🫣 Naked alarm in the Vatican!

According to local media, a man climbed onto the main altar of St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican on Thursday evening, undressed completely, and scratched himself. Workers and Vatican gendarmes detained him and took him for identification and questioning.

The act in support of Ukraine - reportedly involving a man suffering a mental disorder - occurred in front of numerous tourists and is reminiscent of a similar scandal in January 2016 when a naked man appeared among tourists at St. Peter's Cathedral.

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Republican Congress Leader McCarthy strengthens position with debt ceiling deal

McCarthy and President Joe Biden reached a last-minute deal on cutting federal spending in certain areas, despite opposition from hard-line Republicans and the left-wing fringe of the Democrat House minority. The bill is expected to pass the Senate easily, showcasing Biden's ability to make bipartisan deals and highlighting the need for Republicans to reach out and collaborate on future initiatives.

Wealth manager Aquiles Larrea emphasized the importance of accepting the outcome and avoiding a government default, as it would have severe consequences for loan repayments, public employees' wages, and welfare checks. Larrea urged both sides to recognize the inevitability of the deal and cautioned against political suicide. He highlighted the upcoming elections and the Republicans' desire to be seen as a party for everyone, urging them to seek bipartisan solutions and avoid a losing proposition.

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45 bags with human remains have been found in Mexico

▪️ The bags were found in a gorge on the outskirts of Guadalajara, according to the state prosecutor's office in Jalisco, which added the remains were from both women and men.

▪️ They were found while authorities were searching for seven young call center workers who disappeared last week from the district of Zapopan.

▪️ It is not clear whether the seven are among the remains found, and a search is continuing for any more body parts.

▪️ Such discoveries are not uncommon in Mexico, where more than 110,000 people are listed as missing, many of them likely to have been victims of the country's drug cartels.

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📹 Russian Su-35 crew detects and destroys enemy aircraft within the special military operation

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📹 Target destroyed: Russian scouts neutralize an AFU infantry fighting vehicle

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US intel officials claim CIA director secretly visited China last month

“Last month, [CIA Director Bill] Burns traveled to Beijing where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communications in intelligence channels,” one unnamed US official reportedly told a British outlet.

A major American outlet wrote that a separate nameless US official described the trip as an “intelligence to intelligence engagement, not a diplomatic mission.”

If verified, the alleged meeting would mark the first significant engagement in months between representatives of the US and China.

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💥 WATCH: Russian paratroopers destroy a bridge in the enemy rear (video by Russian MoD)

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Top Brazilian presidential adviser calls on West to avoid World War III

A top adviser to the president of Brazil has cautioned Western regimes against inciting World War III by provoking Russia, drawing fresh criticism from pro-NATO media.

“We don’t want a third world war. And even if we don’t have that, we don’t want a new Cold War,” Celso Amorim, who served as foreign minister during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s first two terms and is now his adviser on international affairs, said. “All concerns of countries in the region should be taken into account, if you want peace.”

Amorim has visited both Kiev and Moscow in the last weeks, as part of an ongoing diplomatic push to bring an end to hostilities.

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White House urges Serbia’s Vucic to withdraw military from border with Kosovo

"Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer spoke with President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia today. Mr. Finer stressed the United States’ concern about the tense situation in northern Kosovo and called for all parties to take steps aimed at de-escalating the situation," the release said.

"He urged the government of Serbia to withdraw its armed forces stationed near the border and to lower their state of readiness, as well as to urge protesters to remain peaceful in northern Kosovo."

Finer also told Vucic that the US expect both sides to re-engage in the EU-facilitated dialogue and to fully implement the normalization agreement reached in Brussels and Ohrid earlier this year, the release added.

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Eastern Europe faces deep economic 'scarring,' high inflation, weak growth – IMF

Eastern and Southeastern Europe are experiencing significant economic challenges, including deep economic "scarring" and high inflation, according to the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva.

At a conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, Georgieva noted that the region's growth is affected by this economic scarring, resulting in a 3.5% lower outlook for 2024 compared to pre-pandemic expectations. High inflation and weak growth persist as major obstacles, with inflation projected to remain above central bank targets beyond 2024.

Georgieva emphasized the importance of reducing inflation while supporting recovery and laying the groundwork for future growth, requiring coordinated monetary, fiscal, and structural policies.

She also urged central banks to maintain a tight monetary policy and did not rule out further tightening if inflation remains stubborn.

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📹 The crew of the Russian T-80BVM tank destroyed an enemy group of up to ten people who tried to reconnoiter the forward positions of the Russian Army in the DPR

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Putin expresses condolences to Indian Prime Minister over triple train crash

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the three-train collision in the eastern state of Odisha, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

"Please accept our deepest condolences in connection with the tragic consequences of the train collision in the state of Odisha. We share the grief of those who lost their loved ones in this catastrophe and hope for a speedy recovery of all the victims," the message, also addressed to Indian President Droupadi Murmu, read.

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US defense chief claims Washington not trying to create NATO-like alliance in Indo-Pacific region

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated that the United States is not seeking to establish a NATO-like alliance in the Indo-Pacific region at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He emphasized the importance of maintaining good relationships with countries in the region, while acknowledging European countries' interest in the matter.

Austin also expressed concerns over potentially devastating consequences of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait and emphasized the US commitment to peace and stability in the region.

Regarding US-China relations, Austin highlighted his disappointment on what he termed a lack of serious engagement from the People's Republic of China (PRC) on crisis management mechanisms between their militaries. He expressed hope for a change in the future and indicated that he had no updates on arms control discussions with Chinese officials.

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Sunak, Biden to Discuss Creation of ‘Guardrails’ to Introduction of AI

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will discuss with US President Joe Biden next week the creation of barriers to the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), as the UK media outlet reports.

Earlier Sunak said that he intended to raise the topic of the "existential risk" posed by AI during his visit to the United States, scheduled for June 7-8.

Sunak could propose the creation of a global AI oversight body modeled on the International Atomic Energy Agency and headquartered in London, the report said, adding that the idea to create an international body to control AI was voiced by the head of OpenAI, Sam Altman, during the meeting with Sunak.

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❗️ Recep Tayyip Erdogan took his oath in parliament and officially assumed office as President of Turkyie. During the ceremony, Erdogan was handed a protocol on victory in the second round of the presidential elections.

📸🇹🇷 Visuals from Erdogan's inauguration ceremony shared on social media

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🤨 US Secretary of State Blinken to the Russian people: “United States are not your enemy”

Oh really? If you say so...

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Exclusive: Afwerki on Bilateral Relations With Russia, New World Order, NATO's War on Moscow

🇪🇷 As Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki arrived in Moscow on a four-day visit to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Sputnik Africa had a chance to have an exclusive interview with the African leader.

President Afwerki delivered his view on the development of the bilateral relations, multilateral Russia–Africa cooperation, NATO's war on Russia and the changing world order.

👉 Read the full interview!

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