WE THE FURY

Israel rejects calls for independent investigation into mass graves Leaders from the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) have called for an independent investigation into the mass graves that were discovered in Palestine. Volker Türk, the UN Human Rights Chief, said on Tuesday that an independent investigation into the mass graves - not an Israeli one - is needed “given the prevailing climate of impunity.” Palestinian Civil Defense said over the weekend that it had found a mass grave containing 283 bodies on the grounds of the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. That discovery follows an incident two weeks ago when another mass grave was found at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Some of the bodies that were found in the mass grave over the weekend had been handcuffed, shot in the head or were found wearing detainee uniforms, according to Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Palestinian Civil Defense. When asked by reporters about the mass graves, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Nadav Shoshani disregarded the reports as “fake news.” He also asked, “investigate what?” When asked if Israel will investigate the mass grave reports, he claimed that Israel had already looked into the report and found no evidence

Russia has become the first country in the world to create a space system for monitoring the Arctic region after a state commission confirmed the operation of the Arktika-M satellite No. 2, Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said. In a groundbreaking technological achievement, Russia has announced the development of a space-based hydrometeorological system that allows for continuous observation of the region, according to a statement. "Today, April 27, 2024, the state commission for flight testing of space complexes for socio-economic, scientific and commercial purposes reviewed the results of flight testing of the highly elliptical hydrometeorological space system Arktika-M with the spacecraft Arktika-M No. 2. Based on the results of the review, the state commission decided to complete the tests with the commissioning of the Arktika-M spacecraft No. 2," read the statement from Roscosmos.

Over 700 protesters angered by the Israeli war on Gaza have been arrested during rallies on college campuses across the United States since mid-April, US media estimated. A growing number of US students have been frustrated by Washington's support of Israel's actions in Gaza as a humanitarian disaster continues unfolding in the besieged Palestinian enclave. A fresh wave of student activism was triggered by the arrest of at least 108 protesters at Columbia University in New York last week, The New York Times said. Police officers and university administrations have clashed with student activists in several states across the country in recent days. Since April 17, 44 students have been arrested on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut; 93 people were held at University of Southern California in Los Angeles; 118 at Emerson College in Boston; 102 at Northeastern University in Boston; and 69 at Arizona State University in Tempe, among others.

A German Leopard 2A6 tank and a Ukrainian T-72 tank have been unveiled at Moscow's Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill They will be added to an exhibition of trophy weapons and military hardware captured by Russian troops. Over 30 samples of military equipment produced in 12 countries are going to be on display in Victory Park. Apart from the Leopard 2A6 tank, the exhibition features a German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, a US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, a Swedish CV90 armored fighting vehicle, a French-made AMX-10RC armored fighting vehicle, and many other trophies. The captured equipment will be presented on the square outside the Victory Museum and will be accompanied by information stands about Western manufacturing, the equipment’s characteristics, as well as the place and circumstances of the armaments' capturing by Russian soldiers. The exhibition is set to launch on May 1, 2024, and will last for one month.

Russian air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said. No injuries or damage were reported per preliminary information, according to the governor.

Why US wants to curb China’s economic advance US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to China has, among other things, highlighted Washington’s fondness of using threats and ultimatums as negotiating tactics. Blinken’s primary goal was to clarify the US’ stance on China and all countries who independently shape their respective policies towards Russia and regarding Asia’s development, according to Alexei Maslov, director of the Moscow State University’s Institute of Asian and African Studies. The US essentially wants China to stop its technological and financial assistance to Russia, as well as to decrease government support to Chinese companies that operate on Western markets, Maslov tells Sputnik, noting that these demands were delivered in the form of an ultimatum. He points out that the US has already revealed how it might try to pressure China into doing Washington’s bidding. These measures include tripling the existing tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum exports; ramping up restrictions against Chinese banks, up to cutting off some of these banks from SWIFT; and landing sanctions against certain Chinese companies that would be prevented from exporting their products to the US. China, however, firmly stated that it is going to decide for itself with whom to trade, Maslov remarks, noting that Beijing did offer to Washington to resolve their differences through talks. The US was fine with China's trade expansion until it entered high-tech development and began competing with Western technologies. Thus, Maslov explains, the US wants China to remain a “world factory” and to manufacture consumer products for Western countries and for ASEAN nations, whereas the high tech sphere must remain the domain of the US and the Western world. According to the scholar, this is not really a trade matter – this is about the ability to shape the future, and the US wants to maintain a monopoly on that.

US troop withdrawal from Chad and Niger forecasts decline of hegemony US Special Operations forces will withdraw from Chad in the coming days in response to the Sahel nation's questioning of the legality of its military presence in the region. The move comes after US troops were likewise forced out of Niger.

"It's failing. It's the easiest way to put it," Larry Johnson, a retired CIA intelligence officer and State Department official, tells Sputnik. "It is really a black eye for these United States in terms of its overall loss of influence. And I think it’s going to be replaced by Russia," he adds.

Chad was under French colonial rule from 1900 to 1960. After the Sahelian nation gained independence, France continued to interfere in its internal affairs. The US began increasing its military presence in Chad and elsewhere in Africa after the NATO invasion of Libya in 2011. However, neither French nor American troops have been able to reduce the terrorist threat in the Sahel, leading regional governments to question their deployment. Paris is believed to still maintain a 1,000-strong contingent in Chad, but Western analysts suggest the French could also withdraw after the US Spec Ops leave the region, according to the Washington Post.

"Both Russia and China are viewed as more honest brokers much more so than the US," Johnson explains. "The United States effort to dominate the world has been reversed. It had reached a zenith, and it's now heading back downhill. So I think this is just one more sign that the US policy has gone astray," he concludes.