🙏 Musk begs to give Biden his Twitter password

His message comes in response to a post that said "it's time for the super rich to start paying their fair share."

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Ukraine's demilitarization mainly completed as Kiev using own weapons much less

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Ukraine's demilitarization has largely been accomplished as it relies less on its own weapons and increasingly utilizes weaponry supplied by Western countries.

Peskov noted that Ukraine was highly militarized during the initial stages of the military operation, but the objective of demilitarization set by Russian President Vladimir Putin has been mostly achieved.

Regarding peace negotiations, Peskov stated that certain provisions in various Ukraine peace initiatives do not align with Russia's position and are unacceptable.

However, he emphasized that Moscow is willing to engage in dialogue with Kiev, expressing openness despite the opposing stance of the Ukrainian side.

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Abkhazia ready for any scenario with Georgia

Abkhazia holds regular military drills with Russia and is ready for the development of any scenario with Georgia, Abkhazia’s Ambassador to Russia Alkhas Kvitsinia told Sputnik.

"We have learned from bitter experience, therefore we must always be ready for any development of events. Hence the permanent exercises, often jointly with the Russian military," Kvitsinia said, asked about the possibility of a "second front" against Russia getting opened in Georgia under Western pressure.

In April, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergei Naryshkin said at a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that the West was forcing Georgia to enter into a military conflict with Russia, convincing Tbilisi that now was a good time to regain control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

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🇵🇭 A passenger ferry with 120 people on board caught fire near the Philippine province of Bohol. According to the local coast guard, a rescue operation is underway.

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Blinken in China: what's on his visit's agenda?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Beijing for a high-stakes visit aimed at improving US-China relations after months of bilateral tension.

This visit marks the first time in five years that a US top diplomat has visited China and the first by a Biden administration official.

Blinken plans to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Wang Yi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss a range of issues, including the fentanyl crisis, Taiwan, the conflict in Ukraine, and China's detention of American citizens. The visit seeks to establish better lines of communication and prevent misunderstandings that could escalate into conflicts, according to Blinken.

While Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed a readiness to reduce bilateral tensions during his meeting with Bill Gates, officials from both countries have reportedly signalled low expectations for the outcomes of Blinken's visit.

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Putin to African Delegation: Ukraine Gave Up on Negotiations Despite Arranged Peace Settlement

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held negotiations with African delegates at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg to discuss the joint African peace initiative on Ukraine.

The Russian leader presented the African delegation with a draft of the 2022 Istanbul treaty on the Ukrainian conflict settlement, highlighting that the Kiev regime "threw it into the dustbin of history."

💬"But after we withdrew the troops from Kiev, as we promised, the Kiev authorities, as their masters usually do, threw it all into the dustbin of history. Let's put it clearly. I'll try to put it in a civilized manner... They gave it up," Putin said.

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Peskov says full potential of cooperation between Russia, Arab world yet to be unlocked

The full potential of cooperation between Russia and the Arab countries has not been developed yet, Moscow will continue to work in that direction, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday.

"Russia has long historical and very close relations with the Arab world. Russia … assisted these countries in the development of their industry, the development of the national economy … with many, Russia continues very close, advanced, partnership relations," Peskov told Russian broadcaster.

He said that Russia will continue to work in that direction and considers Arab countries to be Moscow’s friends and partners.

"We believe that the potential of our cooperation, primarily trade and economic, is far from being unlocked, it is much wider than what we have now," Peskov said.

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❗️ Ukraine’s top general Valery Zaluzhny may be abroad, Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with military correspondents this week.

"It seems to me that he is abroad. But I could be wrong," the Russian President said.

In May, there were reports that Zaluzhny had been seriously injured, as he stopped appearing in public.

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Indonesia expects Russia to participate in fall ASEAN summit

As ASEAN chair, Indonesia anticipates Russia's participation in the upcoming Jakarta summit, aiming for balanced political positions and stronger economic ties, according to Ivan Polyakov, chairman of the Russia-ASEAN Business Council.

Polyakov highlighted Indonesia's unchanged attitude towards Russia and their involvement in recent events such as the Eurasian Economic Forum and the G20 summit.

He expressed confidence in the meticulous preparations and high-level execution of the ASEAN summit in Jakarta.

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❗️ The ex-owner of London's Chelsea Football Club, Roman Abramovich, did not sign an agreement on the transfer of £2.3bln ($2.9bln) from the sale of the club to Ukraine, according to British media.

Abramovich reportedly wants part of the funds to be transferred to the victims of the conflict among Russians. The British authorities are opposed to it and hope that the money will be transferred to Ukraine before winter.

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Putin thanks doctors working in special operation zone on Medical Worker Day

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated medical workers on their professional holiday, thanking those working in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine.

"Medical Worker Day is, above all, a professional holiday, but millions of Russians know about it and are delighted to be able to wish doctors, paramedics, nurses and orderlies a happy holiday, tell them how much respect they have for their work, and express their gratitude and admiration," Putin said in a Sunday statement.

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US Army enhances surveillance capabilities to monitor social media

A recent procurement document reveals that a battalion within the US Army is expanding its surveillance capabilities to detect online threats, gather public information, and track individuals. The emphasis on social media reflects the growing importance of countering disinformation in national security efforts.

However, privacy advocates argue that surveilling individuals based on their expressions of opinions or value judgments, particularly towards public officials, hinders democratic principles that protect the ability to criticize and express sentiment without government interference.

The document highlights the battalion's intention to acquire tools that can detect and locate online threats, including access to platforms like 4Chan, Reddit, YouTube, Vkontakte, Discord, and Telegram.

The battalion aims to combine social media data with other sources such as CCTV feeds, news outlets, personal records, hacked information, webcams, and cellular location data. It also outlines techniques like "geo-fencing" and misattribution to conceal the Army's internet presence and deceive others about its true identity while monitoring online activity.

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Over 515,000 people in the states of Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas remain without power due to severe weather

The data showed that around 213,000 customers experienced power outages in Oklahoma, followed by over 126,400 in Texas and around 113,800 in Louisiana. Some 43,100 and 18,000 people are without electricity in Mississippi and Arkansas, respectively.

Local broadcaster reported that "thousands of customers" were without power in Oklahoma as severe weather swept across the state.

Texan newspaper reported that widespread power outages in Texas and Louisiana were caused by severe storms that hit transmission lines that deliver power to cities and towns.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked volunteers in the zone of the special military operation for their motivation and readiness to defend the Motherland

▪️ Russia's president also praised the contribution of the media to forging unity in Russian society, which demonstrated the solidarity necessary for the country during the special military operation.

▪️ In addition, Vladimir Putin called the work of Russian servicemen in the city of Maryinka in Russia's Donetsk People's Republic 'heroic'.

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Republican lawmakers proposed to trim over $2.5 billion earmarked for missile procurement, including munitions for Ukraine, under the Pentagon spending bill

Washington's weapons deliveries to Kiev forced military planners to reconsider munitions procurement schemes to be prepared for another conflict. This realization led the US Department of Defense to ask Congress to fund multi-year purchases of munitions instead of placing orders annually under the proposed budget for fiscal year 2024.

"The Committee is particularly concerned the Department [of Defense] cannot provide realistic cost estimates and has proceeded with these multiyear procurement requests without a firm understanding of each program's unit cost and production capacity," the report said, as quoted by media.

The panel suggests redirecting funds to boost military training, maintenance as well as research and development.

The House Appropriations Committee has budgetary authority and passes appropriations bills together with the Senate. The bills approved by the Appropriations Committee regulate the various funding of the US government.

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⚡ The Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis (Part 1/2):

▪️With up to three battalion tactical groups, reinforced with tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, and under a cover of smoke, Ukraine made several unsuccessful offensive attempts in waves in the Zaporozhye region. The competent and decisive actions of the Russian Armed Forces, military aircraft and artillery have repelled all the enemy attacks. Enemy losses in Zaporozhye region included over 200 Ukrainian servicemen, 33 tanks, 30 infantry fighting vehicles and 35 armoured fighting vehicles.

▪️As a result of decisive actions by Russian troops, aviation and artillery, 4 enemy attacks with a battalion tactical group have been repelled by Russian forces in the DPR and Zaporozhye region. The enemy losses were up to 380 Ukrainian servicemen, 35 tanks, 33 infantry fighting vehicles, including 2 Bradley vehicles, as well as 38 armoured fighting vehicles, including Striker armoured personnel carrier, as well as 1 D-20 howitzer.

▪️As a result of the activity of the Russian Armed Forces, 8 enemy attacks have been repelled in the DPR. The enemy losses were up to 210 Ukrainian servicemen, 1 infantry fighting vehicle, 1 armoured personnel carrier, 3 motor vehicles, 2 pickup trucks and 1 Grad multiple-launch rocket system.

▪️The attacks, launched by Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, as well as artillery of the Russian Armed Forces, have resulted in the neutralisation of enemy troops and hardware in Kharkov region and the LPR. The actions of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been suppressed in Kharkov region and the LPR. The enemy losses were up to 60 Ukrainian servicemen, 3 pickup trucks, 1 Msta-B howitzer and 1 Polish-Manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system.

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⚡ The Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis (Part 2/2):

▪️Russia’s military aircraft and artillery have hit enemy units in the LPR and DPR. The enemy losses were up to 70 Ukrainian servicemen, 1 infantry fighting vehicle, 2 motor vehicles, 1 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, as well as 1 D-30 howitzer.

▪️Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of Russia have neutralised 113 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions, as well as troops and hardware in 124 areas.

▪️1 U.S.-manufactured AN/TPQ-50 counterbattery warfare radar has been destroyed in the DPR.

▪️Air defence facilities intercepted 1 Storm Shadow long-range cruise missile and 2 HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system projectiles.

▪️Some 444 airplanes, 239 helicopters, 4,686 unmanned aerial vehicles, 426 air defence missile systems, 10,156 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,125 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,149 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 11,028 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation.

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The West is concerned about the ongoing “uncertainty” over the future of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF)’s counteroffensive against Russian troops

"Nerves are jangling across Europe and the US as Kiev’s international backers wait for evidence that the Ukrainian military can turn the substantial support it has received from NATO into real gains,” Misha Glenny, an observer for The Times, says.

Glenny claimed that “in private, Ukrainian officials admit that their armed forces do not have the capacity to restore Kiev’s sovereignty" across all the land that is currently being controlled by Russia.

“The Russian military has used the winter months to dig in across the entire frontline. The impact of such powerful weapons as Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missiles [that the UK earlier supplied to Kiev as part of the West’s military aid] remains unknown,” the author pointed out.

He underscored that if Russia wins, it “would represent not just a disaster for Ukraine but a massive setback for the West,” and that China, Moscow’s “most important ally, would be strengthened by a Russian victory.”

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Germany's new national security strategy, which names Moscow as the main threat to the country, contradicts Berlin's logic and interests

"It is difficult for me to comment on the actions, statements and documents adopted by contemporary German politicians. They rest neither on logic nor the interests of Germany and the German people," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Russian TV broadcaster.

Earlier this week Germany unveiled National Security Strategy that dubbed Russia "the greatest threat to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region."

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