🇺🇸 US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen denies the economy is in recession, instead saying it's showing "necessary and appropriate" slowdown

🗣 "The labor market is now extremely strong... This is not an economy that's in recession. But we are in a period of transition, in which growth is slowing. And that's necessary and appropriate," she told NBC.

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🔥🔥A fire has forced fast evacuations for nearby residents and is threatening thousands of homes in Mariposa County, Midpines, California, officials said. The state's fire agency said the fire activity is "extreme with frequent runs, spot fires, and group torching."

The Oak Fire started sometime after 2:30 p.m. near Highway 140 and Carstens Road by the community of Midpines, about 75 miles east of Modesto. Highway 140 is one of the main roads drivers take from the Central Coast to travel into Yosemite Valley.

At least ten structures have been destroyed, and five have been damaged in the blaze, according to Cal Fire. Another 2,000 structures are currently being threatened. Damage inspection teams are starting their assessments on Sunday of some areas impacted by the fire, Cal Fire said. The wildfire that has quickly grown to be the largest of this year's wildfire season in California has led Gov. Gavin Newsom to proclaim a state of emergency in Mariposa County.

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😬😵Watch as Rage Against the Machine narrowly avoid another broken leg after an audience member rushed the stage, knocking over guitarist Tom Morello.

The incident occurred during the band’s closing performance of “Killing in the Name” in Toronto on Saturday night. The fan-captured footage below shows a man running from the side of the stage, prompting a security guard to spring into action and inadvertently tackling Morello.

The band briefly stopped to ensure Morello was all right, but the guitarist quickly got back on his feet and proceeded to finish the performance.

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😷🦠More than 60% of the U.S. lives in counties where they should be wearing a mask indoors in public spaces, according to the CDC’s COVID-19 community levels. An additional 27% of the population lives in areas where they should consider masking if they are at high risk for severe COVID-19.

Just 13% of the population (a number that has been shrinking as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations increase) live in an area where they do not need to consider masking while indoors, per CDC’s recommendations.

The U.S. is averaging more than 125,000 new coronavirus cases each day, which is certain to be an undercount as many rely on at-home tests that don’t get reported to county health departments. Hospitalizations are also increasing, with more than 6,100 people with COVID-19 admitted on average each day. That’s nearly double the average from two months ago.

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🌋The Sakurajima volcano in Japan erupted on Sunday evening, spewing ash and rocks into the air and triggering evacuations. The volcano, located on the southern island of Kyushu, is one of Japan's most active.

Video footage showed what appeared to be a red mass flowing down one side of the volcano, with red projectiles shooting upwards.No damage or casualties have been reported so far. About 120 residents in two towns were advised to leave their homes.

Japan's meteorological agency said it had raised the eruption alert to the highest level of five. The JMA said it was not expecting significant eruptions but warned of falling volcanic rocks in areas within 3 kilometers of the crater and a possible flow of lava, ash, and hot gas within 2 kilometers.

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🇧🇷Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has officially announced his candidacy in the country's presidential election scheduled for October 2022, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Sunday.

Surveys show leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva handily defeating Bolsonaro in the October 2 first-round vote. The right-wing Liberal Party nominated Bolsonaro as its presidential candidate during an event in Rio de Janeiro in front of some 10,000 supporters.

Bolsonaro gave a campaign speech at a sports arena in Rio de Janeiro. In his address to citizens, the Brazilian leader touched upon the topics of the fight against corruption, drug trafficking, the problems of sexual education, and the legalization of abortion. Bolsonaro's re-election campaign slogan is "Freedom, Truth, and Faith."

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🎞🙅🏾‍♀️🙅🏾Marvel is bringing fans back to Wakanda in the first trailer for “Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever.” ‘

The trailer is strung together with a lyrical motif of “We gonna be alright” from Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright,” moving between images of Wakanda’s aquatic environments, futuristic technology and what appears to be a funeral with crowds of Wakandans dressed in white.

The footage debuted after Marvel Studios’ massive panel at San Diego Comic-Con Saturday evening, introduced by a group of traditional African singers performing a fanfare for the follow-up’s panel.

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🇰🇵The US is a "biological terrorist state", it conducts experiments using dangerous pathogens on the territory of Ukraine and spreads infectious diseases, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency said: "It has set up many biological labs in tens of countries and regions, including Ukraine."

KCNA said that the distribution of US biolabs around the world corresponds to where outbreaks of various diseases have been registered in the past years, these locations are mostly clustered around anti-American states.

🦠The assertions that the US is behind the coronavirus pandemic are "by no means fortuitous", KCNA said.

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FSB statement on the Ukrainian military intelligence operation to hijack Russian military aircraft:

▪Ukrainian military intelligence officers tried to recruit Russian military pilots, offering a monetary reward ($2 million to hijack Su-24, Su-34, or Tu-22 aircraft)

▪Guarantees that they would obtain citizenship in EU countries were also promised

▪UK intelligence provided major support to Ukrainian military intelligence in the operation

▪The employees of the Ukrainian special services were involved in this operation and their accomplices have been identified

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▪The Ukrainian military revealed the layouts of their air defense systems and airfields themselves: they handed the Russian pilot who had promised to defect the schemes of the air defense coverage areas in southeast Ukraine, as well as two airfields (Ozernoye and Starokonstantinov)

▪As a result of their "operation", Ukrainian intelligence officers revealed not only their intelligence affiliation, but also their appearance and location

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Sergey Lavrov is in Oyo, Republic of Congo today to hold talks with the country's leadership. This is the first visit to the African nation for Russia's FM.

🇨🇬Sputnik special correspondent Denis Bolotsky's note about Oyo, the place where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is holding talks with the Republic of Congo's top officials

Even though Western mainstream outlets dominate the media landscape in the region, with most TV channels in Oyo being French and broadcasting EU/US taking points on Ukraine, leadership of the Republic of Congo practices independent foreign policy, not being afraid to communicate with Moscow directly.

📹"We will officially pay a million for that, can agree on an extra million": FSB video on how the operation of Ukrainian intelligence to hijack Russian combat aircraft was stopped

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💬Ahead of the visit Sergey Lavrov praised "an independent path" for African nations

❗Odessa port strike should not affect grain export - Kremlin