Bulgarian new Defense Minister Todor Tagarev announced his intention to provide military assistance to Ukraine among his first statements

On Tuesday, the Bulgarian parliament approved the new government led by physicist and chemist Nikolai Denkov. The post of the defense minister was taken by military expert Todor Tagarev, who had led the Defense MInistry in March-May 2013.

In a speech following the parliamentary vote, Tagarev said his ministry intends to continue efforts to strengthen the country's defense capability.

"The second point is the contribution of our army to Black Sea security... We must help Ukraine continue its counteroffensive," the Bulgarian newspaper quoted the minister as saying.

Tagarev said the assistance should not harm the defense capability of Bulgaria.

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In this brand-new episode of our New Rules podcast, we are joined by Michael Hudson, an American economist and author. He touches upon the effects the West’s anti-Russia sanctions have on Europe, where the US economy is heading and more...

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The upper house of the Russian parliament ratified an agreement between Russia and China on on cooperation in gas supplies via the Far East route

The document signed on January 31 suggests building a cross-border section of the gas pipeline. It starts at a gas measuring station in Russia near the town of Dalnerechensk, passes through the Ussuri River and ends at the Hulin launch station in China.

The design, construction and operation of the site in Russia is carried out by Gazprom, while in China — by the China National Petroleum Corporation.

The State Duma, the lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly, ratified the intergovernmental agreement on the supply of natural gas to China via the Far East route at a session on May 31.

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🇷🇺 Russian Defense Minister Shoigu has inspected the implementation of the state defense order at one of the facilities of the Almaz-Antey corporation and inspected the workshops for the production of anti-aircraft missiles

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Catch our Fault Lines show, where we provide updates and analysis on all the most vital stories! Here's our lineup for today:

🔺To kick things off, we'll be focusing on Congress’ move to hit the FBI director with a contempt charge
🔺Next, we’ll speak about the Cornell West’s run for the presidency
🔺Finally, we’ll be covering the latest on Ukraine

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London's Metropolitan Police are 'secretly monitoring' children as young as 13 on social media to fight violence online and could be potentially violating data laws

The project, known as Project Alpha, allows the Metropolitan Police to collect "children’s personal data" from social media sites to identify offenders and secure the removal of videos showing stabbings and shootings from social media platforms such as YouTube, British newspaper’s report said. The police could also be gathering data on much younger children, but police officers are under no obligation to document the ages of the individuals they are targeting.

Human rights organizations raised concerns over the police potentially violating data laws and disproportionately targeting children from racial minorities, such as the Human Rights Act, the Equality Act and the Data Protection Act, the Liberty advocacy group told the newspaper.

Some 7,000 records have been created by the police under the project, with the youngest age recorded as 13, the newspaper reported, citing data obtained by the Point Source research group. Each record might include online content, social media account details, age and ethnicity of those monitored.

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❗️ Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline has been blown up by Ukrainian saboteurs in Kharkov region on Tuesday, Russia's MoD says

📹 Footage has appeared online allegedly showing corrosive ammonia vapor after an explosion at the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces

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📹 Footage showing the destruction of a column of Ukrainian armored vehicles has been published by Russia’s MoD

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

The armed forces of Ukraine, without achieving their objectives of the offensive and suffering significant losses in the South Donetsk direction, attempted to break through the defense of Russian troops in the Donetsk direction in the area of the city of Artemovsk. Ukrainian forces did not achieve the objectives of the offensive. There were no intrusions into Russian defenses.

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Russian forces destroyed over 415 Ukrainian troops, two tanks, nine armored combat vehicles, one Msta-B and howitzer, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer;

▪️In the South Donetsk direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 190 troops, eight tanks, two French-made wheeled AMX-10 tanks, 20 armored combat vehicles, one US-made M777 artillery system, one D-30 and one D-20 howitzer, a Hyacinth-B towed gun, as well as an ammunition depot and one US-made AN/TPQ-36 counter-mortar radar;

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, the actions of three Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were thwarted. Russian forces destroyed up to 50 Ukrainian troops, three armored combat vehicles and a US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, the actions of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were thwarted. Russian forces neutralized up to 70 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, two infantry fighting vehicles, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, and one D-20 howitzer;

▪️Two fuel depots were destroyed in the DPR;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian troops neutralized up to 60 Ukrainian soldiers, five armored combat vehicles, one US-made M777 artillery system, one Msta-B howitzer, and one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down one Su-27 aircraft, a MIG-29 fighter, 24 HIMARS, Uragan, and Olha missiles, as well as 22 unmanned aerial vehicles in the LPR, DPR, Kharkov, and Zaporozhye regions.

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Republican Congress leader lambasts push for more spending on Ukraine

Veteran neo-conservative Senate war-hawk Lindsey Graham has backed the Kiev regime to the hilt in its conflict with Russia. But other Congress Republicans are wary of writing a blank cheque for arms shipments which are escalating tensions between the nuclear powers.

Republican Congress leader Kevin McCarthy has slammed attempts by his Senate colleagues to fund more arms to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

"Lindsey wants to spend money on every war in the world," he charged.
"You don’t get to just throw money and say somebody needs money," McCarthy added. "What about the money we have already spent? What is the money for and what is victory?" McCarthy said.

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Putin addresses 2023 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

Traditionally, the rich and substantive agenda of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) covers a wide range of relevant and significant topics, the key trends and prospects of the Russian and global economy, as well as the profound systemic changes that are gaining momentum today.

“To a large extent, these changes are driven by the process of forming a multipolar world order and the aspirations of most countries to secure both political and economic independence. In this context, the theme of this year's Forum, ‘Sovereign Development: the Foundation of a Just World. Let's Unite Our Efforts for the Sake of Future Generations,’ is extremely important and timely,” Vladimir Putin stressed.

President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that the forum will continue to be an example of constructive and fruitful dialogue, and wished all participants success and the very best.

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Ex-CIA advisor reveals date when dollar's hegemony may start to crumble

The dollar’s world reserve currency status has taken a series of hits amid the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis into a full-blown NATO-Russia proxy war. America’s staggering debts, nations’ efforts to increase trade in local currencies, and talk of new reserve currencies have fueled speculation about the dollar’s vaunted status reaching its end.

"On August 22, about two-and-a-half months from today, the most significant development in international finance since 1971 will be unveiled," Department of Defense advisor and investment banker James Rickards wrote in a major independent US business news outlet, referring to the start date of the upcoming BRICS Leaders’ Summit Conference in South Africa, and the day in 1971 when the US went off the gold standard.

Read about the potential BRICS reserve currency’s possible mechanics and the opinion of US leaders about de-dollarization on Sputnik's website

❗️ Exclusive: Uganda hopes Africa’s Ukraine peace mission with Kampala's perspective to bring results, Ugandan ambassador to Russia tells Sputnik Africa

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Putin tells Erdogan about Ukraine's terrorist attacks after Kakhovka dam strike

Earlier in the day, the office of the Turkish president said that Erdogan and Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine, as well as the need to investigate the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP).

"President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan... The Presidents of Russia and Turkey exchanged views on the situation around Ukraine," the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that Putin told Erdogan that Kiev is dangerously escalating the situation at the instigation of the West, by using terrorist methods, and organizing acts of sabotage in Russia.

The Russian president called the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP a barbaric act that led to a massive ecological and humanitarian catastrophe.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 The Russian Aerospace Forces and the Chinese Air Force have conducted joint air patrols in the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported

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US 'borrowing spree' expected post-debt ceiling row

An estimated $1.1 trillion in short-dated Treasury bills will need to be borrowed by the end of 2023, it is reported. The US Treasury Department is said to be gearing up for one of the biggest Treasury bill issuance hikes in history.

“Yields will move higher because of this flood. Treasury bills will cheapen further. And that will put pressure on banks,” Gennadiy Goldberg, a strategist at TD Securities, was cited as saying.

Ahead of the expected US Treasury drive to start the massive sale of government bonds, "yields had already begun to rise," cited experts added.

The US Treasury’s energetic return to borrowing “could exacerbate stresses that were already on the banking system,” added Doug Spratley, head of the cash management team at T Rowe Price.
Just before the debt ceiling row was resolved, government figures showed that the US Treasury Department's cash balance had plunged to its lowest level since 2017 - just $37 billion.

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New BRICS currency can challenge dollar hegemony of US-led G7 'economic gang'

BRICS leaders preparing to hold a major summit in South Africa in August, with a creation of a common bloc currency expected to be one of the main topics on the agenda.

What will the new currency look like? How will it function? And why is the initiative being floated right now?

Sputnik reached out to experts in international finance for answers

Arctic seas may be without summer ice in 10 years' time - study

In recent decades, these seas have seen a rapid decline in such ice, with the Arctic spending an increasing proportion of the year without it.

The authors of the new study believe that IPCC models underestimate the impact of greenhouse gases on total sea ice extent. They suggest that by 2080-2100, the Arctic seas will have lost their summer ice cover one way or another, even if a 'optimistic' low-emission scenario is realized. Such projections are based on scenarios corresponding to high and medium carbon dioxide emissions.

The scientists confirmed that the rate of decline in sea ice has been particularly rapid since the 1990s, which can be estimated directly from satellite imagery.

The authors found that the impact of human activity on sea ice loss is year-round, not a single month.

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🗣️”So they do the next obvious thing. Blaming Russia didn't work, so they're kind of willing to sell out their ally. And we've seen this in the past that, they're propping up the Ukrainian government, but they'll sell them out at any turn if need be”: Jeremy Kuzmarov, managing editor of CovertAction Magazine and author, on new reporting on Ukrainian involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines

🎧Listen to more of Kuzmarov’s analysis in our podcast Political Misfits

🇺🇬 Uganda Would Be 'Happy' to Support BRICS in Advancing Multipolarity, Ambassador to Russia Says

Uganda would be willing to join BRICS in its crusade to bring about changes in the world order and establish multipolarity in international relations, the nation's ambassador to Russia, Moses Kizige, exclusively told Sputnik Africa.

🗣 "All the people involved in all the BRICS countries other than Brazil, but Russia, India, China and South Africa, have been very, very close to Uganda for many, many years. So if they see the opportunity for Uganda to join this initiative, I know my government would be happy to do that," the ambassador said

👉 Read the full interview!

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