🇲🇱🇫🇷France condemns Mali's statement that Paris is allegedly supplying terrorists with weapons and regards it as an "information manipulation" designed to distract attention from the deteriorating security situation in the West African country

"We condemn the spread of information manipulations, which in no way must distract attention from the deterioration of security and the humanitarian situation in the country, the first victims of which have been its population," a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry said at a briefing, commenting on the accusations by the Malian authorities.

The spokesman stressed that France was withdrawing forces from Mali "in full transparency towards the Malian armed forces and partners" and would continue to fight terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa.

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The 67-year-old US man was murdered by a Wendy’s employee after complaining about his order

A man in Prescott Valley, Arizona, walked up to the Wendy's checkout to complain about his order, but the employee (35-year-old Antoine Kendrick) hit his head in response. Ten days later, the man died in hospital

🇺🇸Ex-diplomat: Former US officials' call to boost arm supplies to Kiev violates UN Charter, US laws

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❗️US sees value of New START Treaty, is as valuable today and even more so than it has been in past - State Department

📹 Cameras have recorded Volodymyr Zelensky's facial expressions at a press conference following the meeting with Turkish President Erdogan

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✈️ Small plane Crashes next to California freeway

One person was injured after a small silver plane crashed into a railing on Interstate 8 at about 10:45 a.m. and came to a stop under the freeway overpass on Greenfield Drive, California Highway Patrol said. According to Flightaware, the plane was a fixed-wing, single-engine 1951 Cessna 195.

CHP was conducting a preliminary investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were heading to the scene to conduct their own investigations.

Several plane crashes have been reported near the small airport west of SR-67 and SR-52 in recent years. Investigates found there have been at least 41 plane or helicopter crashes into San Diego County neighborhoods since 2010, of those, 36 people died and 25 others were seriously injured.

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‼️ Air Defense systems shot down drone near Sevastopol - Governor ➡️ LIVE UPDATES

According to preliminary data, an unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down near the Belbek airport north-west of Sevastopol by means of air defense, Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev said on Thursday.

"Recently, according to preliminary data, an unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down near the Belbek airport by means of air defense. There is no damage," Razvozhaev said on Telegram, adding that there are no casualties either.

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‼️ Ukrainian troops shell Energodar with heavy artillery - Zaporozhye region authorities

Ukrainian troops began shelling the city of Energodar, located near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, from heavy artillery at 22:50 local time, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporozhye regional administration's main council, said.

"Zelensky’s militants opened massive fire from heavy artillery on the city of Energodar from 22.50," Rogov said on Telegram.

The city authorities confirmed the information about the shelling and asked the residents to move to a safe place. Information about the places of shell explosions, as well as casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure is being specified, the city administration said in a statement.

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⚖️ Three indicted in prison beating death of notorious crime boss

Fotios Geas, also known as “Freddy,” 55, Paul J. DeCologero, also known as “Pauly,” 48, and Sean McKinnon, 36, were charged on Wednesday with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder of James “Whitey” Bulger at the United States Penitentiary Hazleton in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia.

Assistant US Attorneys Brandon S. Flower and Randolph J. Bernard are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI and the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Services investigated.

James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger Jr. was an American organized crime boss who led the Winter Hill Gang in Massachusetts. He was tried on 32 counts of racketeering, money laundering, extortion, and weapons charges, including complicity in nineteen murders. On 2013, he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.

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💊 Pharmacies owe 2 Ohio counties $650M in opioids suit

US District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland awarded $650 million in damages Wednesday to two Ohio counties that sued CVS, Walgreens and Walmart over the way the national pharmacy chains distributed opioids to their communities. Attorneys for the counties put the total price tag at $3.3 billion for the damage done.

Roughly 80 million prenoscription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County alone between 2012 and 2016 — equivalent to 400 for every resident. In Lake County, some 61 million pills were distributed during that period.

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Biden administration to announce $800Mln more in security aid for Ukraine soon - Reports

The Biden administration is set to announce approximately $800 million in additional security aid to Ukraine as early as this Friday, Reuters reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

The $800 million would be authorized using the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows for the transfer of excess military equipment from US stocks, the sources said on Thursday.

Earlier in August, Biden announced up to $1 billion in security aid to Ukraine for military equipment, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), surface-to-air missile systems and munitions.

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‼️ Zaporozhye NPP not damaged during night shelling, radiation level normal - Authorities

The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP) has not been damaged during the night shelling, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporozhye regional administration's main council, told Sputnik, adding that the radiation level is normal.

On late Thursday, the authorities of the Russian-controlled part of the Zaporozhye Region accused Ukraine of shelling the city of Enerhodar where the nuclear power plant is located.

"No shells hit the NPP territory ... The situation at the station is calm, the staff is working. The radiation level is normal," Rogov said.

🚘 Multiple Fatalities Reported After 2 Planes Crash in Watsonville, California

The city of Watsonville, California, said in a statement that a mid-air collision between two small aircraft attempting to land at the local airport has resulted in multiple casualties.

"Multiple agencies responded to Watsonville Municipal Airport after 2 planes attempting to land collided. We have reports of multiple fatalities," the city said via Twitter on Thursday.

An investigation into the incident is currently underway, the statement also said.

More information will become available throughout the day, the statement added.

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💨 Wind energy boom and golden eagles collide in the US West

The rush to build wind farms to combat climate change is colliding with preservation of one of the US West’s most spectacular predators — the golden eagle — as the species teeters on the edge of decline.

As wind turbines proliferate, scientists say deaths from collisions could drive down golden eagle numbers considered stable at best. Turbine blades hundreds of feet long are among myriad threats to golden eagles, which are routinely shot, poisoned by lead, hit by vehicles and electrocuted on power lines.

In April, a Florida-based power company pleaded guilty in federal court in Wyoming to criminal violations of wildlife protection laws after its wind turbines killed more than 100 golden eagles in eight states. The company pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and was ordered to pay more than $8 million in fines and restitution

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🎤 Putin to Attend G20 Summit on Bali - Indonesian President

Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will visit the upcoming G20 Summit on Bali, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said.

“Xi Jinping will come. President Putin has also told me he will come,” Widodo told the Bloomberg news agency.

Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Jose Tavares told Sputnik that Ukraine has not yet requested a meeting to be held between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin. “But Indonesia would be very glad to assist in holding such a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit," the ambassador said. 

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🍎 Apple warns of serious security vulnerabilities on its products

Apple disclosed the issue on Wednesday, noting that tech vulnerabilities for iPhones, iPads and Macs could potentially allow attackers to take complete control of these devices.

The company did not say in the reports how, where or by whom the vulnerabilities were discovered. In all cases, it cited an anonymous researcher.

Security researcher Will Strafach said he had seen no technical analysis of the vulnerabilities that Apple has just patched and advised users to update all devices.

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⚖️ Trump executive pleads guilty in tax case, agrees to testify

Allen Weisselberg, a senior Trump Organization adviser and formerly the company’s longtime chief financial officer, pleaded guilty to all 15 of the charges he faced in the case.

Weisselberg admitted taking in over $1.7 million worth of untaxed extras — including school tuition for his grandchildren, free rent for a Manhattan apartment and lease payments for a luxury car — and explicitly keeping some of the plums off the books. The judge said Weisselberg will have to pay nearly $2 million in taxes, penalties and interest and complete five years of probation.

Judge Juan Manuel Merchan agreed to sentence the 75-year-old executive to five months in New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex, although he will be eligible for release after little more than three months if he behaves behind bars.

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🇦🇫 Afghanistan wants this year to reach an agreement with Russia to buy some 1 million tonnes of gasoline and 1 million tonnes of diesel, Afghan Minister of Trade and Industry Nooruddin Azizi told Sputnik.

🗯 "We are planning to import some 1 million tonnes of gasoline and the same volume of diesel. An agreement must respect interests of both countries. As this is a very important issue and one of the key priorities of our country, we would like to reach such an agreement as soon as possible," the minister said, adding that the agreement is likely to be signed this year.

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❗️ Indonesia won't support initiatives that are not in line with its interests - Ambassador about the US idea about a Russian oil price cap

📌 LIVE UPDATES: Zaporozhye NPP safety system boosted over threat of new attacks - authorities

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