📸 Footage from the crash site of the "Tochka-U" Ukrainian missile with a cluster warhead in Melitopol

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⚡️ Moscow and Kiev are ‘half-way there’ on issue of Ukraine’s demilitarization - Russian negotiator

⚡️ Ukraine’s neutral status and non-entry to NATO are issues where positions of Moscow and Kiev are as close as possible - Russian negotiator

❗️ The sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine are not intended to be permanent, a senior State Department official said on Friday.

"Sanctions are not designed to be permanent and they are a tool," the official said. "If we do see the results that we are trying to achieve in terms of an end of Russia’s aggression and restoration of Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty and territorial integrity, then our hope would be that - many of the tools that we are using - that we would also see an end to those tools."

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⚡️ Xi tells Biden all sides should support Russia-Ukraine dialogue

❗️ Biden says his video call with China's President Xi 'went well' - report

⚡️ Biden in call with China's Xi said US policy on Taiwan has not changed

⚡️ 14,397 people including 2,781 children were evacuated to Russia from dangerous regions of Ukraine, as well as the LPR and the DPR within 24 hours without the participation of Kiev, the Russian MoD says

❗️ Moscow informed Kiev it is ready to let militants leave Mariupol via humanitarian corridor to save city and civilians - Russian MoD

⚡️ Brazilian Supreme Court judge orders to block Telegram in country - reports

❗️ Biden in call with China's Xi underscored support for diplomatic resolution to Ukraine crisis - White House

⚡️ Biden in call with Xi describes consequences China will face if it provides material support for Russia's operation in Ukraine - Whtie House

🇺🇸🚕 A majority of Uber and Lyft drivers in the United States have either quit or are driving less frequently due to surging gas prices, a survey showed.

The poll of more than 300 drivers found that 15% of drivers had already quit, and 38% were driving less.

Gasoline prices spiked in the country after the United States and its European partners imposed sanctions on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine. The price further increased after the Biden administration announced a ban on Russian oil imports earlier this month.

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🇺🇸📞🇨🇳 Highlights from Friday's Biden-Xi phone call, according to a senior administration official:

🔻Biden did not make any specific requests to China and laid out his assessment of the situation in Ukraine

🔻Biden raised the issue of biological research laboratories in Ukraine

🔻Washington remains concerned that Beijing will provide military support to Russia even after Biden described the consequences if China does so

🔻 Both sides agreed on the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to manage competition between the two countries

🔻Biden reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan has not changed and Washington will continue to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo

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❗️🇺🇸🇮🇳The United States has been in touch with Indian leaders to convey that the world is watching where countries stand on the Ukraine crisis, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday

❗️🇷🇺🇨🇳China’s alignment with Russia is of concern to the US and will be a subject for discussion during Biden’s trip to Europe next week, Psaki says

❗️🇨🇳 China's ambassador to the US says sweeping, indiscriminate sanctions only make people suffer

🔥🔥Wildfires ripping through West Texas this week prompted evacuations on Thursday and Friday, according to local authorities.

"The potential for significant, large wildfires has developed… Wildfires that ignite under these forecast conditions are highly resistant to firefighters’ suppression efforts and pose a threat to public safety. We encourage residents to be cautious tomorrow, be prepared and listen to warnings from local officials." said Texas A&M Forest.

As of Friday morning, the fires had burned about 62.5 square miles, according to Texas A&M Forest Service. In Eastland County, which is nearly 40,000 acres, four separate fires that merged into one "complex" were only 2% contained as of Friday morning.

About 18,000 people live in Eastland County, where the large fire was burning, prompting evacuations.

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🇺🇸📈Big Tech stocks see biggest gains since April 2020 after Fed undertakes modest rate hike

A modest US interest rate hike helped Wall Street post its most powerful weekly rally since the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, with the Big Tech sector rising more than 8% as investors signaled confidence in the Federal Reserve’s bid to tame the worst inflation pressure in 40 years.

Wall Street’s three major stock indexes - the Dow Jones Industrial Average index, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite - closed Friday’s trade up between 0.8% and 2.1%. For the week, the indexes were up between 6% and more than 8%.

The Nasdaq, made up of highly-valued tech stocks such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Nasdaq and Google, which are grouped under the FAANG acronym, led gains on both accounts.


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🇺🇸 A bipartisan group of US senators has sent a letter to President Joe Biden outlining five bits of advice ahead of the NATO summit in Brussels next week. The lawmakers want Biden to:
🔹 Express appreciation to allies who increased their defense spending to 2% of GDP and convey the growing bipartisan congressional support for NATO
🔹 Encourage NATO members to urgently consider all options to provide military support to Ukraine
🔹 Ask NATO to boost its presence on the eastern flank, including by establishing an enhanced Forward Presence in Romania and adopting a more strategic approach toward the Black Sea region
🔹 Urge NATO to increase its engagement in the Balkans and prepare contingency measures in case Russia at the UN Security Council vetoes the renewal of the EU Forces mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
🔹 Make an additional stop during his trip in a NATO Baltic country or Romania to demonstrate strong US support to the region