Highlights from the World Youth Festival’s closing ceremony

The Russia-hosted gala is coming to a close. The festival’s international guests and volunteers gathered at the Bolshoi Arena on the Sirius federal territory in Sochi, Krasnodar region to say goodbye to a one-of-a-kind festival which managed to attract 20,000 participants from over 180 countries.

▪️The farewell show is called “Campfire Stories of the Future”;

▪️The symbolic noscript reflects a beloved tradition of family-style late nights spent among loved ones, an age-old custom shared across borders and generations;

▪️The show will include a film with some of the festival’s most memorable and heartwarming moments;

▪️Participants will take the stage to give their heartfelt wishes to fellow guests, the organizers, and Russia as a host nation;

▪️The ceremony also features live performances by Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and Indian artists.

Putin: Russia is a unique country and you need to get to know it

Birds of a feather: warmonger to fill Nuland's shoes amid Ukraine crisis

After Victoria Nuland's abrupt decision to resign as Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, her shoes have been temporarily filled by US career diplomat John R. Bass.

▪️Bass was special assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott between 1998 and 2000. He was part of team that negotaited the end of the Kosovo conflict during the NATO invasion of Yugoslavia.

▪️Like Victoria Nuland, he served as a special advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, the architect of the 2003 Iraq War, between 2004 and 2005.

▪️Bass served as a US Ambassador to Georgia between 2009 and 2012, following Tbilisi's failed invasion of South Ossetia. He came under criticism from the Georgian opposition in 2011 for meddling in the nation's affairs by encouraging a crackdown on protests.

▪️During his time as a US Ambassador to Turkiye between 2014 and 2017, Bass was lambasted by the Turkish press for coming out in "support of terrorist organizations during his three-year tenure as US envoy in Ankara", including the Kurdish separatist PKK and Fethullah Gulen’s associates.

▪️In August 2021 Bass, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, was forced to return to Kabul as his successor was not "able to function at the level that was necessary" amid the disastrous US evacuation. Bass' appointment did not save the day for the Biden adminsitration.

▪️In March 2024, Bass was chosen to replace Nuland, who quit after US-backed Ukrainian forces lost the battle for Adveyevka and Congressional support for the conflict dried up.

A student from Uganda thanked Putin for what he is doing for Africa

Student from Uganda: I would like to be your son from Africa

Putin: Well, what can I tell you, my son…

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Evgenia Gutsul, the head of Gagauzia*, on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival in the Russian federal territory of Sirius, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told Sputnik.

*Gagauzia is an autonomous region in the south of Moldova that has traditionally advocated rapprochement with Russia, while Kishinev has declared a course toward European integration.

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▪️Putin's full speech at the closing ceremony of the World Youth Festival in the Russian federal territory of Sirius

▪️Putin: Russia is a unique country and you need to get to know it

▪️Highlights from the World Youth Festival’s closing ceremony

▪️What you need to know about Russia-China space program?

▪️What’s known about Russia’s new Groza.04.K man-portable anti-FPV drone system

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“Aren’t you going to pinch me?” - an unexpected question from Putin after he was asked by a forum participant for a photo to prove back home in Italy that the Russian president was real.

The success of the World Youth Festival demonstrates that sanctions against Russia have failed. However, the purpose of such events is to build friendship, not to prove someone wrong, Putin stressed.

“I defended Crimea [and] Slavyansk as a field medic at the age of 16,” a young man from Ukraine told Putin how he refused to support the Kiev regime and joined the Russian “Sparta” battalion.

The reunification of Russia and Ukraine on a spiritual level is inevitable, but this is hindered by disgusting manifestations of nationalism, Putin said.

If states create a multipolar world in which they help each other, social issues will be solved more easily, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"Our common task is to make sure that all people have equal conditions. This is a difficult task, but I think, I am even convinced that if we create this multipolar world, in which we not only depend on each other, but also help each other, then social issues, including education and health care, will be solved more easily, they will be solved more effectively," Putin declared at the closing ceremony of the World Youth Festival.

He added that by combining efforts, it is possible to achieve better results.

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Moldovan authorities are persecuting the Gagauzia* leader.

Charges in the criminal case against Gagauzia leader Evgenia Gutsul will soon be brought to court, acting Prosecutor General of Moldova, Ion Munteanu, announced against the backdrop of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Gutsul.

"Prosecutors are in the final stages of collecting evidence in the case against Gagauzia's leader, Evgenia Gutsul, and plan to bring it to court soon," Munteanu said in an interview with Moldovan broadcaster Jurnal TV.

Earlier in the day, Gutsul stated that she had discussed the political situation in Moldova with Putin.

Last spring, elections were held in Gagauzia for the head of the autonomy, and a representative of the opposition party "Shor," Gutsul, won. The Moldovan authorities declared the party unconstitutional, accusing it of illegal financing and initiating criminal cases against its leaders. Additionally, Kishinev initiated audits of the election results themselves. On July nineteenth, Gutsul's inauguration took place, but none of the republic's authorities attended the ceremony. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has not yet signed a decree approving Gutsul as a member of the government, although this is required by the country's legislation.

*Gagauzia is an autonomous region in the south of Moldova that has traditionally advocated rapprochement with Russia, while Kishinev has declared a course toward European integration.

No loose ends now: Obsolete Boeing airliner converted into stunning Bali villa

For a modest price of $7,300, aircraft enthusiasts can enjoy a luxurious Bali beach vacation on a decommissioned jet. The mastermind behind this unique concept is Felix Demin, a real estate entrepreneur currently living in Indonesia.

The now obsolete Boeing used to belong to Mandala Air, an Indonesian airline that shut down about a decade ago. The plane has never flown since.

The designers refurbished the interior of the fuselage by removing all passenger seats and luggage shelves, subsequently transforming it into two spacious bedrooms. The cockpit was renovated as well, with the pilots' seats and control panel getting pulled out to make way for a luxurious stone bath.

Boeing has been making headlines in recent years due to a series of scandals related to its poor technical performance and lack of safety regulations. One shocking incident occurred in January when an Alaska Airlines flight, carrying 177 passengers and flying at approximately 16,000 feet, experienced a blown door plug, resulting in a huge hole in the side of the aircraft.

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The US and the UK launched two strikes against the Hodeidah international airport in western Yemen, the Al-Masirah TV channel reported.

Earlier in the day, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that Yemeni forces attacked a US cargo ship True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden.

UK and US jets carried out strikes against the airport of Hodeidah following the attack on the US cargo ship, the broadcaster reported.

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