The Tunguska-M1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun system have been shielding the Russian military since the outset of the special military operation in Ukraine.

The Tunguska system, which originates from the Soviet era, looks quite simple but solves a certain range of routine problems with great efficiency, according to Viktor Litovkin, military analyst and retired colonel.

So, what's the Tunguska and what is it capable of?

🇩🇰 Slightly over a half of Danes believe there should be a ban in place on protests that involve the burning of the Quran, a holy Muslim book, a poll released Saturday showed.

The Megafon survey conducted for a local TV news channel found that 51% of 1,008 people polled totally or mostly agreed with the government’s motion to ban Quran-burning outside of embassies.

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🇨🇳🇺🇸 The new US restrictions on American investment in China do not signal a downturn in the relationship between the two countries, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.

Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order that authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to restrict certain American investments into Chinese entities engaged in activities involving national security sensitive technologies in three sectors: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and certain artificial intelligence systems.

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Astronomers capture images of most distant star ever

Scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to spot Earendel for the first time in 2022, when they suggested that this massive star is at least 12.9 million light-years from our planet.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured new images of Earendel, the most distant star ever detected by astronomers. The photos are expected to help researchers take a closer insight into the celestial body, which derives its name from Old English words meaning “morning star” or “rising light.”

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🚀 Luna-25, Russia's first lunar mission in its post-Soviet space history, has carried out the first trajectory correction on schedule as it is headed for the Moon, the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said on Saturday.

The mission launched on Friday and is scheduled to land on the Moon on August 21.

Luna-25 is part of the Russian lunar program for the exploration and practical use of the Moon and its orbit to establish a fully automated lunar base. It is also the first lunar mission to attempt landing at the Moon's South Pole rather than its equator. After the landing, Luna-25 will collect lunar soil samples and examine them for the presence of ice.

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Country singer from Virginia Oliver Anthony conquered the US music charts with a song about the unfair distribution of funds and endless taxes.

The "new world" is completely controlled by "Rich North of Richmond" (the capital of the state of Virginia is located south of Washington - ed.), and it's a shame, because the rest have to suffer, Anthony states in his ballad. "Your dollar is worthless, taxed endlessly," he sings.

Anthony sings how he "sold his soul, working all day to get a penny for overtime while life is wasted." People are starving on the streets, and politicians do not care about them, the performer complains.

His composition took first place on the iTunes service chart, and a simple video clip, where a farmer with a thick red beard sings on the lawn along with his guitar, became viral and collected four million views on YouTube in a few days.

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MiG-35 vs F-16? Russian veteran pilot explains which plane would win in a dogfight

Reconnaissance and attack unmanned aerial vehicles remain part and parcel of the Russian air force, Major-General Vladimir Popov, an honored military pilot of Russia, told Sputnik.

Sputnik has asked Major-General Vladimir Popov, an honored military pilot of Russia, to give his thoughts about the development of the modern-day Russian air force.

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🌍 On August 12, world celebrates World Elephant Day

Sputnik prepared a special video to help spread the word about this day and the challenges these amazing creatures face in the human world.

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Ukraine has focused on terrorist attacks against Russian civilian objects amid the failures of its counteroffensive, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrei Kelin said on Friday, adding that Ukraine is facing defeat on the battlefield.

"The thing is, Ukraine is currently facing defeat on the battlefield in its counteroffensive, that's clear. And it has largely focused on terrorist - I won't hesitate to use that word - attacks against civilian targets on Russian territory," Kelin said in an interview with Egyptian broadcaster.

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Pakistan Senator Anwaarul Haq Kakar Appointed Interim Prime Minister

📍The decision was taken by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and outgoing opposition leader Raja Riaz after several rounds of meetings since August 10.

🇵🇰Pakistan President Arif Avis's order gave Sharif and his government three days to name an interim leader. Kakar from the Balochistan Awami Party was elected as an independent senator in 2018 and his term will end in March 2024.

👉🏼 Details

US suicide rate soars to post-WWII record high

Experts delve into the multifaceted reasons behind the increase and advocate for increased efforts to address mental health concerns. A new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday has revealed that last year in the United States a record 49,500 people took their own lives.

Specialists have since warned of suicide's complexity, and the current upsurge in cases could be due to several determinants, like more people being depressed and insufficient mental health help available.

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Ex-Pentagon analyst: US got rude awakening in Ukraine after downplaying Russian air power

The role of the Aerospace Forces has become especially noticeable amid Ukraine’s two-month old counteroffensive attempt, which US and NATO officials and generals now openly agree seems “extremely unlikely” to succeed, as Ukrainian forces have failed to break through even a single major Russian defensive line while taking staggering losses in troops and equipment.

Sputnik decided to reach out to retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski for her take on the conflict, and what the Pentagon got dead wrong in its assessment of Russian capabilities.

Check this Sputnik's article.

Russian Emergencies Ministry sends specialists to Primorye amid floods

"At the decision of the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, Alexander Kurenkov, an operational group of the central office of the Ministry … was sent to Primorye to coordinate work to eliminate the consequences of floods," the emergencies ministry said on Telegram.

On Saturday, authorities in Primorsky Territory announced that over 30 towns and villages were cut off from communications in the region and more than 540 private homes were flooded.

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🇳🇪 French troops stationed in rebel-run Niger have been restricted to a military base in the national capital of Niamey, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.

French forces have not left the base or ventured into the streets of the western African city for days, the correspondent said. Rebel military convoys have been routinely passing the facility without incident. Thousands of anti-French demonstrators rallied outside the base on Friday to demand that Niger’s former colonial master end its military presence in the country.

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🇺🇸 The number of deaths due to the wildfires in Hawaii has increased to 89, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said.

Three in 4 Democrats ‘concerned’ about Biden's job performance at 80, according to a poll

A large majority of Democrats have admitted to being worried about US President Joe Biden’s ability to discharge his duties in office given his age, a poll published Saturday showed.

The exclusive survey conducted for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies revealed that 75% of Biden voters were at least to some degree "concerned" by the fact that he was 80. In addition 31% of those sampled from August 5-6 said they disagreed that he should not run for a second term.

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🇺🇸 Rebuilding Hawaii after the devastating wildfires, which destroyed over 2,000 buildings, may cost almost $6 billion, the United States’ Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) has said.

The assessment also indicated that 86% of the damaged or destroyed buildings in Lahaina were residential, which potentially left 4,500 people with no shelter.

The wildfires in Hawaii broke out due to dry and hot weather and are exacerbated by strong winds brought by Hurricane Dora. Some fires cover an area of 400 hectares (over 1.5 square mile).

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Hunter did nothing wrong: Joe Biden defends his son amid DOJ probe, reports say

Since 2018, Hunter Biden has been under a spate of investigations into tax-related crimes, drug use, money laundering and illegal business dealings in foreign countries, including Ukraine and China.

US President Joe Biden repeatedly argued that his son Hunter did “nothing wrong” ahead of the appointment of Attorney for Delaware David Weiss as special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, an American broadcaster has reported.

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Taiwan’s vice president and presidential candidate Lai Ching-te says he has arrived in New York, making a transit stop there on his way to Paraguay.

Taiwanese deputy foreign minister Yui Tah-ray said at the start of August that Lai Ching-te was going to make transit stops in New York and San Francisco on his way to and back from Paraguay, where Lai was going to attend the inauguration of Paraguayan president-elect Santiago Pena from August 12-18.

"Happy to arrive at the Big Apple, icon of liberty, democracy & opportunities. It’s very nice of [Taiwan’s representative to US Hsiao] Bikhim and [American Institute in Taiwan] AIT’s Ingrid Larson to greet me with a warm welcome at JFK airport. Looking forward to seeing friends and attending transit programs in New York," Lai said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday night.

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🇮🇶 The Iraqi Communications Ministry says that the Telegram messaging application will be unblocked in the country on Sunday, following the company’s agreement to fulfill the demands of security authorities. Earlier this month, the ministry announced that it was banning Telegram for refusing to comply with guidelines on data security.

"The Ministry of Communications draws the attention of dear fellow citizens to the fact that it will lift the ban on Telegram in Iraq starting from tomorrow, Sunday," the ministry said in a Saturday statement.

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❗️ Russia's MoD: on August 13 at about 11 am, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by an aircraft-type drone on objects in Russia was thwarted.

An unmanned aerial vehicle was found and destroyed by Russian air defense systems over the Belgorod region, there were no casualties or damage.