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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Cluster bombs will kill Ukraine civilians, curse land for generations, former CIA officer says

"It [cluster munitions] will not win the war for Ukraine. What the bombs will do is kill a lot of civilians as they spread their charges wide and the unexploded buried ordnance will be a curse on Ukraine's farmland wherever they are deployed for a long time to come," former CIA station chief Phil Giraldi told Sputnik.

The former CIA officer said the decision comes as Ukraine is losing on the battlefield against Russia, measured by its failing counterattack which has been supported enthusiastically by NATO, and the chanceries in Europe and the US.

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Air defense forces in Russia’s Voronezh Region, about 500km south of Moscow, have found and destroyed two drones, regional Governor Alexander Gusev said.

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🥴 No, thank you! Joe Biden confuses Russia with Ukraine when talking about NATO membership

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🇷🇺 Shoigu inspects combat training of military personnel of new formations

The Russian Defense Ministry specified that service members receive training in special tactical, medical, and firefighting skills, driving military and special equipment, as well as communications. The course of intensive training of contract soldiers lasts 38 days.

The ministry added that Shoigu checked the preparation and training of T-90 Proryv tank crews, as well as the way contract soldiers are trained in conducting combat operations in various conditions and terrain, including urban combat.

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🇺🇸 At least 38 rights groups are opposing the US delivery of cluster bombs to Ukraine, US media report.

President Joe Biden called the decision “difficult” but proceeded with it nevertheless.

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🇳🇱 Dutch ruling coalition falls apart over failure to agree on refugee issue

The Dutch cabinet held a final meeting Friday evening on the migration crisis, preceded by a number of consultations, during which the ruling parties discussed measures to curtail the stream of asylum-seekers, Dutch media reported.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte and his cabinet's resignation now triggers a general election set to take place later this year; however, until a new ruling coalition is brought in, the current cabinet will maintain control in a caretaker capacity.

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🇺🇸 Throwback to 2022: Jen Psaki says using cluster bombs is a war crime

Now that Washington has confirmed that it's sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, it’s "obviously" not a war crime?

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Ukrainian troops have abandoned their positions near the village of Pyatikhatki, Zaporozhye region, Vladimir Rogov, head of the public movement "We are together with Russia," told Sputnik

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📹 Russian Ka-52 helicopter crew eliminates Ukrainian armored fighting vehicle in South Donetsk direction

After a precise hit by a guided missile, the armored vehicle’s ammunition ignited and detonated (0:20), resulting in its complete destruction.

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