⚡️⚡️ Russia, Venezuela to expand oil sector cooperation, working on pact to circumvent western sanctions

📌 Russian President Putin holds meeting with Defense Minister Shoigu to discuss the liberation of the LPR:

▪️ The operation to liberate the LPR has been successfully carried out;

▪️ Lisichansk has been liberated, Ukrainian forces left 39 tanks behind while retreating;

▪️ The Armed forces of Ukraine lost 5,469 troops, while 196 tanks, 12 warplanes, and a helicopter were destroyed over the past two weeks;

▪️ The Russian forces that liberated the LPR should rest and increase their combat capabilities;

▪️ The task forces "Vostok" and "Zapad" will carry out their tasks according to plan;

▪️ Putin has proposed presenting awards to distinguished servicemen

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🔍The author of the song 'I Believe I Can Fly' has been placed on suicide watch in a prison that "is being run like a gulag", his lawyer says

Former R&B superstar R Kelly was placed on suicide watch at Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Brooklyn where he is being held after he was sentenced to 30 years for using his fame to abuse young girls sexually.

The US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn says the artist remains on suicide watch “for his own safety” after a psychological assessment. However, R Kelly's lawyer Jennifer Bonjean claims her client was placed on suicide watch for "purely punitive reasons". "MDC Brooklyn is being run like a gulag. MDC has a policy of placing high-profile individuals under the harsh conditions of suicide watch whether they are suicidal or not," the lawyer said in a statement.

The singer is set to be transferred to Illinois in the coming weeks, where he is due to stand trial on child pornography, sexual abuse and other charges in Chicago in August.

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Kamala Harris has compared the Supreme Court's Roe v Wade ruling with slavery by saying that the "government is trying to claim ownership over human bodies".

In June, the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortion a constitutional right nationwide. The court's decision provoked protests nationwide

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❗The territory near the British Embassy in Moscow will be named in honor of the Lugansk People's Republic, after an electronic poll taken by the Muscovites, according to the website of Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

Earlier the square near the US embassy in Moscow was named in honor of the Donetsk People's Republic, so the new address of the embassy is Donetsk People's Republic Square 1, Moscow.

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📹Rep. Ilhan Omar was booed by 10,000 people at a Somali music festival in her home state of Minnesota

It is not immediately clear what prompted such a reaction from the audience, but some people suggest it was related to her support for abortion and LGBTQ rights.

Another possible reason could be her comments on Thursday claiming that Minnesota has worse conditions than a Somali refugee camp.

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❗Two civilians were killed during an airdrop by US forces in al-Zir village in the countryside in north-eastern Deir ez-Zor, SANA says, citing local sources. The airdrop was reportedly accompanied by a group of QSD (also known as the Syrian Democratic Forces) militiamen

🎞📹 The Akhmat regiment captured four undamaged Ukrainian Varta armored vehicles abandoned in Lisichansk. All of the vehicles have American equipment and radio sets inside

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⚡️The US has announced it was unable to definitively determine the origin of the bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, as it was too badly damaged. At the same time, after reviewing Israeli and Palestinian probes, the USSC found "gunfire from IDF positions likely responsible," albeit likely unintentionally.

❗NATO unlikely to change position on Kiev membership, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says

🚫Russia's President Vladimir Putin will not congratulate his US counterpart Joe Biden and Americans on Independence Day this year, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Peskov explained that the reason is "the fact that this year was the culmination of an unfriendly policy towards our country on the part of the United States."

"Therefore, of course, in these conditions it can hardly be considered appropriate to send such a congratulatory message," he added.

⚡Multiple people reportedly shot on Independence Day in Illinois

The video of the incident has emerged online

A video shows chairs and strollers that people left behind when fleeing

Another video reveals people running in panic when the shooting started

Law enforcement has arrived at the scene: The Lake County Sheriff's Office said that it is assisting Highland Park Police "with a shooting in the area of the Independence Day parade route"

$191,300 annually is the highest income of a Biden administration employee, according to a congressional report.

💰Luisa Paiewonsky, the senior policy advisor for transportation, has the highest salary among all of the administration’s 474 employees.

Several employees somewhat less ($180,000 annually). Among them are:

▪White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre;

▪White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain;

▪National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan

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Five dead, 16 taken to hospital as result of shooting during July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois - authorities

🌭An eco-activist stopped a hot dog-eating record holder from repeating his feat at a competition in New York. Joey "Jaws" Chestnut set a world record last year by swallowing 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. This time he only managed to eat 63.

At least 13 hot dogs were rescued, now animal rights activists can be proud.

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Protests erupted in Akron, Ohio after police published a video with body camera footage showing black deliveryman Jayland Walker being shot as he tried to flee a traffic stop. During the unrest, protesters blocked traffic in the center of the city.

The video explains why the police shot the deliveryman, while the authorities say he was unarmed when the officers pursued him

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