"People’s lives are at risk”: UK cabinet office minister urges Brits to take precautions during the "absolutely unprecedented” record-breaking heat that is about to hit the country.

Speaking after an emergency COBRA Committee meeting on Saturday, Kit Malthouse cautioned that “services are going to be significantly affected” and if people don’t have to travel, "this may be a moment to work from home.”

The minister also urged citizens to look out for “particularly vulnerable groups" referring to older people and babies.

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❗️📹 Russia's MoD released footage showing the destruction of the US installation of HIMARS in the DPR

🤔 When describing his Middle East trip goals in a Washington Post op-ed, US President Joe Biden said he was embarking on a journey to conduct diplomacy and work in order to normalize relations between Israel and the Arab world, particularly by making sure that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process continues.

❓ However, many critics begged to differ, mainly because of the background behind his first presidential trip to the Middle East. Biden's trip came amid severe economic hardships at home, which a handful of other Western countries are facing as well. With energy prices soaring, one of the main objectives of the US president was to persuade Saudi Arabia to boost oil production in the hopes of curbing prices.

▪️ It brought little results, as Riyadh made it clear it could only boost production from 10 to 13 million barrels per day and no more. On top of that, it created an impression among some observers that Biden, in fact, only came to Middle East because he was compelled to sort out US economic grievances, rather than to promote peace and prosperity.

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🌎 Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says that Western political and economic dominance is coming to an end and there will be a new, bi-polar or multi-polar world order with China playing a major role.

🗯 "In 2022, we can reasonably say the following. For a large part of the Western population, living standards are stagnating, millions are struggling with basic necessities, and inflation is set to cause real wages to fall. If we take Britain, we will soon be taxed more than at any time since the 1940s, spending more than ever and yet our public services are creaking at the joints," Blair said during his annual Ditchley lecture on Saturday, as quoted by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

▪️ He said the coronavirus pandemic has had a negative effect on the situation in Western countries, as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

💭 "Western politics is in turmoil – more partisan, ugly, unproductive; and fuelled by social media," Blair said, arguing that "...the biggest geopolitical change of this century will come from China not Russia. We are coming to the end of Western political and economic dominance. The world is going to be at least bi-polar and possibly multi-polar."

▪️ According to the former prime minister, China is already the world’s second superpower and the West needs to develop a new approach to deal with Beijing, as well as to bolster its own development.

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🇮🇷 🇺🇸"Deception and hypocrisy": Iran accused the US of attempting to destabilize the Middle East shortly after President Joe Biden ended his tour.

▪️ The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Nasser Kanani stressed that Washington “has once again resorted to the failed policy of Iran-phobia, trying to create tensions and crises in the region.”

▪️ The spokesman slammed Biden for signing a security communique with Israel, calling the move a "great sign of the deception and hypocrisy" of the US leaders, because "they turn a blind eye to the Zionist (Israeli) regime as […] the greatest holder of the arsenal of nuclear weapons in the region."

▪️ As Biden called for more diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, Kanani emphasized that the allegations that Iran is trying to obtain an atomic bomb are false and "in line with Washington's seditious policy […] in the region”.

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❗️📹 "Failing of humanity": UK journalist in Donbas speaks of the children that were killed with NATO-supplied weapons.

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Exodus: Two more top officials have left VP Kamala Harris’ team, adding their names to a growing list of departures from the White House.

Domestic Policy Adviser Rohini Kosoglu announced she would step down in August, while Director of Speechwriting Meghan Groob reportedly plans to leave after working for just four months in the position.

❓While Kosoglu said that she resigned to spend more time with her family, many people question if the exodus from the administration has something to do with Harris' plummeting ratings and shaky position amid top Democrats

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❗️📹 "They’ve bombed everything here": German journalist Alina Lipp asked a resident of Severodonetsk about the tactics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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🗣 "So many things thrown his way": Jill Biden laments her husband's hindered progress in the White House due to "unforeseen crises".

Addressing Joe Biden's misfortunes, the First Lady of the United States said: "[The president] had so many hopes and plans for things he wanted to do, but every time you turned around, he had to address the problems of the moment." She also complained about how her husband had "so many things thrown his way".

👀 But netizens weren't apparently touched by FLOTUS' words, with many noticing that "Any president of any country is supposed to be ready for any crisis," while others suggested, "They just wanted the power minus any responsibility".

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❌ Woke dance school in the UK removes ballet from the audition list as "it is based on the principles elaborated by white Europeans."

According to the Telegraph, the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, part of London's Conservatoire for Dance & Drama, has made the decision to review the "elitist" art form as part of a diversity drive to become a progressive institution.

🗣 "It is a very specific form that is built around particular white European ideas and body shapes that are often alienating to young people who do not fit that aesthetic ideal," head of undergraduate studies at the conservatoire, Francesca McCarthy, was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

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✝️ Pope Francis has said an upcoming visit to Canada would be a “pilgrimage of penance” that he hopes will help to heal wounds left in Indigenous communities by Roman Catholic priests and nuns who ran abusive residential schools that sought to assimilate children forcibly.

“Unfortunately, in Canada, many Christians, including some members of religious orders, contributed to the policies of cultural assimilation that in the past gravely damaged native populations in various ways,” Francis said at his weekly address to people in St Peter’s Square on Sunday.

During the July 24 to July 30 trip, Francis is set to make a promise to apologize to victims on their home territory for the church’s role in the state-sanctioned schools, which aimed to erase Indigenous cultures, ripping about 150,000 First Nations.

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The crazy scene out of Vegas last night as reports of an active shooter sent people into chaos at multiple casinos on the Las Vegas strip.

Las Vegas Police Department "Reports of a shooting near MGM tonight are unfounded. Initial reports are a glass door shattered causing a loud noise which startled people in the valet area”.

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💕😍Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are reportedly married after they obtained a marriage license in Las Vegas, multiple sources confirm to Media Reports.

Lopez and Affleck, who announced their engagement in April, obtained the license in Clark County, Nevada, over the weekend.

The famous pair previously dated between 2002 and 2004 after meeting on the set of the 2003 romantic comedy “Gigli.” They rekindled their romance in April 2021 following the “Let’s Get Loud” singer’s breakup with baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez.

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📽🍿Disney will soon lose the copyright to the original Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse first appeared in 1928 in the animated short film "Steamboat Willie" — the first animation film to use synchronized sound.

In the US, the copyright for original works of authorship lasts until the author's death plus 70 years. But for works created anonymously, pseudo-anonymously, or by an employee as part of their job, it lasts 95 years. Works published before 1978, like Mickey Mouse, only have copyright of 95 years from the date of publication.

While the first version of Mickey Mouse is nearing the end of its 95-year copyright protection, the mouse has had a few transformations since 1928, and subsequent versions of Mickey Mouse will still be protected until their 95 years run out.

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⚡️❤️The Marvel sequel “Thor: Love & Thunder” dropped a hefty 68% in its second weekend of release but still held the top spot at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. At the same time, the bestseller adaptation “Where the Crawdads Sing” debuted with a better-than-expected $17 million.

Taika Waititi’s “Love and Thunder” led all films with an estimated $46 million, bringing its two-week global total to $498 million. The sizable decline is more than most Marvel films but in line with recent releases from the Walt Disney Co. superhero studio, including “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (68%), “Black Widow” (68%), and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (67%).

“Love and Thunder” also faced a trio of newcomers, though none came close to toppling Chris Hemsworth’s god of thunder.

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🔲One person is dead, and another is hurt after a shooting involving off-duty police officers at the Wharf Southwest in Washington D.C. Saturday night, according to authorities.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee says two off-duty MPD officers were "enjoying the evening" in the 800 block of Wharf Street Saturday night when they noticed a person pull out a gun and begin pointing it. Chief Contee says the man was standing near a restaurant at the Wharf's pier.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. The gunfire also grazed another person nearby, causing them to be taken to the hospital for treatment. Chief Contee described the person as a "witness" who may have been with the person holding the gun.

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