⛪ Someone stole a $2 million gold relic from an NYC church

A historic Brooklyn church was vandalized and an "irreplaceable" solid gold relic inside was stolen last week. The culprit or culprits broke into St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church, known as the "Notre Dame" of Park Slope, sometime between May 26 and 28. They made off with a 19th-century tabernacle made of 18-carat gold and decorated with jewels that's valued at $2 million.

The artifact was built in 1895, restored twice since then, and is considered to be one of the most expensive tabernacles in the country. Security camera recordings were also stolen during the incident, which police suspect occurred between Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon while the church was closed for construction.

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🍿 Popcorn supply ‘in danger’ at theaters this summer

And it's not just popcorn that might prove hard to find: Those grease-proof paper bags are already in short supply. Preferred Popcorn chief executive Norm Krug has stressed that "popcorn supply will be tight this season.“

Some chains are turning to metal or plastic containers that are sold at higher prices to consumers as memorabilia. As for the popcorn itself, the bigger problem, is convincing farmers to create enough corn rather than switching to or sticking with a different - potentially more lucrative crop - like soybeans.

Those supply issues are compounded by an ongoing national trucker shortage, which continues to cause shipment delays across US consumer-goods supply chains. 

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🎓 US graduates can now move to the UK without a job offer

Recent graduates from 20 US universities can now apply for a visa to live and work in the UK for up to three years without having a job offer. The visa is part of updates to the UK immigration system aimed at attracting highly skilled workers to the country. 

The new High Potential Individual visa scheme, graduates will be able to apply to move to the country without an offer and bring their family along — as long as they obtained a degree from a "top" university within the past five years.  

Eligible graduates must come from universities named on the UK government's annual list of what it considers the best 50 universities globally. Graduates with a bachelor's or master's degree will be eligible for a two-year visa, while those holding a Ph.D. can stay for three years.

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🇰🇷 Korean band BTS appeared at the daily briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on 31 May 2022; they are visiting to discuss Asian inclusion and representation, and addressing anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination.

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⚡️ Moscow negatively assesses new package of US military assistance to Ukraine, including supply of HIMARS missile systems - diplomat to Sputnik

❗️ Russia says US doing nothing to solve Ukraine crisis as Biden sends more arms to Kiev

⚡️ Russia warns OPCW about impending provocations by Ukraine with chemical weapons

📹 A resident of the DPR says that he would punch the Ukrainian president in the face if he meets him, emphasising that all of the people from Donbass would do the same thing.

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📹 A resident of the liberated city of Severodonetsk tells how Ukrainian nationalists drove civilians out of their apartments.

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❗️ The Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis:

▪️ The Russian Aerospace Forces have hit five control points, as well as 29 areas of AFU troop and military equipment concentration using high-precision air-based missiles.

▪️ Operational-tactical, army and unmanned aviation have hit 61 areas of AFU troop and military equipment concentration.

▪️ Russian air defence units have shot down one Ukrainian Su-25 warplane near Sergeevka in the Donetsk People's Republic and 1 Mi-8 helicopter near Kharkov over the past day.

▪️ Missile troops and artillery have hit 128 command posts, 169 firing positions of artillery and mortar batteries, as well as 623 areas of AFU troop and military equipment concentration.

▪️ Some 185 Ukrainian aircraft and 129 helicopters, 1,077 unmanned aerial vehicles, 326 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,363 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 457 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,744 field artillery and mortars, as well as 3,329 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed since the beginning of the operation.

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📹 ❤️‍🩹 A peaceful protest is being held at the American Embassy in Moscow to remind the world community that the United States, which has been sponsoring the Ukrainian authorities for many years, must take full responsibility for all the dead children of Donbass.

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📹 WATCH footage showing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the liberated settlements of Donbass.

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⚡️ The Kremlin on the situation in Ukraine:

▪️ On Kiev pledging not to use US weapons against Russia: Moscow has no confidence in Ukraine

▪️ Putin-Zelensky meeting not ruled out, it should be prepared and finalised in documentation that is not currently being drawn up

▪️ Europe will need to face the negative consequences of its oil embargo, Russia will minimise its losses through redistribution to alternative markets

▪️ Ukraine needs to demine ports so that Russia may assist in the sending off of grain ships

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📹 The mayor of the Russian-held city of Kupyansk in Ukraine's Kharkov region, said that the riots and looting in the city ended with the arrival of the Russian military.

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🗣 US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has admitted to being wrong in her assessments of inflation trends in March 2021, when she predicted that the spike in the inflation was short-term and prompted by the economic recovery after the pandemic and lockdowns.

💬 "I was wrong about the path inflation would take. There have been unanticipated and large shocks to the economy that have boosted energy and food prices and supply bottlenecks that have affected our economy badly that at the time I didn't fully understand. But we recognise that now," Yellen said in an interview with CNN.

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📹 A resident of a liberated village in the DPR explains how Ukrainian propaganda lies.

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⚡️ Lavrov says there are risks of involvement of third countries into Ukrainian conflict