🇷🇺🇨🇳 Vladimir Putin has wished Xi Jinping happy birthday in a "very warm" greeting, as the Chinese president turns 70 years old in a few hours

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Adam Delimkhanov, member of the Russian State Duma, is safe and sound, Chechnya’s head Ramzan Kadyrov said, adding that reports about Delimkhanov's death are fake.

Earlier, various reports emerged online claiming that the lawmaker had come under fire in the special military operation zone and been killed. Kadyrov posted a photo showing him together with Delimkhanov.

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🇷🇺 #SPIEF2023: Drones developed by students at Sevastopol State University in Crimea

The drones can be used for military reconnaissance missions as well as civilian purposes, such as helping emergency services combat fires.

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🗣️”When you hear that the US is planning for evacuation, it signals that the US is very serious about war over Taiwan. I mean, in a sense, you're starting to say that the die is cast”: KJ Noh, writer, teacher, and activist, professor, on the US, planning to evacuate its citizens from Taiwan

🎧Listen to more of Noh’s analysis in our podcast The Critical Hour

⚡️ US Federal Reserve skips rate hike in June after 10 previous increases

The first day of #SPIEF2023 has come to an end.

Here are the main highlights:

▪️Russia can’t be isolated in spite of all efforts, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman said;

▪️Those who impose sanctions have more problems than those targeted, Spanish businessman Pedro Mourino said;

▪️Russian Rosatom, Sri Lanka agree on NPP construction;

▪️Vladimir Putin is expected to participate in the forum’s plenary session on Friday, June 16.

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🗣️”All these decisions about US military violence abroad are made in total secrecy within the National Security Council, the Oval Office and the war rooms in the Pentagon. And that is not democracy”: Dave Lindorff, investigative journalist, Editor of the online publication ThisCantBeHappening.net and 2019 winner of an “Izzy” Award for Outstanding Independent Media, on how the government keeps important information from Americans

🎧Listen to more of Lindorff’s analysis in our podcast By Any Means Necessary

🔺No more unipolarity: Iranian president visits Latin American countries in an attempt to strengthen multipolar world order
🔺The Ukrainian counteroffensive, with no tangible results, prompts disappointment among Western military analysts. What's behind the failure?
🔺German Minister Robert Habeck: Lack of Russian gas could bring German industry to a standstill

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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🇷🇺 #SPIEF2023: Watch a video from the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum from first day

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Russia has been developing several types of combat laser systems for both air and ground use. These include anti-drone systems, weapons capable of disabling enemy equipment, and laser ammunition for anti-personnel and anti-vehicle purposes.

The Sokol-Eshelon as well as Peresvet combat laser systems disable spacecraft at altitudes up to 1,500 km and UAVs in the atmosphere. The Zadira destroys drones at a range of up to 5 km.

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🎙First ever 'Africa Category' added to Grammy Awards

The 2024 Grammys ceremony will now have a category for "Best African Music Performance," the Recording Academy stated on social media

🗣 "Today, we’re proud to announce a new category for the 66th Grammy Awards – Best African Music Performance," the organizer stated. "This track and singles category recognizes recordings that utilize unique local expressions from across the African continent."

The event's organizer, said that the newly introduced category would include 19 different music genres from around Africa that highlight the continent's melodic, harmonic and rhythmic musical traditions

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