UK government plans to shake up sick note system to cut benefits bill

Downing Street hopes to expand the workforce through changes to the system of medical fitness notes issued by doctors.

Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government is considering changes to the 'fit note' system. 'Fit notes' were brought in the final months of the last Labour government of Gordon Brown in 2010, replacing the old sickness note system.

They give general practitioners (GPs, the UK's family doctors) have the option of signing off patients as either "not fit for work" or "may be fit for work" — meaning they can negotiate a gradual or supported return to the workplace with their employers.

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Russia's low-orbit satellite constellation to provide broadband internet

Russia is building its own constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that will start providing high-speed, low-latency internet to users from 2027, the Communications Ministry said Friday.

Three LEO satellites were launched in the Russian Far East as part of a pilot mission that will pave the way for Russia's own constellation of hundreds of LEO satellites delivering internet services to users in 75 countries. The current transmission speed is 12 Mbps and latency… is 41 milliseconds, the ministry said.

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French 'democracy' shows true colors by shutting down social media during riots

"The French government's actions show us that so-called Western democracies can and will shut down internet access. They will shut down free speech and free expression when they feel threatened because this sustained rebellion against the police, terror and racism in France is threatening the entire French establishment at this point," tech commentator Chris Garaffa told Sputnik.

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🌏The geography of in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will expand if Ukraine is accepted into the union.

Look at #SputnikInfographic: looks as though continental drift has gone a bit too far if Ukraine is going to have a pacific coast...🤔

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NATO allies have pledged 500 million euros in support equipment for Ukraine, including fuel and medical supplies, to help the country meet its critical needs, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday.

He added that the alliance would also help Ukraine upgrade its defense sector to NATO standards.

Stoltenberg will meet with NATO leaders in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius from July 11-12 to discuss further support for Kiev.

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Poll: Americans are inclined towards a younger president

Nearly half of Americans think a president should be in his or her fifties, a recent Pew Research Center poll reveals, although 24 percent preferred a president in their sixties and 17 percent believed someone in their forties would be desirable.

The study further showed that only three percent of the respondents thought a president can be in his or her seventies or older, and another three percent believed someone in his or her thirties is best suited to the role.

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How could Ukraine become part of the Pacific?

Sputnik readers offer their suggestions 🤗

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⚡️ The US recognizes that cluster bombs put civilians at risk from unexploded ordnance and has therefore delayed in providing these to Kiev for as long as possible. Cluster munitions the US would provide to Ukraine have dud rates on more than 2.5 percent. The US consulted with allies about whether to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions and they understood Washington’s decision, the White House's National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan said.

⚡️ Ukraine will not join NATO coming out of Vilnius summit, Sullivan said

⚡️ Cluster bombs for Ukraine was a difficult decision: the US National Security Team unanimously recommended it, Biden decided to move forward, Sullivan said

⚡️ Pentagon confirms new drawdown package for Ukraine includes dual-purpose improved conventional munitions or cluster bombs

⚡️New US military aid for Ukraine includes $800 million worth of weapons from Defense Departament stocks, Blinken says

⚡️ Russia's response to the decision of the United States to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine will be very serious, Grigory Karasin, the head of the Russian upper house's foreign affairs committee, told Sputnik on Friday.

❗️US to deliver cluster munitions to Ukraine within timeframe that’s relevant to its counteroffensive, according to Pentagon

Where do Western weapons sent to Kiev actually end up?

In a press briefing on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced, citing French media reports, that weapons which NATO countries had sent Ukraine were ending up in the hands of rioters and potentially being used against law enforcement in France amid the unrest which overwhelmed the Western European nation last week.

Sputnik reveals what we know about the Ukrainian trade in arms aid to dare

US House Oversight Panel Head requests briefing on cocaine found in White House - letter

US House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer on Friday sent a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle requesting a briefing on the presence of drugs in the White House, after cocaine was found there earlier this week.

The letter requests a staff-level briefing on the situation by July 14.

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Chinese shipping firm to deploy 5 vessels on Northern Sea Route to Russia

Chinese company New Shipping Line will provide five ice class vessels for transportation along the The Chinese business, New Shipping Line, will provide five ice-class vessels for transportation along the Northern Sea Route, with the ships travelling between China and Russia, weather permitting. The shipping period may also be extended until November, the company's representative Jing Ke told journalists on Friday.

The Northern Sea Route is the shortest maritime route between European Russia and the Far East on Russia's territorial waters, with a total length of 5,600km.

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Majority of French demand tougher migration rules after week of riots - poll

The poll conducted by Doxa and Backbone Consulting among more than 1,000 adults from July 5-6 found that 59% believed that "the migration law should be toughened."

The same poll showed that only 14% supported the rioters who rampaged through France after the police killing of a teenager of Algerian descent on June 27. 84% denounced the week-long violence.

Slightly over 70% of those polled called for curbs on new migrant arrivals. Despite this, only 13% blamed the rioting on "failed assimilation," while 62% said it broke out because of a rise in crime.

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Nuclear power ‘lapdog’ IAEA to suffer ‘reputational blow’ for Fukushima wastewater release

The Japanese government has moved to begin the gradual release of 1.3 million tons of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Okuma. The planned release will take place over 30 to 40 years.

Many governments - including South Korea's and China's whose fishing fleets are active in the waters - have for years protested against Japan’s plans to release wastewater from the plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Kevin Kamps, the radioactive waste supremo at Beyond Nuclear, comments on the situation in an interview with Sputnik

Russia exported record 60Mln tonnes of grain in 2022 agricultural year

Russia exported a record amount of grain in the 2022 agricultural year — 60 million tonnes, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on Friday.

He added that export earnings amounted to over $41 billion.

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Almost 80% of Russians believe Putin doing good job - poll

The survey by Russia's Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) also showed that 76% of respondents trust the head of state, 15% do not trust him, and 10% are unsure.

In addition, the poll asked about the level of fear among the respondents' relatives, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Almost half of those polled (49%) said that the average mood was calm. At the same time, 45% of Russians said that fear prevailed in their immediate environment, and another 6% of respondents found the question difficult to answer.

The FOM poll was carried out from June 30-July 2 among 1,500 adults in 104 cities, towns and villages across 53 Russian regions through in-person interviews. The margin of error did not exceed 3.6%.

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