📹 The crew of the Russian T-80BVM tank destroyed an enemy group of up to ten people who tried to reconnoiter the forward positions of the Russian Army in the DPR

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Putin expresses condolences to Indian Prime Minister over triple train crash

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the three-train collision in the eastern state of Odisha, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

"Please accept our deepest condolences in connection with the tragic consequences of the train collision in the state of Odisha. We share the grief of those who lost their loved ones in this catastrophe and hope for a speedy recovery of all the victims," the message, also addressed to Indian President Droupadi Murmu, read.

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US defense chief claims Washington not trying to create NATO-like alliance in Indo-Pacific region

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated that the United States is not seeking to establish a NATO-like alliance in the Indo-Pacific region at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He emphasized the importance of maintaining good relationships with countries in the region, while acknowledging European countries' interest in the matter.

Austin also expressed concerns over potentially devastating consequences of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait and emphasized the US commitment to peace and stability in the region.

Regarding US-China relations, Austin highlighted his disappointment on what he termed a lack of serious engagement from the People's Republic of China (PRC) on crisis management mechanisms between their militaries. He expressed hope for a change in the future and indicated that he had no updates on arms control discussions with Chinese officials.

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Sunak, Biden to Discuss Creation of ‘Guardrails’ to Introduction of AI

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will discuss with US President Joe Biden next week the creation of barriers to the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), as the UK media outlet reports.

Earlier Sunak said that he intended to raise the topic of the "existential risk" posed by AI during his visit to the United States, scheduled for June 7-8.

Sunak could propose the creation of a global AI oversight body modeled on the International Atomic Energy Agency and headquartered in London, the report said, adding that the idea to create an international body to control AI was voiced by the head of OpenAI, Sam Altman, during the meeting with Sunak.

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❗️ Recep Tayyip Erdogan took his oath in parliament and officially assumed office as President of Turkyie. During the ceremony, Erdogan was handed a protocol on victory in the second round of the presidential elections.

📸🇹🇷 Visuals from Erdogan's inauguration ceremony shared on social media

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🤨 US Secretary of State Blinken to the Russian people: “United States are not your enemy”

Oh really? If you say so...

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Exclusive: Afwerki on Bilateral Relations With Russia, New World Order, NATO's War on Moscow

🇪🇷 As Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki arrived in Moscow on a four-day visit to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Sputnik Africa had a chance to have an exclusive interview with the African leader.

President Afwerki delivered his view on the development of the bilateral relations, multilateral Russia–Africa cooperation, NATO's war on Russia and the changing world order.

👉 Read the full interview!

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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister calls Sullivan's fresh remarks on arms control destructive

Recent remarks by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on arms control are destructive in their nature and are aimed at promoting Washington's agenda of disrupting the balance of interests, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Saturday.

"We have taken note of some remarks by [US President Joe] Biden's National Security Advisor Sullivan at the annual conference of the Washington Arms Control Association. It is an obvious attempt to present the US position in a way that is more attractive to the international community than it has actually been shaped to date. And in addition to all these slogans, it contains an undeniably destructive charge and a mindset of maintaining and strengthening American superiority in some areas with a claim to complete dominance, to further break the balance of interests," Ryabkov told reporters.

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🤨 Wait, what? EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell admits Ukraine conflict will end without West’s arms supplies to Kiev

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US’ Trojan Horse: Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Outside, So What’s Inside?

China views the IPEF as a US-friendly structure aimed at dividing countries in the Indo-Pacific, rather than allowing them to work together to create a shared future.

Why was the IPEF launched and how does it function?

Zelensky Wants Ukraine to Have 50 US-Made Patriot Defense Systems - Reports

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the only system capable of intercepting some of Russia's advanced missiles is the US-made Patriot air defense system, and that Ukraine needs 50 such systems, American newspaper reported.

Zelensky told media that he was grateful to Western countries for supplying weapons systems, but said that deliveries should be faster and in greater numbers. He added that Ukraine, in particular, needs more Patriot missile batteries to protect its cities and front-line troops.

The Ukrainian president added that Kiev would like to receive more Western weapons for a counteroffensive.

“We would like to have certain things, but we can’t wait for months,” he said, as quoted by the newspaper.

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Head of Zelensky’s office says discussed Ukraine's peace plan with Sullivan

Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Saturday that he had held a telephone conversation with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the sides discussed Kiev's peace plan for resolving the Ukraine conflict.

"I had a telephone conversation with Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to the US President [Joe Biden]. We discussed Ukraine's desire to implement [President] Volodymyr Zelensky's peace formula as a basis for peace in Europe," Yermak said on Telegram.

He noted the importance of involving as many countries as possible in supporting the initiative.

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❗️ Joe Biden signed a bill to raise the US national debt ceiling, which will allow the country to avoid default. The current level of $31.4 trillion was exceeded in January.

Kremlin says France cannot mediate in Ukraine conflict

Russia does not see France as a neutral party in the Ukrainian conflict and will not accept its mediation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday.

The US business newspaper reported earlier this week that French President Emmanuel Macron had offered his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to host a Ukraine peace summit in Paris. France and its NATO partners have been providing Kiev with military assistance for over a year.

"In this respect, France can hardly be considered a neutral state that can claim the role of a moderator, like Brazil, China, African countries or the Vatican did. France cannot do it anymore because France is a de facto active participant in the conflict and has sided with Ukraine," Peskov told a Russian broadcaster.

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UK rail union head urges end to ‘obscene’ arms transfers to Ukraine, citing war crimes

The president of the UK's main rail worker union has criticized the British government's arms transfer to Ukraine, calling it an inappropriate use of public funds.

Alex Gordon, president of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), expressed his concern during a socialist conference, stating that it is obscene to spend billions on arms while workers struggle to meet their basic needs. He highlighted the alleged war crimes in Ukraine involving British weapons and urged the labor movement to take a stand against the war.

Other figures within the British labor movement, including the University and Colleges Union (UCU), have also voiced opposition to arms sales to Ukraine.

The British mainstream media has responded negatively to these developments, with some outlets criticizing the claims made by Gordon and the UCU.

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From Nairobi to Cape Town: Moscow reaffirms African partnerships

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has wrapped up his African tour - the top diplomat visited four nations: Kenya, Burundi, Mozambique and South Africa.

Read about his full African itinerary

Trade turnover between Saudi Arabia, BRICS tops $160bln in 2022

The trade turnover between Saudi Arabia and the BRICS countries increased by $32 billion in a year and exceeded $160 billion in 2022, which is almost twice as much as in 2017, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on Friday.

"Relations with the BRICS nations are showing significant growth, reflecting the development of ties with the group's countries. The total volume of bilateral trade with the BRICS countries increased from $81 billion in 2017 to $128 billion in 2021. In 2022, the level exceeded $160 billion," the minister was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency.

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Twitter to host interview with presidential candidate Robert Kennedy on Monday

Twitter is to hold an interview with the Democratic candidate for a president Robert Kennedy Jr. on Monday at 2 p.m. ET (18:00 GMT), entrepreneur Elon Musk tweeted on Saturday.

"System is being upgraded & stress-tested in advance of @RobertKennedyJr interview on Monday," Musk wrote on his Twitter profile.

On Friday, Musk invited the presidential candidate publicly over Twitter and Kennedy directly accepted.

Last week, the Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis announced his bid on Twitter Spaces and as a result raised record amount of money in 24h - $8.2 million. For comparison, in 2020, Joe Biden raised $6.3 million on day one.

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Odds of 'smarter than human' AI wiping out mankind are 50 percent or greater, physicist warns

Scientists worldwide are raising concerns about the potential dangers of advancing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, warning that it could lead to humanity's downfall.

Physicist and machine learning researcher Max Tegmark recently highlighted the risk of AI development proceeding unchecked, estimating a 50 percent or higher chance of highly advanced AI causing human extinction. Tegmark compared the scenario to past extinctions caused by the actions of the most intelligent species on Earth, emphasizing the need to prevent machines from surpassing human control.

His views echo those of other experts, including British-Canadian computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, known as the "Godfather of AI," who warned that AI could become more intelligent than humans and potentially seize control.

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Is US Dragging Japan Into Conflict With Russia and China?

The Biden administration is reportedly striving to ensure Japan's supplies of TNT for US-made 155mm artillery shells amid Washington's effort to arm the Ukrainian military.

What's behind the trend?