‼️ Air defense repels missile attack by Ukrainian troops on Kakhovka HPP - Authorities ➡️ LIVE UPDATES

The air defense system repelled a missile attack by Ukrainian troops on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in the Kherson region, Vladimir Leontyev, the head of the administration of the Kakhovka district, told Sputnik.

"They fired on the area of the hydroelectric power station. The targets were shot down. The air defense system worked successfully," Leontyev said.

🚔 Connecticut releases police use-of-force data for 1st time

Connecticut released data Thursday for the first time showing the race of people subjected to police use of force, a reporting practice that many states are beginning to adopt in the wake of nationwide calls for more police accountability.

The data from 2019 and 2020 appeared to show Connecticut police used force on Black people at disproportionate rates compared with white people. The state is just the second in the country, after New Jersey, to publicly report statewide police use-of-force data.

The Connecticut report said that of the more than 1,300 people reported to have been subjected to police use of force in 2019 and 2020, 38% were Black, 33% were white and 20% were Hispanic.

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🦠 CDC confirms Nebraska child died of brain-eating amoeba

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the presence of the naegleria fowleri amoeba in the child, according to the Douglas County Department of Health in Omaha.

It is the second death in the Midwest this summer from primary amebic meningoencephalitis, an infection caused by the amoeba that has proved fatal in 97% of reported cases. Symptoms of the infection include fever, headache, nausea or vomiting, progressing to a stiff neck, loss of balance, hallucinations and seizures.

The CDC says naegleria fowleri infections are rare, there were 154 cases reported between 1962 and 2021 in the US, with only four survivors. Only about 430 cases have ever been documented globally.

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‼️S&P Global upgrades Ukraine's Foreign Currency Rating

S&P Global raised Ukraine's foreign currency rating to "CCC+" from "Selective Default," the agency said in a press release.

"On Aug. 19, 2022, S&P Global Ratings raised its foreign currency long- and short-term sovereign credit ratings on Ukraine to 'CCC+/C' from 'SD/SD' and the long-term issue rating on the restructured foreign currency bonds to 'CCC+' from 'D'," the release said on Friday.

The agency said Ukraine completed its distressed debt restructuring and it has categorized the country as having a stable outlook, mostly due to the reduction in Ukraine's government debt service requirements and the expectation the county will have steady international financial support against risks stemming from the ongoing conflict.

S&P Global will publish its next rating on Ukraine's sovereign rating on September 9, the release said.

💉 US offers extra monkeypox vaccine doses for gay pride events

The US is setting aside an extra 50,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine for places with upcoming gay pride events. Southern Decadence, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ events, is expected to attract 200,000 or more people to New Orleans over Labor Day weekend. 

There have been more than 39,000 cases reported in countries that have not historically seen monkeypox. The US has the most infections of any country — more than 13,500. About 98% of US cases are men and about 93% were men who reported recent sexual contact with other men.

Officials also announced a new agreement with a Michigan manufacturer to help speed production of 5.5 million vaccine vials recently ordered by the US government.

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💰 US President building taxpayer-funded $500,000 fence around summer house

The US president may not like his predecessor's border wall plan, but he has contracted a taxpayer-funded security fence worth nearly $500,000 around his $2.7 million summer home in the North Shores community of Rehoboth Beach, Fox News reported on Friday.

Meanwhile, the US Secret Service is currently under fire for allegedly wasting US taxpayer dollars on Biden’s son, Hunter. Secret Service detail protecting Hunter has been paying more than $30,000 a month to rent a mansion in Malibu, California, for nearly a year. 

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‼️ Ukraine tried to strike Melitopol in Zaporozhye region, aid defense systems activated

The Ukrainian troops tried on Saturday to strike the city of Melitopol in the Zaporozhye Region, with four explosions heard in the area, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

He added that the air defense systems had been activated. According to the regional authorities, the air defense systems downed two missiles near the city.

"The Russian air defense systems have downed near Melitopol two missiles fired by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' militants at the civil infrastructure facilities and residential areas," Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporozhye regional administration's main council, wrote on Telegram.

🗳 Montenegro Parliament Passes Vote of Non-Confidence in Government

Members of the Montenegrin parliament have passed a vote of non-confidence in the national government headed by Dritan Abazovic.

The vote was initiated by the former ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) led by Milo Dukanovic and its partners. The initiative was supported by 50 out of 81 lawmakers, one more abstained from voting.

Daniel Zivkovic from the DPS said that the vote of non-confidence had been supported by lawmakers as the cabinet had failed to make steps toward future EU membership within 100 days. From Abazovic's point of view, the vote of non-confidence is linked to the recently signed fundamental agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church.

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🔪 Former Cadet of Military Lyceum Attacked Fellow Students, One Person Dead - Reports

A former cadet of a military lyceum in the Argentine province of Santa Fe has attacked his former fellow students, leaving 1 person dead and six more injured, media reported.

According to the TN broadcaster, a group of students were returning home by bus. A driver stopped the bus near a bakery.

The 19-year-old former cadet attacked the driver and stabbed him in the neck. The driver died at the site of the attack.

After that the assailant attacked the students, leaving six people hospitalized. They are in non-life-threatening condition.

The attacker was detained. He reportedly took revenge for the expulsion from the lyceum over bad behavior.

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🚨 LA 'Flash Mob' looters ransack 7-Eleven store

A crowd streamed into a 7-Eleven and grabbed snacks, drinks, tobacco products and lottery tickets, ransacking the convenience store before fleeing.

Investigators believe the incident, which was captured on surveillance video released by the Los Angeles Police Department, involved participants in a “flash mob” street takeover who stole items en masse from the store while throwing merchandise at employees.

Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s South Traffic and Southeast Divisions are investigating.

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🚫 Following Mar-a-Lago raid, lawmakers want information from platform

Lawmakers on Friday sent letters to eight different platforms, including Meta*, Twitter, TikTok and the messaging app Telegram, as well as the right-wing leaning platforms Truth Social, Rumble and Gettr.

Members of the House Oversight Committee want information from major social platforms, including the number of threats that have surfaced on their sites and what they’ve done in response. The FBI and DHS warned that an escalation in online threats could contribute to real-world violence against law enforcement officials.

The House panel has given the companies until September 2nd to respond to the request.

*Meta, Facebook, and Instagram are banned in Russia over extremist activities.

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⚡️World Health Organization recommends boosting COVID-19 vaccination campaign, promoting the use of face masks in order to boost protection against the Omicron strain throughout fall and winter

🤝 Russia and Sudan are looking to expand their cooperation in the oil sector beyond just production, according to the director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Russian Energy Ministry, Dmitry Semenov.

🗯"Together with companies, we have agreed to discuss expanding areas of cooperation in the oil sector beyond just production, to also look at technologies for enhanced oil recovery, the utilization of associated gas, oil refining, petrochemistry, and education," Semenov said on Friday.

Besides, he added, Moscow is on board with the construction of hydro and thermal power plants in Sudan, and Russia also has something to offer in terms of solar energy.

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📌 LIVE UPDATES: Ukrainian Troops Taking Revenge on Zaporozhye by Shelling Cities, NPP - Authorities

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🎤Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though Drake’s here to stay…

Grammy-winning rapper Drake appeared to have surpassed the record of The Beatles, who had the most top five hits — 29 — on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 55 years.

🎧 Well, not anymore: as Drake arrived with his DJ Khaled collaboration ‘Staying Alive’, he landed his 30th track in the top five of the pop music chart… effectively sliding past The Beatles.

The legendary British band had dominated the chart since iconic songs like “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Come Together/Something,” “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude” were first recorded in the 1960s and 1970s.

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⚡️UAV targets the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, there are no casualties - governor

The attack has not caused any significant damage, the governor said. He also urged citizens to stay at home for the next hour.

😒🏄‍♂️New ways to check out the sights of Venice?

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro is clearly not fond of surfing as a way to explore the city's canals. He demanded that the "idiots" who decided to "make a mockery" of the city be found... and even offered to treat those who managed to locate the surfers to dinner.

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❗️The Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis:

▫️As a result of a strike on the positions of the Kraken regiment and mercenaries in Kharkov region, more than a hundred militants were killed, including up to 20 mercenaries from the United States.

▫️Strikes on the Nikolayev and Dnepropetrovsk regions have resulted in more than 200 deaths for the Ukrainian military.

▫️Up to 130 militants and eight special military vehicles were destroyed north of the city of Kharkov.

▫️A Ukrainian battalion was almost completely destroyed by the Russian Aerospace Forces strikes in the Dnepropetrovsk region, where at least 200 paramilitaries were killed and more than 150 wounded.

📌 In total, 267 Ukrainian airplanes and 148 helicopters, 1,776 unmanned aerial vehicles, 367 anti-aircraft missile systems, 4,354 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 809 multiple launch rocket systems, 3,320 field artillery and mortars, as well as 4,969 special military vehicles have been destroyed during the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

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⚡️The idea to ban Russians from entering the EU is a manifestation of Nazi policy — Russian Defense Minister Shoigu

❗️An air strike on a detention center in the DPR's Yelenovka is an attempt by Kiev to conceal its crimes, Shoigu says