❗️US unveils $325mln security aid package for Ukraine – Blinken

The United States is to send an additional package of security aid to Ukraine worth $325 million, including air defense systems, HIMARS ammunition, and armored vehicles following the beginning of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.

“I am authorizing our 40th drawdown for Ukraine, which will provide $325 million worth of U.S. arms and equipment. This security assistance package includes critical air defense capabilities, additional munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery rounds, anti-tank weapons, armored vehicles, and other equipment essential to strengthening Ukraine’s forces on the battlefield,” Blinken said in a statement.

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🗣️”We've already lived through the first Cold War against the Soviet Union, which brought us to the brink of nuclear apocalypse during the Cuban Missile Crisis. And it could not be more clear that the US is doing the same thing to China and Russia. This is Cold War 2.0 and for Cuba, which has endured a cruel, illegal blockade for over six decades, the Cold War has never really ended”: Calla Walsh, co-chair of the National Network on Cuba, deliberates on whether China and Cuba pose any threat to the US

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

🇷🇺🌏 The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) will run from June 14 to 17, 2023.

▪️The main slogan of SPIEF 2023 will be "Sovereign Development" as a foundation for a just world.

▪️The program will incorporate over 150 sessions, master classes, and business meetings.

▪️Six bilateral business events are planned within the forum's framework, in the form of business dialogues with foreign partners from the Arab world, India, China, the Eurasian Economic Union, ASEAN, Latin America, and the United Arab Emirates.

👉 Follow Sputnik for all your SPIEF-related coverage needs!

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🗣️”Why are we talking about a fake Chinese spy base in Cuba instead of the illegal US occupation of Cuba's territory at Guantanamo Bay, which has gone on for 125 years? The idea that China and Cuba are targeting the US couldn't be further from the truth. The US is a country that's targeting others through sanctions, through military aggression, through covert destabilization programs”: Calla Walsh, co-chair of the National Network on Cuba, on the China-Cuba relations amid US aggression towards both countries

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

🚁🇷🇺 Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter has been become a jack-of-all trades weapon, searching out, homing in on and targeting everything from armored vehicles and tanks to enemy strongholds, and serving as the backbone of Russian rotary frontline aviation.

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⚡ Trump Pleads Not Guilty to 37 Charges in Classified Docs Indictment

🔺Biden administration set to approve provision of depleted uranium tank shells to Ukraine
🔺Goodbye America, hello BRICS? Egypt planning to shift away from US dollar in trade with BRICS
🔺Big Reunion in Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Syria agree to resume economic cooperation

The Critical Hour will cover these and more stories! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 6pm EST|3pm PST|12am CET via the website or app

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💥 'Do Anything You Want in Your Uniqueness': How Africa's Albinism Activists Tackle Bias

Today the world observes International Albinism Awareness Day, a day to celebrate the human rights of persons with albinism and to combat the discrimination, stigma and violence they face

To mark this day, Sputnik Africa spoke with Sixmond Mdeka, a Tanzanian gospel reggae singer, preacher of the Word of God and social advocate on disability and albinism awareness

🗣"Accepting the situation of being different and loving myself has helped me a lot to deal with being different, I often tell myself every morning: 'Sixmond you are handsome and unique, and it is okay to be different'," he said

👉🏼 Read the full interview!

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Binance says SEC's request to freeze assets could bring its operations to halt

"Binance .US has responded to the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) request to freeze its funds, arguing that such action could potentially lead to the termination of its operations," the crypto exchange said, adding that its court filing comes shortly before the hearing to emphasize the urgency of the matter.

Binance has expressed concerns over the potential consequences of the SEC's decision, including negative effect on its business activities. A fair and thorough assessment of the situation is needed before any decisions are made, it said.

On June 5, the SEC accused Binance of defrauding investors and concealing information about its operations. The complaint said that the exchange had secretly sent billions of dollars to a separate company, controlled by Binance's founder, Changpeng Zhao. Zhao, who lives in Dubai, dismissed the SEC’s charges on Twitter as untrue.

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While some believe that implementing 5G in Africa is a secondary problem, this could be the very catalyst for economic growth. What do you think?

Tune in for this week's episode of the #AfroVerdict podcast by Sputnik Africa to hear what a tech expert has to say!

Ka-52 Alligator: here’s what gives Russia’s unique attack helicopter its bite

The Russian military has released a series of videos showing Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters destroying a range of NATO armor in Ukraine, including Leopard tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, amid Kiev’s sputtering counteroffensive.

What are the Ka-52’s origins? What makes the chopper unique?

Sputnik explores