⚡An explosion has occurred at sea near Mariupol's Azovstal plant, a mine may have detonated. There are no casualties, a Sputnik correspondent reports

❗Biden says has no direct plans at moment to visit Saudi Arabia

❗American hotel chain Marriott International says it is suspending its operations in Russia due to Western sanctions

🇺🇸🛢 President Biden says the latest OPEC+ decision to boost oil output is positive, but he does not "know whether it's enough."

‘I was tortured with a stun gun and sticks’: The story of a man who returned from Ukrainian captivity

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❗Ex-White House adviser Peter Navarro indicted for contempt of Congress

‘They shouldn't be exchanged’: Anna from Mariupol explains why captive Azov neo-Nazis shouldn't be exchanged

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Two people killed, including a child, after explosive device detonates in Mariupol, territorial defence HQ says

⚡Erdogan says Sweden, Finland must stop supporting terrorism, lift sanctions against Turkey, show allied solidarity for NATO membership

‘We reserved a place in this queue back in 1991’: Crowds of people apply for Russian passports in Melitopol

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10-year-old resident of Mariupol Nikita told a reporter about how he was sheltering in a basement

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❗Moscow: New package of US 'military assistance' to Ukraine includes four Mi-17 helicopters Russia previously transferred to US for Afghanistan

A woman says hi to her relatives on camera and sincerely explains who saved her life

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⚡Putin: Europe's short-sighted policies provoked energy crisis

Russian President Putin addresses the supply chain and energy crises:

▪The supply chain crisis started during the pandemic, long before Russia's special operation;

▪The situation with fertilizers will worsen due to sanctions, food prices will only go up;

▪Sanctions against Russian fertilizer producers will affect the world's crop prospects;

▪Statements that Russia "does not allow" the export of Ukrainian grain are "a bluff";

▪Russia is ready to raise wheat exports to 50 million tonnes;

▪Ukraine should demine its ports, and there will be no problems with grain exports, Russia will not interfere with this;

▪Ukrainian grain could be exported through the Danube, Poland, and the cheapest way is through Belarus, but then sanctions must be lifted;

▪The West has overestimated the possibilities of alternative energy;

▪Decent people in the US, like the Treasury Secretary, admitted that they had made mistakes that caused the crisis;

▪The acceleration of inflation is connected with the US' actions to inject funds into the economy, and not with Russia's actions in Ukraine

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🚀 After being asked by a reporter about a report that Elon Musk wants to fire 10% of Tesla’s workforce due to his “super bad feeling” about the US economy, Joe Biden underlined that "Ford is increasing their investment overwhelmingly", saying he wishes the space tycoon “lots of luck on his trip to the moon”

❗Canada needs to be ready to send warships, cargo ships to export Ukraine grain - foreign minister

❗Russian air defenсe systems activated near Kherson, three blasts heard, Sputnik correspondent reports

🚔 Police Arrest Man With Body Armor, Ammunition Outside US Capitol

A Michigan man was arrested outside the US Capitol on Friday morning after he presented a fake badge to police who then discovered a BB gun, body armor and high-capacity magazines inside his vehicle, US Capitol Police said.

Jerome Felipe, 53, a retired police officer, showed a badge with "Department of the INTERPOL" printed on it to a US Capitol Police patrol officer and claimed he was a criminal investigator.

Shortly afterward, officers searched his vehicle and discovered a BB gun, two ballistic vests, several high capacity magazines and other ammunition in the car, which he had parked near the Capitol. "No real guns were found," the statement said. He faces charges for illegally possessing high-capacity magazines and unregistered ammunition.

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🦠 2 monkeypox strains in US suggest possible undetected spread

Genetic analysis of recent monkeypox cases suggests there are two distinct strains in the US, health officials said Friday, raising the possibility that the virus has been circulating undetected for some time.

Many of the US cases were caused by the same strain as recent cases in Europe, but a few samples show a different strain, federal health officials said. Each strain had been seen in US cases last year, before the recent international outbreak was identified.

Analysis from many more patients will be needed to determine how long monkeypox has been circulating in the US and elsewhere, said Jennifer McQuiston of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Friday, the US had identified at least 20 cases in 11 states. No monkeypox deaths have been reported so far.

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💼 Biden’s challenge: Inflation overshadows robust job gains

Voters have made clear in surveys that their attention is focused much more on soaring gasoline and food prices than on the plentiful availability of jobs. A yearlong acceleration of prices in the aftermath of the pandemic recession has left many Americans struggling with the cost of necessities and dissatisfied with the overall economy.

At just 3.6%, the unemployment rate is near a half-century low, and on Friday the government reported employers added 390,000 more jobs in May. Businesses advertised more than 11 million open jobs in April, down only slightly from a record high in March.

Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of his handling of the economy. Higher inflation, partly stemming from supply chain snarls and the Ukraine crisis, is causing hardships for millions of Americans, particularly lower-income and Black and Hispanic households, which spend a disproportionate share of their income on gas, rent and food.

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