Kamala Harris worst VP in polling history, US broadcaster reveals

Nearly half of Americans have a negative view of Kamala Harris and only 32% of them have a positive opinion of the US vice president, a new poll by the US' NBC News broadcaster has revealed.

The survey showed that 49% of respondents are critical of Harris, of which 39% have a "very negative view" with respect to the 58-year-old politician. Only 11% said they have a “very positive” opinion of Harris.

She received a net negative rating of -17, which NBC News said is "the lowest for any vice president in the poll’s history."

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🫠 Joe Biden: "[Putin] is clearly losing the war in Iraq"

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Why more US Bradley armored vehicles won’t boost Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Former US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, a Pentagon analyst, criticized the military assistance provided by Washington to Ukraine, stating that the Bradley armored vehicles received are outdated and have limited combat capabilities. She mentioned that the Bradleys are from the 1980s and are currently being upgraded.

However, the replacement program won't start until 2027. Kwiatkowski expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the additional batch of Bradleys for the Ukrainian military.

Kwiatkowski also highlighted that the delivery of the Bradleys benefits American Rheinmetall and General Dynamics, as they refine and propose their best designs. She argued that the development of a new vehicle could lead to an increase in the US military budget.

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Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has started final inspections at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to check the plant's system for releasing treated and diluted water, which was completed earlier this week, media reported on Wednesday.

The evaluation of the system's operation will last until the end of June, after which the discharge of wastewater into the Pacific Ocean will begin, the report said.

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❗️ Exclusive: Has South Africa's Position on Ukraine Changed? Pandor Said It All, Pretoria Insists

South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor expressed Pretoria's position on the Ukrainian crisis during a meeting with her German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, the South African Embassy in Moscow told Sputnik Africa.

🗣 "We need to be even-handed. All we said, we would like to be supportive of a process of diplomacy that leads to a peaceful outcome," Foreign Minister Pandor noted during the meeting with Baerbock.

The SA embassy's statement comes as German FM Baerbock alleged during a visit to Pretoria that "the long efforts in diplomacy are paying off, since the voice of South Africa [on Ukraine conflict], in my opinion, has already changed."

👉 Read the full comment

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United States' 'provocative behavior' in Taiwan issue creates more tensions in Sino-US relations

A large US congressional delegation led by Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, visited Taiwan, signaling the US's intent to strengthen military ties and contain China, according to commentator on the China-Taiwan relations Dianlong Bi.

Bi criticized the visit as a reflection of President Joe Biden's lack of leadership and stated that it undermines efforts to improve cross-strait relations and adhere to the One China principle. He believes this provocative behavior will escalate tensions between the US and China rather than foster better relations.

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📈 Russia's GDP grew by 5.4% year-on-year compared to 3.4% in April, the Ministry of Economy estimated

🗣 Vladimir Putin: Disrespect for the Quran is a crime in Russia, unlike some other countries

The 73-year-long war: how Cold War rivalries set off the Korean conflict

On Sunday, thousands in Korea marked the 73rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War, the most destructive event in the peninsula’s history, and a month from Wednesday, the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting in that war will also be commemorated.

Sputnik takes a look back at the conflict

🗣️”Not only does it make them look like fools, it makes them look like dishonest, hypocritical fools, which is certainly not the message that you want to be giving in the international arena”: KJ Noh, peace activist, teacher, and writer, told Sputnik

#SputnikInfographic First trials of 🇷🇺 Russia's Poseidon super torpedoes are scheduled for this summer, Sputnik learned last week.

Check out Poseidon's characteristics in our infographic!

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🇷🇺 Putin visited the Juma Mosque in Derbent, Republic of Dagestan, where the Mufti presented the Russian leader with a Quran as a gift

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Quran burning in Stockholm does not affect the US' position on Sweden's NATO accession, the US State Department stated.

🗣️”The geographic position [of South Korea], its proximity to China and Russia are making it basically the keystone in the US encirclement of China and Russia. So the US is there to stay because it's just too important a place for it, for the US military, to apply pressure on China and Russia”: Greg Elich, Korea Policy Institute board member and a contributor to the collection Sanctions as War: Anti-Imperialist Perspectives on American Geo-Economic Strategy, told Sputnik

📹 The combat work of Russia’s 152 mm howitzer guns in the zone of the special military op

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Turkish Foreign Minister slams another Quran-burning incident in Sweden

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday that another incident of Quran burning in Sweden was unacceptable and accused the Stockholm authorities of "complicity in a crime."

Earlier in the day, media reported that the Swedish police allowed a protest action featuring the burning of a Quran near the main mosque in Stockholm on the first day of Eid al-Adha, one of Islam's major holidays.

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🔺Unrest in France: Protests erupt in Paris after police shooting
🔺US deputy secretary of state and China's ambassador hold talk
🔺A warming in the Asia region? South Korean president is to “strengthen strategic communication to promote friendship between South Korea and China."

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

📻 Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

📹 Artillery of the 150th division of the Russian Armed Forces destroyed the enemy's temporary deployment point in the zone of the special military op

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West's ‘foolish’ regime change policy only drives Russia and China closer

The Sino-Russian partnership can’t be budged by events even as dramatic as an aborted mutiny because their mutual survival depends on staying united in front of NATO’s expanding attempts to hem them in, an expert told Sputnik.

Read Thomas W. Pauken II's full analysis

🎙 Join your #AfroVerdict host and listen in on their discussion with Anil Sooklal, South Africa's BRICS Sherpa, about the role of BRICS in championing the cause of the Global South in the rapidly developing multipolar architecture.

The Wagner Group could possibly continue its work in the Central African Republic, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, explaining that there is cooperation at the state level between Russia and the CAR, while the military advisors would continue their operations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier announced that the work of Russian instructors in the CAR would continue, with several hundred individuals currently present in the country.

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