Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has explained that Ukrainian consuls will not serve fighting-aged men residing abroad

Ukrainian consular offices in foreign nations will not serve fighting-age men who are unwilling to risk their lives for their country’s survival, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said on Tuesday.

According to Ukrainian media, Kiev’s diplomatic missions in several Western nations stopped processing such service requests on Tuesday. Even documents that have been finalized are not being handed over to Ukrainians, reports said.

Kuleba confirmed that he ordered the policy change and that it is meant to encourage men to come back to Ukraine for possible call up for military service.

”How it looks like now: a man of conscription age went abroad, showed his state that he does not care about its survival, and then comes and wants to receive services from this state. It does not work this way. Our country is at war,” he said on social media.

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The order to deny consular services to all men aged 18 to 60 was first revealed by Ukrainian media on Monday. Kuleba described his decision as “fair” and in line with the reform of the military mobilization system, which President Vladimir Zelensky signed into law this month. The changes include various punishments for avoiding the draft.

According to EU officials, an estimated 650,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age are living in its member states. Kiev has identified that pool as a significant untapped source of manpower for the armed forces.

The changes in military service laws include the lowering of the draft age from 27 to 25, an overhaul of available exemptions and a requirement that potential conscripts update their personal data with the Defense Ministry so that they can be easily issued summonses. All men aged 18 to 60, regardless of eligibility, will be required to carry papers confirming their registration with a conscription office, after the reform enters force next month.

Asked in early April how many troops Kiev intended to mobilize, Zelensky dodged the question and claimed that Moscow had plans to enroll 300,000 additional troops. Russian officials said that was not true, since its military attracts enough volunteers to meet its personnel goals.

READ MORE: Ukraine freezes all consular services for military-aged men abroad

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday that Ukrainian military losses since February 2022, when the hostilities began, were approaching 500,000.

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The FSB has detained a man allegedly carrying an improvised explosive device in the city of Bryansk

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has foiled a terrorist plot in the western region of Bryansk which borders Ukraine, the agency reported on Tuesday.

FSB officers detained a Russian citizen in the city of Bryansk. He allegedly “professed Ukrainian nationalist ideology” and was preparing to carry out an attack on orders from “representatives of a terrorist organization banned in our country,” the agency said, without naming the organization. The detainee was allegedly carrying an improvised explosive device.

The FSB has made footage of the man’s arrest and interrogation public.

“I was tasked with uncovering a cache of explosives and preparing a terrorist attack in one of the public places,” the suspect said in the video, which also shows him digging up the supposed cache from under a tree in a residential neighborhood of Bryansk.

A criminal investigation was launched into the case on charges of “promoting terrorist activities and participation in a terrorist community.” The suspect faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Earlier this month, the FSB said it thwarted another attempted terrorist attack targeting a synagogue in Moscow. The suspect was killed during a standoff with security operatives. The FSB did not disclose his identity, but said he was a citizen of a Central Asian country who had a criminal record back home and became radicalized while serving a prison sentence.

READ MORE: Synagogue attack thwarted in Moscow – FSB (VIDEO)

The news comes just three weeks after a major terrorist attack in Moscow Region. Four gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall concert venue outside Moscow on March 22, shooting indiscriminately before setting the building on fire. The attack left over 140 people dead and more than 500 injured. ISIS-K, an Afghanistan-based offshoot of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), claimed responsibility for the massacre, but Russian officials later suggested that the Ukrainian security services may have been involved in preparing the assault, possibly using the Islamists as proxies. An investigation into the attack is ongoing.

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The Indian National Congress, which is challenging the ruling BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the ongoing parliamentary elections, is unlikely to repeat its 2019 success in Kerala’s Wayanad

As the incumbent member of Parliament from the constituency of Wayanad in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Rahul Gandhi's filing of his nomination in an open vehicle flanked by the top brass of his Indian National Congress amid a huge media presence was the local Congress’s biggest show of strength recently. In 2019, he won Wayanad, which saw a record turnout of 80.31%, with a record margin of over 4.31 lakh votes. His candidacy from Kerala was instrumental in giving the Congress a thumping 19 of the 20 state’s parliamentary seats.

But a lot has changed over five years. The Congress party in Kerala seems fatigued as it has been without power for two terms. Gandhi has not been a regular visitor to his constituency; he hasn’t even mentioned the constituency’s name in parliament, his opponents allege. And the presence of both his Congress party and the state opposition – the Left Democratic Front (LDF) – in the national opposition bloc, called the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.), has muddied the Wayanad election, to be held on April 26.

Though Gandhi has not said anything, Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Ajai Rai is on record stating that he may also contest from his old constituency, Amethi, that he won in 2004, 2009 and 2014. Uttar Pradesh, with its 80 parliamentary seats, is key to securing a majority in the 543-strength Lok Sabha (lower house). This is another reason for Gandhi to make his presence felt. The Amethi election is on May 20, so he has more than enough time to make an announcement after the Wayanad poll is over, if he chooses.

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The Kerala contest is a two-way fight between the ruling LDF, led by the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M), and the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress, except for a couple of constituencies where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has more than a token presence. The BJP has been in power at the national level for a decade, but it has not made significant headway in the state; it has never opened its account in Lok Sabha elections in Kerala.

In Wayanad, Gandhi’s prime opponent is Annie Raja of the CPI (separate from the CPI-M). The BJP has fielded its Kerala unit chief, K Surendran.

Gandhi’s candidacy was a surprise in 2019; it drew national attention to the South. His fight from Kerala created a wave for the UDF, which campaigned to keep the BJP out of power at the Centre. This time, things are different.

“Rahul Gandhi won’t help the UDF sweep the state’s election this time,” says J Prabhash, the former head of the department of political science at the University of Kerala. “People no longer see Congress as a strong opponent to the BJP. There won’t be a bandwagon effect. Rather, anti-incumbency against the LDF government can also play a role. Also, Rahul Gandhi has not nursed the constituency well.”

‘Wayanad needs an MP, not a guest’

Part of Gandhi's weakness was that in 2019 he lost Amethi. And this time voters won’t be giving their heart and soul to the popular Congress leader.

“He rarely came to Wayanad,” says Ammini, a tribal activist from Ambalawayal in Wayanad. “What we need is not a guest who lands by flight or helicopter occasionally. He speaks rarely, that too only on farmer issues. He is the MP of all people. He could have done a lot for people, but he didn’t. During the 2019 campaign, he visited some tribal hamlets but didn’t visit even once after winning. The only time was when Viswanathan died [referring to the incident of a tribal man found dead near Kozhikode Medical Hospital in February 2023].”

Gandhi’s attendance in the Lok Sabha was 51% from June 2019 to February 2024, while the national average was 79% and the state average was 83%. He attended eight debates (national average: 46.7; state average: 78.5). He asked 99 questions (national average: 210; state average: 275). He had no private bills to his name (state average: 4.8; national average 1.5).

Amritha Krishna, a young lawyer in Vythiri, felt Gandhi didn’t contribute anything to Wayanad.

“Rahul Gandhi’s tremendous victory last time should be attributed to other factors like the hope that the Modi government could be defeated,” she said. “Also we in Wayanad realized too late that he had not brought change to Amethi. He has not made a single contribution to Wayanad as MP. He visited the constituency as if he were a king. He was received and accompanied not by local Congress leaders but by the state’s senior party leaders. He ate from a local shop, met a handful of people, but has not worked among the common folk. Other people’s representatives have done a better job. In 2019, we thought Congress would win and Rahul Gandhi would be the PM; that hope is not alive anymore.”

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Trolls and memes pop up during his rare visits with some claiming that even wild elephants frequent human settlements more often than Gandhi does. His tea shop visits have also led to criticism by political rivals as merely an eyewash.

The last time Gandhi enthused the state unit’s rank and file was with his Bharat Jodo Yatra’s Kerala leg in September 2022. The Congress, however, still has nostalgia for the Gandhi family and being next to a family leader, be it Sonia Gandhi (his mother and past party president) or Rahul during their visit is a matter of prestige.

“Both the Congress and its allied IUML (Indian Union Muslim League) are hugely loyal to the Gandhi family,” Amrutha says. “The youth had widely backed Rahul Gandhi in 2019. But he has failed to effectively intervene in Wayanad’s recurring human-animal conflict or other issues. He has raised none of this in the Parliament.”

Wayanad grapples with escalating wildlife encounters, including fatal incidents involving elephants and tigers. The district has lost 41 human lives to elephant attacks and seven to tiger attacks over the last decade.

Annie Raja too flayed Gandhi for his “poor performance“ in Parliament saying even if he could not become prime minister he could have at least mentioned his constituency in Parliament, as it has only four letters in Malayalam, Kerala’s language.

2019 success

The Congress’s 2019 campaign promises – that it would come to power, that Rahul might be PM, and that it was “the last bus to take” (i.e., the last chance to beat the BJP) – are being repeated this time but with less fervor.

Even his persona is not as charismatic as it was five years ago. He stepped down as the Congress president soon after the 2019 elections, forcing Sonia to be interim head. Two years later, the Congress got a non-Gandhi president after 24 years, when Mallikarjun Kharge emerged as the winner in the party’s organizational election.

Within a year, in July 2023, I.N.D.I.A., a bloc of 26 opposition parties to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, was formed. It is led by the Congress; but the CPI-M and its ally the CPI are constituents. The communist parties asked Gandhi not to contest from Kerala where the Congress and the Left are opponents. They suggested he contest in Congress-ruled Karnataka next door, where the BJP is the main opponent. However, he did not do this.

Being part of a single bloc has diluted the UDF’s claim that only the Congress can take on the BJP. Hence any anti-BJP feeling in Kerala can help either the UDF or the LDF. The LDF, for its part, is trying to exploit the fact that Congress leaders have joined the BJP, saying that a vote now for the Congress is a vote for the BJP in the future.

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The Congress has retaliated by reiterating an allegation of a nexus between the CPI-M and BJP. Campaigning in Kannur, in south Kerala, Gandhi wondered: “Why is the ruling party at the Centre not attacking [Kerala] Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan? Two chief ministers are in jail. How come this is not happening to the CM of Kerala?”

The Kerala CM drew Gandhi’s attention to the Emergency (a 19-month suspension of civil and political rights by the then PM, Indira Gandhi – who is Rahul’s grandmother) while responding.

“Rahul is worried why the Kerala CM is not questioned and why he is not taken into custody,” he said. “It was your grandmother who jailed us all when she suppressed the country. For how long? One and a half years. We’re not afraid of threats of jail.”

“If the UDF won, it would be a vote against the LDF and not because of Rahul Gandhi’s charisma,” J Prabhash says. “The CPI(M) has strong leadership but there is anti-incumbency and allegations against the CM and his family. The UDF does not have strong leadership in the state and neither does the BJP. Hence the least unpopular will emerge the winner.”

From Kerala’s vantage point, Gandhi’s candidacy from Wayanad is neither a political message to rival parties nor has it captivated local voters. No wonder he might also be thinking of Amethi.

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Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets had previously also suggested labeling the Russian Orthodox Church a terrorist organization

Orthodox Christian monasteries in Estonia may be forced to shut down if they do not sever their ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), the EU state’s interior minister, Lauri Laanemets, told the news outlet ERR on Tuesday, claiming that such ties pose a security risk for the country.

The minister visited the Pukhtitsa monastery on Tuesday to explain to its leadership the government’s position that all churches, parishes, and monasteries that are subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchy, “and essentially to the Kremlin regime and related security issues” must “take steps to stop this subordination.”

He insisted that Tallinn will do “everything possible to ensure that there is no escalation in this matter,” but stressed that from “a security logic point of view” it is impossible to allow Estonian religious organizations to obey Russian Patriarch Kirill, who Laanemets claims has “declared that the Estonian state should not exist.”

At the same time, Laanements claimed that the state is “not going to prescribe to churches and parishes what their future should be, it is important that they make these decisions themselves.”

However, he warned that if no decisions are made, those who are “directly subordinate to Patriarch Kirill, that is, Moscow, may face a problem” and be legally forced by the state to cease all activities.

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For now, the Pukhtitsa monastery will be allowed to continue its activities as usual, Laanemets said, as its leadership looks for legally and canonically acceptable solutions that would sever its ties with the Moscow Patriarchy.

Earlier this month, the minister had also revealed that he is preparing a proposition to the Estonian parliament to officially label the ROC a terrorist organization with the goal of banning all of its activities in the country.

The Estonian Orthodox Church (EOC), however, has stated that it does not intend to unilaterally cut its canonical ties with the Moscow Patriarchy, explaining that the ROC “has not accepted anything at the church level” that would force such a move.

Estonia’s push to ban the ROC comes after a statement released by the World Russian People’s Council – a public organization headed by Patriarch Kirill – in which it is claimed that Russia should become a global “protector” against evil and challenge attempts to establish “universal hegemony in the world” and also restore the unity of the Russian people who are scattered throughout the world.

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Semyon Yeryomin was fatally injured while filming in Zaporozhye Region

Russian journalist Semyon Yeryomin, who was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack last week, has been posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, one of the country’s top honors. The award for the late Izvestia war correspondent was announced in a presidential decree published on Monday.

Yeryomin died in a Ukrainian kamikaze drone attack in Zaporozhye Region, the outlet announced on Friday. His crew had been filming Russian troop positions near the village of Priyutnoye, and had also recently reported on attempts to divert Ukrainian kamikaze UAV strikes.

The crew’s vehicle was attacked by a drone while returning from a filming location, eyewitnesses told Izvestia. Yeryomin later died of his injuries.

He had been reporting in the combat zone since the Ukraine conflict began in February 2022, and had already been awarded the Medal For Merit to the Fatherland II Degree for his work covering the fighting.

READ MORE: Kiev deliberately targeting journalists – Kremlin

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered his condolences on Saturday and accused Ukrainian forces of deliberately targeting members of the Russian press at the front lines. The tragedy highlights the dangers journalists face in combat zones, Peskov added.

Several Russian journalists have lost their lives since Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine more than two years ago.

In November 2023, Boris Maksudov, who worked for Russia 24 TV, died from shrapnel wounds he suffered during a Ukrainian drone attack in Zaporozhye Region. RIA Novosti’s Rostislav Zhuravlev, Tavria TV’s Oleg Klokov, and RuBaltic’s Aleksey Ilyashevich have also all been killed during the hostilities.

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Close ties with Moscow have granted Pyongyang a “luster of legitimacy” that it should not have, Jung Pak has said

The recent rapprochement between Russia and North Korea could embolden Pyongyang to take a more risky approach in the global arena, a senior US diplomat has warned.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Jung Pak, who serves as the State Department’s senior official for North Korea, told Bloomberg on Monday that Moscow’s “complete embrace” of North Korea could mean that the country would be more inclined to threaten its southern neighbor, export weapons abroad, and defy Washington’s calls to return to denuclearization talks.

Pak claimed that the warming in the already-close ties between Moscow and Pyongyang had been spurred by North Korean arms shipments to Russia, which have allegedly been used in the Ukraine conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed reports of such deliveries, saying they are not based on any evidence. This stance has been echoed by North Korean officials.

According to the US official, Pyongyang has reaped numerous benefits from this cooperation, including economic assistance and high-profile meetings with Russian officials.

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This could provide North Korea with a “luster of legitimacy that it does not deserve, and it should not have,” Pak said, adding that Washington was “concerned about what that might do to make Kim think that his leash is longer than it really is, and how that might figure into Kim’s risk calculus.”

Pak also claimed that North Korea had benefited from Russia’s decision to veto a UN Security Council resolution to extend the role of a panel of experts monitoring Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons development last month. Peskov explained that the resolution was “no longer in our interests,” and that Moscow had objected to the “modalities” stipulated in the document.

The US official also voiced concern that North Korea’s newfound veneer of legitimacy could entice “other bad actors” across the globe to purchase its weapons. “North Korea has had a long history of proliferation in the Middle East, Africa, [and] elsewhere. And we don’t want that to start blossoming into other proliferation relationships,” she said.

While close ties between Russia and North Korea date back to the days of the Soviet Union, they recently picked up steam when President Vladimir Putin met with Kim Jong-un in Russia’s Far East last year to discuss bilateral relations and the international agenda.

In recent weeks, North Korea has carried out numerous missile tests and ratcheted up its rhetoric against the West, denouncing what it called “reckless” drills by the US and South Korea in the region.

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The organizers of the Swiss-based event want New Delhi to be represented at the highest level to corner Moscow

The international geopolitical landscape is becoming more perilous. The Ukraine conflict continues on without any solutions in sight. Tensions in the western Pacific between China and the Philippines are rising, and this is in addition to the continuing volatility of the Taiwan issue. A third area of potential regional strife involves Iran and Israel.

The Ukraine conflict is the most critical as it pits the two most powerful countries, the erstwhile Cold War antagonists, against each other in an actual, albeit indirect, military conflict in which a dangerous nuclear dimension is involved, even as the existing arms control agreements have broken down.

In Ukraine – even though the situation on the ground has moved in Russia’s favor, and the earlier goal of the US and EU of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia through a proxy war (by arming and funding Ukraine) has not been realized – there is so far no sign of willingness to genuinely explore a negotiated solution. The West is finding it difficult to remove itself from the coils of a policy in which it is trapped. Ukraine is being treated as the last frontier of Europe facing a ‘non-European’ Russia.

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The narrative promoted at the highest levels is that if Russia wins in Ukraine, it will target other European countries, beginning with Poland and the Baltic states. Consequently, the long-term security of Europe is supposedly at stake. With this degree of demonization of Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, it is difficult for the West to step back, even if the recognition is growing that Ukraine is fighting a losing battle.

Support in the US for funneling more weapons and money into Ukraine has been diminishing, even as a new $60.8 billion Ukraine aid bill is moving through the legislative process towards approval.

The EU wants to prepare for the eventuality (especially if Donald Trump is reelected) of the US watering down support for Ukraine, and is willing to accept more responsibility for arming and funding Kiev. To this end, Western European countries have increased their defense budgets and intend to build stronger military capabilities of their own.

The president of the European Commission and the NATO secretary-general are fueling the war mood with their hawkish discourse against Russia, instead of lowering the rhetoric to pave the way for dialogue and diplomacy.

This is despite the fact that EU economies are not doing well and social unrest is growing. Farmers, particularly in Poland, are protesting against the flow of Ukrainian grain and other agriculture products into the EU as their interests are being hurt. This is ironic as the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports disrupted by the conflict required the opening of an alternative route through Europe to sustain Ukrainian agriculture.

The possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough on the Ukraine issue is low at this stage. President Vladimir Zelensky is frenetically lobbying for more weapons to defend against Russian missile attacks by trying to shame the US and others for leaving him unprotected, in a form of psychological warfare. He has even called for more direct help from the US, UK, Germany, and France to intercept Russian missiles, as they did in the case of Iran’s recent attacks against Israel.

READ MORE: US has found a surprising military frontier against Russia and China

While war fever is being nurtured by the West, moves are also afoot to hold an international peace conference in Switzerland this June on Zelensky’s ten-point peace proposal. It is maximalist in scope and has been dismissed by Russia, which has said it is willing to negotiate, but on a realistic basis that recognizes the territorial changes on the ground.

Moscow will not restore Crimea and the four Russian-speaking regions that voted in referendums to join Russia, whereas Ukraine demands full restoration of these territories, as well as war reparations, trials of Russians for alleged war crimes, and so on.

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The position of the US and EU is that they will not impose a territorial solution on Ukraine. Zelensky has also passed a law against conducting negotiations with Russia while Putin is in power, even though he has just won another presidential election and will be in power for the next six years.

Any proposals by the West should be preceded by genuine moves by it towards peace. On the contrary, the moves are for more arms for Ukraine, unremitting propaganda that Putin will attack the EU if he is allowed to win in Ukraine, more sanctions on Moscow, appeals to China to not support Russia while the US and EU themselves do not withhold support for Ukraine, and so on.

Switzerland and Ukraine are active in gathering support for the proposed peace conference, especially from Global South countries. Four closed-door meetings to prepare for this conference have already been held, but without Russia’s participation. Clearly, a peace conference without Russian participation makes little sense. Moscow cannot be presented with a framework for peace in which it has had no role. The strategy seems to be to mobilize as many countries as possible, especially from the Global South, so that the blueprint for peace can be presented as the view of the larger international community, to which Russia would need to be responsive.

READ MORE: Sergey Poletaev: Here’s Russia’s plan for Ukraine for this summer

It appears that the Swiss foreign minister had a preliminary conversation with his Russian counterpart in New York on Russia’s participation after a preliminary round without its presence. The Russian foreign minister thinks this is cunning diplomacy by Switzerland, which is no longer neutral as it has taken part in all Western sanctions on Russia.

To promote the peace summit, both the Swiss and Ukrainian foreign ministers have visited India to press for its participation in the belief that this will encourage other Global South countries to attend. As for the agenda, India is told that it can pick up those points in Zelensky’s ten-point proposal to which it has no objections, and that could be the basis of its participation.

All of this suggests that the conference is a ploy to diplomatically isolate Russia by demonstrating that Ukraine wants peace and the Global South is in favor of dialogue, but Russia is recalcitrant. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, during a visit to China, sought Beijing’s participation. China had proposed its own peace plan, which Russia considered more balanced, but it has gone nowhere.

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India has consistently favored dialogue and diplomacy to end the Ukraine conflict. For the sake of consistency, it cannot ab initio reject any initiative, however deficient, to discuss peace and decline to take part. It therefore participated in earlier closed-door meetings on Ukraine’s ‘peace summit plan’. It would, accordingly, be open to attending the June 10 summit, if only to note that without Russia’s participation as one of the two protagonists in the conflict, any initiatives would be like a marriage without the bridegroom. The organizers expect Indian participation at the highest level.

A G7 meeting is being held in Italy on June 13-15, to which the Indian prime minister has been invited. The Ukraine peace summit is slated for June 15-16, which would normally make it convenient for Narendra Modi to attend it immediately after the G7 summit concludes. However, the results of the current general election in India will be declared on June 4, which means that if Modi’s party – the BJP – wins, as is anticipated, the prime minister will be preoccupied with post-electoral ceremonies and cabinet formation, and can hardly be away from the country.

At best, he could attend the G7 summit for a day and hurry back home. In any case, due to the manner in which the so-called peace summit is being organized, and considering reports of an increasing number of Western military personnel being sent to Ukraine in ‘non-combat’ positions, along with more arms supplies, India may not deem it appropriate for Modi to be present, and could instead decide – rightly so – on representation at a lower political level.

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A report has claimed Knauf was actively engaged in rebuilding the city which was heavily damaged in 2022

Building materials giant Knauf is under investigation following reports on its alleged involvement in the reconstruction of the city of Mariupol, the prosecutor’s office in the German city of Wurzburg told RIA Novosti.

Earlier this month, German public outlet ARD claimed that some of the country's businesses, particularly Knauf, were engaged in the rebuilding of the Russian Black Sea coastal city which was heavily damaged during a siege in 2022.

“It’s important to note that there is currently no initial suspicion of a crime required to initiate a pre-investigation check. Rather, it serves to clarify whether such an initial suspicion exists at all,” Tobias Kostuch, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office told RIA Novosti on Monday.

On the same day, Knauf announced it was exiting Russia in light of the “current developments” without providing a specific reason for the withdrawal.

A global leader in plaster production, Knauf was one of the Western companies which refused to leave Russia after the Ukraine conflict started in 2022. Last November, Ukraine labeled the firm a “sponsor of war” calling it the “largest German investor in the construction industry in Russia.” The company employs more than 35,000 people around the world and has annual revenue of over $11 billion, according to Forbes.

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Its founder Nicholas Knauf, who served as an honorary Russian consul for over two decades, called the Western sanctions on Russia “terrible.” However, he told ARD that he opposes Moscow’s military operation, and that his company complies with EU restrictions, only using its Russian branch to provide goods “exclusively for the Russian market.”

The firm revealed it intends to “transfer the entire business in Russia, including raw material extraction, manufacturing, and sales to local management to preserve the jobs of more than 4,000 employees in the future.”

The move is pending approval by Russian authorities, who have already been informed of the plans, according to deputy Trade and Industry Minister Viktor Evtukhov. Commenting on the firm’s decision to “transfer” its assets the minister referred to this word as “not appropriate.”

“If for some reason a company leaves the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, then a sale takes place. Another thing is that you can sell an asset for any price, but not more than 50% of its market value,” Evtukhov said.

Under existing laws, firms leaving Russia are obligated to sell their Russian assets at a 50% discount and pay a mandatory contribution to the Russian budget, amounting to at least 10% of half the market value of the company’s assets in the country.

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Moscow’s forces have liberated several more settlements in Donbass, Sergey Shoigu has said

Russian troops are firmly in control of the battlefield situation and are steadily pushing back Ukrainian forces, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said.

Speaking at the meeting with top Russian commanders on Monday, the minister announced that Moscow had liberated the villages of Pervomayskoe and Novomikhailovka, west and southwest of the Russian city of Donetsk, as well as the settlement of Bogdanovka not far from Artyomovsk, known in Ukraine as Bakhmut. The latter strategic city was captured by Russia last year after months of bitter fighting.

He added that the control zone was also being expanded in Berdychi and Georgievka, north and west of Donetsk.

”Our high combat potential allows us to constantly strike the enemy and prevent him from holding the defense line,” Shoigu noted, estimating Kiev’s losses at half-a-million troops since the start of the conflict.

He also recalled that last year’s much-touted Ukrainian counteroffensive, prepared with the help of NATO instructors, had been a failure. “Our servicemen have dispelled the myth of the superiority of Western weapons,” he said.

The Russian minister also hailed the national defense industry, saying it had ramped up output repeatedly. This “has significantly increased the combat capabilities of our armed forces. This is evidenced by the situation in the special military operation zone,” Shoigu said.

Amid current tensions with the US and its allies, the minister vowed to further boost military production while promising to “increase the intensity of attacks on logistics centers and facilities where Western weapons are stored.”

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Russia regularly conducts high-precision long-range strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure, logistics hubs, and defense industrial facilities. It has repeatedly said that it does not attack civilian targets.

In February, Russian forces liberated the strategic Donbass town of Avdeevka, and later captured several nearby settlements. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have largely attributed the retreat to a lack of ammunition and delays in Western assistance. Against this backdrop, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky acknowledged last month that Kiev was not ready to repel a major Russian offensive.

The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Kirill Budanov, has predicted that Kiev will face “a rather difficult situation” in mid-May and early June.

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Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has shared the latest estimates of Kiev’s battlefield casualties

Ukrainian military losses since February 2022 have reached almost 500,000, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed on Tuesday.

Russian forces have the initiative on the front line and are pushing back their opponents, Shoigu told a ministerial meeting. The pressure prevents Kiev’s troops from holding on to their defensive positions, he added.

The defense minister also addressed America’s expected allocation of over $60 billion in military assistance for Kiev. He noted that the move is intended to “prevent the collapse” of Ukrainian forces, but predicted that the money will not significantly impact the situation on the battlefield, since “most of the funding will go to US military production.”

“The American authorities cynically state that Ukrainians will be dying in the fight with Russia for their interests,” Shoigu stated. Officials in both Washington and Kiev have argued that paying Ukraine to fight Russia is preferable to the US having to fight Russia directly.

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Shoigu hailed Russia’s defense production capacity and flexibility in adapting its military tactics to the combat situation. He said the Defense Ministry will continue long-range attacks on logistics hubs and depots used for supplying Western weapons to Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed into law a radical reform of the mobilization system, meant to boost conscription numbers, which introduces harsh punishments for draft avoidance.

Zelensky said he considers a proposed mobilization target of 500,000, tabled by Ukraine’s former top general, Valery Zaluzhny, who he dismissed in February, as excessive.

The multi-billion-dollar US aid package was requested by the White House months ago but was only passed by the House of Representatives on Saturday, after Speaker Mike Johnson agreed to it.

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The man allegedly carried out surveillance at the home of the target, former SBU colonel Vasily Prozorov

A third suspect has been detained in connection with the attempted assassination of former Ukrainian colonel Vasily Prozorov, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Tuesday.

A car owned by Prozorov, who previously served in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Kiev’s successor to the Soviet KGB, was blown up in Moscow on April 12. Prozorov and his driver sustained injuries but both survived the blast.

The third suspect in the case, a Ukrainian national born in 1995, was detained in the city of Lugansk in Donbass. He had allegedly acted on orders from an SBU agent, Ukrainian-born Yaroslava Khrestina, currently living in Warsaw, whom he met in 2021. The suspect is accused of carrying out surveillance over Prozorov’s residence in Moscow in mid-2023, in order to determine where her parked his car. In early April this year, he allegedly transferred 10,000 rubles ($110) to a “courier” who delivered components of the explosive device later used in the assassination attempt.

“The suspect confessed to his actions and is cooperating with the investigation,” the FSB said in a statement accompanying footage of the man’s detention and questioning.

The FSB earlier detained two other suspects in connection with the plot against Prozorov. The first is a Russian national, Vladimir Golovchenko, who allegedly assembled the bomb used in the assassination attempt and planted it under Prozorov’s car. The second has been named as Ivan Paskar, the alleged “courier” who received the parcel containing components of the explosive device in Lithuania and delivered it to the Russian capital. Both have been placed under arrest.

Prozorov worked for the SBU from 1999 to 2018. However, he was placed on the agency’s blacklist in 2019, after confessing that he had been providing intelligence to Russia about Kiev’s security services during the fighting between Ukraine and Donbass separatists. The region broke away from Kiev in 2014 and overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2022. The SBU branded Prozorov a “traitor,” warning that he could end up “just like Judas.”

READ MORE: Second suspect detained over attempt to assassinate Ukrainian defector – FSB

The FSB alleges that the assassination attempt against Prozorov was organized on direct orders from the head of the SBU, Vasily Malyuk. He has previously acknowledged that his agency is believed to be behind assassination plots in Russia, but has refused to claim direct responsibility. He has, however, shared the details of several such attempts, implying the SBU’s involvement.

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The “gang” in Kiev is ‘erasing’ the country’s people, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman claims

Kiev’s policies will result in the extermination of Ukrainians on behalf of its Western puppet masters, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has claimed.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry intends to deny all consular services abroad to male citizens aged 18 to 60, except for preparing documents to return to Ukraine, local media reported on Monday, citing the ministry’s internal correspondence.

The policy is presumably meant to force men of fighting age to leave foreign nations and be conscripted into military service under a new mobilization law signed by President Vladimir Zelensky this month.

The people are being “erased by Western elites and their executors in Ukraine – Zelensky and his pseudo-Ukrainian gang,” Zakharova said on Tuesday, reacting to the news. She claimed that while Ukrainian governments that have been in power since the 2014 US-backed armed coup in Kiev posed as nationalist, their policies came “from people who historically had nothing to do with the country.”

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“After most of Ukraine was pillaged and looted, its history rewritten, and monuments destroyed, they moved on to the physical elimination of its indigenous population,” she said.

”Everything just like with the aboriginal population of North America, who were killed in the tens of thousands by the ‘civilized’ folk. They bought Manhattan Island for beads, and Ukrainians don’t even get those, only an American noose around the neck,” Zakharova added.

Moscow perceives its conflict with Kiev as a proxy war which Washington initiated and is willing to conduct “to the last Ukrainian.” Senior Western officials, including US Senator Lindsey Graham and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have praised the Ukrainians’ willingness to fight and die for Western interests.

READ MORE: West gets ‘fantastic value’ out of Ukraine – Boris Johnson

”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 said earlier this month, as he bragged to students at Georgetown University in the US about his record of arming Kiev.

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The Grand Quadriga 2024 exercise in Lithuania is part of NATO’s Steadfast Defender 24 war games

More than 3,000 German military personnel are taking part in the Grand Quadriga 2024 drills that kicked off in Lithuania on Tuesday. The maneuvers are part of the larger, months-long Steadfast Defender 24 series of NATO exercises that began in late January.

Lithuania shares a border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, as well as Moscow’s closest ally, Belarus. In a separate development earlier this month, Berlin deployed an advanced military team to the Baltic country as part of plans for a full-strength armor brigade permanently stationed there. Moscow has described the plans as a threat requiring “special measures” in response.

The Grand Quadriga 2024 exercise is scheduled to wrap up in late May, and will involve 200 pieces of German military hardware, including Leopard tanks as well as Puma and Boxer infantry fighting vehicles.

In a statement last Thursday, the Lithuanian military wrote that the “exercise is centered around moving two divisions from the Central European region to the Eastern.”

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“Lithuanian units training side by side with the German participants will plan and execute operations,” the document read.

The Bundeswehr revealed that its armored division would be transported by boat, rail and road to Lithuania, where it would “practice defense and counter-offensive [exercises] on the allied territory.”

Several more military drills will also be taking place in Lithuania concurrently, including Saber Strike, Brave Griffin 2024/II and Thunder Strike – all of which are part of NATO’s Steadfast Defender 24.

Hailed as the largest exercises that NATO has held in decades, the maneuvers will feature some 90,000 troops from all 32 member states, according to Supreme Allied Commander for Europe Christopher Cavoli.

Some 1,100 combat vehicles, including 133 tanks and 533 infantry fighting vehicles, will be involved, as well as more than 50 naval vessels and 80 helicopters, drones and fighter jets.

In January, General Cavoli said the drills would simulate an “emerging conflict scenario against a near-peer adversary,” covering thousands of kilometers all across Europe.

Commenting on NATO’s war games in early March, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, said they were “undoubtedly increasing tensions and destabilizing the situation in the world.” He claimed that a “scenario of an armed confrontation with Russia is being rehearsed.”

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Flights to the African nation can commence within 12 weeks, the Home Office has said

The British Parliament passed the Safety of Rwanda Bill on Monday, allowing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to deport thousands of asylum seekers to the East African nation. The legislation, which faced strong opposition in the House of Lords and Commons over human rights concerns, will now become law, the UK government has confirmed.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Home Office said the parliamentary approval marked a “major step forward” for Britain’s efforts to “stop the boats and tackle illegal migration.”

“The Bill’s passing means the government can enter the final phase of operational planning to get flights off the ground to Rwanda, pioneering a new response to the global challenge of illegal migration,” it said.

Britain reached a five-year agreement with Rwanda in April 2022 for illegal immigrants to be sent to the landlocked nation. However, no flights have happened since the first one was canceled in June of the same year following intervention by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The scheme has also been declared unlawful by the UK’s highest court, which has deemed Rwanda unsafe for deportees.

Late last year, Sunak’s government introduced the Safety of Rwanda Bill to promote the country as a safe haven for refugees and to block further court challenges to the plan. Conservative MPs had called for it to be amended to override laws that challenge the swift removal of illegal migrants crossing the English Channel. However, the UN and the British Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights declared the draft law illegal, claiming it would cause irreparable harm to the UK’s reputation. The House of Lords has previously supported a motion urging parliament not to ratify it.

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In response to the approval on Tuesday, the Home Office said the “landmark” legislation makes it “unambiguously clear that UK Parliament is sovereign and the validity of any Act of Parliament is unaffected by international law.” It also means that Rwanda will now be considered a “safe country for the purposes of relocating people, including in UK courts and tribunals,” it added.

According to the statement, “robust operational plans” have been put in place to deliver the first flight to Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks, followed by multiple flights.

The Home Office reportedly has a reduced list of 350 migrants who are believed to pose the least risk of submitting successful legal challenges against their deportation.

Lawyers cited by The Guardian said they would file legal challenges on behalf of individual asylum seekers on a case-by-case basis, possibly removing them from a flight list.

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‘Vulnerable’ countries are rebuffing demands for reforms and are turning to China and Russia for security, officials have said

The US government is facing a “reckoning” over its Africa policy after being ordered to withdraw more than 1,000 troops from Niger and losing access to a crucial drone base, Washington insiders have told Politico.

The US confirmed last week that it is planning an “orderly and responsible withdrawal” from Niger. The West African nation’s transitional government, which previously expelled French troops in a similar fashion, has opted for security cooperation with Russia. Neighboring Chad has also reportedly asked Americans to leave, as part of a wider regional shift away from Western powers on the continent.

Speaking to Politico, anonymous US officials have claimed the developments are down to America pursuing ideological goals when dealing with African nations. Washington has attempted to make aid conditional on democratic reforms and other political demands, which some African leaders have rebuffed, arguing that the US “ignores similar issues with allies in other parts of the world,” according to the report on Monday.

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“With most of these governments, they really don’t want to be told what to do,” one source said. “There’s a long history of the West telling African countries how to govern and they’re finally saying ‘enough.’”

Behind closed doors, US officials are increasingly calling for “challenges in democracy” to be overlooked in favor of maintaining access to African nations’ natural resources and keeping China and Russia at bay, Politico explained.

“The fear is, ‘okay, we’re going to walk away, and Russia is going to come in,’” one source said. “Are we really being a good partner if we are leaving when they are most vulnerable?”

Moscow and Beijing have criticized the so-called “rules-based order” promoted by Washington, branding it a guise for neocolonialist policies. The US is using moralistic rhetoric to undermine the development of other nations and to enforce a global economic system that benefits itself and its allies, critics have argued.

READ MORE: BRICS a force for global transparency – African experts

According to Politico, part of the failing US strategy in Africa is attempting to paint the Russian presence as “parasitic,” an effort which has not prompted African leaders to reverse their decisions to partner with Moscow.

It remains unclear when or even if US troops would leave Niger, the report stated. One source said Washington may try to negotiate a way for them to stay by offering training services to Niamey’s military.

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Multiple demonstrators have been arrested outside NYU business school, authorities have said

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered at New York University, with the rally later broken up by police who made a number of arrests, according to local officials and media reports.

NYU spokesman John Beckman said the demonstration kicked off on Monday morning on Could Plaza in front of the Stern School of Business and some 50 people took part, adding that this happened “without authorization.”

The officials at the institution put barriers in place to prevent anyone else from joining in “because the protests were already considerably disruptive of classes and other operations in schools around the plaza,” Beckman said.

#NOW: NYPD arrests at least a dozen NYU faculty members in the ‘Liberated Zone’ at Gould Plaza

This is not the solution and this generation is aware and they will stand against wrong policies and will not stop. pic.twitter.com/cA7o9UEin4

— Gaza Under Attack_?? (@Palestine001_) April 23, 2024

According to CBS News, the rally appeared to be supported by some of the university’s students. It was also reportedly backed by several pro-Palestinian organizations which set up tents in the area.

One of the demonstrators said, as quoted by the network, that the protesters wanted NYU to acknowledge that “there is a genocide happening and that there are Palestinian students that deserve to feel heard.”

ARRESTS BEGIN
NYPD police wearing riot helmets move in.

NYU Gaza Solidarity Encampment Established!
Solidarity rally at Gould Plaza, Greene Street & West 4th Street, Manhattan, NYC
8:28pm, Monday, April 22, 2024. #CeasefireNOW #FoodNOW #nyc
h/t: @protest_nyc

THREAD
1/ pic.twitter.com/tVAXRYIRdj

— DataInput (@datainput) April 23, 2024

Beckman said that while the university initially made no effort to clear the plaza, hoping to avoid violence, it “was deeply disturbed” when the outer perimeter was breached by additional protesters.

Following this and what the spokesman called “disorderly, disruptive, and antagonizing behavior,” the university ordered those assembled to vacate the premises, and later called the police. The spokesman also said that there had been “intimidating chants” and reports of “several anti-Semitic incidents.”

NYPD buses are driving to the protest in front of Gould Plaza. ?? pic.twitter.com/PvMrNWBjEj

— ??ProudArmyBrat (@leslibless) April 23, 2024

“The police urged those on the plaza to leave peacefully, but ultimately made a number of arrests,” Beckman said. The New York Police Department confirmed to The Hill that arrests were made, but would not say how many.

Videos circulating show a densely packed crowd near the university carrying placards, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, and beating drums. Other clips show police officers appearing in riot gear, taking several people away in the thick of the protest. One video also showed several police buses slowly driving through the crowd.

READ MORE: Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Yale University (VIDEOS)

The NYU protest followed a similar rally at Columbia University and coincided with a demonstration at Yale University where at least 60 people were arrested. US campuses and universities have seen a surge of protests following the deadly attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas in October. Israel’s relentless retaliatory assault on Gaza has caused unprecedented destruction in the enclave and left more than 34,000 people dead.

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The Malaysian Navy has confirmed that all on those board the two aircraft were killed

Ten crew members from the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) have died after their helicopters collided during a parade rehearsal on Tuesday morning.

The two aircraft crashed at the Lumut TLDM naval base while carrying out a flyby ahead of a 90th anniversary celebration, the navy said in a statement.

“All victims were confirmed dead on site and the remains were sent to TLDM Military Hospital for identification process,” the statement read, adding that an investigation had been launched into the cause of the incident.

The two helicopters involved were an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter and a lighter Eurocopter Fennec. One copter had seven crew on board, while the other had three.

The AW139 crashed onto the steps of a stadium while the Fennec went down at the pool of the base’s sports complex, according to local newspaper Malaymail.

The navy has called on the public to refrain from sharing videos and photos of the deceased to protect the sensitivity of the victims’ families.

Nahas helikopter di Lumut: TLDM sahkan semua 10 mangsa maut

Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) mengesahkan sebuah Helikopter Operasi Maritim (HOM-AW139) TLDM dan sebuah helikopter FENNEC TLDM telah terhempas semasa raptai Perbarisan Hari TLDM ke-90 di Pangkalan TLDM Lumut pada… pic.twitter.com/ITIXiwQBq7

— Buletin TV3 (@BuletinTV3) April 23, 2024

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Pyongyang has held a large-scale “counterattack” drill

North Korea has carried out a simulated nuclear counterattack against enemy targets personally observed by leader Kim Jong-un, state media reported on Tuesday. As part of the exercise, several “super-large” multiple rocket launchers fired a missile salvo towards an island in the Sea of Japan.

Monday's drills came just days after Pyongyang claimed to have tested a new “super-large warhead” cruise missile and a new type of anti-aircraft missile. The US and South Korean air forces also continue to hold joint exercises on the peninsula.

Pyongyang for the first time claims to have tested the country’s so-called “nuclear trigger” command and control system, as well as “[the] prompt counterattack capacity of the state nuclear force,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) wrote. Military units worked in a hypothetical scenario in which North Korea’s highest level nuclear crisis alarm is issued in response to an attack.

The salvo of missiles with simulated nuclear warheads “accurately” hit the island target some 352km away, KCNA stated. The North Korean leader expressed “great satisfaction” with the results of the exercise, it added.

The US, South Korea, and Japan have all condemned the launches as a threat to regional and international peace and security. The issue will be “on the agenda” when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to China this week, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told the press on Monday.

READ MORE: Japan and South Korea accuse North of missile launches

Pyongyang has dubbed the drills a “clear warning signal” to its “enemies,” accusing them of running a “military confrontation racket.” Joint US and South Korean air force exercises, set to continue until April 26, have run a hundred sorties per day on average, while not even trying to conceal their “extremely provocative and aggressive nature,” KCNA claimed.

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Dommaraju Gukesh, who is just 17, has won the Candidates tournament to earn the right to take on current champion Ding Liren

India’s Dommaraju Gukesh won the FIDE candidates chess tournament in Toronto on Sunday and will move on to play for the world championship against China’s Ding Liren later this year.

The Indian grandmaster, who is just 17 years of age, became the youngest ever to win the Candidates tournament after he held American Hikaru Nakamura to a draw in the final round, thus clinching victory in the nearly three-week-long tournament.

If Gukesh is able to defeat Ding, he will become the youngest world champion in history. The current record holders – Magnus Carlsen from Norway and Garry Kasparov from Russia – were both 22 when they won the crown for the first time.

Current world champion Ding is the highest-rated Chinese chess player in history and a three-time national champion. He won his first world championship last year by defeating Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi.

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Meanwhile, congratulations have started pouring in for the Indian prodigy.

“India is exceptionally proud of Gukesh,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter). “His outstanding performance and journey to the top inspires millions,” added the Indian leader.

Anurag Thakur, India’s youth affairs and sports minister, said that Gukesh had reclaimed India’s place of honor in the world of chess with his historic triumph. “As you prepare to challenge the World Champion after this win, the entire country stands by you,” he posted on X.

Celebrity Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar asserted that Gukesh’s journey to become world champion had already begun and vowed to be with him “at every move.”

What a triumph, @DGukesh! The youngest ever to win the FIDE Candidates—at only 17! Your journey from here leads to the World Championship, and we'll be with you at every move.

Go make history! ?? ?? #FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/0Gw2QddBIO

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 22, 2024

Gukesh, who hails from the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India, became the country’s youngest grandmaster when he earned the title at 12 years, seven months, and 17 days. The title of youngest grandmaster in history is held by Abhimanyu ‘Abhi’ Mishra, an American chess prodigy of Indian origin, who secured the title at the age of 12 years, four months, and 25 days.

Last year, Gukesh overtook five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand to become India’s top-ranked chess player. Anand, widely regarded as the greatest Indian player ever, had reigned as the country’s top-ranked player since 1987.

Three Indians competed in the eight-player field at the Candidates tournament. In addition to Gukesh, the event featured 18-year old Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, also from Tamil Nadu, and Vidit Gujrathi, who took fifth and sixth place, respectively. The previous two Candidates tournaments had been won by Nepomniachtchi.

Where India Meets Russia – We are now on WhatsApp! ‎Follow and share RT India in English and in Hindi

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promises more long-range missiles, dozens of boats, and hundreds of armored vehicles

The UK has revealed plans to provide the largest package of British military assistance to Ukraine. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will officially unveil the new aid plan when he travels to Warsaw on Tuesday for talks with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk.

The package is valued at £500 million ($617 million) and will include more than 400 vehicles, 60 boats, and an undisclosed number of long-range Storm Shadow missiles, Sunak’s office said in a statement, calling it the “largest-ever provision of vital munitions.” The announcement comes as the US is expected to approve a $61 billion military and aid package for Kiev.

“Defending Ukraine against Russia’s brutal ambitions is vital for our security and for all of Europe,” Sunak claimed. “If Putin is allowed to succeed in this war of aggression, he will not stop at the Polish border.”

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The latest round of weaponry will bring London’s military aid to Kiev to £3 billion this year alone. It will also include 1,600 strike and air defense missiles and nearly 4 million rounds of small arms ammunition.

“Today’s package will help ensure Ukraine has what they need to take the fight to Russia,” Sunak said. “The United Kingdom will always play its part at the forefront of European security, defending our national interest and standing by our NATO allies.”

The statement comes two days after the US House of Representatives approved a long-stalled emergency spending bill that includes $61 billion in additional Ukraine aid. US President Joe Biden pledged on Monday to quickly ramp up weapons shipments to Kiev once the spending legislation is approved by the Senate, which could happen as soon as Tuesday.

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The administration of US President Joe Biden ran out of Ukraine funding earlier this year, after using up $113 billion in congressionally approved aid packages. Disruptions in support from Washington, by far Kiev’s biggest benefactor, led to ammunition shortages that were blamed for battlefield setbacks in recent months. Other NATO members and the EU responded by boosting their aid commitments, such as a €500 million package given by Germany last month.

UK defense chief Grant Shapps hailed the fact that London was the first ally to give Ukraine long-range missiles and “modern” tanks. “Now, we are going even further,” he said in the statement. “We will never let the world forget the existential battle Ukraine is fighting, and with our enduring support, they will win.” He added that the latest round of aid will give Ukraine what it needs to push back Russian forces and “restore peace and stability in Europe.”

READ MORE: Ukrainians believe $61bn US aid won’t stop Russia – FT

Ukrainian leaders are reportedly less sanguine about the potential impact of additional Western weaponry. The $61 billion US aid bill – nearly 100 times the scale of the UK’s latest gift – is unlikely to “dramatically alter Kiev’s situation on the frontline,” the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing unidentified Ukrainian officials and military analysts.

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Beijing has dismissed the allegations as part of a smear campaign

Three German nationals have been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, the Prosecutor General’s Office said on Monday. The authorities claim to have evidence of the accused passing German technologies on to Beijing in violation of the Foreign Trade Act.

The Federal Court of Justice – Germany’s highest judicial body – issued warrants for the arrest of the three individuals identified only as Thomas R., Herwig F., and Ina F. last Wednesday. The defendants’ residences and workplaces were also searched as part of the ongoing probe.

According to the German authorities, the accused are “strongly suspected” of having worked for a Chinese secret service at some time before June 2022.

Thomas R. allegedly acted as the agent of an employee of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), seeking to obtain information on innovative German technologies that could have potential military use. The investigators claimed he made contact with a couple, Herwig F. and Ina F., who ran a company in Dusseldorf, serving as a point of contact with people from the German research and development industry.

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The couple worked with a German university, allegedly “preparing a study for a Chinese contractual partner” on state-of-the-art machine parts used in engines for high-end ship such as combat vessels. “Behind the Chinese contractual partner was the MSS employee from whom Thomas R. received his orders,” the Prosecutor’s Office wrote on Monday, claiming they traced the funding back to the Chinese state.

The suspects were in further negotiations about research projects at the time of their arrest, according to the authorities. Additionally, they allegedly purchased and transported a laser out of Germany into China, in violation of EU regulations on dual-use technologies.

Beijing has firmly rejected claims of carrying out spy activities in Germany. “We call on the German side to stop exploiting the espionage allegation in order to politically manipulate the image of China and defame China,” the Chinese Embassy in Germany told Xinhua.

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The American president has vowed to quickly provide more weapons to Ukraine after the Senate passes an emergency spending bill

US President Joe Biden has pledged to quickly ramp up military and economic aid to Ukraine once Senate lawmakers approve emergency spending legislation that was passed by the House on Saturday.

The $95 billion funding package, including $61 billion for Ukraine, is reportedly expected to advance to a Senate vote on Tuesday. Biden assured Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on Monday that aid shipments will begin rapidly after the bill clears the Senate and comes to the Oval Office for his signature.

“President Biden shared that his administration will quickly provide significant new security assistance packages to meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield and air-defense needs,” according to a White House readout of Monday’s phone call with Zelensky. The US leader also underscored Washington’s “lasting commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom against Russian aggression.”

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While the White House offered few details on Monday’s Biden-Zelensky call, the Ukrainian leader indicated that Kiev will be receiving longer-range missiles. The US previously provided a version of its ATACMS missiles with a striking distance capped at 165 kilometers, seeking to avoid escalations that could occur if Ukrainian forces struck targets deep in Russian territory. The new shipments will include missiles with a range of 300 kilometers, he said.

Kiev and Washington also have started talks on a security cooperation agreement, Zelensky said, adding that the deal could be “truly exemplary.” Ukraine has already signed bilateral security agreements with several NATO members. These ten-year deals stop short of mutual defense commitments, but they pledge long-term military, economic, and political support for the former Soviet republic.

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The Biden administration ran out of funding for Ukraine aid after burning through $113 billion in previously approved spending bills. The president’s request for additional funding had been stalled since last October because of opposition from Republican lawmakers, who argued that Biden was merely prolonging Kiev’s conflict with Russia while offering no clear strategy for victory or a peace agreement. Most Republicans voted against the aid bill on Saturday, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) overrode his own party by enabling a vote on the bill and pushing it through with unanimous Democrat support.

The new US aid will help Ukraine “maintain financial stability, build back critical infrastructure following Russian attacks, and support reform as Ukraine moves forward on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration,” the White House said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised eyebrows earlier this month, when he emphatically told reporters at a NATO briefing that Ukraine “will become a member” of the Western military bloc.

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The ex-adviser, who also worked with Hillary Clinton, has been accused of possessing indecent images and arranging commission of a sexual offense in the UK

A former White House aide who advised then-President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on counterterrorism initiatives has reportedly been accused of committing child sex crimes in the UK.

Rahamim ‘Rami’ Shy, 46, was arraigned on Friday in Luton Crown Court, near London. He faces charges of possessing indecent images of children and arranging the commission of a child sexual offense, according to local media reports. The New Jersey resident was arrested in late February and jailed at HMP Bedford pending court proceedings.

Shy, who has not yet entered a plea to the charges, is scheduled for another court hearing in June, the Daily Mail reported. His case is slated to go to trial in August.

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The defendant held multiple roles in the Obama administration, reportedly including coordination of the US government’s efforts to combat Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorists. He was a senior adviser in the US Treasury Department from 2008 to 2014, working to disrupt terrorist financing and helping overseas allies impose sanctions on adversarial governments. He also advised the chiefs of staff at the Pentagon.

Shy’s LinkedIn page, which has been deleted, said he advised the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. He studied at New York’s Columbia University and reportedly worked most recently at US banking giant Citigroup. A company spokesman told the Daily Mail that Shy was no longer a Citigroup employee.

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Pro-Palestinian students at Columbia have camped out in protest of Israel

Columbia University in New York City decided to hold virtual classes on Monday, after a rabbi urged Jewish students to stay home because they were no longer safe.

Hundreds of students were arrested last Thursday after setting up a ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’ on campus. A group of Jewish counter-protesters got into an altercation with the demonstrators on Saturday evening, prompting Rabbi Elie Buechler to send out the warning.

“What we are witnessing in and around campus is terrible and tragic. The events of the last few days, especially last night, have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism, and anarchy,” Buechler, the director of the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC), said.

“It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved. It is not our job as Jews to ensure our own safety on campus. No one should have to endure this level of hatred, let alone at school,” the rabbi continued in a post to the JLIC WhatsApp group.

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With the Jewish holiday of Passover starting on Monday evening, the Ivy League school’s president, Minouche Shafik, announced that classes would shift to online learning if possible, “to de-escalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.”

While some US lawmakers have called for the police, National Guard, or even the military to break up the protest, Shafik said a “working group” at Columbia will try to resolve the crisis peacefully.

“We should be able to do this ourselves,” Shafik said, urging “better adherence to our rules and effective enforcement mechanisms.”

The encampment is the work of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Students for Justice in Palestine, who described it as a protest against the school’s “continued financial investment in corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine.”

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When a group of around ten pro-Israel students attempted a counter-protest, one protester held a handmade sign describing them as the next target of Hamas, the Gaza-based group behind the October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the current conflict.

“Columbia has lost its campus. Jewish students are no longer safe on campus,” David Lederer, one of the counter-protesters, told USA Today via email. The sophomore said the experience changed his mind about staying on campus.

In a statement on Sunday, the White House denounced “calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community” adding that anti-Semitic language, “like any other language that is used to hurt and frighten people, is unacceptable and appropriate action will be taken.”

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Moscow appears unconcerned with the $61 billion aid bill

Washington’s $61 billion pledge to Kiev will make little difference on the battlefield, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

The US House of Representatives approved a $95 billion foreign aid package, almost two thirds of which would be spent on Ukraine-related programs. The Kremlin, however, doesn’t appear the slightest bit alarmed.

“Fundamentally, this will not change the situation on the battlefield,” Peskov told reporters on Monday.

Pointing to the steady Russian advances along the front, Peskov said the dynamics of the conflict are now “absolutely clear to everyone,” and that the money and weapons the US will allocate to Ukraine “will not lead to a change in this dynamic.”

“They will lead to new casualties among Ukrainians, more Ukrainians will die, Ukraine will suffer major losses,” the presidential spokesman said.

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Moreover, he noted, the bulk of the aid money is supposed to stay in the US, one way or another. The White House itself argued this to Congress as one of the selling points, saying that the package was a stimulus for the US military-industrial complex and manufacturing base.

“In principle, nothing has changed,” Peskov said, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin fully expected the US lawmakers to vote the way they did.

Reacting to the vote on Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the US was using Ukrainians as “cannon fodder” and hoping to keep Kiev on life support until after the November presidential election. In the end, she said, the US will end up facing a “loud and humiliating fiasco on a par with Vietnam or Afghanistan.”

The newest batch of US aid might help slow down the Russians but won’t stop them, several Ukrainian officers have told Financial Times. No amount of weapons and ammunition from the West can solve Kiev’s biggest problem: the lack of manpower, the outlet noted.

Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, also predicted “a rather difficult situation” on the battlefield for the Kiev government in the coming months.

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West Jerusalem’s allegations triggered an exodus of Western money from a critical relief agency

Israel gave no evidence to support its claims that UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staffers aided Hamas’ October 7 attack on the Jewish state, an independent review commissioned by the UN has found.

The Israeli government claimed in January that a dozen UNRWA employees took part in the attack, in which the militant group killed around 1,100 people in Israel and took around 250 hostages to Gaza. West Jerusalem also claimed that 190 UNRWA staffers provided intelligence and logistical support to the attackers, and allowed Hamas to use the agency’s facilities as safehouses.

An independent committee led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna found no evidence to support these claims, according to a report published on Monday.

“Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this,” the report read.

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In a separate report, three Nordic research groups assisting Colonna’s probe noted that “Israeli authorities have to date not provided any supporting evidence nor responded to letters from UNRWA in March, and again in April, requesting the names and supporting evidence that would enable UNRWA to open an investigation.”

Colonna’s investigation found that UNRWA regularly shares lists of its employees with Israeli authorities, and that West Jerusalem has not raised any concerns about the agency’s staffing since 2011.

UNRWA employs more than 30,000 people and provides food aid, healthcare, education, and social services to Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as those seeking asylum in neighboring countries. Over two million people “depend on it for their survival amidst one of the largest and most complex humanitarian crises in the world,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said at a briefing in February.

Despite being unsubstantiated, Israel’s accusations caused 18 donor nations to withdraw funding from UNRWA. While a majority have since resumed support for the agency, six have kept their money on hold. Among them are the US, UK, and Germany.

READ MORE: ‘Terror tunnel’ found under UN agency HQ – Israel

While US intelligence agencies have expressed “low confidence” in Israel’s claims, Washington will maintain a freeze on UNRWA funding until next March. The US is UNRWA’s largest backer, and has donated $121 million to the agency since October 1. Prior to the funding suspension, another $300,000 had been set aside for the agency this year, according to the US State Department.

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The veto on Palestinian statehood and Israeli strikes on Iran are signs of irreversible decline in American soft power

So-called Western values, especially those touted by the United States, have long revealed themselves to be hollow and contradictory. The country’s Declaration of Independence from Great Britain famously stated that “all men are created equal,” while instituting brutal chattel slavery on Africans and committing a horrific genocide against the Native people of the Americas.

Yet, it could still be argued – in terms however trite – that the US was somehow on the right side of history at various junctures. Today, recent actions by the administration have shown that this is undeniably no longer the case. On Thursday, the US vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution that would grant Palestine full UN membership despite Washington’s official position being in favor of the two-state solution.

The US explained this decision by saying that Washington “continues to strongly support a two-state solution,” and that the “vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood but instead is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties [who are currently at war].“ Most Arab countries, as well as major powers like Russia, have expressed dismay over the decision.

Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council and co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said Washington had apparently lobbied its allies, Ecuador, Japan, and South Korea, so that the Biden administration would not have to veto the resolution. The states did not follow these orders. Washington failed to use its diplomatic weight to accomplish its face-saving goal before the UNSC, exposing its gradual loss of soft power.

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Parsi also claims to have heard from a Western-friendly “senior Global South diplomat” that “whatever agonizing claim the US had to lead a self-appointed free world has died a very loud public death on the Security Council horseshoe tonight. You can't lead if you can't listen.”

Indeed, the fact that the US has issued four vetoes on behalf of Israel over the past seven months despite both international and domestic public opinion clearly supporting an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the recognition of Palestinian statehood is remarkable. It shows that US leadership has been very publicly lambasted; additionally, it is clear that US “ironclad support” for Israel will not survive into the next generation because of the dismal state of public opinion, even just in the US itself.

Also on Thursday, Israel launched strikes on Iran following Tehran’s retaliatory attack during the preceding week. That was done in response to Israel bombing the Iranian consulate building in Damascus earlier this month, killing several high-ranking Iranian military officials. Despite President Joe Biden working double time all week to avoid Israel escalating regional tensions and the fact that the administration had advance notice of Israel’s attacks, his government failed to prevent it.

Additionally, Israel is reported to have also bombed Baghdad, Iraq against alleged members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) while the prime minister of Iraq is in Washington for a state visit. There are also unconfirmed reports, based on publicly available flight data, that an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft was in western Iraq during the time of Israel’s attacks that day. It raises serious questions about whether Washington’s posture, stated as only helping Israel defensively, has quietly changed.

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Now, the Middle East is closer to a regional war than ever as a result of failed American so-called leadership, and the contradictions between Washington’s words and deeds are mounting. Israel is reportedly demanding an expansion of its ground operation in Gaza to Rafah, the last holdout for Palestinians in the enclave, in exchange for not escalating toward a regional war. The chances of strategic miscalculations, given the number of actors, are immense.

Yet, from the Iranian standpoint, it appears Tehran, whose attacks on Israel last week were largely performative, is playing down the attacks on its soil. This may provide a clear exit from the escalatory cycle – which would be consistent with the behavior of the current Iranian state over decades – if, indeed, the matter of the Damascus consulate bombing is “closed,” as official Iranian sources said. A massive win for both regional and global security, this would also reveal Iran, which the West defines as a “rogue state,” as evidently more responsible and forward-looking than the so-called world leader, the US.

No matter how the situation in the Middle East unfolds, it is clear, once again, that American leadership has been abdicated. The wider global community is discussing the issue in Gaza at length to reach a pragmatic and attainable solution. Meanwhile, Washington refuses to listen to these pleas, will not hold the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable for its actions, and cannot formulate a coherent strategy that aligns with its own stated values.

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Azerbaijan is looking forward to further strengthening ties with Russia, President Ilham Aliyev has said

Russia is playing a “pivotal” role in ensuring security in the Caucasus region during, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has claimed. He made the remarks during meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday.

His visit to the Russian capital coincided with a major development in the Southern Caucasus region. Last week, Moscow announced the withdrawal of its peacekeeping force from the Azerbaijani region of Karabakh. Aliyev told Putin that Baku was “happy with the progress in [the] resolution” of outstanding security issues in the region.

“Russia plays a pivotal role in ensuring regional security in the Caucasus and beyond. A lot depends on the actions and cooperation between our countries. We are committed to bolstering trust, cooperation, mutual understanding, and resolving issues in a spirit of collaboration and shared interests,” he stated.

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The now defunct region ofg Nagorno Karabakh, previously populated mostly by ethnic Armenians, remained outside Baku’s control for decades after breaking away from the country shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The breakaway region, backed by neighboring Armenia, had been a constant source of military tensions between Yerevan and Baku and saw repeated flare-ups over the years. The latest major escalation in 2020 resulted in a major defeat for the unrecognized republic. Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region with a mandate to monitor the situation and document ceasefire violations.

Moscow's withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces from the region signals the final step in the reintegration of the region into Azerbaijan.

Aliyev’s visit also marked the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), a major Soviet-era railway that stretches across Eastern Siberia into the Far East. Aliyev’s late father and former president of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, was one of the key figures who oversaw construction of the line. Following the talks, Putin and his Azrbaijani counterpart met with former builders and workers at the BAM.

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Poland has not yet decided to host American atomic bombs, Donald Tusk implied

Polish President Andrzej Duda’s comments about hosting US nuclear weapons need clarification, the country's prime minister, Donald Tusk, has said.

Duda had claimed in an interview with the outlet Fakt that his country would be ready if the US offered to situate nuclear weapons on its territory. Discussions with Washington about Warsaw potentially participating in the US “nuclear sharing program” were ongoing, he said, adding that nothing specific had been arranged.

“I look forward to meeting the president about this. I would like to understand his intentions,” Tusk told reporters on Monday afternoon. He added that while he would like Poland to be as well-armed and prepared as possible, “I would also like any initiatives to be well prepared by the people in charge and for all of us to be convinced that’s what we want.”

“This idea is very massive, I would say very serious,” said the prime minister.

Tusk is the leader of Civic Platform, the senior partner in the current ruling coalition, which took power last December, unseating the Law and Justice (PiS) party that Duda came from, though is no longer formally affiliated with. The two have since often publicly disagreed on policy issues.

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The US currently has gravity bombs deployed in five fellow NATO member states: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye. Poland has made noises about joining the club for years. Should Warsaw and Washington actually go through with it, that would put the NATO nuclear arsenal right on the border of Russia’s Kaliningrad Region as well as Belarus, Russia’s key ally.

“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,” Duda told Fakt.

The statement was quickly condemned in Moscow, however. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would “take all necessary countermeasures to ensure our security,” while Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the “relevant facilities” in Poland would “immediately be listed as legitimate targets in case of a direct military conflict with NATO.”

Russia has repeatedly said it has never threatened to use its nuclear arsenal, and that a nuclear war must never be fought. Last month, however, President Vladimir Putin signaled that Moscow was ready for such a scenario “from the military and technical point of view.”

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The president has extended his best wishes for the Passover holiday

President Vladimir Putin has given his best wishes to Russia’s Jews for the Passover holiday, underscoring the community’s importance in fostering “interethnic and interreligious” dialogue. The president’s letter was published on the Kremlin website on Monday.

Passover is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the liberation and exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. This year, Passover begins at sundown on April 22 and ends on April 30.

“This ancient holiday, particularly revered by followers of Judaism, serves as a reminder of significant milestones in the history of the Jewish people – liberation from centuries of slavery and the long-awaited attainment of freedom. It symbolizes the triumph of the ideals of goodness and justice,” the message reads.

The president further said that the Jewish community in Russia plays an “important role in fostering interethnic and interreligious dialogue, actively engages in nurturing the younger generation, educational activities, philanthropy, and charity, and prioritizes the preservation of sacred spiritual, moral and family values.”

“Such remarkable and essential work is worthy of the deepest recognition,” Putin underlined.

READ MORE: Being Jewish ‘is fashionable’ in Russia – community leader

According to the Jewish Agency for Israel, the largest Jewish non-profit in the world, there were 150,000 Jews living in Russia in 2021. At the time, the country ranked seventh in the world in terms of the size of its Jewish community.

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A criminal migrant has won an appeal arguing that being sent back to Eritrea would jeopardize his mental health

An Eritrean migrant in the UK who was convicted a decade ago of raping a teenage girl has been spared deportation after convincing a court that being sent back to his home country would damage his mental health.

The child sex offender, whose identity has been kept secret by the UK government, won his legal appeal after arguing that he wouldn’t get treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder if he were deported to Eritrea. Lawyers for the man also argued that he would likely be punished in his native country for evading compulsory military service, and would be a suicide risk, according to local media reports.

The man was due to be deported after completing his prison term under a 2014 order. He was granted a reprieve despite a government security report finding that he would pose a “medium” risk to public safety if he were allowed to live freely in Britain.

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“This man committed a serious criminal offense and should be nowhere near this country,” MP Nigel Mills told the Sun newspaper. “If he was concerned about losing mental health treatment or being arrested for fleeing the draft, he should have thought about that before he committed the crime.”

The lawmaker argued that the Eritrean’s case is emblematic of a larger problem with the UK’s tribunal system, which he called “deeply out of touch with the rest of Britain.”

A judge ruled last year that an illegal migrant from Gambia who attacked a woman in Scotland couldn’t be deported because he might not be given proper medical treatment back in West Africa. In another recent case, an Afghan migrant convicted of intentionally exposing his penis in public was granted refugee status in the UK after lawyers successfully argued that such behavior would “put him at high risk of physical violence” in his home nation.

Anicet Mayela, an illegal Congolese migrant whose deportation was blocked by an airline cabin crew, pled guilty last week to raping a 15-year-old girl in Oxford, England. Mayela was reportedly a “poster boy” for anti-deportation activists and demonstrated outside a detention center wearing a sign saying, “Migrants are not criminals.”

READ MORE: Migrant-loving Western leaders are at war with their own people

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Those eligible to serve will now have to return home to procure documents or update their passports

Ukrainian consulates are set to “temporarily suspend” all services to men between the ages of 18 and 60, who will only be able to procure documents by returning home, Ukraine's Minister for Foreign Affairs has confirmed.

The measure is set to be enacted on Tuesday and remain in place until the foreign ministry receives guidelines on the controversial mobilization law that was signed by President Vladimir Zelensky last week.

The new legislation, which had been deliberated for weeks by the country’s parliament before being adopted, is set to take effect in May.

A letter reportedly signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga and addressed to the heads of all Ukrainian foreign missions referred to two clauses providing a basis for additional restrictions on travel to and from the country, as well as limiting the movements of military-eligible individuals who lack exemptions.

READ MORE: Zelensky explains why young people ‘make better fighters’

Top Ukrainian officials have repeatedly expressed a desire to somehow bring military-age refugees back to the country. Multiple EU nations, such as Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, which have been among the prime destinations for Ukrainians fleeing the hostilities, have explicitly rejected the idea of rounding up and sending Ukrainian refugees back home.

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If there is evidence that Moscow plans a march across Europe, Americans deserve to see it, congresswoman says

US intelligence agencies should provide proof of the Russian expansionism they claim justifies a new $61 billion war chest for Ukraine, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) has insisted. The “proxy war” they are funding will inevitably end in defeat for Kiev, she claimed.

Speaking on Monday in an interview with former White House aide Steve Bannon, Greene pushed back against claims that Russian forces will take Poland and continue “marching across Europe” if they are allowed to defeat Ukraine.

She noted that US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) only agreed to the $61 billion Ukraine aid bill, which was approved on Saturday, after hearing intelligence briefings hyping the Russian threat.

“If the American people are going to have to pay for it, then show us this proof that was shown to Mike Johnson in the SCIF [sensitive compartment information facility],” Greene said. “Why is this classified information? If this is a real threat to all of Europe, if this is a threat to America and our national security, then roll out the presentation.”

READ MORE: US House approves Ukraine aid bill

The second-term lawmaker said Johnson received no such classified briefings on the US border crisis, which poses a real threat to the American people. “They don’t care about that,” she said. “They care about continuing the business model built on blood and murder and war in foreign countries, the business model that continues funding the military-industrial complex in order, supposedly, to create American jobs and build up the American economy.”

This is the most disgusting business model that anyone has ever seen, probably in the history of mankind.”

Greene reiterated her call to oust Johnson as speaker, saying Republican voters are so disgusted about the Ukraine bill that the party will lose control of the House in this year’s election if the current leadership remains in place. The White House’s emergency funding request for Kiev had been stalled since last fall because a majority of Republicans opposed it. Republican lawmakers voted against the legislation by a 112-101 margin on Saturday, but Johnson overrode his own party by allowing a vote and winning passage with unanimous Democrat support.

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Johnson won praise from the Washington media for his reversal on Ukraine aid – CNN even likened him to Winston Churchill – while Greene came under attack for criticizing him. The New York Post put a picture of Greene on its Sunday cover with a Soviet ushanka superimposed on her head and a caption saying, “Nyet, Moscow Marjorie.”

Greene insisted that congressional Republicans can’t win in the November election without the support of ‘America First’ voters. She added that sending more aid to Ukraine will only cause more bloodshed without changing the outcome of the conflict.

“This just continues the war maybe a few more months, maybe to the end of the summer,” Greene said. “It doesn’t guarantee a Ukrainian victory because everyone knows they’re going to lose eventually. It just is a matter of when. But it does guarantee that more Ukrainian men will be slaughtered on the battlefield.”

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Russian miner Norilsk Nickel will create a joint venture to construct a new copper producing plant, its CEO has said

Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel will move some copper smelting production to China in the wake of Western sanctions pressure, the company’s chief executive Vladimir Potanin said in an interview with Interfax on Monday.

The US and UK have targeted Russian-origin aluminum, copper, and nickel in an attempt to reduce Moscow’s export revenues.

“This [sanctions] pressure forced us to think about how to get our goods to the distribution market in the right way,” Potanin told the news outlet, adding that “one of these non-standard solutions is to transfer part of production to markets of direct consumption.”

The businessman highlighted that Norilsk Nickel would create a joint venture in China to build a new plant, which is expected to be constructed by mid-2027, and would supply it with about 2 million metric tons of copper concentrate a year.

According to Potanin, the final product will be sold as Chinese goods, which are “much more difficult to sanction in China than Russian goods coming to China.”

The initiative would reportedly also protect the company’s exports from growing sanctions pressure on financial transactions with Russia. “Settlements are one of the biggest obstacles even in friendly jurisdictions, they don’t let exporters and importers work normally,” Potanin argued.

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According to a recent Bloomberg report, as part of a shift away from the US dollar in settlements Norilsk Nickel is selling metal on the spot market in yuan using a mix of London and Shanghai prices.

Potanin also told Interfax that the company was seeking to gain access to China’s battery technologies in order to scale up domestic production.

China has become a major destination for Russian commodity exports in the wake of Western sanctions. This month, the US and UK prohibited metals exchanges from accepting new Russian-origin aluminum, copper, and nickel and barred imports of the metals.

However, the Kremlin described the new sanctions as a weapon that cuts both ways, claiming the “illegal” restrictions will backfire on the countries that imposed them.

Russia currently accounts for 6% of the global nickel supply, 5% of aluminum, and 4% of copper. According to Forbes, most analysts agree that the new sanctions will lead to an increase in Russian supplies of metals to China.

China, the world’s top copper consumer, is expected to account for more than half of Norilsk Nickel’s metal sales, according to Potanin.

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They are in better shape and more tech-savvy, the Ukrainian president has said

Younger men make better soldiers because they are physically fit and can handle new technologies more easily, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has said.

Speaking with French YouTuber Hugo Travers over the weekend, Zelensky explained why he recently signed the law lowering the age of mobilization from 27 to 25. One of the reasons he gave was that the youth is more technologically apt.

“It is a modern type of war,” he said, pointing to the drones that have figured very prominently on the battlefield. “The new generation masters new technologies much more rapidly.”

Another reason he cited was that younger men could handle the physical demands of combat more easily than older conscripts. As of February, the average age of the Ukrainian soldier on the frontline was 43, reflecting Kiev’s mobilization of mainly older men. Ukraine has since begun to draft women and crack down on draft-dodgers, in an attempt to replenish depleted combat brigades.

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“With all due respect to our fighters, there’s a difference between a 25-year-old soldier and a 50-year-old one,” he told Travers. “There are specific criteria regarding the age and physical condition of fighters, so that they can be trained and sent to the front.”

The military requested changes to the mobilization law due to the “specific needs” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Zelensky explained. He said one of the needs identified by the military was to train new troops so they could “replace those who have been fighting for two years.”

However, the recent mobilization law approved by the parliament did not include a provision on demobilization, resulting in widespread complaints from the troops.

In addition to lowering the conscription age to 25, the new rules force all Ukrainian men aged 18-60, including those residing outside the country, to register for conscription. Summonses for mobilization, previously handed out in person, have become automated and the punishments for defying them more severe.

Kiev has not made public how many troops it intends to raise through the new measures, as the “unpopular” mobilization of hundreds of thousands “risks stoking panic,” according to the Washington Post. In December, Zelensky mentioned the number 500,000, but has since backtracked from that figure.

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Users of the social media platform must be forced to register, according to Kirill Budanov

Telegram poses a “huge problem” for Ukraine and must be legally forced to do away with anonymous channels, Kiev’s top spy Kirill Budanov said in an interview with British state broadcaster BBC published on Monday.

The intelligence chief believes that the Russian-made platform, which was ranked the most popular messaging app in Ukraine in 2023 according to SimilarWeb, has now effectively acquired that status of media and insisted that it is “abnormal” that the owners of channels are allowed to conceal their identities.

“We should streamline it all – put things in order, at least legally force everyone to register so that it is clear who belongs to which media,” Budanov said, suggesting that people should bear responsibility for the opinions they express.

Asked if simply blocking certain Telegram channels would fix the problem, Budanov claimed that such a move would only be a temporary solution, and insisted that only forcing channel owners to register would prove effective.

At the same time, the spy chief emphasized that his proposal would not be tantamount to placing pressure on the media, arguing that such a thing is not allowed in a “democratic society.”

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Last month, Budanov also described Telegram as a national security threat to Ukraine. He insisted that he was against suppressing freedom of speech, but argued that the ability of any user to create a channel on the platform and “write whatever they want” had nothing to do with “freedom of the media.”

In response to Budanov’s statements in March, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that Telegram creator and owner Pavel Durov should “urgently take measures to strengthen the security of the company’s headquarters and its employees in connection with a possible attack by Islamic State (formerly ISIS) terrorists.” She was apparently referring to Moscow’s accusation that Kiev worked together with the extremist Islamist organization to organize last month’s attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow, which cost the lives of over 140 people.

Meanwhile, Durov has insisted that he remains committed to defending the privacy of Telegram users. In an interview with Tucker Carlson last week, he reiterated that Telegram strives to allow everyone on the platform to freely express their opinions without censorship.

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Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to destroy military sites near Tehran until Washington intervened, the newspaper has claimed

Israeli leaders planned a “much more extensive counterstrike on Iran” after Tehran launched a drone and missile barrage on Israel last weekend, but were pressured to pare down the operation by the US and its allies, the New York Times reported on Monday.

Israel targeted Iran with a handful of drones and air-launched missiles on Friday, according to US officials and anonymous Israeli sources who spoke to the newspaper. While Western officials believe that an Israeli missile hit an Iranian airbase, Tehran has only acknowledged being attacked with small quadcopter drones, with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian describing the aircraft as “children’s toys” that were easily shot down.

West Jerusalem initially intended a much wider wave of strikes targeting military sites across the country, including near Tehran, anonymous Israeli officials told the outlet. However, the US, UK, and Germany exerted “concerted diplomatic pressure” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and forced him to settle for a more limited response, the officials said.

Such a response “avoided significant damage, diminishing the likelihood of an escalation,” the New York Times reported.

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The Israeli military has not commented on the report, and has stuck to its usual policy of refusing to confirm or deny strikes on foreign soil.

The latest round of escalation between Israel and Iran began on April 1, when an Israeli airstrike allegedly hit the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus. The strike killed seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, including two high-ranking generals.

Tehran warned that it would retaliate, and two weeks later launched multiple waves of missiles and kamikaze drones at Israel. Most of the Iranian projectiles were intercepted, but with more than 300 drones fired, air defenses were overwhelmed and multiple missiles reached their target, damaging an Israeli air base.

Netanyahu initially planned immediate retaliatory strikes, but was talked out of it during a phone call with US President Joe Biden, the New York Times reported last week. In both last week’s report and Monday’s, Israeli and American officials stressed that Washington wanted West Jerusalem to avoid provoking Iran into an escalating series of tit-for-tat strikes and counterstrikes.

READ MORE: Iran’s supreme leader thanks armed forces for Israel attack

The plan appears to have succeeded. “As long as there is no new adventurism by Israel against our interests, then we are not going to have any new reactions,” Amirabdollahian stated on Saturday.

With some of Netanyahu’s hardline political allies criticizing the supposedly “lame” response, the officials who spoke to the New York Times insisted that the strikes demonstrated “the breadth and sophistication of Israel’s military arsenal,” the paper paraphrased.

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The students urged the university to divest from defense manufacturers involved in arming Israel

Police on Monday moved in to disperse a pro-Palestinian encampment at Yale University in Connecticut, and arrested nearly 50 students in the operation.

The protesters have been camping in Beinecke Plaza on the Yale University campus for three days and demanding the university break ties with military weapons manufacturers linked to Israel.

The encampment was raided early in the morning beginning with police officers cordoning off the area and demanding the protesters disperse. While some of them opted to leave, others refused and were arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing. A total of 47 students have been arrested during the raid, a university spokesperson told the Yale Daily News college newspaper.

“The university made the decision to arrest those individuals who would not leave the Plaza with the safety and security of the entire Yale community in mind and to allow access to university facilities by all members of our community,” the spokesperson explained, adding that Yale will now take disciplinary action against the arrested students.

After multiple warnings, the violent mob of antisemitic protestors at Yale faces arrest. Oh, and their tent encampment was taken down. All this happened as they sung "we shall not be moved." pic.twitter.com/ZPlworYrAa

— Sahar Tartak???? (@sahar_tartak) April 22, 2024

However, the arrests have apparently not deterred the pro-Palestinian protesters, as more of them have shown up at the location after the raid. Some 300 protesters have blocked the intersection at the Plaza despite the heavy police presence remaining in the area, footage from the scene shows.

Police begin arresting Yale University students occupying the campus with a ‘Gaza Plaza Liberation Zone’ tent encampment.

As a detained activist is taken into police custody, students chant:

“Down, down with occupation.”

pic.twitter.com/IIQFhDkeWI

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 22, 2024

The morning raid on the camp was preceded by minor violence at the Plaza, with altercations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students reported. Namely, the editor-in-chief of the Yale Free Press, an independent campus publication, Sahar Tartak, claimed she was stabbed in her eye with a Palestinian flag. Tartak attributed the alleged assault to being “visibly Jewish,” yet the extent of her purported injuries remained unclear.

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The effort to end the pro-Palestinian protest at Yale comes after more than 100 protesters were detained at Columbia University in New York last week during a similar protest. The Columbia campus was raided by the NYPD, which cleared out protesters and dismantled their camp.

Those protesters have also been demanding their university divest from “companies complicit in genocide” and linked to arming Israel. The daughter of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar was among the arrested during the protest on campus and ended up suspended from the university.

The White House vowed to take action against pro-Palestinian protests, which have been going on at multiple college campuses amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Biden administration slammed an “alarming surge of anti-Semitism” on campuses, vowing to aggressively implement its new strategy to protect the Jewish community.

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Kirill Budanov has predicted “a rather difficult situation” for Kiev in mid-May and early June

Ukraine will face serious difficulties both on the front line and internally in late spring and early summer, the head of the country’s military intelligence, Kirill Budanov, has predicted. The comments come amid reports that both officials in Kiev and Ukraine’s Western backers fear that Russia could breach the country’s defenses.

In an interview with the BBC’s Ukrainian service on Monday, Budanov said, “a rather difficult situation awaits us in the near future,” adding that “Armageddon will not happen… but there will be problems.”

When asked to elaborate, he explained that he expects challenges both on the battlefield and within the internal political landscape in mid-May and early June. The intel chief also suggested that Russia “would use an integrated approach” to achieve its goals, without giving any details.

Western media outlets and officials say Russia could soon mount a major offensive, taking advantage of its superior firepower and delays in Western assistance to Kiev, which has led to shortages of ammunition.

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These fears were echoed in late March by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who said that while Kiev’s troops had managed to stabilize the situation on the front earlier this year, they are not prepared to repel a major Russian offensive in the coming months. He added that Kiev expects Moscow to go on the offensive at the end of May or in June, and implored Ukraine’s Western backers to send more military aid.

In February, Russian troops drove the Ukrainian army out of the strategic Donbass city of Avdeevka, while gradually capturing nearby settlements in the following weeks. Zelensky also suggested that Ukrainian forces would have to retreat further to reduce the length of the front line.

Amid calls for more aid, the US House of Representatives approved a $61 billion package for Ukraine over the weekend after months of congressional wrangling. While it still needs to be approved by the Senate and signed by US President Joe Biden, it will take the Pentagon less than a week to deliver the arms to Ukraine, according to the Washington Post.

However, the Financial Times, citing Ukrainian officials and analysts, reported that while the new aid package will bolster Kiev’s military capabilities, it will likely only slow down Russia’s advance.

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The US-led bloc is behaving as if ‘war psychosis’ has set in, FM Szijjarto has said

The EU and NATO appear to be preparing for war, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday, referring to the posture of the two blocs on the Ukraine conflict.

Much of the meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers in Luxembourg was devoted to sending more ammunition and weapons to Ukraine, Szijjarto noted.

“Brussels is reacting to the increasingly deteriorating situation for Ukraine at the front by preparing for a world war,” he told Hungarian TV at a press conference afterward.

According to Szijjarto, many leaders of NATO member states suffer from a sort of “war psychosis,” feeling as if they are already at war with Russia. He described the tone at the ministerial meeting 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.

“The question is why, if the strategy didn’t work before, should it work now?” Szijjarto said at the press conference, questioning the policy of arming Kiev. “We think that the supply of weapons only leads to a prolongation of the conflict and an increase in the risk of world war.”

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Hungary believes that the worsening situation on the battlefield should motivate Ukraine to seek peace, whose terms would need to be discussed by both sides to make any sense. Kiev has recently tried to organize a “peace conference” in Switzerland, but without Russian participation.

Szijjarto noted that Hungary has no intention of participating in EU or NATO efforts to coordinate sending more military assistance to Ukraine, though Budapest will face strong pressure from Brussels to do so.

He also said that every peace-loving person in Europe is waiting for the US presidential elections in November and the victory of Donald Trump. The former president and presumptive Republican nominee has blamed the current US administration for fueling the Ukraine conflict and claimed he would stop it within days if elected.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has openly endorsed Trump’s presidential bid. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that keeping Joe Biden in the White House would be the best outcome for Moscow’s interests.

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Berlin reportedly can’t deliver hundreds of promised MRAP personnel carriers due to red tape and a lack of documentation

Germany has failed to deliver hundreds of MRAP personnel carriers to Ukraine as promised, Bild has claimed. Berlin has reportedly postponed delivery dates for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles several times due to documentation-related issues.

Since the start of the military conflict between Kiev and Moscow in February 2022, Germany has gradually emerged as one of Ukraine’s top suppliers of military hardware and weapons. Assets donated to Ukraine by Berlin have included Leopard tanks and self-propelled howitzers.

Russia has repeatedly stated that no amount of Western arms can change the course of the conflict, but such supplies unnecessarily increase the risk of a direct confrontation between NATO and Moscow.

In its article on Monday, Bild alleged that the German government was planning to provide Ukraine with up to 400 MRAPs purchased from the German arms manufacturer FFG. The media outlet quoted a German Defense Ministry spokesperson confirming that Berlin would finance the $335 million contract, with the vehicles expected to arrive in Ukraine this year.

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However, the actual delivery of the MRAPs has hit a snag, the article reported. According to a secret Defense Ministry document cited by Bild, the first 20 vehicles should have been provided to Kiev in January, followed by equal batches every month thereafter until October 2024.

The Defense Ministry spokesperson reportedly told reporters that “so far no vehicles of this type have been delivered” to Ukraine. The media outlet claimed that the initial plans had been revised, with the first shipments presumably postponed until May, and then this deadline was once again put off to June.

The article alleged that the delays were due to the fact that FGG does not actually produce MRAPs from scratch, but rather receives key parts, some of which are already mounted, from the US. The media outlet quoted anonymous sources within the Defense Ministry as attributing the supposed hold-up to “restrictive export licenses from the US to Germany.”

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Andy Stone has been charged with ‘justifying terrorism’ in a post defending the company’s decision to relax rules on hate speech

Meta spokesman Andy Stone has been sentenced by a Russian court to six years in a medium-security prison for ‘justifying terrorism’, RIA Novosti reported on Monday, citing court documents.

He had been charged under Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code in relation to “public calls for terrorism, its justification or propaganda, committed using the media, including the internet.” Stone’s was tried in absentia.

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, was branded an extremist organization in Russia shortly after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Its social media platforms were blocked in the country for allowing hate speech against Russian nationals and the military.

A month later, Reuters reported that a review of Meta’s internal emails had shown that the company had deliberately eased hate-speech rules in some countries to allow users vent anger against Russia in the context of the country’s military operation.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the publication, Stone commented on the report and explained Meta’s position.

“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech,” he wrote, adding that this included death threats against Russians.

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The post attracted the attention of the Russian authorities, who launched an investigation. In November, the spokesman was placed on a wanted list in Russia. Last month, Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) added Stone to its list of persons and organizations deemed to be involved in extremist activities or terrorism.

During Monday’s hearing, the prosecutor had initially demanded a maximum seven-year sentence for Stone, to be served at a high-security prison. The defense, however, sought for Stone to be acquitted because he had not intentionally justified terrorism in his post, but merely expressed his view on the new rules for moderating publications on Meta’s platforms.

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The figure marks the sharpest year-on-year jump since 2009, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

Military spending is soaring across the globe, with particularly large increases recorded in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday. Total global military expenditure was up 6.8% in real terms last year, reaching an all-time high of $2.4 trillion.

The figure marks the steepest year-on-year increase since 2009, the report shows, with the top three spenders last year being the United States, China, and Russia.

The US, which spends more on defense than any other nation, ramped up expenditure by 2.3% to $916 billion, representing 68% of total NATO military spending.

China allocated an estimated $296 billion to its military in 2023. With an increase of 6% from 2022, the country accounted for half of total military spending across Asia and Oceania.

The report indicated that the Ukraine conflict has led to an increase in spending not only by Kiev and Moscow, but also by “a whole host” of European countries.

Russia’s outlays rose 24% to an estimated $109 billion in 2023, according to SIPRI. The country’s spending on its armed forces made up 16% of the total government budget and its military burden (military spending as a share of gross domestic product) was 5.9%.

Ukraine was the eighth largest spender in 2023, after a surge of 51% to $64.8 billion. SIPRI noted that the country also received $35 billion in military aid, with most of it coming from the US, meaning the combined aid and spending equaled over nine tenths of Russia’s.

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Ukraine’s defense expenditure equaled 37% of GDP and 58% of the government budget, SIPRI said, adding that the room for a further increase is now “very limited.”

The study found that in 2023 NATO’s then 31 members accounted for $1.3 trillion, equal to 55% of the world’s military expenditure. In Europe, Poland had the largest increase by far, up by 75% to $31.6 billion.

“For European NATO states, the past two years of war in Ukraine have fundamentally changed the security outlook,” said Lorenzo Scarazzato, a researcher with SIPRI’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme. “This shift in threat perceptions is reflected in growing shares of GDP being directed towards military spending, with the NATO target of 2% increasingly being seen as a baseline rather than a threshold to reach.”

The report also highlighted that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have fueled the biggest defense spending increases of the past decade. Estimated regional military expenditure increased by 9% to $200 billion in 2023. Israel’s budget —the second largest in the region after Saudi Arabia—jumped by 24% to $27.5 billion last year, SIPRI concluded.

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‘Deepfakes’ of Bollywood movie stars are reportedly being used to influence voters at the ongoing polls

Claims of Artificial Intelligence (AI) playing a disruptive role in India’s general election have emerged just days after the first phase of polling began on Friday.

According to a Reuters report on Monday, ‘deepfake’ videos have appeared featuring popular Bollywood celebrities Amir Khan and Ranveer Singh criticizing incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The clips – in which AI versions of the stars call on people to vote for the rival Congress Party – were viewed half a million times within a week, the news agency said.

“Their spread underlines the potential role such AI (artificial intelligence)-generated content can play in the mammoth Indian election that started on Friday,” the report noted. Both actors have said the videos are fake. Khan has filed a legal case, while Singh’s team is investigating, according to Reuters.

Bloomberg reported at the weekend that Indian political parties are openly employing AI tools to win votes amid a lack of framework to regulate potential misinformation. The agency quoted Divyendra Singh Jadoun, founder of ‘The Indian Deepfaker’ company, who claimed political candidates are hiring him to curate “deepfake videos, conversational bots, personalized messages, and holograms.” Parties have also paid him to make “unethical” videos to deceive voters, he alleged to Bloomberg.

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The news outlet underscored that while AI could pose problems for numerous countries during election season, only China and the EU have formulated binding regulations against unethical use of the technology.

New Delhi’s top officials, including Modi himself, warned against the adverse impact of AI during the lead-up to the polls, which will involve more than 900 million voters and run until June 1. In a recent conversation with Bill Gates, the Indian leader cautioned against the dangers of deep fakes and suggested adding measures – such as watermarks – to tackle misleading content.

The Indian government issued an advisory in December mandating that digital and social media platforms communicate content prohibited under IT rules “clearly and precisely” to users.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India’s minister of state for Electronics and IT, said officials are “deeply concerned” about the impact of “cross-border actors” using deepfakes to spread misinformation ahead of the general election. The government warned big tech companies, including Google and Meta, that it would hold them accountable for such content on their sites.

New Delhi also recently questioned Google after its AI chatbot, ‘Gemini’, appeared to link Modi to fascism.

READ MORE: Google chatbot’s Modi remark sparks controversy

While India has been proactive in creating policies to control the impact of emerging technologies, it is widely deploying AI in sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. A school in southern India’s Kerala recently introduced the country’s first AI-powered humanoid robot capable of teaching. Modi himself used an AI tool to translate his speech from Hindi to Tamil in real time while addressing an event in Varanasi last year.

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The structure reportedly housed a communication antenna used by the country’s anti-aircraft defenses

The Russian military conducted a high-precision strike on a large TV tower located in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov on Monday, multiple videos circulating online show.

The installation was used by Kiev’s military to house various equipment, including an air defense communication antenna, RIA Novosti reported, citing pro-Russian locals. The tower was once the tallest building in the city, measuring just over 240 meters.

The structure sustained a direct hit by an unknown high-precision projectile, which took roughly a third of it off completely, footage shows.

The top part of the tower collapsed after the strike. It was not immediately clear whether it caused any damage on the ground, given that the tower is located in a remote wooded area in the north of the Ukrainian city.

The fallen part of the tower landed in the woods surrounding the Kharkov TV center, videos shared online in the aftermath of the strike indicate. The massive structure apparently remained in one piece after falling more than 100 meters, crushing trees in the area.

Russia has increased missile strikes across Ukraine this month in retaliation for drone attacks on its oil infrastructure. The main targets included Ukrainian power stations and communication towers.

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Poland’s Andrzej Duda has contradicted Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who had claimed that Western Europe is heading for war

There is no imminent threat of a military conflict breaking out in Europe, Polish President Andrzej Duda has said, contradicting the country’s prime minister. Late last month, Donald Tusk claimed that the continent was in a “pre-war era.”

The prime minister argued at the time that “literally any scenario is possible.” Tusk also warned that “no one in Europe will be able to feel safe” if the West fails to provide Ukraine with enough weapons, allowing Russia to prevail in the conflict.

When asked whether he shared the prime minister’s grim outlook during an interview with Poland’s Fakt media outlet on Monday, Duda replied in the negative. “If we act responsibly, and we are acting responsibly so far, there will never be a war, because we will always be powerful enough to not be worth attacking,” he said.

According to the Polish president, credible deterrence helped the West to prevent the Cold War from turning into a military confrontation. He suggested that the West today should emulate this strategy by arming up.

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He also said his country was ready to host the nuclear weapons of NATO allies as part of a sharing scheme within the bloc if such a decision were made.

Earlier this month, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps echoed Tusk’s assessment, claiming that “we have moved from a post-war to a pre-war world.” He argued that the West needed to beef up its defense spending.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell also subsequently stated that the “possibility of a high-intensity conventional war in Europe is no longer a fantasy.”

Moscow has repeatedly denied having any intention of attacking NATO member states. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such claims as “nonsense,” suggesting that Kiev’s backers were using the supposed threat of a Russian attack to “extract additional expenses from people, to make them bear this burden [of funding Ukraine] on their shoulders.”

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General Aharon Haliva’s resignation is expected to be the first among many of the Jewish state’s top security brass after the October 7 attack

The head of Israel’s military intelligence agency, Major General Aharon Haliva, has stepped down over the failure of his department to prevent the October 7 Hamas attack, the Jewish state’s military announced on Monday.

Haliva’s resignation is expected to be the first of many among Israel’s top military brass following the deadly assault last year, which saw Palestinian militants break through border defenses in Gaza, killing over 1,100 people on Israeli territory and taking some 250 hostages. The Jewish state has since launched a relentless assault on Gaza, vowing to eliminate Hamas.

“The intelligence directorate under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with. I carry that black day with me ever since, day after day, night after night. I will carry the horrible pain of the war with me forever,” Haliva wrote in his resignation letter.

Following the October 7 attack, Haliva repeatedly acknowledged his blame in failing to prevent the assault, as did a number of other top Israeli military officials.

His resignation was met with approval from Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who called it “justified and dignified.” He further claimed that it would be “appropriate” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to similarly step down.

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The Israeli leader has so far refused to accept direct responsibility for allowing the attack to unfold and has not indicated any intent to voluntarily resign over the failure. He has insisted that all investigations into accountability should be saved for when the war with Hamas is over.

“This debacle will be investigated. Everyone will have to give answers, including me,” Netanyahu said following the attack. “The only thing that I intend to have resign is Hamas. We’re going to resign them to the dustbin of history.”

So far, Gaza health authorities have estimated that more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed amid Israel’s siege of the enclave, which has included extensive bombardment as well as a ground incursion.

Despite international criticism of Israel’s response, Netanyahu vowed over the weekend to increase military and diplomatic pressure on Hamas to free the remaining hostages, while threatening to “land additional and painful blows” against the Palestinian militants.

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The country’s president has said that Warsaw is ready to host US atomic weapons on its territory

Russia will take all appropriate measures to protect itself if the US proceeds with the deployment of nuclear weapons in Poland, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Polish President Andrzej Duda told the local daily Fakt that he had discussed the issue of hosting American nukes on the country’s soil. “I must admit that when asked about it, I declared our readiness,” he said, blaming what he called Moscow’s militarization of its western exclave of Kaliningrad.

Duda also explained that as a NATO member, Poland has certain obligations, and “in this respect, we simply implement a common policy.”

The potential move would place NATO’s nuclear arsenal on the border of Belarus, Moscow’s key ally, as well as Kaliningrad. As things currently stand, the US has nuclear weapons stationed in five fellow NATO members: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye.

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Responding to Duda’s statement, Peskov noted that if the US does indeed place the weapons in Poland, the Russian military would analyze the new reality of having them closer to its territory.

“In any case, they [the military] would take all necessary countermeasures to ensure our security,” he added, without going into specifics.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Duda’s remarks a “provocation,” which she said was not particularly surprising. “The Polish authorities have long made no secret of their ambitions to ‘snuggle up’ to the US nuclear weapons stationed in Europe,” she told RIA Novosti. She said further that Warsaw wanted those assets to play a certain role in its “deeply hostile policy towards Russia.”

“It is not difficult to assume that if American nuclear weapons appear on Polish territory, the relevant facilities will immediately be listed as legitimate targets in case of a direct military conflict with NATO,” Zakharova warned.

Duda’s statement comes after Russia placed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus last year, with Russian President Vladimir Putin explaining the move as a response to Britain’s decision to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium ammunition. He also mentioned that the US had kept nukes in Europe for decades.

Russia has repeatedly said it has never threatened to use its nuclear arsenal, and that a nuclear war must never be fought. Last month, however, Putin signaled that Moscow was ready for such a scenario “from the military and technical point of view.”

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The launchers that Warsaw does possess are under American control, the prime minister said

Poland doesn’t have any US-made Patriot missile systems available to donate to Ukraine, unlike some other NATO nations, Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on Monday.

The long-range air defense system emerged this month as a priority item on Kiev’s wish list after Russia began targeting Ukrainian power stations with missile strikes in what it called retaliation for drone attacks on its oil infrastructure.

After an EU summit last week, Germany promised to provide an additional Patriot battery, which costs over a billion dollars. Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged other NATO members to donate more Patriot systems to Kiev.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg suggested that members of the US-led military bloc should prioritize arming Ukraine over meeting their own defense obligations to the organization, when he discussed the situation with air defense systems last Wednesday.

“We do not have such an option,” Tusk told journalists on Monday. The battery deployed near the city of Rzeszow “is under the control and disposal of the Americans” and protects southeastern Poland. Warsaw has no such systems to spare, according to the prime minister.

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He touted Poland’s record of supporting Kiev against Moscow in other ways, calling it a job “done perfectly” and stating that there are many other weapons systems that can benefit Ukraine.

Senior Ukrainian officials have criticized Western arms donors for failing to deliver enough Patriot systems to defend their country. President Vladimir Zelensky has said that Kiev needed at least six to seven units, while Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has called out the US specifically, stating in an interview that “nobody in Ukraine would believe that the huge US Army doesn’t have at least one Patriot battery” to send.

“Behind closed doors, I tell all of our partners: ‘My dears, anything you want. You want to lease them, so be it. You want them to protect your border, they will. Just give them [to us],’” Kuleba explained last week.

READ MORE: Send more Patriots to Ukraine – Germany

Moscow, which perceives the Ukraine conflict as a US-led proxy war against Russia, has warned that no amount of Western weaponry will change the outcome and that the arms supplies merely prolong the bloodshed and stand in the way of achieving peace.

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The Chinese leader is set to attend the BRICS summit in the city of Kazan, according to the foreign minister

Russia expects Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the BRICS summit in Russia later this year, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

The group, which now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, will meet in the Russian city of Kazan in October.

“The main event of this year in bilateral relations will be the state visit of [Russian] President Vladimir Putin to the People’s Republic of China, and in October we are expecting the head of the People’s Republic of China [Xi Jinping] to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan,” Lavrov said at a meeting with the heads of Russian regions.

Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed plans for a bilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia and China, adding, however, that it was too early to elaborate on specific dates.

READ MORE: Colombia wants to join BRICS

Russia, which currently chairs BRICS, said this year’s summit will focus on promoting partnership in politics and security, economics and finance, as well as cultural and humanitarian ties.

An increasing number of nations have expressed interest in joining the group of non-Western economies over the past two years, and some have already formally submitted applications, including Venezuela, Thailand, Senegal, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Bahrain, and Pakistan.

Twenty-five countries are expected to apply for membership during the group’s summit in Kazan, the South African ambassador to Russia, Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka, told TASS news agency in February.

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The three Western nuclear powers are among the chief sponsors of the Kiev regime and main organizers of provocations against Russia, the foreign minister has said

The US-led collective West could cause a potentially catastrophic war between global nuclear powers due to its openly hostile stance toward Russia and efforts to undermine existing arms control agreements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

Addressing the Moscow Nonproliferation Conference organized by the Centre for Energy and Security Studies, Lavrov noted that the globe is in a state of crisis with regard to mechanisms for arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation and that this jeopardizes international security. He placed the blame for this on Washington, which, according to the diplomat, has been “cynically combining the deliberate destruction of balanced and equal [arms control] agreements” with “blatantly dishonest schemes” that are advantageous solely to the US.

Lavrov explained that the US and allies were responsible for blocking the recent review cycles of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which, Lavrov says Washington long used to pressure its foes. He also noted the potential danger posed by the three-way AUKUS agreement between the US, UK and Australia, which is becoming “increasingly similar to a military bloc,” as well as NATO, which has been boosting its military spending.

According to the senior official, the West’s support for Ukraine is also fraught with danger, especially as the three major Western nuclear powers, the US, UK and France, are among the main sponsors of the “criminal Kiev regime” and the “main organizers” of provocations against Russia.

The US and their NATO client states are still dreaming of inflicting a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia and are ready to carry on with their policy of deterring our country ‘to the last Ukrainian…’ The West is balancing on the dangerous edge of a direct military confrontation between nuclear powers, which could have catastrophic consequences.

The US and Russia hold nearly 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads, according to the US-based Arms Control Association. Last year, Russia suspended its participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as ‘New START’, the last remaining nuclear agreement between the US and Russia that caps arsenals. Russia cited US involvement in the Ukraine conflict as the primary cause for the suspension. Washington has since appealed to Moscow to renew dialogue on the treaty, but the latter has said that doing so is impossible as long as the US continues to support Kiev.

READ MORE: Kremlin clarifies stance on use of nuclear weapons

In his address, Lavrov reiterated this stance, saying that he saw “no basis whatsoever” for an arms control dialogue with the US “in the face of a total hybrid war being waged against our country.”

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Despite ambitious plans to phase out Russian gas, the EU increased purchases in 2023, Reuters reported earlier this month

The predominance of fossil fuels in global energy output is nearing its end, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has claimed, adding that his country aims to produce 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

German industry had for decades relied on relatively inexpensive Russian gas, and to a lesser extent oil. However, following the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, energy imports from Moscow fell dramatically, adversely affecting the competitiveness of many German businesses.

In 2020, the European Union unveiled its Green Deal strategy for the bloc to become climate-neutral by the middle of the century.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Hanover trade fair on Sunday, Scholz said that the “era of fossil fuels is coming to an end.” German industry will have to reorganize its operations, but not all technological processes allow for swift decarbonization, according to the chancellor.

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The German leader stated that “modern, highly-flexible and climate-friendly power plants” were currently being built across the country to replace traditional power sources. Scholz also said that Norway would provide Germany’s industry with “clean energy from wind and hydropower.”

Eighty percent of the nation’s electricity is expected to come from renewables by 2030, including solar power and both onshore and offshore wind, he added.

Scholz said the two years since the start of the Ukraine conflict have been “turnaround years” for Europe, allowing it to “address the necessary changes” to its energy supply.

The EU aims to completely wean itself off Russian fossil fuels by 2027. Last Friday, however, the bloc’s Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators released a report warning against drastic reductions of imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia.

In 2023, Russia emerged as the EU’s second-biggest LNG supplier after the US, accounting for 16% of the bloc’s imports.

Earlier this month, Reuters cited calculations based on the EU’s trade statistics as showing that Brussels increased natural gas purchases from Russia in 2023.

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The “unfair” Western agenda is a barrier to the continent’s development, business professionals have told RT

Africa is seeking new cooperation with countries and international organizations on mutually beneficial terms, business experts from the continent who attended the ‘New Era – New Paths’ forum in Moscow told RT on Friday.

Meliane Aida Ouedraogo, director of Melyana Consulting in Burkina Faso, believes African countries have long been exploited by their international partners under a flawed model that fails to benefit them.

“Today’s cooperation should be built on a new foundation. We believe that the BRICS is an opportunity to create great openness,” she told RT.

BRICS – which previously comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – has seen a major wave of expansion. Four more countries – Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates – joined the group at the start of this year, and further additions are expected in the future.

Henry Doue Tai, president of the Ivorian-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, one of the dignitaries at the event, said African nations require collaboration from partners who can provide technology to help them harness their abundant resources.

READ MORE: BRICS should create alternative international monetary system – envoy

Russia, India, South Africa, and the UAE represent the kind of union of economies that can help the continent, Tai said.

Meta Burkina President Idrissa Ouedraogo also said Africa has remained poor as a result of the West’s unipolar agenda, declaring that the continent is prepared to work with countries and organizations within the framework of multipolarity to eliminate the “unfair conditions” that impede development efforts.

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The US will shoot itself in the foot if a House-approved bill is implemented, Moscow has warned

The US will hurt its own economy, as well as the global financial system, if it follows through on its threat to expropriate frozen Russian assets and give them to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Washington has long advocated for seizing Russian funds held in Western jurisdictions. The money would then be handed over to Kiev for its war effort against Russia. A new push came on Saturday, after the US House approved a bill authorizing the confiscation of Russian money. If the White House follows through, it will set “a dangerous precedent,” Peskov said.

”This would be nothing short of a breakdown of all foundations of the [global] economic system,” he told journalists, reiterating Moscow’s position. “In no way could that be considered a lawful action.”

The US will face retaliation by Russia as well as legal challenges, Peskov said, which “will cause serious damage to the economic interests of the US,” since “many nations and many investors would certainly think ten times before putting their money into the American economy or parking assets there.”

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Some senior Western officials share Moscow’s view on the risks of the proposal, the spokesman added, citing remarks by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, who warned earlier this month that giving Russian assets to Kiev would amount to “a violation of the legal international order.”

The US and its allies have frozen around $300 billion worth of Russian assets. Western officials have argued that Moscow would have to willingly compensate Kiev for damage caused during its military operation before the money could be released. But EU nations, which are holding the lion’s share of the frozen funds, are concerned that just spending the money on Ukraine’s needs as suggested by Washington would destabilize the euro, according to media reports.

The bill which US lawmakers approved last weekend authorized the US president to confiscate Russian funds held in American banks and hand them over to Kiev. US Senator Rand Paul, who is skeptical of the proposal, warned earlier this year that the move would be “an act of economic war.”

READ MORE: ECB fires back at plans to seize Russian assets

Moscow perceives the Ukraine conflict as part of a larger US-led proxy war aimed at containing Russia. The bill is part of a set of legislative initiatives, which includes $60 billion in aid for Kiev.

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New polls were ordered in almost a dozen locations in Manipur, where several voting stations were vandalized last week

Violence in multiple locations has forced an election re-run in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur after a series of incidents disrupted the polling process last Friday. Ethnic clashes in the remote state have left more than 200 dead and tens of thousands displaced since May 2023.

Manipur was among 21 states and union territories in which polling was held on April 19, marking the first of seven phases of the general election. However, gunfire, violence, and vandalism were reported at 11 polling stations, with images of broken equipment, including electronic voting machines (EVMs), circulating on social media.

At least four EVMs were damaged in the conflict-hit state on Friday, news agency PTI reported. In the Imphal East district, a 65-year-old man was shot at by unidentified men, while armed men also fired blank shots and intimidated polling agents of the opposition Congress party, according to media reports. Congress leaders from Manipur also claimed that “booth capturing” by armed men had occurred in at least eight voting stations. This is a common phenomenon in Indian elections, by which party loyalists or hired criminals “capture” a polling booth and vote in place of legitimate electors.

Booth capturing. Gun violence. Vandalism. Burning of EVMs.

A horrific day of reporting in Manipur's Imphal. @ECISVEEP pic.twitter.com/4y1Ap8cSX0

— Saptarshi Basak (@wannabhistorian) April 19, 2024

The Election Commission of India declared the polling void and ordered votes to be cast again. On Monday, voting took place with tightened security measures to ensure the safety of voters as well as that of polling personnel, India Today reported.

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Manipur has been engulfed by violence since May 2023 due to a dispute stemming from animosity between the region’s Meitei majority, living in the state’s valley region, and the Kuki tribes, who live in the surrounding hills. At least 200 people have been reported killed in clashes that continued for several months until the central government intervened and sent additional security personnel to the state.

However, sporadic outbreaks of violence have continued in some areas. This year, the Indian election body made provisions in Manipur to ensure that displaced people – many of whom are still living in relief camps – can cast their votes at special polling stations at these locations.

According to a report in Outlook, around 94 such stations were set up for more than 24,000 displaced people whom the Election Commission identified as eligible voters. Meanwhile, several Kuki community leaders have issued calls for the polls to be boycotted. The community has been pressing for a separate administration within the state since violence broke out.

The first phase of voting for 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states and union territories saw a turnout of nearly 64%, according to the Election Commission. In Manipur, over 75% of eligible voters cast their ballots. The results will be announced on June 4.

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Moscow has previously warned that such a move would undermine “the legal foundations of European and international law”

The EU is “close to a political agreement” on seizing the profits generated by Russia’s central bank reserves that remain frozen in connection with Ukraine-related sanctions, Belgian Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem said on Sunday.

The West immobilized around $300 billion in assets belonging to the Russian central bank following the start of hostilities in February 2022, a move denounced by Moscow as “theft.” Around $280 billion of this sum is held in the EU, primarily in the Belgium-based depositary and clearing house Euroclear.

While the US and UK have called for outright seizure of those funds, numerous reports suggest that EU countries are taking a more cautious approach, citing the lack of a legal basis for such a drastic move as well as fears of Russian retaliation.

Meanwhile, EU officials have been mulling a plan to apply a windfall tax on the profits generated by the assets. According to Eurostat, the reserves frozen in the EU generated €4.4 billion ($4.7 billion) in interest income in 2023 alone. In March, a senior EU official projected, as quoted by Reuters, that €15-20 billion ($16-21 billion) would be generated in after-tax profits by 2027.

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The same month, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, proposed handing over 90% of those profits to the European Peace Facility to be used for procurement of arms for Ukraine. The rest would be transferred to EU budgets to support Kiev’s defense industry.

Now, according to Peteghem, EU nations appear to be close to finding common ground on this plan. The minister said, as quoted by Bloomberg, that the first tax collection could take place as early as July 1.

However, Politico reported last month that Hungary, Slovakia, Malta, and Luxembourg have challenged the idea of using the funds to aid Ukraine. While the first two countries are opposed to procuring weapons for Kiev altogether, the latter two have reportedly voiced misgivings about not being consulted on such a far-reaching plan.

Moscow has vehemently denounced the West’s push to use its immobilized funds to support Ukraine. Commenting on Borrell’s proposal last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that it could destroy “the legal foundations of European and international law.”

He also noted that transferring the Russian funds to Kiev would tarnish the bloc’s image and cautioned that those advancing the EU’s plan “will be subject to legal prosecution for many decades to come.”

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The bloc plans to target liquefied natural gas in its 14th package of restrictions, Sweden’s foreign minister has said

The EU plans to target supplies of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in its 14th package of sanctions against Moscow, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom announced on Monday.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with his EU counterparts, Billstrom told reporters that the next round of sanctions may include an import ban on Russian LNG as well as “measures to curb the Russian shadow fleet.”

Russia has rerouted practically all of its energy flows to Asia following the introduction of Western restrictions linked to the Ukraine conflict. It has also reportedly begun to move its crude exports on a ‘shadow fleet’ of ageing tankers, over which international sanctions have limited power.

Although Brussels has banned purchasing oil and petroleum products from Russia, pipeline gas and LNG have not been affected by the restrictions. Several countries, including Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic states, have been pushing for the EU to impose a total embargo on Russian LNG, although Hungary has strongly opposed the move. A complete ban would require unanimity among members of the bloc.

Some EU states still rely heavily on Russian LNG, which continues to flow into the continent, mostly through ports in Spain, Belgium, and France. In 2023, the EU increased LNG purchases from Russia, despite pledging to phase out fuel imports from the country by 2027, Reuters reported earlier this month, citing the bloc’s trade statistics.

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The EU’s Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) warned last week against drastic reductions in LNG imports from Russia, given the impending end of the supply of pipeline gas from the country later this year.

ACER was referring to the expiration in December of a five-year transit contract for gas pipeline supplies from Russia to Europe via Ukraine. Kiev said last month that it has no plans to prolong the deal. If the flow stops, the EU could potentially lose about 4% of last year’s total consumption.

Western countries will continue to impose sanctions on Russia even though restrictions have largely backfired on their own economies, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the potential LNG ban.

“No one here wears rose-colored glasses. We understand that ‘exercises’ with the sanctions will continue,” he said. “It is obvious that, gritting their teeth, they are ready to face a negative impact on themselves,” Peskov added.

Since February 2022, when the Ukraine conflict began, Brussels has imposed 13 packages of sanctions on Russia.

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A bill that would force China’s ByteDance to divest ownership of the popular app has been passed by the House of Representatives

TikTok is reportedly planning to legally challenge the US government if it passes a law that would require the app’s Chinese parent company to divest its ownership or face a complete ban of the platform, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

Over the weekend, the US House of Representatives tied the bill that could see TikTok banned to an emergency bill providing aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The legislation ultimately passed by a vote of 360 to 58. If approved by the Senate, the app’s Chinese owner ByteDance would have nine months to sell its business or have it barred from US app stores.

“This is an unprecedented deal worked out between the Republican speaker and President Biden,” Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, told the company’s US staff in a memo seen by Bloomberg.

“At the stage that the bill is signed, we will move to the courts for a legal challenge,” he reportedly wrote.

Beckerman had previously insisted that the divest-or-ban demands on TikTok were a violation of the First Amendment rights of the app’s 170 million users in the US and that such legislation, if passed, would have “devastating consequences” for the nearly 7 million businesses using the platform.

“This is the beginning, not the end of this long process,” the executive said in Saturday’s memo, vowing to “continue to fight.”

China has also blasted the efforts to ban TikTok in the US, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin arguing that such a step would violate international trade rules.

“[The bill] runs contrary to the principles of fair competition and international economic and trade rules,” Wang said last month, accusing the US of “bullying behavior” and of “leveraging state power” against ByteDance.

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“When someone sees a good thing another person has and tries to take it for themselves, this is entirely the logic of a bandit,” he said.

A number of American lawmakers have insisted for years that TikTok poses a “national security threat” due to its Chinese ownership, and have insisted on forcing it to sever ties with its parent company ByteDance.

However, some in the US Congress have opposed the legislation targeting the Chinese app, with Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky arguing that the “cure” presented in the bill is “worse than the disease,” as it would give the White House the power to ban other websites and apps.

Billionaire and owner of X (formerly Twitter) Elon Musk has warned that the bill is “about censorship and government control,” while the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has denounced the legislation as “violating the free speech rights of millions of Americans” who use the platform daily.

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The apparent short-range weapons test comes days after Pyongyang claimed a successful trial of a new cruise missile warhead

North Korea launched several ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday, according to officials in South Korea and Japan.

Several projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles were fired towards the Sea of Japan from the vicinity of Pyongyang and flew roughly 300km before splashing down, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported. The military branded the incident “a clear provocation” threatening stability and security on the Korean Peninsula.

The Japanese Defense Ministry likewise reported a ballistic missile fired from North Korea and landing off the coast outside of the country’s exclusive economic zone. The Coast Guard said it detected no damage, while the office of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised further updates, after analysis of available information is complete.

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According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, it was the fourth ballistic missile test by North Korea this year. In early April, Pyongyang fired what is believed to be a new type of a solid-propellant intermediate-range projectile that can potentially deploy a hypersonic glide vehicle. North Korean state media touted the new platform in mid-March.

Last Friday, Pyongyang reported testing a new type of warhead for a cruise missile and a new anti-aircraft weapon.

In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced a major policy shift when he stated that his government is no longer seeking peaceful reunification with the South, a goal that he described as misguided. He said that since Seoul considers itself an enemy of Pyongyang, the peoples governed by the two governments cannot be treated as separated parts of the same nation.

READ MORE: US House speaker announces ‘new axis of evil’

The North says it needs advanced weapons systems to protect itself from a possible invasion by the US and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.

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Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya have begun talks without Morocco and Mauritania, the other founding members of the former Maghreb union

The leaders of Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya will reportedly discuss the revival of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), a regional political and economic bloc at an upcoming summit. The AMU has been largely dormant for more than a decade due to diplomatic tensions between some member states.

‎Tunisian President Kais Saied announced the move in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, saying he will host his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and Libya’s Presidential Council leader, Mohamed Younes Menfi, for the first summit of the “three sister countries.”

Local media reported the meeting would take place on Monday in the Tunisian capital, Tunis.

Last month, on the sidelines of a gas-exporting countries summit in Algeria, officials from the three North African countries agreed to hold talks every three months.

The AMU initiative has been criticized for excluding Morocco and Mauritania, which have also been bloc members since its formation in 1989. Moroccan media has accused Algeria of attempting to form a new regional alliance without Rabat, claiming that the move reflects Algiers’ waning influence on the regional or continental front.

Algerian President Tebboune rejected the allegations in an interview with state broadcaster Alg24 News, declaring that the “bloc is not directed against any other state, and the door is open to countries in the region.”

The five-member AMU grouping has faced several setbacks over the years, including a political and diplomatic rift between Algeria and Morocco that has resulted in a boycott of high-level talks since 2008.

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Morocco’s relations with neighboring Algeria have been strained as a result of the latter's long-standing support for the independence of Western Sahara, which Rabat claims is part of Moroccan territory.

Algiers severed diplomatic ties with Rabat in 2021 over “hostile actions,” following the normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel. The country also accused terrorist groups allegedly backed by Morocco and Israel of starting devastating wildfires that killed dozens in Algeria that year.

Tunisia’s relations with Morocco have also deteriorated since 2022, when Tunisian President Saied hosted the leader of the Polisario Front, the group seeking independence for Western Sahara. Rabat recalled its ambassador to Tunisia and canceled its participation in a pan-African investment conference, calling Tunisia’s actions “a grave and unprecedented act that deeply hurts the feelings of the Moroccan people.”

The Tunisian government has said it maintains “total neutrality” regarding Morocco’s sovereignty over the sparsely populated former Spanish colony that it annexed nearly five decades ago.

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Numerous districts are struggling with overstretched resources, the head of a local councils’ association has said

Communities across Germany cannot take in more refugees, particularly those arriving from Ukraine, the president of a local councils’ association has told the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung newspaper.

Germany hosts an estimated 1.15 million Ukrainian refugees, the largest number in Europe, followed by Poland, the Czech Republic, and the UK, according to figures from the UN Refugee Agency dated from last month.

While roughly two-thirds of Ukrainian refugees are employed in Poland and the Czech Republic, that number stands at only 20% in Germany, Deutsche Welle reported earlier this year.

In an interview with Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung on Saturday, local councils’ association president Reinhard Sager, who is also a member of the opposition Christian Democratic Union party, warned that a “number of districts and communities are overstretched by legal and illegal migration.”

“The integration of all the people is no longer possible,” he added.

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Sager pointed out that the federal government has slashed funding for municipalities which are faced with formidable costs associated with migrant and refugee accommodation. “If the number of refugees doesn’t quickly decrease noticeably and enduringly, the problems will become ever bigger, and they will come back to bite,” Sager predicted. This could lead to growing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) party, he claimed.

Sager demanded that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government abolish the so-called citizen’s benefits currently granted to Ukrainian refugees, echoing statements made earlier this year by Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder. At present, Ukrainian nationals in Germany are entitled to more than €500 ($545) a month, and children between €357 and €471. This level of assistance is higher than the support provided to other categories of asylum seekers and refugees.

“With all due solidarity, we pose the question to Ukraine whether so many people from the country attacked by Russia must come to us,” Sager stated. He emphasized that the southern German region of Baden-Wuerttemberg alone hosts twice as many Ukrainian refugees as France. Refugee camps could instead be established in western Ukraine, or Poland might be willing to take in more people with the EU’s support, Sager suggested.

According to a poll in February, nearly 50% of respondents said the German government was giving Ukrainian refugees “too much support,” while more than half believed that efforts to integrate newcomers had failed.

Another survey conducted on behalf of the broadcaster ZDF earlier this month showed that less than half of Germans want their government to send more military aid to Ukraine. A poll commissioned by FOCUS magazine last month revealed that 53% of respondents backed Pope Francis’ call for Ukraine to engage in peace negotiations with Russia without any preconditions.

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Tehran is preparing the financial infrastructure for the Visa and Mastercard alternative, a trade envoy has said

Iran could start accepting Russian Mir debit and credit cards within the next few months, the trade attaché from Tehran’s embassy in Moscow told the Izvestia newspaper on Monday.

According to Mohsen Rahimi, work on preparing the necessary technical infrastructure is already underway, although implementing the system will take time. The move comes as Russia and Iran continue to build stronger economic ties, Rahimi stressed.

Moscow and Tehran have strengthened relations in the face of Western sanctions. Trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $4 billion last year and has potential for further growth, particularly in manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and transport, according to associate professor at the Financial University in Moscow, Mikhail Khachaturyan.

Testing of the Mir system, the Russian alternative to Visa and Mastercard, may start in Iran as early as the end of summer or the beginning of autumn, he told the outlet.

Moscow was hit by a wave of sanctions in 2022 in response to its military operation in Ukraine, including cutting many Russian banks off from SWIFT, Visa, and Mastercard. In response, the Russian government started promoting the domestic Mir system as a reliable alternative.

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Iran’s economy has adapted despite being under sweeping international sanctions for decades, experts have noted, adding that Russia could use Tehran’s experience in resisting outside pressure.

The move to launch Mir in Iran is a logical forward step in developing bilateral cooperation after Tehran joined the BRICS economic group this year, said Tatiana Monaghan, secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Last year, the two countries announced at the KazanForum that they had completed all preliminary settlements for the use of Mir cards. Iran and Russia have also agreed to integrate the system with its Iranian analog, Shetab, to facilitate mutual transactions.

The decision to use Mir in Iran has grown in importance since a number of so-called ‘friendly’ countries, including Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, placed restrictions on the system over fears of being targeted by secondary sanctions, experts say.

Mir cards are currently freely accepted in Abkhazia, Ossetia, and Belarus, and can be used with certain limits in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Cuba, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

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The Ghazipur landfill east of the Indian capital is considered one of the largest and most hazardous dumping sites in the country

The Ghazipur landfill site in New Delhi, known as India’s ‘mount of shame’ or the ‘Mount Everest of trash,’ caught fire on Sunday evening, local media have reported.

At least eight fire brigades were called to the scene to battle the blaze with the help of five excavators from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Footage posted online overnight showed one side of the massive dump site completely engulfed in flames.

According to reports, the fire broke out at the rear end of the landfill, adjacent to a fish market where a new pop-up dumping ground recently appeared. Numerous residents living close to the site complained of respiratory problems due to thick smoke that engulfed the area from the blaze.

According to Delhi Deputy Mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal, the fire may have been caused by heat and dry weather. However, the Delhi Fire Service reported that methane gas generated within the gigantic trash pile was more likely the cause of the blaze. The greenhouse gas, produced by decaying organic waste, is extremely flammable.

Just drove past a terrible fire engulfing the Ghazipur landfill! Such fire outbreaks are hard to contain and bring into focus the systemic failure of our waste management policies and practices. pic.twitter.com/Aq5JOPQjqO

— Jayant Singh (@jayantrld) April 21, 2024

Authorities have launched a probe into the incident.

Reports from the area early on Monday claimed the fire had been largely brought under control but was still burning in several locations, with the most recent footage from the site showing dense columns of smoke erupting from the landfill.

The smoke billowing from the massive fire at the #Ghazipur landfill is sparking a wave of panic among those living nearby #GhazipurLandfillFire #Ghazipur pic.twitter.com/Q22axccEuw

— Syed Hasan Imam Zaidi (@Syed_1109084) April 22, 2024

The Ghazipur landfill, commissioned by the Delhi government in 1984, is the oldest dump site in the capital, and is considered to be its largest, spread over roughly 300,000 square meters. It has been a longstanding environmental concern, ever since it reached its capacity back in 2002, due to methane emissions and other harmful gasses, which have caused respiratory problems and other health issues among the people living nearby.

#Ghazipur #GhazipurLandfillFire
??????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ???????? ?? MCD ?? ????? ????- BJP ?? AAP ?? ?????? pic.twitter.com/RltLvL1zkd

— Yug (@mittal68218) April 22, 2024

Methane gas fires have also been a common occurrence at the site, with a massive fire in March 2022 taking firefighters nearly 50 hours to extinguish.

#WATCH | Fire continues at Ghazipur landfill site in Delhi.

The fire was caused due to gas that is produced in the landfill: Delhi Fire Service SO Naresh Kumar

(Visuals shot at 3:45 am) pic.twitter.com/2pR4ElMzmp

— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2024

Incidents associated with the landfill also included a collapse of one section onto a nearby road in 2017, which claimed two lives.

READ MORE: India’s unemployment rate set to fall – report

In April 2022, after yet another major fire broke out at the landfill, Delhi environment department launched an action plan to prevent the repeat of such incidents. In March 2023, the Delhi authorities set a deadline for leveling Ghazipur for December 2024. However, the timeframe was later moved to December 2026.

Where India Meets Russia – We are now on WhatsApp! ‎Follow and share RT India in English and in Hindi

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Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has downplayed the US president’s comments on his uncle’s presumed death in the country

US President Joe Biden’s recent remarks in which he implied that his uncle was eaten by cannibals in Papua New Guinea during World War II were uncalled for, the prime minister of the Southwest Pacific nation has said.

Last Wednesday, Biden recounted the story of Ambrose Finnegan, his mother’s brother, who is recorded by the US military as missing in action off New Guinea, after a plane he was on crashed in the Pacific Ocean, leaving only one survivor. According to the president, his uncle’s plane was shot down and his body was never found because “there were a lot of cannibals − for real − in that part of New Guinea.”

“Sometimes you have loose moments,” Prime Minister James Marape said in an interview on Sunday, reacting to Biden’s remarks. He added that he has met with the US leader on four different occasions, and “he’s always had warm regards for Papua New Guinea” and never mentioned cannibalism.

”President Biden’s remarks may have been a slip of the tongue; however, my country does not deserve to be labeled as such,” Marape said.

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Papua New Guinea was dragged into World War II, which was not its fight, the prime minister said. He urged Washington to help clean up PNG and the Solomon Islands, which are “littered with the remains of WWII, including human remains, plane wrecks, ship wrecks, tunnels and bombs,” which still pose a threat to people who live there. If this is done, then perhaps “the truth about missing servicemen like Ambrose Finnegan can be put to rest,” he suggested.

The US is vying for influence in Papua New Guinea as it competes with China in the region. Last year, Washington signed a defense cooperation agreement with the island nation. Beijing reached a similar deal with the neighboring Solomon Islands.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Marape in the capital, Port Moresby on Sunday in an effort to foster better economic relations.

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Officials reportedly think the cash “is unlikely to dramatically alter Kiev’s situation on the front line”

A new US aid package will harden Ukraine’s resistance but will not be enough to stem the tide in the conflict with Russia, officials in Kiev and military analysts have reportedly told the Financial Times.

The US House of Representatives approved a $61 billion security package for Kiev on Saturday, following months of congressional squabbling over Republican demands for the White House to boost security on the Mexican border. The bill still needs to be approved by the Democratic-majority Senate and signed by US President Joe Biden.

Although the new package has prompted Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to claim that his country could still defeat Russia, many officials in Kiev are less enthusiastic, arguing it “is unlikely to dramatically alter Kiev’s situation on the frontline,” according to the FT.

Several Ukrainian frontline troops told the newspaper that they are barely holding on under relentless Russian attacks, while suffering from acute ammunition shortages. Some soldiers said they hoped an influx of US-made equipment would improve their situation, although one senior Ukrainian official told the FT that it “will help to slow down the Russian advance, but not stop it.”

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Another Ukrainian source echoed that assessment, noting that while the assistance would reduce the ammo deficit, it “does not contain a silver bullet.”

One Ukrainian military analyst remarked that the $61 billion assistance could be the last of its kind this year, adding that “there is a fairly high probability that all subsequent aid packages for Ukraine will be much smaller in size.”

An ammunition deficit is not the only problem facing Ukraine. Rob Lee, a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program, pointed out that manpower is another major challenge for Kiev. The issue of recruiting more troops to the front line “may be the key to how the war unfolds in 2025,” he assessed.

In February, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu estimated Ukraine’s losses since the start of the conflict at more than 444,000 troops. Earlier this month, he said Kiev had lost more than 80,000 soldiers this year alone.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian authorities have embarked on a flurry of legislative activity to replenish battlefield losses. Zelensky has signed two bills in April, one of which lowers the age of conscription for men from 27 to 25, while the other significantly tightens mobilization rules.

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Andrzej Duda has admitted he discussed the issue with Washington

Poland is open to hosting US nuclear weapons amid the stand-off with Russia over Ukraine, President Andrzej Duda has said.

In an interview with the Polish daily Fakt on Monday, the leader acknowledged that the issue of bringing US nukes to his country, much closer to Russian territory, “has been a topic of Polish-American talks for some time.” The US currently has nuclear weapons stationed in five fellow NATO members: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye.

“I have already talked about this several times,” Duda continued. “I must admit that when asked about it, I declared our readiness.”

He argued that the reason for such a stance is that “Russia is increasingly militarizing” its exclave of Kaliningrad bordering Poland and Lithuania, adding that Moscow has also deployed its nuclear weapons in Belarus.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision to place tactical nuclear weapons in the neighboring state, which is also Moscow’s key ally, last year. At the time, he argued that the move had been triggered by Britain’s decision to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium ammunition. The president also pointed out that the US has kept nukes in Europe for decades.

Duda further explained that “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 recalled that as a NATO member, Poland has certain obligations, and “in this respect, we simply implement a common policy.”

In response to Duda’s statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that if the US does indeed place its nuclear weapons in Poland, the Russian military would “take all necessary countermeasures to ensure our security.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in January that Moscow views the nuclear assets of the US, UK and France as a “single nuclear arsenal aimed at the Russian Federation,” since NATO had declared it the “main threat.” He added that Russia takes this reality into account in its nuclear policy.

Moscow has repeatedly said that a nuclear war must never be fought, and that it has never threatened to use its atomic arsenal.

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The Biden administration will “aggressively” implement a new strategy to protect the Jewish community, it has announced

The White House denounced an “alarming surge of anti-Semitism” at US college campuses in a statement on Sunday, against the backdrop of an escalating pro-Palestine protest at Columbia University in New York.

More than 100 people have been arrested on or near the campus at Columbia since student demonstrations began on Wednesday. Protesters have set up scores of tents in front of the university, demanding that it boycott Israel-linked companies and publicly call for a ceasefire in Gaza. The death toll in the Palestinian enclave since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7 has topped 34,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

In a press release on Sunday, the White House condemned the alleged calls for violence against Jews in schools, communities, and online. “This blatant anti-Semitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in the country,” the statement said.

The New York City Police Department has arrested 108 people for trespassing after they refused to leave the makeshift encampment at Columbia. Students were among those arrested, and received suspension notices from the university, Fox News reported.

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Rabbi Elie Buechler confirmed to CNN that he had reached out to around 300 Jewish students, imploring them to avoid the campus while the protest continues.

Universities in the US and elsewhere have come out in a show of solidarity with the protesters at Columbia. At Yale University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, students set up similar encampments, the Columbia Spectator college newspaper reported on Sunday. Student bodies at other institutions have also posted their support, including from the University of Melbourne, Bard College Berlin, Yale, and Harvard.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has been supportive of West Jerusalem in its war against Hamas, following the militant group’s attack on Israel on October 7, which claimed more than 1,100 lives and saw scores of people taken hostage.

In the run-up to the November US presidential election, some Democratic critics have condemned Biden’s continued backing of Israel, pointing to the ever-growing Palestinian death toll, Politico reported earlier this month. In particular, Biden’s team is said to be concerned about losing young and progressive pro-Palestine voters.

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Patriarch Kirill has dismissed restrictions imposed on him by some EU member states

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, has said he will not be intimidated by travel bans imposed by several EU nations. The restrictions are part of wider Western sanctions on Russia in response to its military operation in Ukraine.

“They’ve made the Patriarch persona non grata in Europe. Why? It’s because the Patriarch is spiritually leading the nation, leading the church that has taken a different civilizational path of development,” Kirill said during a service in Moscow.

“Perhaps, they have barred the Patriarch from traveling abroad because we represent a strong alternative [to the West]. As if they can threaten me with that.”

Several countries, including Britain, Lithuania, Estonia, and the Czech Republic, have blacklisted Kirill since the fighting between Russia and Ukraine broke out in February 2022. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky cited “his frequent public remarks supporting the war in Ukraine, justifying atrocities committed by Russian troops there” as reasons for the travel ban.

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The EU stopped short of imposing bloc-wide restrictions on the head of the Russian Orthodox Church after Hungary blocked the move, calling it a “hostage policy” and citing religious freedom.

Kirill has repeatedly spoken in support of the Russian army, saying Russian soldiers in Ukraine are fighting “for our national values.” He argued that foreign powers target Russia because it is a “country of believers,” with the majority of people being devout Christians, as opposed to the West where people “are losing faith.”

Vladimir Legoyda, the head of the church’s press service, called the travel bans “counterproductive.” He stated that “no sanctions can force the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to change or abandon his opinion.”

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Western advisers are stationed at embassies, the head of the US-led bloc has said

NATO member states have military advisers stationed at their embassies in Ukraine, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has told MSNBC News.

In an interview on Sunday, Stoltenberg was asked whether the US-led bloc is planning to send additional personnel to help Kiev in its fight against Russia.

“There are no plans for any NATO combat presence in Ukraine. But, of course, several NATO allies have men and women in uniform at the embassies giving advice,” he said.

The comments came after Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told Politico that the US is considering deploying more advisers to its embassy in Kiev. According to the outlet, the personnel could be tasked with handling logistics and helping with the maintenance of US-supplied weapons systems.

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Although French President Emmanuel Macron and several other European leaders have refused to rule out placing NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine in the future, the bloc has so far maintained that it is not a direct participant in the conflict.

Stoltenberg hailed the $61 billion aid package for Kiev passed by the US House of Representatives on Saturday after months of stalling, but warned that the “delay has had real consequences” on the battlefield. “The Ukrainians have now for months been outgunned.”

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The much-needed aid, which includes money for weapons for Ukraine, was stuck in the House for months due to political wrangling. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has complained that dwindling American aid has caused ammunition shortages on the front line, also warning that Kiev could be defeated if the delays continue. US President Joe Biden blamed the fall of the Donbass stronghold of Avdeevka to Russia in February on “congressional inaction.”

Moscow has warned that deliveries of Western arms and equipment to Ukraine will not stop Russia from achieving its military goals, including the abandonment of Kiev’s plans to join NATO. Further deliveries from the West only “cause more Ukrainians to die because of the Kiev regime,” and make Western states a de facto party to the conflict, the Kremlin has stated.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that all proposals to reach a new hostage deal have been rejected by the militant group

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to increase pressure on Hamas and threatened to “land additional and painful blows” in an effort to have the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza released.

Some 129 Israelis are believed to still be in captivity, following the incursion of Palestinian militants into the Jewish state on October 7, when over 1,100 people, mostly civilians, were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

A short-lived truce in November last year saw 105 hostages released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners, but further negotiations stalled over Hamas’ demands for a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, which Netanyahu dismissed as “delusional.”

In a pre-Passover video message on Sunday, Netanyahu said that the absence of the hostages over the holiday would “only strengthen our determination to bring them back,” explaining that all Israeli proposals to secure the release of the hostages have been “rejected outright by Hamas.”

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“Instead of retreating from its extreme positions, Hamas builds on division within us. It draws encouragement from the pressures directed at the Israeli government. As a result, it only tightens its conditions for the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu continued, in an apparent reference to anti-government protests calling for new elections and demanding that the authorities do more to reach a new hostage deal.

“In the coming days, we will increase the military and diplomatic pressure on Hamas because this is the only way to free our hostages and achieve our victory,” he added.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a bombing campaign followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, according to the latest figures provided by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

READ MORE: Blinken reveals US stance on potential Israeli invasion of Rafah

Netanyahu maintains that Israel cannot achieve its goal of “total victory” without launching an offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where around 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge since the beginning of the war.

The potential invasion of the densely populated city has caused alarm in the international community. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned of “terrible consequences” if Israel goes ahead with the plan.

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American troops have reportedly been targeted in the Middle East for the first time since February amid Israel-Iran tensions

At least five rockets were fired at an American base in northeastern Syria, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing two unnamed Iraqi security officials. The projectiles were reportedly launched from the town of Zummar in northwestern Iraq. Reuters did not specify if there were any casualties.

The Iraq-based group Kataib Hezbollah later released a statement saying that it had decided to resume attacks on US personnel. “What happened a short while ago is the beginning,” the group said, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post.

Iranian-backed militias had halted their attacks against US military installations in the region in February, after Washington launched retaliatory airstrikes on dozens of targets in Iraq and Syria. Militants launched rockets and drones against US forces in the Middle East more than 150 times between last October, when the Israel-Hamas war started, and February, capped by an attack that killed three Americans and wounded 40 others at an outpost in Jordan.

Sunday’s attack involved a rocket launcher mounted on a small truck, Reuters said. An Iraqi army officer said the truck caught fire in an explosion from unfired rockets and was apparently hit in an airstrike, possibly by US forces. The unidentified militants fled the area in another vehicle.

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The incident came one day after a fatal blast at an Iraqi military command post north of Baghdad. The explosion reportedly killed one member of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) and injured eight other people. US and Israeli military officials both denied having any involvement in the blast. There were no drones or warplanes in the airspace around the command post at the time of the explosion, the Iraqi army said.

The uptick in violence followed a week in which Iran and Israel traded largely ineffective aerial attacks on each other. Iran’s April 13 drone and missile launches against Israel were retaliation for the April 1 bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria. The consulate attack killed 16 people, including two Iranian generals and five other officers.

READ MORE: Is all-out war in the Middle East now inevitable?

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani returned home on Saturday from his trip to the US, where he met with President Joe Biden at the White House. He also made a stop in Michigan to meet with Arab American leaders.

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New Yorker Nate McMurray has celebrated passage of a Ukraine aid bill by wishing death to Donald Trump’s political movement

A Democratic politician in New York has responded to Saturday’s passage of a long-stalled Ukraine aid bill in the US House of Representatives by condemning former President Donald Trump’s ‘MAGA’ political movement to death.

“Slava Ukraine,” congressional candidate Nate McMurray posted on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the House voted to approve $61 billion in additional funding for Kiev’s conflict with Russia. He added, “Die MAGA die. You lose.”

Some Trump allies in Congress have opposed sending more weapons and money to Ukraine, arguing that Washington is merely prolonging the bloodshed while failing to address bigger priorities at home, such as the border crisis. Most Republicans voted against the emergency spending legislation on Saturday, but House Speaker Mike Johnson overrode his own party by pushing the Ukraine bill through with unanimous Democrat support.

READ MORE: Trump wants to ‘kill his opposition’ – Hillary Clinton

McMurray faced online backlash for his incendiary rhetoric. His post was ratioed, and X users suggested that he should be investigated for inciting violence. One observer asked, “You’re running for Congress and calling for half the country to be murdered? Weird flex, bro.” Another said, “This fascist literally just said, ‘Die Make America Great Again die.’”

You're running for Congress AND calling for half the country to be murdered?

Weird flex, bro.

— AwakenedOutlaw?? (@AwakenedOutlaw) April 20, 2024

McMurray, a lawyer who previously served as town supervisor in Grand Island, New York, is running for a House seat in the district previously represented by Brian Higgins, a Democrat who quit Congress in February. The candidate doubled down on his MAGA attack after the pushback, saying, “You can’t just starve extremism with silence; you’ve got to speak up and dish it out!” He added, “I’m never gonna physically hurt a soul, but I will hurt your feelings.”

READ MORE: Trump wants to ‘kill his opposition’ – Hillary Clinton

Use of the phrase ‘Slava Ukraine’ also raised some eyebrows. ‘Slava Ukraini’, meaning ‘Glory to Ukraine’, has a long and controversial history in the former Soviet republic. The slogan was originally used by Ukrainian nationalists, including those who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, but has become a widespread patriotic chant since the 2014 overthrow of Kiev’s elected government.

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Intelligence agencies have creative ways of forcing politicians to do their bidding, the conservative journalist claimed

Members of Congress consistently vote in favor of mass surveillance programs because they’re “terrified” that intelligence agencies will plant “kiddie porn” on their computers if they speak up, American journalist Tucker Carlson has claimed.

Carlson appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast on Friday, hours before the US Senate voted to renew Section 702 of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Ostensibly created to allow intelligence agencies such as the FBI and CIA to surveil the communications of foreigners, Section 702 allows these agencies to access data ‘indirectly’ collected from millions of American citizens without a warrant.

According to Carlson, a number of lawmakers actually opposed this renewal, but did not admit this publicly.

“People don’t say that because they’re worried about being punished,” Carlson told Rogan. “They’re worried about someone putting kiddie porn on their computer. Members of Congress are terrified of the intel agencies. I’m not guessing at that. They’ve told me that, including people on the [intelligence] committee, including people who run the intel committee.”

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“They’re afraid of the agencies,” he stated, adding: “That’s not compatible with democracy.”

“It’s playing out in front of everyone, and no one cares and no one does anything about it,” Carlson continued. “I think the reason is because they’re threatened. And if you look at the committee chairmen who allowed this s**t to happen year after year… I know them. And they have all the things to hide. I know that for a fact.”

Apart from the supposed threat of surreptitiously-planted child pornography, Carlson claimed that it’s “very common” for lawmakers to have “a drinking problem or a weird sex life,” which agencies could easily expose if these politicians refuse to do their bidding.

Carlson is not the first influential conservative to claim that elected representatives are being blackmailed. Back in December, Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett, a Republican, suggested that his colleagues opposed a motion to release the names of notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s clients because they would have been implicated in sex crimes.

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Unnamed forces in Washington use “the old honey pot” to blackmail politicians and force them to “vote for crazy stuff,” he told conservative podcast host Benny Johnson at the time.

A year earlier, a nude video of Rep. Madison Cawthorn was leaked a month after he claimed to have been invited to drug-fueled orgies by older members of Congress. Washington, he said at the time, is rife with “sexual perversion.”

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Enthusiasm has waned heading into the 2024 presidential election as majorities of Americans dislike both major-party candidates

Americans are losing interest in this year’s US presidential election as both Democrat incumbent Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump alienate voters, a new NBC News poll has shown.

The survey, released on Sunday, found that just 64% of US voters are “very interested” in the November election, compared with 77% at this point in the 2020 presidential race. Never before have NBC pollsters recorded lower voter interest at a point this late in an election cycle. Only 59% of voters were “very interested” in the upcoming election in March 2012, but the figure ticked up to 67% as the race heated up the following month.

The historic lack of voter enthusiasm apparently reflects largely negative views about both major-party candidates. Only 38% of US voters hold a positive view of Biden, the NBC poll showed. The same percentage of voters – presumably a different swath of the electorate – have positive feelings about Trump.

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“Americans don’t agree on much these days, but nothing unites the country more than voters’ desire to tune this election out,” said Democrat pollster Jeff Horwitt, who helped conduct the NBC survey.

The poll results suggest that voter turnout will be relatively low in November, especially among young people, Republican pollster Bill McInturff said. Only 36% of voters under the age of 35 have a high level of interest in this year’s election. While 70% of Republicans and 65% of Democrats are very interested in the Biden-Trump rematch, just 48% of independents share their enthusiasm.

The poll showed that Trump leads Biden by a margin of 46% to 44% in a hypothetical one-on-one contest. When third-party candidates are included, Biden leads Trump 39-37. That’s because Trump loses far more voters who would otherwise vote for him if the only other choice were Biden.

READ MORE: Washington lives in denial over Putin’s victory while gaming its own elections

NBC said 13% of voters favor independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Although Kennedy is a lifelong Democrat – his father was a Democrat presidential candidate, and his uncle was President John F. Kennedy Jr. – he’s viewed far more favorably by Republicans. While 40% of Republican voters have a positive view of Kennedy, just 16% of Democrats like him, the poll showed.

Biden’s approval rating has risen by five percentage points, to 42%, since January, NBC said. However, McInturff noted that the incumbent’s rating is still lower at this point in the cycle than either of the two recent presidents who lost their reelection bids. Trump had a 46% approval rating at this point in 2020, he said, and George H.W. Bush had a 43% rating in April 1992.

READ MORE: One in five Americans say political violence may be needed – poll

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A new batch of US aid will provide a boost, but only if delivered soon, the president has said

Ukraine has a chance of victory in the conflict with Russia now that the US House of Representatives has approved more weapons for Kiev, President Vladimir Zelensky claimed in an interview with NBC on Sunday.

The remarks came a day after a new aid bill, which authorizes an additional $61 billion in support for Ukraine, was passed by American lawmakers. The emergency spending had been stalled in Congress since last fall over concerns from Republicans that Washington lacked a strategy either for victory or a peace settlement.

“I think this support will really strengthen the armed forces, I pray, and we will have a chance at victory if Ukraine really gets the weapons systems, which we need so much,” Zelensky said. He urged the US to wrap up final adoption of the legislation as soon as possible in order to start sending more weapons.

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The bill has yet to be passed by the US Senate, which is scheduled to vote on it on April 23. After that, it proceeds to President Joe Biden, who has said he will sign it.

“We want to help get things as fast as possible so that we get some tangible assistance for the soldiers on the front line as soon as possible – not in another six months,” the Ukrainian leader said. He specifically requested more air defense systems and longer-range missiles, arguing that the Ukrainian army is suffering losses due to the lack of both.

“We need long-range weapons to not lose people on the front line because we have, we have casualties because we cannot reach that far,” he said, adding that another delay would mean more casualties. “If we get it in half a year… we’ve had the process stalled for half a year and we’ve had losses in several directions. Losses in men, in equipment.”

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Zelensky admitted that victory is far from guaranteed. “Now we have the chance to stabilize the situation,” he stated. “There are so many variables, so many factors.” He continued to rule out talks with Moscow, claiming that neither President Vladimir Putin nor any high-ranking Russian officials can be trusted.

The aid package authorized by the House is not solely intended for new weapons shipments. According to Politico, the biggest chunk of the money ($23 billion) will go to replenishing US stocks already used to provide arms to Ukraine.

Only about $14 billion would go to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which the Pentagon uses to buy new weapons systems for Kiev from US defense contractors, according to The Guardian. Another $10 billion in aid was designated as a repayable loan to appease some Republicans, the newspaper said.

Moscow responded by reiterating that Washington is causing Ukraine to “fight to the last Ukrainian” with its weapon shipments. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova predicted that the US will eventually face a “loud and humiliating fiasco on par with Vietnam or Afghanistan.”

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South Korea has signed a framework agreement on economic cooperation with Kiev, including $2.1 billion in low-interest loans

South Korea has followed through on its pledge to provide more aid to Ukraine, signing a framework agreement that clears the way to give Kiev $2.1 billion in low-interest loans to help shore up its finances.

South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and his Ukrainian counterpart, Sergey Marchenko, signed the deal on Friday in Washington, where both men had traveled to attend G7, IMF and World Bank meetings. Seoul previously gave Ukraine $200 million in humanitarian aid amid its conflict with Russia and promised to provide an additional $2.1 billion through long-term loans.

“Friday’s agreement was meant to lay the legal foundation on credit assistance,” the South Korean Finance Ministry said on Sunday in a statement. “The two sides agreed to explore projects together that help Ukraine’s reconstruction and development.”

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The deal comes at a time when Russian forces are making battlefield gains and Ukraine’s cash-strapped government is struggling to ramp up weapons production. Marchenko told G7 finance ministers that although Ukraine’s government has made progress in boosting its revenue and borrowing money domestically, “internal measures have only limited effect.” He added, “Ukraine’s financial needs in the conditions of full-scale war are significant, and international support continues to be vital.”

South Korea has faced pressure from the US and other Western allies to boost its support for Ukraine, but it has sought to avoid raising tensions with Russia. Although Seoul has maintained an official policy of providing only non-lethal aid to Kiev – the country has a law against sending weapons to war zones – President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration reportedly agreed to transfer over 300,000 artillery shells to Ukraine last year.

The framework agreement with Ukraine calls for South Korea to start providing low-interest loans in 2025. US lawmakers passed a long-stalled Ukraine aid bill on Saturday. House Speaker Mike Johnson won more support for the legislation by reclassifying some of the nearly $61 billion that will be given to Kiev as loans that will supposedly be paid back at some point.

READ MORE: No ‘unfriendly nations’ for Russia, only ‘unfriendly elites’ – Putin

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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has praised the recent operation by saying it demonstrated the country’s resolve

The latest attack on targets in Israel conducted by Iran’s armed forces has demonstrated the nation’s resolve, according to the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, as cited by IRNA news agency.

Speaking with a group of military commanders in the capital, Tehran on Sunday, Khamenei thanked the country’s armed forces for ‘Operation True Promise’, and urged the officers to pursue military innovation.

“Innovation in weapons and methods as well as knowledge of the enemy’s tactics must always be on the agenda,” he said.

Khamenei also thanked the families of the commanders, as well as soldiers of all ranks and police, highlighting the burdens their wives and children face.

Earlier this month, Tehran launched scores of drones and missiles at Israel, saying the attack was “punishment” for the bombing of the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus on April 1, killing 16 people, including two generals and several other senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.

READ MORE: Iran targeted with ‘children’s toys’ – FM

Tehran blamed the attack on Israel, though West Jerusalem has neither confirmed nor denied its role in the bombing of the diplomatic mission. However, its responsibility was later hinted at by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who stated that Israel strikes its “enemies all over the Middle East.”

The latest escalation occurred earlier this week, when media reports emerged that Israel had struck targets across Iran. Several explosions were reportedly heard in the Iranian city of Isfahan. The country’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, played down the significance of the attack, saying it was minor in scale and involved primitive hardware.

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One crew member was pulled from the Pacific Ocean and seven others are still missing after a training exercise went awry

Two Japanese Navy patrol helicopters reportedly crashed in mid-air on Sunday, killing one crew member and sending seven others into the Pacific Ocean, who remain missing. The crash came just a year after ten Japanese soldiers died in a similar incident.

The two Mitsubishi SH-60K helicopters were conducting anti-submarine training exercises on Saturday night near the remote Izu islands, around 500 kilometers south of Tokyo. Communication with one chopper was lost at around 10:38pm, and military personnel lost contact with the second around 25 minutes later, Japan’s NHK broadcaster reported.

Rescuers dispatched to the scene “spotted what are believed to be part of the aircraft in the sea, and we believe that the two helicopters crashed,” Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters on Sunday. In a follow-up briefing, the minister confirmed that the body of one crew member had been recovered, and that the other seven were still missing.

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“The flight recorders are being analyzed,” Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Chief of Staff Ryo Sakai told reporters, adding that the crew of a third helicopter that took part in the exercise were being interviewed.

The crash came just over a year after a UH-60JA helicopter operated by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force crashed off Miyako Island, roughly halfway between the Japanese island of Okinawa and Taiwan. Ten soldiers died in the crash, and investigators never discovered whether the chopper plunged into the ocean due to a technical malfunction or pilot error.

American forces in Japan have also suffered a string of air crashes in recent years. Eight US crew members were killed when their tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed off the island of Yakushima in December, and five were injured when an Osprey crash-landed on a reef off Okinawa in 2016. Aside from the two crashes in Japan, the US has lost 11 Ospreys to accidents and malfunctions since 2007.

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Technocrats have staked their legitimacy not so much on a carbon-neutral future as on a vision of prosperity that is rapidly receding

Lenin famously defined communism as Soviet power plus electrification of the whole country. In other words, the ideological project of building communism was supplemented by the technocratic project of electrification, the latter being an important source of legitimacy for the new regime.

The present-day European Union is engaged in its own expansive electrification project – the energy transition – that similarly inhabits ground where ideology meets technocracy and underpins legitimacy.

Yet in the past year or so, something has gone badly wrong, and a backlash against the climate agenda and its technocratic enforcers has been spreading across Europe. The energy crisis – far from catapulting the continent further along the path toward a carbon-neutral future as it should have – has exposed just how elusive the goal is, as Europe has scrambled to sign expensive LNG deals and even restart coal-fired plants. Farmers dissatisfied with EU policies that they regard as devastating to their livelihoods have been grumbling for years, but recently their protests have reached a crescendo, and built up political weight. Right-leaning and far-right parties, meanwhile, are gaining ground by the day. Standards of living are dropping and industry is shutting down or moving elsewhere.

Discontent with suffocating bureaucracy and regulation is widespread. A recent survey among German small and medium-sized companies – has registered a massive shift in sentiment against the EU. This is particularly concerning because the so-called German Mittelstand used to be among the strongest pillars of support for European integration.

What is embroiling Europe is deeper than a political crisis – it is approaching what can be called a crisis of legitimacy for the ruling elite. This can be thought of as a metaphysical event that precedes political upheaval, the latter being merely confirmation that such a crisis has taken place. Legitimacy is, of course, a rather nebulous concept, and it defies objective measurement.

Ruling classes throughout history have always advanced various claims about their own legitimacy, without which a stable political order is impossible. In tracing the contours of the current crisis, it’s important to establish what exactly the claims Europe's technocratic elite have put forth and how they are becoming increasingly difficult to believe.

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Ostensibly, the EU’s ruling elite has staked out the green transition as its raison d’être. They claim to have the mandate, vision and competence to see it through and have set clear targets to measure their success.

The headline targets and dates are well-known: reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and become climate-neutral by 2050. There are many other secondary targets. But the goals themselves, which will almost certainly prove elusive, are actually not where Europe’s technocracy has staked its credibility, and the failure to achieve them will not prove its undoing. What is in fact being promised in the energy transition lies somewhere adjacent to the carbon reductions and phase-out of fossil fuels. It is a vision of growth and prosperity wrapped up in a deeper narrative imbued with quasi-religious meaning, and a technocratic path toward achieving it. It is partly a promise of prosperity itself, partly a story about that prosperity, and partly a belief in the power of the anointed managerial class to achieve it.

The EU Green Deal is an ambitious and far-reaching program that can be parsed at many levels. It will certainly go down as a cultural artifact of our era. What is underappreciated, however, is the extent to which it has hitched its wagon to those very notions of growth and prosperity, albeit, of course, with a shiny green luster. In the discourse surrounding the initiative, words such as “emissions” and “renewables” are interspersed with ideas about a “prosperous society,” a “competitive economy,” and a “jobs bonanza.” When launching the Green Deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the program “our new growth strategy – a strategy for growth that gives more back than it takes away.”

The Commission’s press release announcing the Green Deal – tantamount to a statement of creed – makes a startling juxtaposition. Climate change and environmental degradation, we are told, “present an existential threat to Europe and the world.” A more stark description of an apocalyptic crisis cannot be formulated. But the solution, which is couched in the typical corporate jargon of our era, makes clear what the vision is really about: “to overcome this challenge” – it’s merely a challenge now – “Europe needs a new growth strategy that transforms the Union into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy… where economic growth is decoupled from resource use and where no one and no place is left behind.” This is the future that Europe’s technocratic class has promised, and it will live and die by this promise.

In other words, climate targets are set and inevitably missed, but the prospect of missing them hardly threatens the legitimacy of the EU technocracy: if anything, the EU has been quite transparent about falling short of targets, because this only means that efforts need to be redoubled, regulations tightened, and more resources devoted to the cause. The most recent monitoring report by the European Environmental Agency readily admits that the majority of the 2030 green objectives will likely be missed.

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But it’s a very different story when the EU becomes not more modern but less, as innovation falls behind. And instead of becoming more resource-efficient, it begins drastically overpaying for the same non-green energy sources and even returning to coal. Or when the economy loses rather than gains competitiveness and many companies simply pack up shop and move abroad. And what happens when Europe itself is left behind?

One of the implications of the green transition essentially being envisioned as a preservation of the current economic system but plopped down onto a new, sustainable foundation is that all the current rules must still apply: those governing investment, economic viability, and profit. As much of some on the fringe of the climate movement may yearn to implement a system-demolishing ‘eco-Leninism’, to use a term coined by radical activist Andreas Malm, the official EU narrative firmly inhabits the neoliberal framework.

And this leads us to the next great conceit of the energy transition: that there is no trade-off between green investing and making money and that much of the green transition would be quite profitably financed by the private sector. As money poured into green projects, the thinking went, those companies would surge ahead, leaving their non-green counterparts languishing and starved of capital.

And in fact, a strong emphasis has been placed on tapping the deep-pocketed world of institutional managed money. According to the EU’s own estimates, around €400 billion will be needed each year from 2021 to 2030 and €520-575 billion per year in the subsequent decades until 2050. Since the EU cannot pony up anywhere close to that amount, the idea has been to lean heavily on the private and financial sector, with public funds directed to making projects profitable for investors.

For a while, it seemed things might in fact be moving in the direction of a merger of green policy and capitalist profits. When Ford launched an electric Mustang and pickup truck, its market value surged to over $100 billion for the first time. A portfolio put together by The Economist in mid-2021 featuring stocks that stood to benefit from the energy transition doubled the returns of the S&P 500 over a period of a year and a half. Previously the domain of niche sustainable funds, green stocks broke out into the wider market and began receiving inflows from conventional funds. Investors inevitably began drawing comparisons between clean energy today and tech at the turn of the millennium in its market-altering potential.

Meanwhile, various green special-purpose acquisition vehicles (SPACs) proliferated. SPACS are a novel way for smaller companies to list without having to make an initial public offering, although they are indelibly associated with the now-departed era of low interest rates and abundant and cheap capital, when investors were looking to gain exposure to as many small prospective companies as possible in the hopes of hitting the jackpot with the next Tesla. Meanwhile, companies fully reliant on government subsidies with unproven technology were raising money.

A sense emerged that practically any well-marketed endeavor in tune with the prevailing zeitgeist could raise capital, and trendy political ones all the more so. In fact, the implicit unspoken expectation was that in the low-interest-rate world, enterprises supported by the Western elite were, perhaps not sure bets, but at least more attractive than they otherwise might be.

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Alas, this world was not meant to last. Surging inflation and the sharp rise in interest rates to fight it in tandem with the energy crisis in 2022 blew a cold and menacing wind through the green investment boom and revealed much of it to be a fad. The S&P Global Clean Energy Index fell more than 20% in 2023. ESG funds in the US bled more than a net $5 billion in the final three months of 2023, while Europe saw a huge decline in the pace of inflows. Danish offshore wind developer Orsted, one of the darlings in the renewable space, canceled two US projects and has seen its share price plummet 75% since its 2021 highs. After declining for several years, the cost of wind and solar began rising.

Perhaps most symbolic is that Climate Action 100+, the world’s largest investor engagement initiative on climate change, has recently seen a spate of high-level desertions. In just a few days JPMorgan Asset Management, State Street and Pimco withdrew, while BlackRock moved its membership to its much smaller international business in what is a clear downgrade.

Many reasons are cited for the moves but what BlackRock attributed its decision to is probably closest to the truth: the potential conflict between the aim of Climate Action 100+ to get companies to decarbonize and its own fiduciary duty to customers to prioritize returns. In other words, the green economy and making money aren’t quite so compatible after all.

The last year or so has laid bare the reality that the energy transition will not be propelled by a wave of private investment. That puts the onus squarely on policymakers, who will have to mandate the necessary measures rather than hoping that the market delivers them on its own accord. And indeed, what we have seen is that EU institutions and European governments have used executive-heavy measures to push through climate policies, tempered by sporadic and reluctant concessions to farmers and other constituents. In this sense, the EU technocracy has indulged its worst impulses: a penchant for intricate and all-encompassing regulation and classification that almost seems to be a green reincarnation of the mind-boggling complexity of late medieval Scholasticism that set out to codify and order every aspect of the world in accordance with Christian theology.

And here we circle back to the question of legitimacy. Reality has come to resemble almost the mirror opposite of what the European Commission’s “new growth strategy” prescribes. The continent is deindustrializing and plunging headlong into a deep economic decline, yet Europe’s ruling class has staked its legitimacy on the exact opposite: a potent vision of prosperity.

Quite telling is that in 2023, Germany’s carbon emissions fell by a whopping 10% in just one year. For those convinced of the “existential threat to Europe and the world” of climate change, this figure should have been celebrated, regardless of how it was achieved. But because the reduction came thanks not to steps toward a “modern and competitive economy” but quite the opposite – factories shutting down – it was met not with jubilation but embarrassment. This is not how carbon reductions were supposed to happen, and it is why Europe’s ruling elite is facing a deeper crisis.

Regimes whose legitimacy has been compromised but which nevertheless plough ahead with unpopular measures and intrusive regulations enter a very dangerous place. Veteran European analyst Wolfgang Munchau believes that the hyperactive phase of the green agenda will end with the European elections in June and that some of it might even go into reverse. This may be true and if so it would be a prudent political compromise that could stave off a more acute crisis. But it would represent a profound retreat, and it will not restore the lost legitimacy.

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Cannabis will be prohibited even in zones designated for lighting up, Bild has reported

People smoking pot in German railway stations could be banned from the premises starting on June 1, the national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn (DB), told the tabloid Bild on Saturday. The move comes after the country legalized the use of recreational marijuana, including in some public places.

The decision was aimed at ensuring public well-being and protecting minors, a DB spokeswoman told Bild. “We want to protect our passengers, particularly children and young people,” she said, adding that the existing law also prohibits smoking weed in pedestrian zones and near schools or playgrounds during the day.

Under a law enacted in February, adults in Germany are allowed to possess up to 50 grams (1.7 ounce) of marijuana in private homes. In public spaces, the maximum is 25 grams. Public consumption of marijuana is generally allowed except for areas near schools and playgrounds and in sports facilities. Minors caught with cannabis will have to go through a drug-abuse prevention program under the existing rules.

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DB security employees will start informing passengers next week about the upcoming ban, the operator’s spokeswoman told the paper. The company also plans to inform people through posters at each station warning that violations of the new rules could entail penalties, including being barred from the property.

The penalties will be applied starting from June 1. Until then, employees will urge the travelers to refrain from consuming cannabis with “friendly requests and advice,” the spokeswoman said. Only medical consumption of marijuana will be permitted.

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Smoking, including vaping, is also not permitted in the stations. Only about 400 railway terminals out of a total of 5,400 are outfitted with special smoking areas. Consumption of marijuana will be banned there as well, the paper reported. Around 20 million people use DB train stations every day, according to Bild.

The government promoted the legalization of marijuana as a blow against the illegal drug trade. The intention was to create “an alternative to the black market,” German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach stated in February. The law came into force on April 1.

Legalization of the recreational drug in Germany faced backlash from some medical professionals. “From our point of view, the law as it is written is a disaster,” Katja Seidel, a therapist at drug addiction center Tannenhof Berlin-Brandenburg told AFP in April.

Professor Ray Walley from the Standing Committee of European Doctors also warned last year that “evidence shows that cannabis is an addictive drug with many hazards.” In April, he said that the changes in Germany would “increase use and health related harms, especially among youth.”

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A similar program has already been introduced for male students at universities

Ukrainian high school and vocational school students could soon be required to undergo basic military training, according to a new bill backed by the Parliamentary Committee on Youth and Sports.

Details of the new proposal were reported by the local Judicial Newspaper on Sunday. According to the report, the Committee supported the measure, arguing that it would “contribute to the improvement of initial military training and military-patriotic education of Ukrainian youth.”

Military training is expected to be added to the curriculum at general secondary schools, vocational and pre-university schools and institutions of higher education. The new subject would be called ‘Defense of Ukraine’ and would be developed by the Ministry of Education and Culture in cooperation with the Defense Ministry.

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Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed a new bill tightening mobilization rules under which all Ukrainians – even those living abroad – are required to provide updated data about themselves to the military authorities within 60 days of the legislation taking effect. Also, all men between the ages of 18 to 60 are required to carry their military ID on them at all times.

Women will also be able to attend the new classes, but on a voluntary basis. However, earlier this month, Kiev’s chief military adviser for gender issues, Oksana Grigorieva, urged Ukrainian women to be ready for conscription.

Zelensky signed another controversial mobilization law this month that lowers the age of conscription for men from 27 to 25.

The flurry of legislative activity comes as Kiev is struggling to replenish its losses in the conflict with Russia. In late February, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed that Ukrainian forces had suffered more than 444,000 losses since the hostilities broke out in February 2022. Earlier this month, he said Kiev had lost more than 80,000 service members this year alone.

Ukrainian officials have suggested that they would need to call up an additional 500,000 soldiers to fill out the ranks, although it was later claimed that this figure had been reduced.

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Inmates could be used for manual labor such as building defense fortifications, Justice Minister Denis Malyuska says

Ukraine could create special units for convicts who are willing to join the military, Justice Minister Denis Malyuska has said. The minister previously suggested that those who had been sentenced for murder could make for more effective soldiers than ordinary mobilized citizens.

His comments came after the Ukrainian parliament earlier this month passed in the first reading a bill allowing certain categories of convicts to be drafted into the military in exchange for a pardon. However, those who have committed crimes against national security, or of murdering two or more people, or rape and pedophilia, are not eligible.

Speaking on national TV on Saturday, Malyuska explained that the bill envisages not only “contract form of service, but also the creation of separate units where those who have been released from prison would serve.”

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According to the minister, one of Kiev’s main goals is to create a level playing field for all so that those released from prison do not end up shirking their military service somewhere far from the front.

Malyuska also noted that convicts could perform tasks not related to actual combat. “The modern army is not only about shooting a gun. There is a lot of physical work that does not require the use of weapons 24/7. I think that such units can build infrastructure, field and defense works.”

He also previously argued that those convicts “who know how to kill would be more effective as soldiers” and suggested that, for example, they would be more reliable than robbers if given a gun. He also emphasized that convicts would be used either on the front or somewhere close to it.

Malyuska also admitted at the time that drafting criminals would also help alleviate pressure on the country’s crowded prisons.

Ukraine’s campaign to call up convicts to service comes as part of its push to replenish battlefield losses. In late February, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed that Ukraine’s forces had suffered more than 444,000 losses since the conflict began in February 2022. Earlier this month, he said Kiev had lost more than 80,000 service members this year alone.

Earlier this month, Zelensky also signed two laws, one that lowers the age of conscription for men from 27 to 25 and one that significantly tightens mobilization rules.

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The president’s latest blunder comes as a majority of Americans doubt his mental capacity for office

US President Joe Biden has implored his supporters to choose “freedom over democracy,” in the latest of a long series of gaffes and verbal blunders. Conservative pundits have viewed the incident as more proof that the 81-year-old is unfit for office.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Thursday, Biden rattled off a string of buzzwords as he asked voters whether they would choose him over former President Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.

“Are you ready to choose unity over division? Dignity over demolition? Truth over lies? Are you ready to choose freedom over democracy? Because that’s America,” he exclaimed.

Biden’s “freedom over democracy” line drew a mix of laughs and applause from the crowd, and ridicule from conservative pundits and influencers.

BIDEN: "Are you ready to choose freedom over democracy? Because that's America!" ? pic.twitter.com/VaiHZhcwLe

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 18, 2024

“When people were concerned about Ronald Reagan having cognitive decline near the end of his second term, it was nothing like this,” the Conservative Brief wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Look in the mirror and ask yourself, truthfully, if this is the man you want in charge of our security, our economy, and our country for another four years?”

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Biden has a long history of similar slip-ups, and was ridiculed for a 2019 campaign speech in which he declared: “We choose unity over division. We choose science over fiction. We choose truth over facts.”

Republicans insist that Biden’s cognitive faculties are declining, and that this decline has accelerated over his three years in the White House. Video footage of the president shaking hands with imaginary people, getting lost when out in public, and telling reporters that he had just met with long-dead world leaders have served to bolster their case.

In February, US Justice Department prosecutor Robert Hur opted not to charge Biden for mishandling classified documents, noting in a report that the president suffered extreme memory lapses and didn’t possess the “mental state of willfulness” needed to commit a crime.

An Associated Press poll last month found that six out of ten American adults doubt Biden’s mental capacity to serve as president.

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Washington’s hybrid war against Russia will turn into a humiliating fiasco, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said

The approval of a large aid package for Ukraine by the US House of Representatives is the same as funding terrorism, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

In a post on her Telegram channel on Saturday, Zakharova said that the potential allocation of further military assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan would only aggravate the crisis in the world.

“Military aid to the Kiev regime is direct sponsorship of terrorist activities, funds sent to Taiwan is interference in the internal affairs of China, while aid sent to Israel is a straight way to unprecedented escalation of a conflict in the region,” she said.

On Saturday, the lower house of the US Congress passed a $95 billion package that includes almost $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, including funds for the purchase of weapons and military equipment. Most of the rest is allocated to Israel and Taiwan. The Senate is poised to vote on the bill on April 23 with final passage expected by the end of the week.

Washington is driving deeper into a hybrid war with Russia, Zakharova said in a separate statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry, adding that the US would end up facing a “loud and humiliating fiasco on a par with Vietnam or Afghanistan.”

READ MORE: Kiev deliberately targeting journalists – Kremlin

The spokeswoman said “the US is ready to pump Ukraine with weapons so that Kiev could fight to the last Ukrainian, and continue to terrorist acts against civil objects on Russian sovereign territory and civilians, as well as sabotage attacks and killings of journalists.”

Zakharova stated that ordinary Ukrainians were being “forcibly driven to slaughter as cannon fodder” with Washington no longer betting on a Ukrainian victory against Russia, but hoping to keep Kiev afloat until the US presidential election in November.

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The country has enjoyed a rebound in consumption and an uptick in real wages, analyst Alfred Kammer has said

The Russian economy will keep growing steadily in 2024, the head of the IMF’s European Department has predicted.

Speaking at a press briefing following the release of the agency’s latest European Economic Outlook, Alfred Kammer noted the resilience of the Russian economy in the face of the wide-ranging sanctions.

“What we have been forecasting for Russia is actually growth this year, and we also have seen quite strong growth last year, that was explained by economic activity that has remained strong because oil export volumes remained while prices were high,” the analyst stated.

According to Kammer, the country has been enjoying a rebound in consumption, growth in real wages and a strong labor market. He noted that much of the economic growth can be explained by a “boom in investment” in state-owned enterprises, particularly those in the security and defense sectors, as well as a surge in investment related to import substitution.

“There is not much support from the fiscal side, but it was there as well. Most of the fiscal support was lent to security and defense. So that explains also the upgrade of our numbers for 2023 for Russia and the growth outlook for this year,” Kammer concluded.

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Earlier this week, the IMF once again upgraded its growth estimate for the Russian economy, expecting the country’s GDP to expand by 3.2% this year, up from its January projection of 2.6%. Its latest projections put Russia ahead of a number of major Western economies in terms of growth this year, including the US (2.7%), UK (0.5%), France (0.7%), and Germany (0.2%).

Russia’s Economy Ministry expects GDP growth this year to come in at 3.6%, the same as last year.

Many analysts have attributed the resilience of the Russian economy in the face of Western sanctions to its swift pivot to the East for trade and the economic policies implemented to offset the effect of the restrictions.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

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The billionaire’s comments come in response to new funding for Kiev being approved by the House of Representatives

The parties involved in the Ukraine conflict need to work on ways to bring it to a close, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk proposed on Saturday.

Responding to an X (formerly Twitter) post by fellow billionaire David Sachs, in which the latter commented on the House of Representatives approving a spending bill that includes a fresh $61 billion for Kiev, Musk noted that the conflict was turning into “a forever war.”

“My biggest concern is that there is no exit strategy, just a forever war where kids die in trenches from artillery or charging machine guns and snipers through minefields,” Musk wrote.

Musk did not elaborate on his position towards the aid bill itself this time, but in late March he noted that it “should be contingent on proper accounting of how [the funding] is used and a plan to resolve the conflict.”

The billionaire has not explicitly taken sides during the Ukraine conflict. He did supply Kiev with free Starlink internet terminals and access to the satellite-based network but later refused to activate the service near the Russian port city of Sevastopol in Crimea over fears that Ukraine could use the technology to escalate the conflict by attacking Russia’s Black Sea Fleet with guided drones.

My biggest concern is that there is no exit strategy, just a forever war where kids die in trenches from artillery or charging machine guns and snipers through minefields.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2024

In February, Musk said the US should stop aiding Ukraine altogether as there was “no way in hell” Russia would lose the war.

“This spending doesn’t help Ukraine. Prolonging the war doesn’t help Ukraine,” he stated at a forum on X Spaces. Last month, Musk also warned that the “real question” in the conflict now lies in how much territory Kiev will lose before it agrees to sit down to peace talks with Moscow.

Russia has repeatedly said that it was open to peace negotiations if Ukraine accepts the “reality on the ground.” Moscow also warned that Western aid and weapons shipments to Ukraine only exacerbate and prolong the conflict.

READ MORE: US Congress moves closer to approving Ukraine aid bill

The US, meanwhile, is getting closer to approving another $61 billion for Kiev. After being passed by the House, the Ukraine aid bill is set to be voted on by the Senate later this week.

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As the nation of 1.4bn votes in the general election, the incumbent PM seeks to use his charisma to break through in Tamil Nadu

On April 19, the ‘deep south’ Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with an electorate of 62.3 million, voted for its 39 parliamentary seats (out of a total of 543) in the first phase of general election.

What makes 2024 stand out are the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, widely acknowledged as the nation’s most charismatic politician, using every ounce of his appeal to make a breakthrough for his party, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – and its parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – in a state that has been immune to their charms.

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Modi’s high-octane campaign in Tamil Nadu has included an unprecedented eight visits. He has had to weaponize his ideology here because Hindutva politics (denoting Hindu nationalism) has traditionally made no headway against the regional influence of Dravidian ideology. In the 2019 Lok Sabha (lower house) election, it drew a blank in the state despite expanding its majority in the rest of the nation.

Dravidian ideology is predicated on the old theory that lighter-skinned Aryans came and settled among the darker-skinned Dravidians, driving the latter to the Indian peninsula’s south. Hence, the ideology has been against Brahmin hegemony, for social justice, and for strengthening the local language against the imposition of Hindi.

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is a proponent of this ideology and stands in staunch opposition to the BJP, a Hindi-proponent from the Hindi heartland.

The DMK is currently allied with the Indian National Congress (the Congress Party) in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), collaborating with several regional parties within the state.

In the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and 2019, the BJP allied with the other Dravidian party, the All India Anna DMK (AIADMK). This time, however, the BJP ditched the AIADMK for several smaller regional parties.

Cultural and electoral tactics

The BJP has been employing various strategies to attract Tamil Nadu voters, focusing on the state’s strong linguistic and cultural identity. For instance, during the inauguration of a new parliament building in May 2023, a Senghol from the Chola Dynasty was installed, showcasing an effort to resonate with Tamil cultural pride.

The BJP has also attempted to connect with Tamil voters by appropriating Thiruvalluvar, the revered Tamil poet-saint, proposing the establishment of cultural centers named after the poet worldwide in their election manifesto. The party has also revived discussions around Katchatheevu – an uninhabited island that was at the center of a territorial dispute between India and Sri Lanka in the 1970s. BJP picked an emotive issue for Tamils to criticize past actions by the Congress and DMK.

Coimbatore, known as the ‘Manchester of South India’ for its textile industry, is regarded as a stronghold for the BJP in Tamil Nadu.

The city’s political significance was magnified following the 1998 bomb blasts, which led to severe Hindu-Muslim clashes. The state BJP president, K. Annamalai, is contesting from here, underlining his party’s confidence in their grassroots strength.

Modi’s frequent visits, including a roadshow in March along a 2.5km route, highlighted the strategic importance of Coimbatore in the BJP’s campaign plans.

Community response and election prospects

Despite Modi’s intensive campaign, the response from the local community is varied. Kovai Ramakrishnan, a local socio-political leader, told RT: “Though Coimbatore voted for BJP in the 1998 and 1999 elections, people want to move on from the past and are wary of potential communal disharmony.”

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Journalists feel that the BJP is trying to play the caste card, as appeals to religion do not work with voters in Tamil Nadu.

A senior journalist from Coimbatore said there are certain upper caste groups in Coimbatore pledging support for the BJP candidate, and videos supporting him are widely circulated, but that by itself does not give the BJP winning numbers.

Though Modi claims that his party will win big in southern India, the situation on the ground reflects a different reality. The BJP’s claims of growth and development have not made a mark in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu.

In contrast are the welfare measures of the ruling DMK government. The Kalaignar Women Entitlement Scheme, named after former Chief Minister M. Karunanithi, provides 1,000 rupees ($12) to women in a certain economic category, free bus travel for women, and a morning meal scheme for children in all government schools. These policies have been well-received by the state’s 31.4 million female voters.

The BJP holds an edge among young voters thanks to its strong social media presence, but senior journalists and analysts believe that popularity will not necessarily translate to votes.

Modi, a persistent suitor

“The people of Tamil Nadu have become tired of the BJP’s endless and desperate efforts at wooing voters,” Tamil Nadu’s IT minister, PTR Palanivel Rajan, told RT. “It is like a persistent suitor who is tone deaf to the lack of reciprocation.”

He said that “Tamil voters, who having enjoyed the benefits of education, the experience of living in communal harmony, and the first-hand comforts of development, are unlikely to fall for these self-serving and hypocritical charades.”

“Tamil identity, culture, and community are all rooted in humanity; at its core, the social outlook of Tamil Nadu is fundamentally and diametrically opposed to the ideas of Hindutva and Hindi-based homogenization. These are the irreconcilable differences between Tamil identity and that of the BJP,” he said.

A.S. Paneerselvam, a former political editor of The Hindu newspaper, speaking to RT, commented on the ideological clash. “Ideologically, Tamil Nadu is against the BJP’s ‘One Nation One Election One Language’ policy. Tamil Nadu has always stood for diversity and historically the state has always fought for harmonious heterogeneity.”

Despite Modi’s single-handed efforts, the prevailing social, cultural, and political dynamics of Tamil Nadu present significant challenges for the party. The state’s longstanding commitment to regional identity and diversity, along with the popularity of DMK’s welfare schemes, suggest that Modi faces an uphill battle in this key southern state.

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German media previously reported that Moscow’s troops had captured one of the tanks near Avdeevka

The Russian military has seized a German-produced Ukrainian Leopard tank and plans to display it at a trophy exhibition outside Moscow, according to a new video circulating on social media.

A clip shared by the Solovyov Live Telegram channel on Sunday appears to show the evacuation of the tank from the combat area by Russian troops. The video, filmed in the rural area in an undisclosed location, appears to show it being towed down the road by another Russian heavy vehicle. The German-made armor appears relatively undamaged from the outside, but it is missing tracks from both sides.

The Telegram channel's editors explained that Russian troops had to devise a means of evacuating the tank from the battlefield, noting that they had to blow off the tracks with explosives to get it moving.

According to the outlet, the Leopard will be showcased at a Park Patriot outside of Moscow. Other Telegram channels suggested that the vehicle would be on display as early as this summer.

The new video came after Solovyov Live shared a picture in March of a Russian soldier standing in front of a disabled Ukrainian Leopard tank. A few days later, German tabloid Bild reported that Moscow’s troops had indeed seized a Leopard 2A6, adding that the image was taken not far from the Donbass town of Avdeevka liberated by Russian forces in late February.

Germany has provided Ukraine with a total of 18 Leopard 2 A6 tanks. Other countries, including Portugal, Sweden, Poland, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands and Denmark have also committed to provide Kiev with dozens of Leopard 2s of various modifications, amounting to just under 100 vehicles. Ukraine’s Western backers have also promised to send dozens of less advanced Leopard 1 tanks. Both types were actively used by Ukraine during its botched counteroffensive last year.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported the destruction of Leopards on numerous occasions on the battlefield. In late January, Foreign Affairs magazine reported that Ukraine had lost more than a quarter of its Leopard 2s, adding that “others cannot be used due to repair and maintenance issues.”

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The Dutch government has halted drilling in Groningen over earthquake fears

The Netherlands officially shut down the Groningen gas field on Friday after the authorities approved a permanent halt to drilling operations at the site to limit seismic risks in the northern region.

Since October 2023, the gas field has been producing only a fraction of its full capacity following years of production cuts aimed at reducing the risk of earthquakes that the process causes in the region, which have damaged thousands of buildings over the years. However, its 11 wells remain open in case of a severe winter and due to the uncertain international situation with regard to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Earlier this week, the Dutch Senate approved a law to close the gas field for good after the government pledged that production would never be resumed in order to limit seismic risks in the region.

Senators had originally planned to pass the law two weeks ago, but postponed the final vote after several parties raised concerns over the country’s supply.

That move angered both the government and local officials in the northern province. Mining Minister Hans Vijlbrief, who advocated the shutdown, said he would resign if it led to a long delay and further uncertainty regarding the risk of earthquakes for people living in the region. The Groningen authorities accused the parliament of backtracking on its promise to end gas drilling.

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Opened in 1963, Europe’s largest gas field became a major contributor to the Dutch economy, and still has huge reserves of gas. It produced more than 50 billion cubic meters of gas at its peak ten years ago. However, the region has recorded over 1,600 earthquakes since 1986 which have damaged 85,000 buildings. It is not clear whether the halt to production is enough to prevent seismic activity in the region, as empty cavities remain underground.

In February, Shell and Exxon joint venture NAM, which operates the Groningen field, asked an arbitration court to decide whether the government should provide compensation for shutting down gas production at the site.

According to Reuters, gas profits have delivered €363 billion ($385 billion) to the Netherlands since production was launched, while Shell and Exxon’s profits from Groningen amounted to nearly €66 billion over the same period.

Prior to the launch of Moscow’s military operation against Ukraine, a quarter of the Netherlands’ gas imports were sourced from Russia, according to country’s statistics agency. In 2023, the share of Russian natural gas accounted for less than 9% of the country’s imports. Meanwhile, liquified natural gas from the US increased and accounted for two-thirds of the country’s gas imports last year.

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Chad has reportedly asked American troops to stop activities at an air base near the capital of N’Djamena

Chad has asked US troops to halt activities at an air base near the capital of N’Djamena, the only American military site in the country, several media outlets have reported this week, citing letters sent by the country’s armed forces minister, Air Force Chief of Staff Idriss Amine Ahmed to the US defense attaché.

According to Bloomberg, which claimed to have seen one of the letters and verified it with a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Chad has merely alerted the US “to stop their activity at the base.” CNN, citing intelligence sources, reported that in a separate letter the US military was ordered to clear out of the Adji Kossei Air Base entirely.

Chad has also reportedly threatened to cancel the Status of Forces Agreement that governs how the US military can operate in the country.

“Chad hasn’t asked US forces to leave. The US and Chad have agreed that the period following the upcoming Chadian presidential election is an appropriate time to review our security cooperation,” a US State Department spokesman allegedly told Bloomberg.

According to Reuters, in another letter addressed to Chad’s transitional government, Amine Ahmed said he had told the US defense attaché to halt activities at the air base after American troops failed to provide documents justifying their presence there.

“We ask you... to inform the Americans that we have made this decision,” he reportedly wrote.

Chadian authorities did not respond to media requests for comment.

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A US State Department spokesperson told Reuters that Washington is “in ongoing conversations with Chadian officials about the future of our security partnership.” Another official told the news outlet that it was yet unclear if Chad actually wanted US troops to leave the country or if the current situation was more of a political play before the elections next month.

The US reportedly has a contingent of fewer than 100 rotational troops in Chad.

The reports come a month after another African state, Niger, terminated a decade-long military agreement with Washington, which had allowed the US to keep a roughly 1,000-strong contingent in the country.

Anti-West sentiment has been on the rise across Africa, with Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso also recently scrapping military deals with France. Meanwhile, Russia’s influence in the region has been growing. Moscow and Niamey agreed in January to develop military cooperation and work together to combat terrorism in the Sahel region. As of mid-2023, Moscow has signed cooperation agreements with more than 40 African states.

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The EU is worried that the move would breach international law and trigger a backlash, the outlet reports

EU officials are reluctant to bow to US pressure and transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, fearing that Moscow’s retaliation would be aimed primarily at the bloc rather than America, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

As part of unprecedented sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, Western countries have frozen around $300 billion in Russian assets in a move denounced by Moscow as “theft,” with many Western officials suggesting the money could be used to help Ukraine. The bulk of this sum is located in European countries, while the US only holds around $6 billion.

In recent months, there have been several proposals on how to use this money to help Ukraine. While the US has pushed for the more hardline option of outright seizing the funds, the EU has proposed using the profits generated by the assets to help Ukraine. Another option under discussion is to use the assets as collateral to secure loans for Kiev.

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According to the Post, EU officials are reluctant to confiscate the Russian assets due to concerns that the move “could breach international law, discourage investors from trusting the euro and invite Russian retaliation.”

They have also pushed back against the US proposal to seize the funds as Europe holds most of the frozen assets, and “any Russian retaliation will probably fall on Europe, not the United States.”

According to an unnamed US Treasury official, both the EU and US agree that “more needs to be done for Ukraine, but there is no consensus on specifics.” He added that “we’re thinking of the Russian sovereign assets as a sustainable medium-to-long-term solution for this funding problem.”

The report comes as the US House of Representatives passed the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act (REPO) on Saturday, which could allow the administration of US President Joe Biden to seize Russian assets in US banks and transfer them to Ukraine for reconstruction.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned that Russia will not leave the potential seizure unanswered, adding that the move could undermine the principle of the “inviolability of private… and state property,” as well as causing “irreparable damage to the US image.”

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The Senate is set to vote on additional support for Kiev on April 23

A date has been set for the US Senate to vote on an emergency spending bill that includes new funding for Ukraine, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) announced on Saturday. The upper chamber of the Congress will begin considering the legislation on Tuesday, April 23, with the final decision expected by the end of the week.

Schumer praised the US House of Representatives for passing the bill after months of delays. Many Republican lawmakers previously refused to back the bill, tying their approval to demands for new funds to protect the country’s border with Mexico. The bill eventually passed by a vote of 311 to 112 on Saturday, with all Democrats and 101 Republicans voting in favor.

“[The House] at long last approved desperately needed funding for Ukraine, for Israel, for the Indo-Pacific, and for humanitarian assistance… Our allies across the world have been waiting for this moment, and I assure them the Senate is on the path to pass the same bill soon,” Schumer said in a statement.

The sweeping $95 billion package contains roughly $61 billion in financial assistance for Ukraine, including funds for the purchase of weapons and military equipment. The rest is allocated to Israel and Taiwan, among other priorities.

After the measure is adopted by both chambers of Congress, it will need to be signed into law by US President Joe Biden. Since last year, Biden had been telling lawmakers to approve the package and blamed Ukraine’s battlefield setbacks on their failure to do so. He pledged to sign the bill without delay.

“I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs,” the president stated on Saturday.

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Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said he was “grateful” to the House for passing the “vital” aid bill which, in his opinion, “will keep the war from expanding, [and] save thousands and thousands of lives.” Ukraine has suffered increasing shortages of ammunition and weaponry since Washington’s previous support package ran out earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Russia warned that Western aid and especially weapons shipments to Ukraine will only exacerbate the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that the House vote will “further enrich the US and further ruin Ukraine,” while former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated it will inevitably prolong the fighting and “increase the number of victims of this war.”

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to make a decision soon regarding an ultra-orthodox Israeli military unit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuked reported US plans to sanction an Israeli military unit composed primarily of ultra-Orthodox Jews which is under investigation for alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion over alleged violations committed in the West Bank, US news site Axios wrote on Saturday, citing three anonymous US sources.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Netanyahu condemned the idea of sanctioning the IDF, 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, saying his government will act “by all means against these moves.”

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The secretary of state was questioned on Israeli human rights violations in a press conference in Italy on Friday. “You’ll see results very soon. I’ve made determinations; you can expect to see them in the days ahead,” Blinken told journalists. He added that the US applies the Leahy Law “across the board,” and that it’s been gathering facts of the matter and analyzing them.

The Leahy Law – named after its principal sponsor, Senator Patrick Leahy – prohibits the Departments of State and Defense from extending military assistance to foreign armies and law enforcement units that are proven to have flagrantly violated human rights. Should the sanctions go through, the unit will be banned from receiving any kind of US training or material assistance.

According to one of Axios’ sources, the determination was based on incidents that occurred prior to the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. One of the cases which brought attention to the unit was the 2022 death of 78-year-old Omar Assad, who was detained by Netzah Yehuda soldiers at a checkpoint in the West Bank, zip-tied, gagged, and left in a parking lot in the winter. An autopsy by three Palestinian physicians, noting injuries on his arms and legs, gave the cause of death as cardiac arrest from psychological stress resulting from physical violence, Israeli newspaper Haaretz said at the time.

READ MORE: EU sanctions Israeli ‘extremists’

According to the newspaper, the unit 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.

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The platform says it has complied with an Australian eSafety order to remove posts on the attack

Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has accused Australia’s eSafety commissioner of censorship, and vowed to contest in court an order to remove content related to the recent Sydney church stabbing.

According to a statement issued by the social media giant on Saturday, the Australian online safety watchdog had demanded that the company “globally withhold these posts or face a daily fine of $785,000 AUD (about $500,000 USD).”

On Monday, four people, including a bishop with a worldwide online following, were wounded in a knife attack at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the district of Wakeley in Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was speaking during an evening service when a young man approached and lunged at him with a knife, repeatedly stabbing the bishop in the head and chest, while reportedly referring to insults against “my Prophet.”

The incident – which also left two officers injured and was declared an act of terrorism by police – was captured on a church livestream and quickly circulated online.

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Following the tragic event, the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, issued a notice to X and Meta, ordering them to remove material that depicts “gratuitous or offensive violence with a high degree of impact or detail.”

X hit back at the regulator, saying, “eSafety’s order was not within the scope of Australian law,” adding that the company complied with the directive “pending a legal challenge.”

“While X respects the right of a country to enforce its laws within its jurisdiction, the eSafety Commissioner does not have the authority to dictate what content X’s users can see globally,” X’s Global Government Affairs team said in a statement.

Elon Musk, the owner of X and free speech advocate, shared the post, saying, “The Australian censorship commissar is demanding *global* content bans!”

While the eSafety commissioner’s office declined to comment on the statement, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns argued that the platform allowed “lies and rumors” about the stabbing to spread “like wildfire” but was not prepared to do anything when things went wrong.

”We have had enough, Sydney has had enough,” he said, calling for tougher regulations on social media platforms.

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Russian war correspondent Semyon Yeryomin was killed by a Ukrainian drone attack on Friday

Ukrainian forces deliberately target members of the Russian press who are reporting from the conflict front lines, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia on Saturday.

He offered his condolences for the death of Semyon Yeryomin – a war correspondent for the newspaper who was recently killed while covering the conflict. The tragedy highlights the dangers journalists face in combat zones, Peskov said.

“As for the Armed Forces of Ukraine deliberately targeting Russian journalists – yes, that is the case,” he stated.

Yeryomin was filming a story about anti-drone warfare in Zaporozhye Region on Friday when a Ukrainian UAV dropped an explosive device on his crew. The explosion wounded Yeryomin, who later succumbed to his injuries, the newspaper said.

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According to Izvestia, as part of his job as a correspondent, Yeryomin had reported on the crimes committed by the Ukrainian army against civilians.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the attack, describing it as “an act of revenge for the honest performance of journalistic duty.” The “deliberate and cold-blooded murder” showcases the “ugly terrorist nature” of the authorities in Kiev, she stated.

Several Russian journalists have lost their lives since Moscow launched its military operation in the neighboring state more than two years ago.

In November 2023, Boris Maksudov, who worked for Russia 24 TV, died from shrapnel wounds he suffered during a Ukrainian drone attack in Zaporozhye Region. Other slain media employees include RIA Novosti’s Rostislav Zhuravlev, Tavria TV’s Oleg Klokov, and RuBaltic’s Aleksey Ilyashevich.

READ MORE: Ukraine strikes hospital in Donbass, injuring eight – authorities

Russia has also accused Kiev of conducting targeted assassinations of media figures far away from the front lines, including journalist Darya Dugina and military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. Although Ukraine refused to explicitly acknowledge its involvement, officials in Kiev openly celebrated their deaths.

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The new advisers would help with logistics and weapons maintenance, Major General Pat Ryder has said

The US is considering sending additional military advisers to its embassy in Kiev, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder told Politico magazine on Saturday.

The troops would serve in non-combat roles, primarily supporting logistics, monitoring deliveries of US weapons, which Washington admits it often cannot trace once they arrive in Ukraine, and assisting with their maintenance.

The news comes as the US House of Representatives passed a $61 billion aid bill on Saturday, with the Pentagon saying the package will include “things like air defense and artillery capabilities.”

Although Ryder did not specify how many advisers would be sent to Kiev, citing “operational security and force protection reasons,” sources familiar with the matter told Politico that the number could be up to 60.

The additional advisers could work at the Office of Defense Cooperation at the embassy, Ryder explained.

Ukraine is struggling to regain the initiative on the battlefield in the wake of a failed counteroffensive last summer, as well as more recent losses exacerbated by a dwindling supply of foreign ammunition.

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently admitted that “things on the battlefield begin to shift a bit in Russia’s favor,” with Kiev’s forces struggling “in terms of holding the line.” According to Politico, the advisers would be tasked with helping the Ukrainians with newly delivered equipment as the fighting is expected to intensify during the summer.

Although President Joe Biden promised that American troops will not be sent to fight Russia in Ukraine, Moscow has warned that it considers the US and other NATO members de facto participants in the conflict. Russia has also criticized French President Emmanuel Macron and other European politicians who have said they cannot rule out deploying troops to Ukraine in the future.

Russia maintains that no amount of foreign aid will change the course of the conflict or save Ukraine from defeat.

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Ukraine’s leader has thanked US legislators for approving much-needed assistance for the conflict with Russia

The decision by the US House of Representatives to allocate tens of billions of dollars to Kiev will bring Ukraine closer to a “just end” in its conflict with Russia, President Vladimir Zelensky wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Zelensky expressed delight with the new war chest and thanked Speaker Mike Johnson for his support.

The nearly $61 billion package approved on Saturday contains funding for the purchase of weapons and military equipment, as well direct financial assistance to Ukraine. Passed after months of delays and political wrangling, the bill next moves to the Senate, which already indicated in February that it will approve it.

“I am grateful to the United States House of Representatives, both parties, and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,” Zelensky wrote, suggesting that the aid will “keep the war from expanding,” and “save thousands and thousands of lives.”

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“Just peace and security can only be attained through strength,” he wrote. Zelensky added that Ukraine “will undoubtedly use American assistance to strengthen both of our nations and bring a just end to this war closer.”

Republican lawmakers had previously refused to back the bill, tying their approval to demands for better protection of the border with Mexico and a crackdown on illegal immigration.

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Kiev was forced to deal with increasing ammunition shortages after aid from the US – Ukraine’s biggest sponsor – began to dry up. Biden blamed Ukraine’s recent setbacks on the battlefield, including the loss of the strategic city of Avdeevka, on “congressional inaction.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Saturday’s vote “predictable,” adding that it will “further enrich the US and further ruin Ukraine,” and “cause more Ukrainians to die because of the Kiev regime.”

Moscow has warned that deliveries of Western armaments to Ukraine will not alter the outcome of the conflict.

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A new batch of military aid will not save Ukraine from defeat, Dmitry Medvedev has said

The decision by the US House of Representatives to pass a military aid bill for Ukraine will not stop the Russian Army's advance to recover territory Kiev claims as its own, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said.

The US House approved a $61 billion package for Ukraine after months of delays and political wrangling. Kiev's forces have been suffering setbacks on the battlefield it claims is due to ammunition shortages.

Medvedev, who serves as the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, argued that “the vote of gleeful American bastards” will only prolong the fighting and “increase the number of victims of this war.”

“Obviously, we will win, regardless of the bloody dollars shoved down the throat of the insatiable [American] defense industry. The strength and the truth are on our side,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram, calling the US “a despicable empire of evil of the 21th century.”

READ MORE: US House approves Ukraine aid bill

House Republicans had refused back the Ukraine aid bill, while hoping to pressure the White House to crack down on the influx of illegal migration across the border with Mexico. Some legislators also accused President Joe Biden of lacking a clear strategy for ending the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Zelensky had warned that Ukraine would lose if Congress fails to approve additional aid. Following criticism from Kiev and America’s allies in Europe, House Speaker Mike Johnson decided to put the bill to a vote this week, stating that Russia is part of a new “axis of evil.”

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The top US diplomat plans to threaten Beijing over weapons-related exports

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken intends to warn Chinese officials of consequences for exporting materials to Russia with potential military applications, when he travels to Beijing on Wednesday.

Blinken, who is scheduled to make stops in Beijing and Shanghai during a three-day trip to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), plans to meet with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He will “reiterate deep concerns regarding the PRC’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base,” a US State Department spokesman told reporters.

At issue are China’s exports of machine tools, microelectronics, optics, and other products that could be used to make weapons amid the conflict in Ukraine. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen issued a similar warning when she visited China earlier this month.

“The concern there is that through Chinese support, Russia has largely reconstituted its defense industrial base, which has an impact not just on the battlefield in Ukraine, but poses a larger threat, we believe, to broader European security,” the State Department spokesman said. “So that’s deeply concerning to us. We’ll express those concerns to China, and we will express our intent to have China curtail that support.”

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The State Department has warned that it will take “further steps as necessary” to deter China from aiding Russia’s defense industry. “We’re committed to taking the steps necessary to defend our national interests, and we’re prepared to take steps when we believe necessary against firms that are taking steps in contravention to our interests and in ways that – as we’ve indicated here – severely undermine security in both Ukraine and Europe,” the spokesman said.

Blinken raised the issue when he met with G7 leaders earlier this week in Italy. He will not specify the potential punishments during talks in Beijing, but new sanctions could target Chinese financial institutions, the Financial Times reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

The US is being “very direct” about its concerns and will “hold China accountable” for its actions in providing dual-use technologies to Russia while trying to strengthen its ties with Europe, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said. “What we’ve tried to underscore with European and Chinese interlocutors is that these dual objectives are inconsistent, and that we want China to think very carefully about the way forward.”

READ MORE: Beijing criticizes proposed US sanctions

Chinese officials have maintained a policy of neutrality on the Ukraine conflict and have insisted that Beijing is not selling weapons to Russia. They have bristled at the allegations of violating Western sanctions imposed on Moscow.

“China regulates the export of dual-use articles in accordance with laws and regulations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told reporters earlier this week. “Relevant countries should not smear or attack the normal relations between China and Russia and should not harm the legitimate rights and interests of China and Chinese companies.”

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Cancelling sanctions relief and kicking out everyone else looks like a setup for an arranged marriage with Western oil giants

Six months ago, high oil prices in America amid Western sanctions against Russian oil and gas sent the Biden administration scrambling for more supply that it could control – and ideally profit from.

Washington couldn’t influence Russia and Saudi-led OPEC, or relent on the ideologically-driven sanctions idiocy, but it could at least maybe dial up or down the supply to mitigate domestic political fallout of any resulting price increases. So the White House considered the cards it could play, and offered Venezuela a deal to lift the American boot off its neck. It’s probably just a coincidence that the country happens to have the largest oil reserves on the planet – largely untapped.

There’s also the added bonus of rapprochement to counter China and Russia’s advances in Washington’s backyard, or mitigating the influx of migrants from Venezuela to the US as a result of people fleeing a country struggling under a seemingly endless embargo.

So Washington turned to the same Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro whom it indicted on “narcoterrorism” charges in 2020 – the same guy the US spent years delegitimizing by promoting another Venezuelan politician as the “real” president of the country. But instead of black-bagging him to collect the $15 million bounty they’re offering for information leading to his capture or conviction, the Americans made a deal with him.

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Thanks to the US, Maduro had a few problems, but maybe those could go away, if he’d be willing to play ball with America on its own terms. American oil giant, Chevron, scored a license to pump Venezuelan oil in November 2022 – a month after the sanctions waiver was implemented – and in exchange, the US would unblock some of Caracas’ oil sale cash that had been confiscated as a result of US sanctions. Until now, the US simply allowed Venezuelan state oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) to export oil to the US market while invoking sanctions to seize its profits through PDVSA’s American subsidiary, Citgo, confiscating billions in Venezuelan oil revenue. Where did all that cash go? To fund Washington’s regime change puppets, back when the entire Western world was referring to handpicked Juan ‘Who?’ Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

But since the Guaido project flamed out and Maduro was still in charge when the Ukraine conflict upended global oil markets through Western sanctions lunacy, the US sucked up any pride that it may have had left and said that it would let Venezuela get its hands on some of its own cash. Suddenly, Chevron was back plundering Venezuela’s black gold in exchange for Maduro promising to play nice in national elections. Just last month, Chevron announced a new drilling plan for Venezuela in a joint venture with PDVSA, with the goal of increasing output by 35% year-on-year by bringing new wells online. And a month before that, Chevron ramped drilling back up in the Orinoco Belt.

Six months later, Washington has now let the sanctions waiver expire, and any temporary business licenses to operate in Venezuela along with it. Not that Chevron has much to worry about. The Biden administration has underscored that oil companies’ continued licensing would be considered on a case-by-case basis. Which sounds like a convenient way for Washington to keep the market for itself, or at least decide who gets access. Everyone else gets scared off by sanctions.

Using sanctions as an instrument to control the global playing field isn’t new. It’s just getting harder to do amid increasing options as the rest of the world diversifies away from a Western-dominated global order. In February 2020, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Russia’s Rosneft state oil company on accusations that it “brokered the sale and transport of Venezuelan crude oil” – something that the US will no doubt be cool with American competitors doing. “The United States is determined to prevent the looting of Venezuela’s oil assets by the corrupt Maduro regime,” then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, as the US was literally looting Venezuela’s oil assets and withholding the profits.

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So what did Maduro do to give Washington an excuse to slap sanctions back on? Apparently it has to do with the disqualification of opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado from the presidential elections, set for July 2024. Disqualified by the Supreme Court for 15 years, Machado (whose candidacy has since been replaced by that of a former diplomat) is accused of involvement with “the corruption plot orchestrated by the usurper Juan Guaido,” and the marginalizing of the country which led to “dispossession of the companies and wealth of the Venezuelan people abroad, with the complicity of corrupt governments.” Machado did thank Israel for intervening in Venezuelan affairs by recognizing Guaido as the Western-selected interim president, and has argued in favor of the country’s National Assembly invoking an article that would allow it to authorize foreign missions inside Venezuela, arguing in favor of a “responsibility to protect” — the same provision that led to regime change in Libya under the slippery pretext of “humanitarian” intervention.

Washington wants Venezuelan elections to be as democratic, free, and fair as its own. Which are super clean. Just ask former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, who was railroaded in the 2016 primary by the Democratic National Committee in collusion with the campaign of his rival, Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, according to leaked documents posted online. Anything that Washington perceives to fall short of this stellar standard gives it an excuse to move the goalposts – once its own have had a chance to score some touchdowns.

While democratic failings are cited, maybe the waiver cancellation now has more to do with the fact that US oil prices have fallen, production has skyrocketed at home, and domestic demand is now low. Perhaps Venezuela’s untapped oil potential was too much of a good thing, and there wasn’t any point in demanding that Maduro set a table for everyone to dine when he could just be having a romantic tête-à-tête – or more like an arranged marriage – with Washington’s favorites. The party’s over for everyone else and they’re now kindly being asked to leave before the cops (or OFAC) show up.

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