Link: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43525267

Tributes are pouring in for a French police officer who died saving the lives of hostages in a supermarket siege by an Islamist gunman on Friday.

Lt-Col Arnaud Beltrame, 44, was shot and stabbed after he traded places with one of the captives following a shooting spree in southern France.

Flags are being flown at half-mast at gendarmerie bases across France.

Link: https://www.rt.com/news/422052-china-pakistan-missile-tracking/

China has reportedly provided Pakistan with a highly advanced optical tracking system, which will be a boon to its missile program. The move is an apparent poke in the eye of India, which is becoming China’s main regional rival.

The delivery of the system was reported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in a statement, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Thursday. It was a rare occasion for Beijing to publicly confirm the export of sensitive military equipment that may stir controversy in other nations. The deal, the statement said, was the first of its kind supplied by China to a foreign buyer.

Link: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-credit/china-to-bar-people-with-bad-social-credit-from-planes-trains-idUSKCN1GS10S

China said it will begin applying its social credit system to flights and trains and stop people who have committed misdeeds from taking such transport for up to a year. People who would be put on the restricted lists included those found to have committed acts like spreading false information about terrorism and causing trouble on flights, as well as those who used expired tickets or smoked on trains, Those found to have committed financial wrongdoings, such as employers who failed to pay social insurance or people who have failed to pay fines, would also face these restrictions. The rules come into effect on May 1.

The move is in line with President’s Xi Jinping’s plan to construct a social credit system based on the principle of “once untrustworthy, always restricted.

Link: https://www.rt.com/politics/421380-putin-pump-shotgun-interview/

Putin:“In my country home, I had to put a pump-action shotgun near my bed, this is true. But these were the times back then – better to be safe than sorry. “I thought about what to do, thought about maybe seeking work as a taxi driver. I am not joking, I had to do something, I had two small kids. So, when they offered me legal work in Moscow on the presidential staff, I agreed and moved.”

Link: https://www.rt.com/news/421639-russian-presidential-election-results/

Incumbent Russian leader Vladimir Putin is set to secure a resounding victory in the Russian presidential election, according to partial results made public by the electoral commission with over 76 percent of the vote,

Link: https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/marine-corps-commandant-less-30-young-men-and-women-are-qualified-join-us

United States Marine Corps Commandant told Congress on Wednesday that recruitment is "hard work," because so few people are qualified to fill the ranks.

" General Robert B. Neller told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense:

"So, I think we're all aware that, you know, in the nation, I mean, it's a strategic issue that less than 30 percent of the young men and women of our nation are qualified just to join the military, either because of physical, mental or moral issues.

Link: http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2018/03/10/costco-is-selling-6000-doomsday-meal-kit.html

Costco wholesale superstore has rolled out a $6,000 food kit featuring 36,000 servings of food that can feed a family of four for a year, according to its online listing. Offering roughly 2,000 calories a day per person and a shelf life up to 25 years for the freeze dried items; pasta instant milk, dehydrated potatoes, beef and chicken TVP freeze-dried green beans, dehydrated apples etc.

Link: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-03-09/dire-warning-doomsday-vault

“Sudden Stratospheric Warming” (SSW) event, which occurred above the Arctic in mid-February, evidence the world’s unpredictable and sometimes chaotic weather is jeopardizing humanity’s food security; shifted the Arctic airmass to most of Europe as well as Western parts of North America. Massive snowstorms in Europe, dangerous weather patterns in the United States, and rain in the Arctic demonstrates how extreme weather is altering seasonal growing patterns; raining in the Arctic Circle and snowing in Rome.

The “Doomsday Vault” is a secure seed bank buried deep inside a mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. The underground bunker is a long-term seed storage facility, built to keep its three vaults cool for 200-years — and can survive natural or human-made disasters. 850,000 seed samples.

Link: https://www.rt.com/news/420943-trump-korea-missile-tests/

US President Donald Trump has said that North Korea has promised not to conduct any missile tests up to and during the planned meetings between the two adversaries.

Trump took to his favorite medium - Twitter - to make the announcement on Saturday. “North Korea has not conducted a Missile Test since November 28, 2017 and has promised not to do so through our meetings.

Link: https://sputniknews.com/science/201803101062398466-nasa-asteroid-spacecraft/

With the chances of a huge asteroid hitting Earth and wiping out the human race looking unnervingly real, NASA and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have put their heads together to develop a new spacecraft to deflect a potentially deadly space boulder heading towards our planet.

Aptly called HAMMER (Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response), the new spacecraft would either collide with an incoming asteroid to change its course away from Earth, or blow it up with a nuclear weapon, technology weblog ExtremeTech wrote.

Link: https://sputniknews.com/world/201803111062408635-china-trade-war-us/

Responding to US President Donald Trump's push to increase tariffs on imported steel and aluminum expected to affect China the world's largest steel producer and a leading aluminum exporter; Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan warned that there would be "no winners" in a trade war between Beijing and Washington.

"It would bring disaster to our two countries as well as the rest of the world."China does not wish to fight a trade war, nor will China initiate a trade war, but we can handle any challenge and will resolutely defend the interests of our country and our people.

Link: https://sputniknews.com/latam/201803011062107296-maduro-pension-food-card/

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced an expansion of pension fund and a delivery of additional food shopping cards to the population, the TeleSur broadcaster reported Wednesday. The EU foreign ministers approved sanctions and arms embargo against Venezuela in November 2017, while Washington imposed economic sanctions in August 2017.

Link: https://sputniknews.com/europe/201803121062448296-hungary-eu-quotas-migrants/

Hungary built a border wall with Serbia and Croatia in 2015, at the peak of the migrant crisis, and has called on the EU to provide reimbursement for the wall's construction. Another border barrier with Serbia, spanning 155 kilometers, was completed last year.

Link: https://www.rt.com/business/420962-russia-car-production-sales/

Russians are buying a record number of domestically-made cars, according to a recent study by PwC. Sales have grown for the first time since the economic crisis.

The share has grown to a record 83 percent from the 65 percent seen in 2012. 1.475 million cars were sold last year in Russia. Of these, 255,000 were imported, which is 7 percent lower than in 2016

Link: https://www.rt.com/news/421047-tokyo-babies-bodies-jars/

The bodies of up to four babies immersed in bottles filled with liquid have been found under the floor of a house in Tokyo, Japan. The ages of the babies and how long they’ve been in the house remain unknown. The house is about 80 years old and has been vacant for the last three years. The babies were preserved in a liquid that appears to be formalin, a saturated water solution. Several of the babies still had umbilical cords attached. Police are investigating the discovery

Link: http://govtslaves.info/2018/03/companies-eliminating-drug-tests-amid-job-shortages-pot-legalization/

Employers struggling to fill jobs have begun to relax or eliminate drug testing requirements amid increased marijuana legalization and a tightening U.S. job market.

Las Vegas based Excellence Health Inc., stopped testing employees for marijuana two years ago – and completely dropped drug tests in the beginning of 2018 for employees on the pharmaceutical side of the business. , AutoNation Inc. – the largest auto dealer in the country, announced it would no longer refuse job applicants who tested positive for marijuana, while the Denver Post ended pre-employment drug testing last September for all positions that don’t require safety precautions.

Link: https://www.rt.com/politics/420712-petersburg-fraud-ring-passports/

Police in St. Petersburg, Russia have uncovered a criminal group posing as a consular office of the non-existent ‘Free Kingdom of ASPI.’ They had been selling ‘passports’ to immigrants from Central Asia for three years.

Link: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nashville-mayor-megan-barry-resigns-pleading-guilty-theft/story?id=53551998

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry -- who admitted to an extramarital affair with a member of her security team. and reportedly used taxpayer money to fund trips during the dalliance -- resigned from office Tuesday morning after pleading guilty to theft.

Link: https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/64205/electrolux-halts-250-million-project-in-springfield-tenn-after-tariff.html

After announcing in January a $250 million plant expansion in Springfield, Tenn., Sweden's Electrolux reported Friday that its plans are now on hold.

Reuters first reported that the company, Europe's largest home appliance manufacturer, was delaying its Tennessee investment after President Donald Trump announced Thursday new tariffs on imported aluminum and steel.

Link: https://www.rt.com/business/420419-marshall-islands-sovereign-cryptocurrency/

The Marshall Islands is creating its own digital currency in a bid to raise money. In doing so it becomes the first country in the world to recognize a cryptocurrency as legal tender.

The small Pacific Island nation passed the Sovereign Currency Act to create the ‘sovereign’, or SOV on Monday, following days of debate. The cryptocurrency will have equal status with the US dollar and, unlike many cryptocurrencies, users will have to reveal their identity in order to use SOV.