⚡️ Russian forces close to defeating Ukrainian nationalist battalion 'Donbass', Defence Ministry says

🤯 📹 Ukrainian neo-Nazis from the Azov Battalion deliberately destroyed a swimming pool in the centre of Mariupol, killing many civilians inside it, refugee Nina Kulaeva says

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❗️ Catch up with the latest Russian MoD’s statements:

▪️ Units of the Russian Armed Forces are close to completing the defeat of the nationalist battalion "Donbass".

▪️ DPR troops are fighting for the capture of the settlements of Kamenka and Novoselivka-2.

▪️ Russian air defence systems shot down seven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.

▪️ Operational-tactical and Army aviation of Russia hit 89 Ukrainian military facilities over the past 24 hours.

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🤔 📹 Boris Johnson has found himself in hot water for comparing Ukrainians to people in Britain voting for Brexit.

In a speech, he said Britons, like Ukrainians, had the instinct "to choose freedom" and cited the 2016 vote to leave the EU as a "recent example".

Many experts condemned the comparison, calling it an attempt to score political points against the backdrop of the prime minister's falling approval ratings amid Partygate and general dissatisfaction with the Conservative Party.

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❗️🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russian MoD calls on Kiev to take back its order to militants to become "martyrs of Mariupol"

🔎Hunter Biden, second son of US President Joe Biden, is being investigated by the Justice Department over his finances including, according to US media reports, some of his business dealings in China.

During the 2020 election campaign, he and his father were frequently accused by Donald Trump and his associates of wrongdoing in regards to China and Ukraine, allegations which they both denied.

The New York Post reported on an alleged email in which an adviser from a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, apparently thanked Hunter for inviting him to meet his father, Joe Biden.

Asked about the allegations, Joe Biden told a reporter it was a "smear campaign". No criminal activity has been proven, and no evidence has emerged that Mr. Biden did anything to intentionally benefit his son.

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Official Kiev encouraged nationalists in the besieged city to become an "example of resilience," sacrifice themselves so that they would be given the status of "martyrs of Mariupol," according to the the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Mikhail Mizintsev.

To achieve this goal, they were given the green light to use more than 200,000 of the city residents as "human shields," he noted.

❗️🇧🇷A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has rescinded the order banning Telegram after the company promised to comply with the court's banning and blocking orders over specific content and users.

Telegram is said to be President Jair Bolsonaro's favorite social media app

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🏀LeBron James passed Karl Malone on the career scoring list, leaving only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still to catch.

Then the Los Angeles Lakers wasted another stellar performance by their star.

James came into the night needing 19 points to tie Malone. He ended up scoring double that, but the Washington Wizards rallied from a 16-point deficit to win 127-119 on Saturday night.

James said he couldn’t appreciate the milestone as much in a loss.

“Obviously at some point, I’ll be able to look back at this moment, but right now the feeling I have — I can’t separate it,” James said. “We had a great opportunity to pick up some more momentum.”

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On March 20, 2003, the US-led coalition invaded Iraq under the pretext of Saddam Hussein's links to terrorism and the Iraqi possession of the WMDs, the claim that was never proven. During the first five years of the Iraq War, an estimated 151,000 to 1,033,000 Iraqis died.

The head of the Arab League at the time of the invasion, Amr Moussa, tells Sputnik about his assessment of the US intervention back in 2003.

🇮🇶Today, Iraqi leadership is strong and the country has every chance to restore its stability and security, but for this Baghdad needs the help of Arab countries and friendly states such as Russia, according to Moussa.

🇺🇸🏊‍♀️ Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas on Saturday finished in last place in the 100-yard freestyle final at the NCAA women's swimming championships in Georgia, even though she entered the finals with the fourth-fastest time and broke the record on Thursday.

Thomas' victory on Thursday triggered a massive backlash from those believing that trans women should not be able to compete in women's sports.

MORE DETAILS: https://sputniknews.com/20220320/trans-swimmer-lia-thomas-finishes-last-in-100-yard-ncaa-freestyle-1094030738.html

🇺🇸🏀The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Houston Rockets in the NBA on Sunday!

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🚨A Florida woman who was released on a $120 bond after plowing an SUV into a playground and killing a 4-year-old girl is now being held without bail, according to reports.

Kiara Morant, 18, was initially released on paltry bond after being charged with driving without a license when her Jeep Cherokee barreled into a daycare center playground Wednesday.

After Morant was sprung, one of the children she allegedly struck died — prompting cops to upgrade charges to felony counts of driving without a license resulting in serious injury or death, WWSB-TV reported.

Police said the incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Arcadia when Morant allegedly lost control of the SUV and drove through a chain-link fence at the daycare.

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🇺🇸 The bodies of four US marines who were killed in the crash during NATO's Cold Response exercises in Norway have been found, media report, citing Norway's defense ministry.

⚽️ Barcelona thrash Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico mauling

Barcelona moved up to third with the victory, boosting their chances to play Champions League football next season.

It is their first win against Real Madrid since 2019

🇺🇸⚡️Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was hospitalized Friday after experiencing flu-like symptoms

He is expected to be released from the hospital "in a day or two"

❗️🇺🇸🇷🇺 Washington can broaden the sanctions against Russia, targeting more banks & sectors of Russia's economy, including oil and gas, the White House said Sunday

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