Новости за 09.04.2023

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has conducted successful tests of a high-precision long-range kamikaze drone equipped with a 50 kilogram (110 pound) warhead, the head of the IRGC's R&D department, gen. Ali Kouhestani, said on Sunday.

Today, millions of African Christians celebrate Easter. According to research, around half of the population of Africa professes Christianity, and in countries where Christians make up the majority of the population, Easter is an important event in the calendar.

The Benin Bronzes are a collection of several thousand of brass sculptures from the palace of the ruler of the Benin Kingdom (modern-day Nigeria), dating back to at least the 16th century. Until now, research on the origins of the metals used in their casting provided no clear results, but a new study shed light on this scientific mystery.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk's crusade for free speech firstly led him to initiate the series of "Twitter files" publications, where the mechanism of disinformation were unmasked. Now, he is branding multiple western media with a special for their ties to authorities.

PARIS (Sputnik) - Europe should not let itself be drawn into the confrontation between the United States and China over Taiwan conforming to "the American rhythm," French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.

The navy pilot claims he ran into UFOs while flying in restricted airspace off the United States' East coast, alleging that people who are "still flying out there" continue encountering mysterious unidentified objects.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A preliminary investigation into the airstrikes conducted toward Israel has showed that the units that had launched the missiles were of non-Lebanese origin, the press office of Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Sunday.

There were several mass extinctions in the geological history of Earth. Scientists have just discovered another one, and in this case, Chinese volcanoes are to blame.

Africa has recently been graced by a series of visits of US top officials, who traveled to the continent in a bid to forge a new impetus to US-Africa cooperation. During the visits, they in particular pointed at Washington's concerns over the growing involvement of China and Russia.

The Chinese military announced that it would hold three-day air and naval military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and around the island on Saturday morning. The drills kicked off shortly after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a visit to the US.

Much wealth was extracted from African nations during colonization. The restitution of looted items of cultural significance has been widely discussed in recent years.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A large fire in the German city of Hamburg sent a plume of hazardous smoke into the air, prompting authorities to issue an "extreme danger" warning, German media reported on Sunday.

Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has pointed out that at present, the West is trying to drive a wedge between Africa and Russia. He accused the US and its allies of seeking to torpedo the second Russia-Africa Summit scheduled for late July in St Petersburg, as they are trying to dissuade African nations from joining the event.

Washington released a new report in which it upheld its decision to pull US troops out of Afghanistan in 2021 earlier this week.

Journalist Matt Taibbi helped the billionaire bring the truth to light about how censorship and Washington-backed propaganda work on social media by releasing several batches of the Twitter Files.

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKIY, Russia (Sputnik) - The West is overreacting to Russia's plans to build storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, while forgetting about the presence of US nuclear weapons in Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

The pontiff was discharged from a Rome hospital just before the start of the Holy Week after a three-night stay for a bronchial infection.

A US media outlet earlier noted that unlike Macron, the European Commission President “was mostly left alone” during the duo's visit to China, where she was “demonized” by local media as “an American puppet.”

Over the past few months, tens of thousands of British nurses and ambulance service staff have walked off the job as part of their long-running pay dispute with NHS bosses.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The leaks of classified US documents have complicated Washington’s relations with allies, The New York Times reported, citing US officials.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A four-storey apartment building collapsed in the center of Marseille overnight.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Syrian air defense systems have shot down several Israeli rockets in the south of the country, the Syrian Defense Ministry said.

In recent years, the Soros family has gained a lot of attention for their political activism and contribution to liberal causes. George Soros, the billionaire businessman and philanthropist, has long been a controversial figure in conservative circles due to his support for left-wing policies and candidates.

DOHA (Sputnik) - The Houthi rebels (Ansar Allah movement) in Yemen have announced the release of over a dozen prisoners, in exchange for one Saudi prisoner, the head of the Houthis' prisoner affairs committee, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, said.

TUNIS (Sputnik) - Tunisia is considering joining the BRICS group amid stalled negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the spokesman of the July 25 Movement, Mahmoud Ben Mabrouk, told Sputnik.