EL Etos UT

The Holy Fire descended in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. For security reasons, only 1.8 thousand pilgrims watched the ceremony in the temple this year, although usually there are more than 10 thousand. The descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of Easter symbolizes the exit from the tomb of the “True Light”, that is, the resurrected Jesus Christ. After hours of frantic anticipation, a priest reached inside the dim tomb and ignited his candle. Each neighbor passed the light to another and, little by little, the darkened church was irradiated by tiny patches of light, which eventually illuminated the whole building. Bells rang out. “Christ is risen!” the multilingual worshippers shouted. “He is risen indeed!” The Holy Fire, or Holy Light, that is carried to Greece each year from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, is to arrive on a special Aegean Airlines flight on the afternoon of Holy Saturday, in time for the Easter midnight mass.

1. The Sudanese army said on Saturday its fighter jets are carrying out strikes on military bases of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) near the capital of Khartoum. "The Sudanese air force is destroying the RSF camps of Taiba and Soba and chasing members of the RSF who try to disguise themselves among civilians," the army's statement read. The Sudanese army said on Saturday that it continued to keep the Presidential Palace and other strategic objects under control despite the Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) stating otherwise. Clashes broke out between the RSF and the army earlier in the day. The RSF has announced they have seized the Republican Palace lodging the Presidency in Khartoum, the international airport of Khartoum and an air base in the city of Merowe. "Our military are countering the attempts of the Rapid Support Forces to seize strategical objects, including the Republican Palace, the General Command and the headquarters of the Sovereignty Council," the Sudanese army said in a statement. --- 2. Clashes between Sudan's army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are ongoing around the presidential palace and Khartoum International Airport as both sides fight for control of symbolic sites. The two parties forged a partnership following the ousting of former leader Omar al Bashir in 2019, but army boss General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been the country's de facto president since a military coup in October 2021. A new deal signed late last year was supposed to pave the way to democratic elections, but Saturday's violence erupted following weeks of escalating tensions. RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, has labelled General Al-Burhan a "criminal" and accused his troops of carrying out a coup. Fighter jets have been seen over the city and two major airlines, the state-owned Saudi carrier Saudia and Egypt's Egyptair, have suspended flights in and out until further notice. ---- 3. A Saudia aircraft was damaged by gunfire in Khartoum amid the military clashes that erupted in Sudan’s capital earlier Saturday. The aircraft was exposed to gunfire while preparing for its scheduled departure to Riyadh with guests and crew members on board the flight this morning, according to a statement released by Saudi Arabia’s airline. All cabin crew members safely arrived at the Saudi embassy in Sudan, the statement added. -- 4. A plane belonging to the United Nations was reportedly destroyed during Saturday’s clashes between the Sudanese army and rapid reaction forces that took place at Khartoum’s International Airport, the Al Arabiya TV channel reports. The TV broadcaster’s footage showed charred fragments of the plane's fuselage. Al-Arabiya does not specify whose actions resulted in the destruction of the plane or the reasons for identifying it as a UN aircraft. --- 5. Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces shared a video on Saturday that they said showed Egyptian troops who had “surrendered” to them in Merowe, northern Sudan.

The remaining units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine deliberately destroy residential buildings and urban infrastructure during the retreat from Artemovsk(also named Bkhmut). This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov. It is assumed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are destroying houses in Artemovsk in order to slow down the advance of Russian forces. --- Related: Ukrainian army during the retreat blow up residential buildings in Artemovsk: [https://rumble.com/v2i5g8w-ukrainian-army-during-the-retreat-blow-up-residential-buildings-in-artemovs.html?mref=10gobl&mc=d3odw]

Wetland in front of the former "Panagia" clinic (Nea Krini) shortly before the bad weather with heavy rains during the two days of Easter (April 16 and 17, 2023)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated from a port in Wakayama after a blast was heard, but he was unharmed in the incident, local media reported Saturday. Several reports, including by Kyodo news agency, said an apparent “smoke bomb” had been thrown but there were no immediate signs of injuries or damage at the scene. The blast that occurred at a venue in Wakayama where Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was giving a speech should not affect the timetable of a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Karuizawa slated for April 16-18, the organizers told TASS on Saturday. "So far, we have not received any instructions to amend the schedule of events," one of the organizers said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled a public performance in Wakayama City. Earlier, there was an explosion near the place where the head of the cabinet of ministers was supposed to speak. The explosion that thundered in the city of Wakayama before the speech of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was carried out by a 24-year-old man, reports the Japanese agency Kyodo.

France's top constitutional body has cleared the Macron government's highly unpopular move to raise the state pension age from 62 to 64. The Constitutional Council also rejected calls for a referendum by political opponents but struck out some of the reforms citing legal flaws. Twelve days of protests have been held against the reforms since January. In March, the government used a special constitutional power to force through the reforms without a vote. ---- Protesters gathered outside Paris City Hall, holding banners reading "climate of anger" and "no end to the strikes until the reform is pulled" as the Constitutional Council's verdict was announced. Police are expecting up to 10,000 people to gather again in Paris on Friday night, raising fears of the vandalism and clashes that have marred recent rallies. The Constitutional Council, a short walk from the Louvre museum in the centre of the French capital, has been protected with barriers, and dozens of riot police are on guard nearby. -- France's Constitutional Council validates Macron's unpopular pension reform: [https://www.kaos.gr/2023/04/frances-constitutional-council.html] -- France pension reforms: Constitutional Council clears age rise to 64: [https://www.elethos.gr/2023/04/france-pension-reforms-constitutional.html] ------------------- 15.04.2023: Macron signs controversial pension reform bill into law overnight: [https://www.elethos.gr/2023/04/macron-signs-controversial-pension.html] - [https://www.kaos.gr/2023/04/macron-signs-controversial-pension.html]

The Russian Defense Ministry showed footage of the exit from the bases of ships, submarines, boats and support vessels of the Pacific Fleet (Pacific Fleet) as part of a surprise inspection announced today by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The description of the video says that on the recording you can see the exit of ships and vessels of the Pacific Fleet from the Vladivostok base, as well as the exit of submarines from the base in Kamchatka. --- Related: Russian Pacific Fleet will practice repelling enemy landings on the southern Kuriles and Sakhalin: [https://rumble.com/v2i5mk6-russian-pacific-fleet-will-practice-repelling-enemy-landings-on-the-souther.html?mref=10gobl&mc=d3odw]

Some parts of Saudi Arabia, particularly the Al Baha region, were hit by unusual hail and snowfall on Monday (10.04.2023) morning. Cumulus thunderstorms were responsible for the unusual precipitation, which resulted in the closure of several roads and disruption of traffic in the area.

The Pacific Fleet, as part of a sudden check and brought to the highest degree of combat readiness, will work out actions to repel an enemy landing on the southern Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. "In accordance with the orders of the General Staff, the fleet will have to refine the plan for use, taking into account the training situation, to prepare forces for combat operations in a short time, perform operational deployment and work out a set of combat training tasks both in the near and far sea zones," Shoigu noted. "In practice, it is necessary to work out methods of action to prevent the deployment of enemy forces in operationally important areas of the Pacific Ocean, the southern part of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and repel its landing on the southern Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island," Shoigu said.

In Artemovsk (also named Bkhmut), the entire center of which is already under the control of Russian army, the retreating Armed Forces of Ukraine began to undermine houses. In fact, this is already a well-known scorched earth tactic. Footage of one of the explosions was filmed by Russian intelligence. --- FULL VIDEO : [https://ren.tv/news/v-rossii/1094465-vsu-vo-vremia-otstupleniia-vzryvaiut-zhilye-doma-v-artemovske]

1. North Korea says it tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile - its "most powerful" missile to date. State media hailed Thursday's launch, which led to a brief evacuation order in Japan, a "miraculous success". Solid-fuel missiles can be fired more quickly than liquid-fuel ones, making them harder to intercept. But analysts say they are not without downsides. South Korea maintains that the North will need more time to develop a fully operational solid-fuel ICBM. -- 2. North Korea conducted the first test launch of its solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Hwasong-18, the country’s state-run KCNA news agency reported. According to the agency, the trials "had no adverse effect on the security of the neighboring countries " Two stages of the missile splashed down ten and 335 km away from North Korea’s eastern coast. The agency said that the new ICBM had been designed to become the backbone of North Korea’s strategic forces and an important component in its deterrence system. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the launch, the report says. In his words, the development of the new ICBM "will extensively reform the strategic deterrence components of the DPRK, radically promote the effectiveness of its nuclear counterattack posture and bring about a change in the practicality of its offensive military strategy." The Hwasong-18 ICBM was tested early on April 13. The test triggered Japan’s J-Alert satellite warning system, which issued an emergency evacuation warning for residents of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. The warning was lifted some time later, because the missile’s fragments fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan. It was North Korea’s 12th missile launch this year. In nine of them, ballistic missiles were tested. --- 3. South Korea’s defense ministry said on Friday that North Korea needed more time and effort to master its solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology. ------ RELATED: Sirens blared in Hokkaido, evacuation warning for N. Korea missile was not a mistake: [https://rumble.com/v2hxijy-sirens-blared-in-hokkaido-evacuation-warning-for-n.-korea-missile-was-not-a.html?mref=10gobl&mc=d3odw]

Another shipment of arms goes to Ukraine. Berlin has approved the deployment of Polish MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. This was officially confirmed by the German Ministry of Defense. Poland’s defense ministry did not immediately comment. Germany inherited 24 MiG-29 jets from the East German GDR during reunification in 1990. At the time, the aircraft were seen as among the most advanced fighter jets in the world. In 2004, Berlin passed on 22 of the aircraft to Poland. Of the remaining two jets, one was destroyed in a crash, and one is on show at a museum. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stressed that the decision was taken jointly by the federal government. According to the laws of Germany, a country using German weapons, when transferring them to a third country, must ask for the approval of Berlin. Poland has reportedly already delivered several MiG-29s to Ukraine. According to the President of Poland for International Affairs Marcin Przydacz, further delivery of other aircraft by Warsaw is possible.

The Ministry of Defense published a video of the destruction of an ammunition depot of Ukrainian militants in the zone of a special military operation. According to the agency, the strike on the target was delivered by precision-guided munitions. "An accurate hit led to the detonation of stored projectiles and rocket munitions to multiple launch rocket systems, completely destroying the Armed Forces depot," the Defense Ministry said. Earlier, the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Igor Konashenkov, said that Russian troops destroyed with shells the brigades of the Ukrainian territorial defense in the Zaporozhye region. ---------- Russian forces obliterated an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 102nd territorial defense brigade near the settlement of Gulyaipole in the Zaporozhye Region, Konashenkov reported....[https://www.kaos.gr/2023/04/wagner-assault-teams-edging-out.html]

1. Russia will look into the decision of the court in The Hague on the need for Moscow to pay $ 5 billion for assets in Crimea as compensation. This was announced by the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the statement of Naftogaz of Ukraine. The Ukrainian company noted that the decision was made on April 12. Naftogaz is confident that it is entitled to the specified payment due to the loss of drilling rigs, an underground storage facility and a gas transmission system on the peninsula. “Indeed, this lawsuit took place, it is not new. The decision is new, it is necessary to analyze,” Peskov said. According to the Kremlin spokesman, experts who are engaged in protecting Russia's rights in this case will decide on further actions after studying all the details. It should be noted that the assets of Naftogaz were officially nationalized by the decision of the Crimean Parliament in 2014. --- 2. The head of Ukraine's largest national oil and gas company Naftogaz, Oleksiy Chernyshov, said on Thursday that the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled Russia to pay the country $5 billion in compensation for loss of assets in Crimea. "The Naftogaz team has won a key victory on the energy front. Despite Russia's attempts to obstruct justice, the Arbitration Tribunal ordered Russia to compensate Naftogaz for losses of USD 5 billion. This relates to the seizure of our assets in Crimea by Russia in 2014. Russia must now comply with this decision in accordance with its obligations under international law," Chernyshov said. If Russia refuses to voluntarily abide by the court's decision, Naftogaz has the right to begin the process of recognizing the arbitration decision and allowing it to be enforced on the territory of those states where Russia's assets are located, the CEO added. The court found that the amount of compensation should be equal to the fair market value of Naftogaz assets prior to their loss. Naftogaz demanded about twice as much $10 billion ---- Россия будет изучать решение суда в Гааге о необходимости Москвой выплатить 5 млрд долларов за активы в Крыму в качестве компенсации. Об этом сообщил пресс-секретарь российского лидера Дмитрий Песков, комментируя заявление "Нафтогаза Украины". В украинской компании отмечали, что решение было принято 12 апреля. "Нафтогаз" уверен, что ему полагается указанная выплата из-за потери буровых установок, подземного хранилища и газотранспортной системы на полуострове. "Действительно, эта тяжба имела место, она не новая. Решение новое, надо проанализировать", - отметил Песков. По словам представителя Кремля, специалисты, которые занимаются защитой прав России в этом деле, будут принимать решение о дальнейших действиях после изучения всех деталей.

With the strong winds of the last two days, April 11 and 12, no one could safely walk by the sea. The coastal road flooded and the sea stormy. Nevertheless, even under these conditions, walking on the beach front was less dangerous than the bombardment of the incoherent monologues, ramblings by unworthy leaders that flooded Europe and America. It is a great achievement that our era has so many unworthy people in key positions. But like all things, this also has its explanation

At a meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday in Washington D.C. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki campaigned for ambitious goals and new geopolitical structures in the EU. "Poland wants to become a cornerstone of EU security," he said. And further: "Poland wants to build the strongest army in Europe." In addition, he announced that he would increase defense spending up to 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, confirming Poland as the strongest and most loyal NATO partner in the EU.

The Spanish authorities expect that six Leopard tanks will be delivered to Ukraine by the end of April. This was announced on April 12 by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles during a press conference together with his Ukrainian counterpart Alexei Reznikov. She noted that 20 armored personnel carriers would also be sent to Kyiv. They also hope to deliver before the end of the month. Earlier, El Pais reported that Spain planned to deliver the first tanks "immediately after Easter." ---- Russians are good at knocking out tanks, Zyuganov said: [https://rumble.com/v27rjiw-russians-are-good-at-knocking-out-tanks-zyuganov-said.html?mref=10gobl&mc=d3odw]

US President Joe Biden, during a speech, turned to an invisible interlocutor behind his back and asked him not to jump. The incident took place at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, where the politician is currently visiting. As seen in the published footage, Biden suddenly interrupted his speech and turned around. Then he looked up, pointed at something above his head with his finger and asked someone who was not visible to the audience and journalists to stop jumping. After the head of the White House apologized for being forced to turn his back on the audience, and continued his speech.

1. Leaked US military documents indicated that the UK has deployed as many as 50 special forces to Ukraine. The documents suggest that more than half of the Western special forces personnel present in Ukraine between February and March this year may have been British, The Guardian reported. It is unclear what activities the special forces may have been engaged in or whether the numbers of personnel have been maintained at this level. The UK’s elite military forces, whose activities are normally shrouded in secrecy, comprise multiple units including the Special Air Service (SAS). The UK government has not disclosed since the beginning of the war that special forces have been active in Ukraine. Prior to Russia’s military operation, in June 2021 the UK Embassy in Kyiv said its special forces had conducted training activities with Ukrainian forces. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) declined to comment on the disclosures or answer questions about UK personnel in Ukraine in recent months. However, in a tweet the department said the leak has “demonstrated a serious level of inaccuracy”. ---- 2. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov acknowledged the possibility that leaks of classified US intelligence documents may be false and are targeted disinformation aimed at misleading Russia. "We don’t have a position; it may perhaps be interesting for somebody to scrutinize these materials as to whether they are [genuine US] documents, or maybe they are fakes, maybe it’s deliberately targeted disinformation," he told reporters on Wednesday in reply to a question by TASS regarding Moscow’s position on the situation and the potential causes of the leak. "Given that the US is a party to the conflict and is, essentially, waging a hybrid war against us, it’s possible that such ploys may be used in order to mislead the adversary, that is, the Russian Federation," the senior diplomat noted. "I am not asserting anything; I am simply acknowledging that various scenarios and models are not beyond the realm of possibility here," he added. "So, probably, specialists would know better how realistic all of this may be. There have been situations previously, which we can recall, where authentic documents did end up in the public domain. This is a fact. But, the extent to which all of this brouhaha, both the publications themselves and everything else, have some kind of grounding in reality, remains an open question for me personally," Ryabkov concluded.[TASS] --- VIDEO RT ES: Los datos apuntan a que EE.UU. y la OTAN están masivamente involucrados en el conflicto armado en Ucrania. No es la primera vez que los medios denuncian que la Alianza Atlántica desarrolla una "guerra secreta" contra Rusia. Según el viceministro de Exteriores ruso, Serguéi Riabkov, dado que el país norteamericano es parte del conflicto y, de hecho, está librando una guerra híbrida contra la Federación Rusa, no descarta que se trate de una provocación para crear confusión.

Russia believes that Odessa will get rid of the oppression of Ukrainian neo-Nazis and become free. This was stated on April 12 at a briefing by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. According to the diplomat, on April 10, 1944, Odessa was liberated from the Nazi invaders, but again faced with Nazism. "Despite the terror unleashed by the Ukrainian authorities, the native Odessans never forgot who delivered them from the brown plague - they remember the heroism of their liberators - the soldiers of the Red Army," Zakharova concluded. “We believe that Odessa will be able to get rid of the oppression of Ukrainian neo-Nazis and become free again, and, as Leonid Utyosov sang, a sunny and acacia city by the Black Sea,” Zakharova said.

On April 2nd, although germination had begun, we did about 30 grafts with modified Whip Tongue Grafting, as the grafts (scions) were smaller in diameter than the underlying shoot. Some grafts were also done using the lateral grafting method. ----- Στις 2 Απριλίου, αν και είχε ξεκινήσει η βλάστηση, κάναμε γύρο στα 30 μπολιάσματα σε κρανιές με τροποποιημένο αγγλικό εγκεντρισμό (Whip Tongue Grafting), καθώς τα μπόλια ήταν μικρότερα σε διάμετρο από τον υποκείμενο βλαστό. Κάποια μπολιάσματα έγιναν επίσης με τη μέθοδο του πλευρικού εμβολιασμού. ------------ First grafting of pear tree with Whip/Tongue Grafting (P1) [https://rumble.com/v2czgon-first-grafting-of-pear-tree-with-whiptongue-grafting-p1.html?mref=10gobl&mc=d3odw] - Τελευταίο μπόλιασμα σε δενδρύλλιο καρυδιάς το Φεβρουάριο (Whip and Tongue Grafting): [https://rumble.com/v2awgwf--whip-and-tongue-grafting.html?mref=10gobl&mc=d3odw]

The Strategic Missile Forces have carried out a test-launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile from the Kapustin Yar (Капустин Яр) training ground in Russia’s Astrakhan Region, the Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday. "On April 11, 2023, the combat crew of the Strategic Missile Troops successfully launched the intercontinental ballistic missile of the land-based mobile missile system from the Kapustin Yar State Central Multiservice Training Ground in the Astrakhan Region," the report said. The launch was aimed at testing the advanced military supplying of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the ministry noted, adding that "the launch permitted proving that the solutions used in the development of new strategic missile complexes are correct.". The exercise head hit the hypothetical target at the Sary-Shagan proving ground in Kazakhstan to the specified accuracy, according to the report. "The launch fully dispatched its mission," the Defense Ministry said. ----- Минобороны РФ поделилось кадрами испытательного пуска межконтинентальной баллистической ракеты с полигона «Капустин Яр» в Астраханской области. В испытаниях участвовал боевой расчет Ракетных войск стратегического назначения. В Минобороны РФ отметили, что испытания подтвердили верность схемно-конструктивных и технических решений, которые применяются при разработке современных ракетных комплексов стратегического назначения. Ранее сообщалось, что испытания прошли успешно, учебная боевая часть ракеты с заданной точностью поразила условную цель на полигоне Сары-Шаган в Казахстане.

It is the eighth sandstorm to hit the Chinese capital so far this year, marking the most active spring storm season in a decade A severe sandstorm has cloaked Beijing and China’s northeastern regions for the fourth time in a month forcing some residents to stay indoors to protect themselves from dense air pollution. Images showed the Chinese capital engulfed in a cloud of orange haze on Monday which hung thick in the air into Tuesday, though conditions have begun to ease. Beijing authorities told children and the elderly to stay indoors, and healthy adults were advised to refrain from outdoor activity. Residents were also reminded to keep their windows shut and wear masks and face shields. As of Tuesday morning, Beijing’s real-time air quality index was 500, indicating severe pollution, with PM10 being the primary pollutant. “The frequency of sandstorms this year, compared with other spring seasons, marks the highest for Beijing in the past decade,” said Ma Jun, director of the Institute for Public and Environmental Affairs, a non-profit environmental research firm.

Drone-kamikaze "Lancet" incinerated a howitzer and ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Τhe howitzer thought it was camouflaged but didn't count on the "Lancet" technology

1. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Tuesday arrived for an official visit in Canada on an airplane depicting his country's flag, a picture of a fighter jet and a folded hands emoji that is commonly used to symbolize prayer or request. Upon landing in Toronto, Shmyhal posted on Twitter a photograph of his arrival that showed the insignia on the aircraft, hinting of possible talks with the Canadian government on the provision of additional military aid to Ukraine. "Now all Ukrainians - on both sides of the ocean - are as united as possible and working for victory," Shmyhal said via Twitter after meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian community in Canada and with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Shmyhal is set to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other senior officials, including Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and National Defense Minister Anita Anand. -- 2. Denmark’s defense minister said Tuesday he expected the Danes and allies to decide on whether to donate Western fighter jets to Ukraine “before the summer,” as deliveries of Polish and Slovak MiG-29s have begun. Discussions are taking time because countries have to act together, acting defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen said during a visit to Ukraine. - 3. Denmark agreed to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine The first country agreed to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The Acting Minister of Defense of Denmark said that he was ready to do this, but only together with some other countries.