Largest Buddhist monastery opens in Russia's Siberia 🇷🇺

🙏 The main Buddhist monastery was erected at the initiative of Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, who was born in Tuva, on a site blessed by the 14th Dalai Lama during his only visit to Tuva on September 21, 1992.

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This brain-hijacking parasite drives wolves toward pack leadership

New research suggests that the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which is known to affect the behavior of animals, can also alter the dynamics of entire ecosystems.

In a study of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park, infected wolves were found to be more likely to take risks and become pack leaders.

The parasite is thought to raise testosterone levels, triggering aggression and a desire for dominance, which are traits needed in a pack leader.

The study also revealed a feedback loop, in which an infected pack leader could influence the behavior of the rest of the pack, potentially increasing the rate of infection.

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Biden's 2024 bid tainted by new corruption allegations

Ted Harvey, a US political commentator and former Colorado state senator, accuses the mainstream US press, Department of Justice, and intelligence community of turning a blind eye to President Joe Biden's alleged nepotism and fundraising rule violations.

Harvey questions the source of funding for Biden's $250,000 90-second ad, which he released just 24 hours after announcing his candidacy.

OpenSecrets reports that Biden's campaign and joint fundraising committee, Biden Victory Fund, have over $2.2 million cash on hand, but Democratic Party members believe total fundraising and outside spending could reach over $2 billion.

Republican lawmakers are intensifying their investigations into the Biden family's alleged influence-peddling schemes, which involve at least 12 members, according to Oversight Chair James Comer.

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Sister of North Korean leader says Biden appears to be ‘old man with no future'

Commenting on Joe Biden’s statement, Kim Yo-jong, he deputy head of the Central Committee of North Korea’s Workers’ Party and the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that "It may be taken as a nonsensical remark from the person in his dotage who is not at all capable of taking the responsibility for security and the future of the US, an old man with no future, as it is too much for him to serve out two-year remainder of his office term."

She said that Seoul’s latest agreement with Washington reflects "the most hostile and aggressive will of action" against Pyongyang that will "only result in making peace and security of Northeast Asia and the world be exposed to more serious danger."

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Leak of a sensitive kind: docs on Royal Navy ‘hunter-killer’ sub reportedly left in pub loo

An investigation has been launched by the UK Royal Navy in the wake of a report that someone off for a tinkle at The Furness Railway, a Wetherspoon establishment in Barrow-in-Furness, might have made a ‘leak’ of a rather more serious kind.

Some files marked “Official Sensitive” relating to the inner workings of the HMS Anson, the UK Royal Navy’s advanced nuclear-powered “hunter-killer” submarine of the Astute-class, worth £1.3Bln, were left behind in the pub’s loo.

Incidentally, The Furness Railway, which is described as having attracted quite a crowd that day, is just a stone’s throw away from BAE Systems' shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, where the submarine was commissioned.

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📹 Watch footage of an aerial battle between Russian and Ukrainian drones near Donetsk in the Avdeevka direction.

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❗️Moscow to lodge protest with Warsaw over seizure of Russian Embassy school building, Russia will respond to actions of Polish officials and police, who burst into school, Russian ambassador says

⚡️Representatives of Warsaw City Hall, accompanied by police, arrived at the school building of the Russian Embassy. The authorities began to break down the door after the embassy staff refused to open it, according to a Sputnik correspondent

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🎥 A Tor-M2 anti-aircraft missile system successfully destroyed a Ukrainian drone in motion, thwarting an attack.

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🌍🇷🇺Appeal of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the participants and organizers of the World Online Conference on Multipolarity

💬“It is gratifying that your forum has brought together prominent political and social scientists from several dozen countries from almost every continent of the world. We can only welcome such interest in a frank and apolitical exchange of views.”

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Moscow condemns practices of suspending Russian athletes from Olympics as political

"Our principled stance is that this issue should not be politicized, people should not be deprived of sport competitions, of participating in them on political grounds," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said.

Unfortunately, this is the case now, the diplomat stated.
"We undoubtedly denounce it," he added.

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Russia sees no progress in implementing its part of grain deal

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin has stated that there are no tangible results indicating that Russia's demands under the Black Sea Grain Initiative have been met, but there is still time before the deal expires.

He also mentioned that the US is interested in maintaining the work of its embassy in Moscow despite the extremely low level of bilateral relations. Furthermore, Russia is seeking to launch an arbitration process against the US over visa problems, and although UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has not taken any specific steps, Russia will continue to demand it.

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❗️(1) Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️In the evening of April 28, 2023, the Russian military launched a naval long-range precision-guided strike on the location of a command post of the UAF’s Kherson combined force grouping. The goal of the strike was achieved.

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 70 Ukrainian troops, five armored fighting vehicles, one ammunition vehicle, two pick-up trucks, and one D-20 howitzer;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 75 Ukrainian personnel, two armored fighting vehicles, and two D-20 and D-30 howitzers;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Ukrainian losses amounted over 575 troops and mercenaries, two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, two armored fighting vehicles, two Akatsiya and Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, one D-30 howitzer, and two US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter mortar radars.

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