🇫🇷 France partially bans sale, transportation of fireworks until July 15 to prevent their possible use against police officers during the celebration of the Bastille Day on July 14 amid mass protests in the country, the relevant decree said on Sunday.

On July 6, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin instructed the authorities to step up action against the improper use of pyrotechnic products, in particular their possible use against law enforcement officers during the celebration of the Bastille Day. The measures provide for the mass seizure of pyrotechnics from protesters.

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Trump rails against Ron 'sanctimonious' over vote for Yucca nuclear waste site

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been strugging to overcome ex-president Donald Trump's poll lead among registered Republican voters, hoping to snatch up the GOP nomination allowing him to challenge Democrat Joe Biden in the 2024 race to the Oval Office. Donald Trump has skewered Ron DeSantis (R) over the support the Florida Governor has shown for a plan to store US nuclear waste at a site deep within Yucca Mountain, in Nevada.

Donald Trump currently boasts 52.4 percent support among potential voters, according to RealClearPolitics average of polls.
Ron DeSantis is seen as trailing the ex-president with just 21.5 percent support.

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UK's Boris Johnson splurged £800,000 to 'brand' PM's jet with union flag

Boris Johnson forked out almost £800,000 in taxpayer money to have a union flag painted on the prime minister’s plane, according to a UK report.

During Johnson’s time at 10, Downing Street, the Airbus A321, leased by the British government from charter firm Titan Airways, was specifically spiffed up for the PM, a Freedom of Information request by the Taxpayers’ Alliance has revealed. The Cabinet Office has been accused of attempting to cover up the cost of painting the jet's fuselage and tail.

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NASA sends Ringo Starr’s voice into space for his 83rd birthday

Ringo Starr, the iconic Beatles drummer, has been spreading his message of "peace and love" for years. This phrase has become a trademark of his, as he encourages people all over the world to follow in his footsteps. Ringo Starr turned 83 on Friday, and NASA marked his birthday by sending the Beatles drummer's voice "across the universe." Starr's annual "peace and love" chant was aired to a group of five galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet.

The Deep Space Network (DSN) is a global network of antennas that allows spacecraft to communicate with Earth, such as the Voyager spacecraft, which is currently over 14 billion miles from Earth.

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🇦🇴🦒 Angolan giraffes return 'home' from Namibia

After travelling over 1,300 km in a long 36-hour journey from a private game farm in central Namibia, 14 giraffes, seven males and seven females, returned to Iona National Park, in southwestern Angola, where the species was historically present.

💬 "It’s great seeing a species back where it should be," Pedro Monterroso, Iona national park manager told media: "It’s a message of hope for conservation in this country."

The move is considered to be the first of multiple translocations to return the giraffes to their historical range. Since the 1990s, the species was thought to be extinct in Angola

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🇦🇹 Austrian oil and gas company OMV will continue to buy a major part of its gas from Russia and is not planning to terminate a long-term contract with Russian energy giant Gazprom despite securing alternative contracts from other sources to cover Austria's energy imports needs, OMV Group CEO Alfred Stern said on Sunday.

The Austrian energy giant's chief also said that the issue of possible Western sanctions on Russian gas was "for policymakers to decide" but warned that "eliminating certain sources will also drive price rises," as quoted by the newspaper. Stern added that OMV was not making any plans to exit its long-term supply contract with Gazprom, which had been extended in 2018 until 2040.

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Ukrainian counteroffensive headed for ‘disaster,’ ex-US Marine says

“You don’t do probing actions with your best tanks, your best infantry fighting vehicles,” Brian Berletic told Sputnik’s New Rules podcast.

💬 “You do that with forces that are in a certain way ‘expendable.’ And then you follow that up with your best forces to exploit any gains that they might make. They have not been making gains. They’ve been mired in these minefields. And I think what we’re actually watching is a failure to plan for and properly breach these minefields. And it’s being passed off as merely probing actions ahead of the main offensive,” the former Marine said.

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🇷🇺 Russian troops repel three Ukrainian attempts to attack

A MoD spokesperson told Sputnik that accumulations of weapons and equipment of Ukrainian forces were hit in Avdeevka. Russian crews of the Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system also hit the area where Ukrainian weapons and military equipment were concentrated in the Soledar-Artemovsk direction and destroyed a Ukrainian warehouse.

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🇩🇪🇺🇸 NATO allies want Germany, US to take stronger stance on Ukraine

Other NATO members have been surprised by the "conservative" US and German stance, which does not entail coming up with a "pathway" for Ukraine joining NATO, US media reports.

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⚡️ Kiev botches attempted S-200 assault on Crimea, Rostov and Kaluga Regions, Russian MoD says

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❗️No casualties, or destruction as result of Kiev’s failed attack using four S-200 missiles against Russia, MoD says:

▪️Russia’s air defense systems destroyed two Ukrainian S-200 missiles, and two others were suppressed thanks to electronic warfare equipment;

▪️One of the missiles targeted the Crimean Bridge, while another was directed at a military airfield in Russia’s Rostov Region.

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📹 Russian T-80BV tank crew wipes out Ukrainian militant stronghold for adjusting fire

An intelligence report disclosed that the stronghold had over 50 Ukrainian militants inside, including sabotage and intelligence groups. The tank fired on the move, thereby boosting the equipment’s survivability during combat operations.

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🇰🇷🇯🇵 South Koreans 'panic-buy salt, seafood' amid concerns over Fukushima wastewater dump

The cost of the staple item soaring by about 40% since April, according to the country’s salt manufacturing association. Stores across the country are also said to be stocking up on salt out of concern for a supply crisis.

Seafood is also being snapped up by residents of the country that holds one of the highest production and consumption rates of 'fruits of the sea' in the in the world. There is a similar rush to buy more other sea-based staples, like seaweed, according to South Korean social media.

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🇰🇵🇺🇸 ‘Grave threat to global peace and security’: North Korea calls US's plan to send nuclear submarine to peninsula 'blackmail'

The North Korean Defense Ministry said that the Washington's plan clearly proved that "the situation of the Korean peninsula is coming closer to the threshold of nuclear conflict due to the US provocative military action."

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 Russian intel bashes US State Dept as “foul-smelling information garbage dump”

The State Department has sent instructions to US telecoms on how to cover events concerning Russia, encouraging them to set in motion a propaganda campaign calling for hostilities with the Russian authorities, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service said.

According to the intel agency, such instructions were sent to AT&T, Comcast Corporation, Graham Media Group, Nash Holdings, Newsweek Publishing, The New York Times Company and others.

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📹 Russian forces thwart Ukrainian attack in Artemovsk direction with massive explosion

The explosion not only completely destroyed a Ukrainian tank but also laid waste to other military vehicles in the area.

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🇩🇰 Danish deminers denounce 'deeply problematic' cluster bomb transfer to Ukraine

The Danish Refugee Council didn't mince its words when it called the planned transfer of cluster bombs a breach of international humanitarian law, citing the protection of the civilians.

"It is a weapon that causes unacceptable damage to civilians. And since that is not allowed according to international law, we will consider it illegal," Richard MacCormac, head of demining efforts at the council, said.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russia’s upper house speaker meets with Chinese President Xi in Beijing

During the meeting, Valentina Matvienko delivered a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Chinese president.

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❗️Kremlin on possible admission of Ukraine to NATO:

▪️The Kiev regime is trying to put pressure on NATO countries to show solidarity;

▪️Ukraine's accession to NATO would have very, very negative consequences for Europe's security architecture;

▪️Ukraine as a member of NATO would be a threat to Russia, which would require a clear and firm response.

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🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin met Prigozhin in the Kremlin five days after the attempted armed mutiny, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says:

▪️The meeting lasted about three hours, there were 35 people in total, including commanders of Wagner Group detachments;

▪️The president gave his assessment of what had transpired and offered the Wagner representatives employment options;

▪️The commanders told Putin that they are his staunch supporters and ready to continue fighting for Russia;

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🇷🇺🇹🇷 Russia considers transfer of Azov* leaders to Kiev violation of agreements, Kremlin says

Moscow expects to receive clarifications from Turkiye on transfer of Azov* leaders, the Kremlin added.

*Azov Battalion is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.

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