592c59.jpg" /> Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has said Warsaw would be willing to “help” Kiev repatriate men of fighting age <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596544-poland-help-ukraine-draft-dodgers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Many Poles are “outraged to see young Ukrainian men in cafes,” the defense chief has claimed
Warsaw is willing to “help” Kiev catch and repatriate Ukrainian men of fighting age, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has said.
Some 950,000 Ukrainians have been granted temporary sanctuary in Poland, an unspecified portion of which is eligible for conscription.
Earlier this week, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry banned all men between the ages of 18 and 60 from receiving or renewing documents, including passports, at consular offices outside the country unless they are properly registered for mobilization. The Polish defense chief <a href="https://www.polsatnews.pl/wiadomosc/2024-04-24/ministrowie-na-listach-do-parlamentu-europejskiego-wladyslaw-kosiniak-kamysz-jest-kilka-powodow/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> the Polsat broadcaster on Wednesday that he was “not surprised” and supports Kiev’s move.
“The Ukrainian authorities are doing everything to provide new soldiers to the front, because the needs are huge,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
The Polish official said that Warsaw had previously offered to help Kiev track down those who dodge their “civic duty,” but noted that “the form of assistance depends on the Ukrainian side.”
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629836e20302715381f08ea.png" alt="RT" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596542-ukrainian-protest-documents-poland/">Ukrainian men protest Zelensky’s new draft measure in Poland (VIDEO)</a></figcaption>
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“I think that many of our compatriots were and are outraged when they see young Ukrainian men in cafes and hear about how much effort it takes us to help Ukraine,” he added. Kosiniak-Kamysz also echoed Kiev’s official narrative that Ukrainians who could not avoid the draft have “justified grievances against their peers who have scattered around the world.”
Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba claimed on Tuesday that the decision to strip Ukrainian men of their rights was “fair” and in line with controversial military mobilization reforms, which President Vladimir Zelensky signed into law this month.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6626990585f540083760fd48.jpg" alt="File photo: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596416-zelensky-ukraine-youth-draft/">Zelensky explains why young people ‘make better fighters’</a></figcaption>
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<a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596056-zelensky-signs-mobilization-law/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Zelensky’s reforms</a>, set to take effect next month, will lower the draft age from 27 to 25, tighten exemptions, and oblige all men, regardless of eligibility, to report to a conscription office to “update” their personal data.
According to EU officials, an <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/poland-ready-help-ukraine-get-military-age-men-back-minister-says-2024-04-24/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">estimated</a> 860,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age are living in the bloc. Kiev has identified that pool as a significant untapped source of manpower for the armed forces. However, asked in early April how many troops Kiev intended to mobilize, Zelensky <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/595362-zelensky-lying-about-russian-mobilization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dodged</a> the question.]]>
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<dc:creator>RT</dc:creator>
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<title>Most Americans believe Washington too generous to foreign partners – poll</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596543-us-foreign-aid-generous-poll/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596543-us-foreign-aid-generous-poll/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662992d620302715ed5ed2c1.jpg" /> Over a half of US voters believe that their country is spending “too much” on supporting its foreign partners such as Israel and Ukraine <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596543-us-foreign-aid-generous-poll/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Some 57% believe the US is spending “too much” on foreign aid, a new survey has shown
Around a half of US voters believe their country is wasting taxpayer dollars on supporting foreign partners such as Israel and Ukraine, a Rasmussen Reports poll has suggested.
Some 57% of respondents said the US government is spending “too much” on foreign aid, according to a survey of 1,126 likely voters conducted on April 16-18.
President Joe Biden signed a new $95 billion funding package on Wednesday, under which Ukraine is slated to receive $48 billion in weapons and other assistance, while another $23 billion will be used to replenish the Pentagon’s depleted stocks.
Even before the latest aid cleared procedural hurdles, some 47% said it was “too much,” while around 20% wanted Washington to spend even more.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662924da85f540503f7f1003.jpg" alt="U.S. President Joe Biden." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596519-biden-foreign-aid-bill/">Biden signs $95bn foreign military spending bill</a></figcaption>
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As for US aid to Israel, 49% of respondents said the $14 billion intended for the country under the new package was either “about right” or “not enough.”
A <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/722765138/cbsnews-20240414-SUN#download&from_embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CBS News/YouGov</a> survey conducted earlier this month also showed waning public support for arming Kiev. Just 53% of US adults believe the government should give military aid to Ukraine, down from 72% two years ago.
Support for Ukraine aid was highest (72%) among Americans who believe the US has a “responsibility to promote democracy” across the world. Among those who see no such obligation, only 28% believe Washington should give military aid to Ukraine.]]>
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<enclosure url="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662992d620302715ed5ed2c1.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="123"/> <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 23:20:44 +0000</pubDate>
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<title>Ukrainian men protest Zelensky’s new draft measure in Poland (VIDEO)</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596542-ukrainian-protest-documents-poland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596542-ukrainian-protest-documents-poland/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629836e20302715381f08ea.png" /> Some 300 Ukrainians have blocked the passport office in Warsaw in protest over Kiev’s policy to stop issuing documents to “draft-dodgers” <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596542-ukrainian-protest-documents-poland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Kiev has stopped issuing documents to men of military age outside the country
About 300 Ukrainians have blocked their country’s consular office in Warsaw, demanding passports they have been denied under Kiev’s new mobilization rules.
Men between the ages of 18 and 60 can no longer <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596430-ukraine-draft-consular-service/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">receive documents</a> at consular offices outside Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said earlier this week. Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596460-kuleba-consular-services-draft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has confirmed</a> he ordered the measure, intended to force refugees of fighting age to return and be conscripted into the military.
On Wednesday evening, several hundred Ukrainians locked down the ‘Document’ Passport Service Center in Warsaw, located at the Blue City shopping center.
<script async src="https://telegram.org/js/telegram-widget.js?22" data-telegram-post="rusbrief/223997" data-width="100%"></script>
Earlier in the day, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Warsaw would be willing to “help” Kiev repatriate men of fighting age, an unspecified portion of some 950,000 Ukrainians granted temporary sanctuary in Poland.
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6627979820302748594d5640.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuelba at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium." />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/596460-kuleba-consular-services-draft/">Ukraine to deny consular services to draft dodgers abroad</a></figcaption>
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“I think many Poles are outraged when they see young Ukrainian men in hotels and cafes, and they hear how much effort we have to make to help Ukraine,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told the TV outlet Polsat News.
About 4.3 million Ukrainians lived in EU countries as of January 2024, according to Eurostat estimates. Of that number, some 860,000 were men of military age.
The Ukrainian parliament voted on Wednesday to add 15,000 members to the state border guard. After the expansion, the service will have 75,000 members, including 67,000 guards under arms.]]>
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<title>Macron wants von der Leyen replaced – Bloomberg</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596540-macron-eu-commission-election/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596540-macron-eu-commission-election/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/662972e22030271287164d63.jpg" /> French President Emmanuel Macron wants to replace Ursula von der Leyen over “politicizing” the EU Commission’s work, Bloomberg has reported <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596540-macron-eu-commission-election/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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French president is reportedly considering former European Central Bank boss Mario Draghi as an alternative head of the Commission
French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to replace European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and is currently discussing options with other EU leaders, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
Von der Leyen is now gearing up for elections in less than two months, seeking to secure another five-year term. Macron, who was one of the key figures behind elevating her into the top EU job, has been openly criticizing the President’s approach to running the EU Commission.
“The commission presidency is there to defend the general interest, so it must not be over-politicized. Which, it has to be said, was not at all the case with this outgoing commission,” Macron said in Brussels last month.
The French president has been in touch with other EU leaders over potential candidates to replace the incumbent to lead the commission, namely former Italian PM and European Central Bank president Mario Draghi, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with these discussions.
Sources in Brussels, including those with von der Leyen’s office, have commented that it remains unclear whether Macron had been genuinely seeking to oust her or was merely putting pressure on in order to extract concessions from her in the future.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596099-orban-eu-leadership-hungary/">EU leadership must go – member state’s PM</a></figcaption>
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Macron, alongside then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, were the key figures in 2019 behind fielding von der Leyen, then German Defense Minister, for the EU Commission presidential elections.
Von der Leyen is still a clear favorite for the upcoming elections, given the fact that she is the main candidate for the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), which has the most seats at the European Parliament and is expected to further reinforce its positions during the polls in June. However, a candidate fielded by the EPP still requires backing from an absolute majority in parliament.
The position of the incumbent EU president has been damaged by multiple high-profile scandals, with the latest erupting earlier this month when she found herself in a storm of criticism over giving fellow German MEP Markus Pieper the lucrative job of “special adviser,” with a reported salary of €17,000 a month.
The appointment “has triggered questions about the transparency and impartiality of the nomination process” within the bloc, multiple senior officials, including the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, and Commissioner Thierry Breton, said jointly in a complaint to von der Leyen. The Commission, however, brushed off the allegations, stating it “has every confidence in the fact that the process took place in full compliance with procedures.”]]>
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<title>TikTok app as toxic as cigarettes – EU</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596541-eu-tiktok-addictive-cigarettes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596541-eu-tiktok-addictive-cigarettes/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629570985f5402a8f6e1f25.jpg" /> The EU may ban TikTok Lite as violating its sweeping internet regulations, after objecting to the application’s design as too addictive <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596541-eu-tiktok-addictive-cigarettes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Brussels has objected to the “addictive” design of the ‘Lite’ version of the popular video platform
The European Commission has opened a case against ByteDance, alleging that its TikTok Lite application might be dangerous to children and was launched without submitting the proper paperwork.
TikTok Lite was first launched in 2019 in Asian test markets. The lighter version of the short video app made its debut in France and Spain last month. In a statement on Monday, the EC said ByteDance did so without complying with the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).
“We suspect TikTok ‘Lite’ could be as toxic and addictive as cigarettes ‘light’,” said Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton, who is in charge of enforcing the DSA.
According to the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_2227">Commission</a>, ByteDance did not file a “risk assessment report,” required by DSA of Very Large Online Platforms before launching any new functionalities such as TikTok Lite. 
The bureaucrats in Brussels are particularly concerned about the application’s “Task and Reward Program,” which lets users accumulate points for watching videos, following creators, inviting friends and so on. 
<a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596524-biden-signs-tiktok-bill/"></a>
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596524-biden-signs-tiktok-bill/">US sets clock ticking for TikTok</a></figcaption>
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ByteDance has said that TikTok Lite – including the rewards program – is not available to minors in the first place, and that it will continue discussions with the Commission on resolving the dispute.
The company was given until Tuesday to submit the risk assessment report and until May 3 to come up with the other information requested by the EC. The bloc has threatened to fine the company up to 1% of its total annual income if it does not comply.
This is the second EC probe into TikTok. The first, launched in February, is investigating whether ByteDance breached the DSA in regard to the protection of minors, advertising transparency, “data access for researchers”, and “risk management of addictive design and harmful content.” 
On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden signed into law the $95 billion foreign aid bill that included a proposal to force ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American owner within nine months. The company has said it <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596392-tiktok-sue-us-ban/">would challenge</a> the law in court as unconstitutional. ]]>
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<title>Soros denounced over media acquisition plans</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/business/596535-us-soros-radio-aquisition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/business/596535-us-soros-radio-aquisition/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/66295f2185f54004e33cca69.jpg" /> Congressman raises concerns about billionaire George Soros’ influence over local radio stations in the US, after major stake purchase <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/596535-us-soros-radio-aquisition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Billionaire financier has bought $400 million of debt owed by radio platform Audacy, which was going through a bankruptcy process
A US Congressman has accused billionaire George Soros of trying to fast-track his acquisition of American radio giant Audacy through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Fox News has reported.
Soros has bought a major stake in what is the US’ second-largest radio company and could gain “effective control” of more than 220 radio stations across the country, according to previous media reports.
Republican congressman Chip Roy from Texas wrote in a letter seen by Fox that he was concerned that the Soros groups are asking the FCC to approve a change in ownership in Audacy without the commission “running its normal, statutorily required process.”  
“This transaction, which affects radio stations that reach millions of listeners across the US, including in Texas’ 21st congressional district, should – at minimum – be subject to rigorous FCC oversight to ensure US radio stations are not subject to undue influence,” the congressman argued.
Soros’ investment firm has become the largest shareholder in Audacy, after purchasing around $400 million of debt owed by the media group during its bankruptcy process. After years of declining revenue, Audacy filed for bankruptcy early last month, with $1.9 billion in debt. Should the deal go ahead, the billionaire financier would reportedly part-own broadcasters in 45 US states.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/592509-george-soros-radio-stations/">Soros could take control of hundreds of US radio stations – media</a></figcaption>
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Audacy owns 227 music, sports, and talk radio stations in 45 US states. The company also owns CBS Radio, which operates 11 news stations, including San Francisco’s KCBS and New York’s WCBS.
Congressman Roy pointed out in his letter that, instead of going through the usual petition for declaratory ruling process, the Soros group has asked the FCC to waive that process and “put it off until sometime down the road — indicating that those foreign stakeholders will be given ‘special warrants’ in the meantime.”
The Texas lawmaker also told Fox News Digital that he’d heard from constituents who “reached out and raised issues and concerns about the extent to which it’s very clear that Soros is, you know, making a move in the radio world.”
A hedge-fund manager who shot to infamy for crashing the British pound in 1992, George Soros is among the wealthiest men on Earth, with an estimated net worth of around $7 billion. That’s on top of the $32 billion he’s donated to a web of NGOs, charities and political campaigns through his Open Society Foundations.]]>
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<title>US secretly shipped ATACMS missiles to Ukraine – media</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596527-atacms-secret-delivery-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596527-atacms-secret-delivery-ukraine/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629445a85f54004e33cca51.jpg" /> The US secretly supplied Ukraine with extended-range missiles that were used in an attack on Crimea, an official has said <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596527-atacms-secret-delivery-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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President Biden personally approved the delivery, an anonymous official has said
Washington secretly sent Kiev an unspecified number of longer-range ATACMS missiles last month, multiple US outlets reported on Wednesday, citing an anonymous US government official.
The Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), with a range up to 300 kilometers, were included in the $300-million package of military aid approved by President Joe Biden on March 12, according to the official, who spoke with Reuters, Politico and the New York Times, among others.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said that Ukraine used the missiles for the first time last Wednesday, targeting a Russian airfield about 165 kilometers (103 miles) from the front line. 
On the morning of April 17, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said his forces had attacked the airbase in Dzhankoy, Crimea. The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on that claim.
Zelensky has long clamored for longer-range missiles. According to the anonymous official cited in Reuters’ report, the Pentagon was initially opposed, but changed its mind after Russia used ballistic missiles allegedly supplied by North Korea and began targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. 
“We warned Russia about those things,” the official said. “They renewed their targeting.”
<a href="https://www.rt.com/news/594915-ukraine-aid-pentagon-spent/"></a>
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/594915-ukraine-aid-pentagon-spent/">Pentagon’s ‘new’ Ukraine aid package was spent months ago – Politico</a></figcaption>
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Biden was advised to send the longer-range missiles by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Charles Q Brown, the official said.
The ATACMS were acquired from Lockheed Martin, rather than from the Pentagon stockpiles, and paid for by the “savings” discovered in March, when several military contracts were reportedly delivered for less than the original bid value. 
According to the official, Biden instructed his aides to include the ATACMS in the package but to keep it secret, so as to preserve Ukraine’s “operational security and the element of surprise.”
Ukraine first received mid-range ATACMS <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/585181-ukraine-us-atacms-missiles/">last September</a>. The Russian military quickly began <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/585765-russia-intercepts-atacms-missiles/">shooting them down</a>, however, <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/589480-russian-military-shoot-down-atacms/">thwarting</a> Zelensky’s plan to damage or destroy the Crimean Bridge.
“This is yet another mistake on the part of the United States,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/585240-putin-atamcs-ukraine-conflict/">last October</a>, explaining that, had Washington refrained from sending the missiles, it could have later positioned itself as the “good guy” for its attempts to prevent needless casualties.
With Russia upgrading its air defenses to intercept the ATACMS, their arrival will not have a major impact on combat operations, and will only “prolong the agony” of Ukraine, Putin explained. “That’s why it’s a mistake.” ]]>
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<title>US sided with evil and fascism – Russian envoy</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596523-us-ukraine-aid-russia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596523-us-ukraine-aid-russia/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/6629345520302715ed5ed2a1.jpg" /> The new aid package for Ukraine aims to bolster the “greedy and insatiable” American defense industry, Russian envoy in Washington believes <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596523-us-ukraine-aid-russia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Washington is sacrificing lives of Ukrainians ‘for the sake of its greedy and insatiable defense industry,’ Moscow’s ambassador has said
The US government has made its choice in favor of war, siding with evil and supporting fascism, the Russian ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov has said. He was referring to the latest American military aid package for Ukraine, signed by President Biden, which grants Kiev a fresh $61 billion war chest.
Biden said the US would start sending weapons and military equipment to Ukraine “in the next few hours.”
Following the announcement Ambassador Antonov told reporters that Washington is balancing on the brink of a direct clash between nuclear powers. The development has struck a severe blow to prospects for a hypothetical revival of Russian-American relations in the future, the ambassador stated. 
“For the sake of its greedy and insatiable defense industry, the [Biden] administration sacrifices the lives of ordinary people. With their decision, local politicians actually put an end to the fate of the entire state [of Ukraine], which is used as a ‘battering ram’ against Russia,” he stated.
The high-ranking Russian diplomat accused the US administration of violating the UN Charter’s obligation to maintain ‘primary responsibility for international peace and security.’ 
“American aid will not save [Ukrainian President] Zelensky” he stressed, adding that any new weapons being sent by Washington to Kiev would be destroyed, and that the tasks and goals of Moscow’s military operation will be realized.
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READ MORE: Biden signs $95bn foreign military spending bill
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The Kremlin has repeatedly warned that Washington’s lethal aid will not change the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine’s favor. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the US government has effectively been funneling billions of dollars into its own defense industry through the aid scheme.]]>
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<title>Pentagon details shipment of military supplies to Ukraine</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596539-pentagon-ukraine-aid-shipment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596539-pentagon-ukraine-aid-shipment/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/66294c942030274f0e7ae660.jpg" /> Hours after US President Biden signed the foreign aid bill, the Department of Defense has announced a $1 billion arms package for Kiev <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596539-pentagon-ukraine-aid-shipment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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The package, which contains assorted ammunition and hardware, comes after US President Joe Biden signed the long-stalled foreign aid bill
The US Department of Defense has pledged a new $1 billion aid package for Kiev. The announcement comes shortly after President Joe Biden signed a long-stalled foreign aid bill on Wednesday, which includes $61 billion for Ukraine.
The “significant new security assistance” package covers Ukraine’s “critical security and defense needs,” the Pentagon has said in a statement. The upcoming delivery includes assorted ammunition, namely 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, as well as 60mm mortar rounds, projectiles for HIMARS-family multiple rocket launchers, as well as various shoulder-mounted anti-tank launchers and small arms ammo.
The package also provides anti-aircraft capabilities, namely shoulder-launched Stinger missiles. The delivery will not include any munitions for Patriot anti-aircraft systems, including instead ship-borne RIM-7 Sea Sparrow and air-launched AIM-9M Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles. The munitions have been adapted during the conflict for use with Soviet-era ground-based anti-aircraft systems under the so-called FrankenSAM program.
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596519-biden-foreign-aid-bill/">Biden signs $95bn foreign military spending bill</a></figcaption>
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Ukraine is set to receive an unspecified amount of combat hardware, including Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), Humvees, and mine resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAPs). The delivery also includes various anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, as well as “demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing.”
The package also apparently hints at ongoing preparations for the long-promised delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine, containing such points as unspecified “precision aerial munitions” and “airfield support equipment.”
The package comes after US legislators adopted a massive $95-billion foreign aid package, that includes $61 billion for Ukraine, after months of debate in Congress. The bill was signed into law by Biden earlier in the day, with the president stating the deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine were set to resume “in the next few hours.”
According to unnamed US officials cited by AP, however, some contents of the package will indeed arrive on the frontline in a matter of days, while other items listed in the Pentagon’s announcement could take longer.]]>
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<title>Australia raids ‘extremism’ suspects after church stabbing</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/news/596522-australia-terrorism-police-raid/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/news/596522-australia-terrorism-police-raid/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/66292cdb2030274f0e7ae632.jpg" /> Seven followers of a “religiously motivated violent extremist ideology” have been arrested in a Sydney sweep <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/596522-australia-terrorism-police-raid/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Canberra has refused to identify the religion or motives of seven persons taken into custody


Seven people were detained in Sydney on Wednesday in a counter-terrorism operation involving over 400 local, state and federal law enforcement officers, Australian police have said. 
The raids were a follow-up to the stabbing of an Assyrian Christian bishop earlier this month, which the authorities classified as a terrorist incident. 
“From that initial incident, a number of associates were identified that we believe warranted further close attention and investigation,” New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told reporters.
The decision to carry out the raid was motivated by concerns that they “posed an unacceptable risk to the people of New South Wales, and our current, purely investigative strategies could not adequately ensure public safety,” Hudson added. 
Seven “juveniles” between the ages of 15 and 17 have been arrested as a result of the operation. Police have described them as adherents of a “religiously motivated violent extremist ideology,” which they declined to name. Five more minors are cooperating with the authorities and have not been detained.
<a href="https://www.rt.com/news/595994-sydney-priest-stabbing-sermon/"></a>
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<img src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/661d262a203027073313acd4.png" alt="Source: Christ The Good Shepherd Church" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/595994-sydney-priest-stabbing-sermon/">Man stabs priest during sermon (VIDEO)</a></figcaption>
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The behavior of the youths led the authorities to believe “it was likely that an attack might ensue” and that police would be unable to prevent it, Hudson added.
However, Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett of the Australian federal police said that they had “no evidence of specific locations, times, or targets of a violent act” at this time.
Australian authorities grew concerned after the April 15 attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, an Assyrian Christian, in the Sydney suburb of Wakeley. The 16-year-old suspect was caught on a live stream entering the Christ the Good Shepherd church, approaching the bishop in the middle of the evening service then stabbing him repeatedly in the head and chest. 
Eyewitnesses reported that the suspect said he was avenging the bishop’s insults against “my Prophet,” suggesting that the assailant might be Muslim. Bishop Emmanuel has been critical of Islam in the past. However, the Australian authorities have refused to identify the suspect’s religion or motives.
The government in Canberra has also tried to censor the video of the incident on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Meta, calling it “gratuitous or offensive violence with a high degree of impact or detail.”
Wakeley is the home of Australia’s largest community of Assyrian Christians, many of whom have fled conflicts in the Middle East. ]]>
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<title>‘We have provided everything possible for their freedom’: How the USSR helped France’s most important colony stick it to Paris</title>
<link><![CDATA[https://www.rt.com/africa/596521-algeria-ussr-relations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS]]></link>
<guid>https://www.rt.com/africa/596521-algeria-ussr-relations/</guid>
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<![CDATA[<img alt="Preview" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" src="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.04/thumbnail/66292e202030270eff2727a6.jpg" /> Demining, energy, irrigation, metallurgy, children’s summer camps made the history of the friendship between Algeria and the Soviet Union <a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/596521-algeria-ussr-relations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS">Read Full Article at RT.com</a>]]>
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Demining, energy cooperation, irrigation, metallurgy, children’s summer camps made the history of the friendship between Algeria and the Soviet Union
In early 2024, Moscow announced that it intended to establish a Russian House in Algeria, where both expatriates and local residents will be able to study the country’s language and culture. In recent years, the need for such a cultural center has grown, since thousands of Russians reside in Algeria (many of them have lived there since Soviet times) and Algerian young people are showing increasing interest in the culture. 
During the Soviet period, the communist state educated many Algerian politicians, trained its military personnel, and armed the country’s air force and navy. The Algerian Army owes much of its professional success to Soviet and Russian military schools and academies, where more than 60,000 of its servicemen were trained between 1961 and 2023.
Thousands of Algerian specialists from various fields and industries were educated in the USSR. Many returned home with their Russian wives and children. In such multicultural families, the Russian language and culture have been passed on from generation to generation. 
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<figcaption><a href="https://www.rt.com/africa/595578-french-colonialists-crimes-algeria/">La Colonisation: French history of death, torture and indescribable violence in the pearl of its evil empire</a></figcaption>
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More than 1,000 Russian women live in Algeria today. In 1989, the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots created the Association of Russian Women Compatriots in Algeria, which unites women from Russia and the former USSR republics. 
“The Association’s main goal is to preserve the Russian language and Russian traditions. Every year, we hold conferences which are attended by women from other cities of Algeria. This brings us closer to each other, we learn about the lives of our compatriots in other Algerian cities, about their success and their problems,” its website states.
<h2>How the USSR supported Algeria’s fight for independence</h2>
The Soviet Union was the first country in the world to establish diplomatic relations with Algeria. This happened in March 1962, four months before Algeria officially declared its independence from France.
The USSR had de facto recognized Algeria two years earlier. On October 3, 1960, during the 15th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, USSR Secretary General Nikita Khrushchev met with members of the Algerian government. Several days later, he said this meeting had signified that the USSR had recognized the provisional government of the Algerian republic.
“We, the Soviet people, sympathize with all the colonial nations that are fighting against the colonialists for their [country’s] independence. How can we exclude the great Arab people who are fighting for their independence, for their freedom? We applaud their fight. We have provided and will continue to provide all the possible assistance that may help the Algerian people in the struggle for their independence, for their freedom,” Khrushchev said at the time.
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FILE PHOTO. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev as he delivered his fist-waving, shouting speech before the U.N. General Assembly late October 11, 1960.

©  Getty Images/Bettmann 
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From the start of the Algerian war of 1954-1962 against French colonialism, the USSR supported the Algerian people. The Soviet Union spoke out in defense of Algeria at the UN and various international forums, provided financial, material, and military assistance, and organized various solidarity campaigns.
<h2>Demining </h2>
“And then, Algeria called me to demine the country. Volunteers – step forward! Everyone stepped forward, not just me,” sang the famous Soviet singer Mark Bernes in the song ‘Memories of Algeria’. Between 1962 and 1964, the Soviet Army demined large territories of the newly independent Republic of Algeria. Unfortunately, these accomplishments have been largely forgotten in present times. 
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FILE PHOTO. Mark Bernes, Merited Artist of the RSFSR (1911-1969).

©  Sputnik/Aleksandr Smirnov 
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In 1962, the provisional government of Algeria and France signed the Evian Accords – peace treaties which also granted Algeria the right to self-determination. After a nationwide referendum on July 5, Algeria officially declared independence. However, there was a lot of work ahead since Algeria’s economy was seriously affected by the war, and French specialists left the country en masse. In the aftermath of the colonial era and the eight-year war, Algeria was in great need of assistance.
On leaving Algeria, France also left behind thousands of mines. The most heavily mined territories were on the border with Morocco and Tunisia (the so-called “Lignes Challe et Morice”). In 1959, large parts of these territories were blocked by minefields, observation posts, and electrified wire barriers. However, France had no intention of cleaning up after itself.
Since Algeria didn’t have qualified sappers, it first requested help from several European countries (Italy, Sweden, Germany), but they refused to help. Private companies didn’t help to solve the problem either. For example, a group of Italians headed by retired general Ipolito Armando started demining the territory, but stopped when several people from the group were killed in mine blasts.
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Then, the Soviet leadership stepped in and agreed to demine the territory free of charge. On July 27, 1963, an agreement was signed between the two countries. Two groups of specialists from the USSR arrived in Algeria in the period from 1962 to 1965. In this period, Russian sappers defused about 1.5 million mines, clearing over 800km of mine strips and 120,000 hectares of land. Each sapper defused between 10,000 and 15,000 mines. Some of them never made it back home and many remained crippled. On their return, most of the sappers received Soviet government awards.
<h2>Soviet specialists in Algeria</h2>
Sappers weren’t the only specialists to arrive in Algeria from the USSR. In the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of Russian specialists came to Algeria and stayed there for many years. Some of these people permanently settled in Algeria and their descendants still live there.  
On gaining independence, Algeria chose a socialist course in domestic politics and actively established international relations. In the first two decades following its declaration of independence, Algeria closely cooperated with the USSR in the fields of economics, politics, and culture, and the two countries frequently exchanged delegations at various levels.
Economic cooperation with the Soviet Union and other countries of the socialist bloc encompassed almost all areas of Algeria’s economy. The large number of Soviet specialists who came to Algeria greatly contributed to the development of the local economy. The USSR helped Algeria with mineral exploration, building large industrial enterprises, and training engineering and technical personnel. For example, El Hadjar Complex, built in 1968, became the largest steel plant in Africa.
The Soviet Union helped develop the mining and non-ferrous industries in Algeria, particularly when, in May 1966, Algeria announced the nationalization of all mining enterprises and foreign engineers left the country. 
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FILE PHOTO. The Algerian National Oil, Gas and Chemistry Institute was built with Soviet assistance in Boumerdes.

©  Sputnik/Mikhail Kuleshov 
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At the request of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the USSR, Bulgaria, and other member countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance sent their specialists to Algeria, and the nationalized mines continued to operate. Thanks to this assistance, Algeria increased the extraction of iron, lead, and zinc ore. 
Cooperation in the energy sector has always been important for Algeria, and has provided the country with foreign exchange earnings. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Soviet specialists worked at the Algerian state oil and gas company Sonatrach, and the USSR supplied drilling rigs for geological exploration sites.
Soviet agronomists and hydrogeologists helped boost irrigation and water supply, and increase the area of cultivated land. The USSR built two irrigation dams in Algeria. Soviet hydrogeologists also headed complex groundwater research in the country’s southern desert regions, which occupy about 80% of Algeria’s entire territory. In just four years, Soviet experts were able to identify 25% more water reserves than the French had managed to do in the 130 years they spent in Algeria.
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The USSR also provided comprehensive assistance in the field of education. In 1964, the Algerian Institute of Oil and Gas was established in Boumerdès and presented to the city as a gift. Thanks to Soviet specialists, Boumerdès, a city in the north of Algeria , became a major educational and scientific center. The National Institute of Light Industries was also established there.
The Mining and Metallurgical Institute was built in Annaba, and the Hydrometeorological Institute was established in Blida. The professors of the main subjects were selected from various USSR universities and sent to Algeria. Between 1956 and 1978, more than 800 Algerian specialists were trained in educational institutions established by the USSR.
Military cooperation between the USSR and Algeria has always been important as well. The USSR (and later Russia) was Algeria’s main supplier of weapons and military equipment. In the late 1970s, the Algerian Army possessed 350 tanks and 294 combat aircraft, and approximately 95% of this equipment was produced in the USSR. From 1962 to 1991, the Soviet Union supplied Algeria with a variety of weapons with a total value of around $10 billion.
In December 1963, a cultural cooperation agreement was signed between Algeria and the USSR. Strong cultural ties were established in the fields of cinematography and literature, and many Soviet music ensembles and other artists performed in Algeria. The Russian language was taught in several Algerian universities. 
Many Russian specialists who stayed in Algeria for a long time brought their families along with them. Algeria had schools and even pioneer summer camps for Soviet children.
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FILE PHOTO. Students at the Soviet Embassy’s school in Boumerdes, Algeria.

©  Histoire de Boumerdes 
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For example,  the USSR Embassy established one such pioneer camp on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, near the picturesque town of Tipaza, which boasted Phoenician, ancient Roman, early Christian, and Byzantine architecture. The cultural program for children included swimming, beach volleyball and football, Neptune Day, and tours to the nearest Roman cities and tombs.
<h2>Present times</h2>
From the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, relations between Russia and Algeria declined in light of an economic and political crisis. In 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Algeria officially recognized the Russian Federation. Bilateral relations entered a new stage at the start of the 21st century.
In April 2001, then-President of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika traveled to Moscow on an official visit, which resulted in the signing of the Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Russia and Algeria. Currently, 14 intergovernmental agreements, as well as around 30 protocols, cooperation programs, and memoranda are in force between the two countries. Political dialogue is maintained at the highest level.
The strong ties between Russia and Algeria have also ensured warm relations between its peoples. To this day, many Algerians remember with gratitude the help which the USSR provided to the young country in its first decades of independence. 
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