Netanyahu: more people die of malnutrition in US than in Gaza

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that there are allegedly more people dying of malnutrition in the US than in the Gaza Strip amid the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave.

"The talk is about 23, I think, or 30 cases of [deaths of] malnutrition in a population of 2 million. The US in 2022 had 20,000 deaths of malnutrition. That's three times more than in Gaza," Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN.

According to Netanyahu, Israel has taken more than 20,000 trucks with 500,000 tons of food and medicine into Gaza since October 7.

On that day, the Palestinian movement Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza, killing more than 1,100 Israelis, both military and civilians, and abducting some 240 others.

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Trump: Justice Dept. authorized FBI to use deadly force in Mar-a-Lago raid

Ex-President Donald Trump said he had been shown reports indicating that the US Justice Department authorized the FBI to use deadly force in their raid of the former president’s Mar-A-Lago residence in Florida.

"I just came out of the Biden witch hunt trial in Manhattan, the ‘Icebox,’ and was shown reports that crooked Joe Biden’s DOJ, in their illegal and unconstitutional raid of Mar-A-Lago, authorized the FBI to use deadly (lethal) force. Now we know, for sure, that Joe Biden is a serious threat to democracy. He is mentally unfit to hold office - 25th amendment," Trump said via Truth Social.

US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said the information was grounds for impeaching US Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Earlier, Newsweek reported that a new court filing revealed FBI agents were authorized to use deadly force during the raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in August 2022.

The report added that the agents at the scene were instructed to wear unmarked polo or collared shirts and bring standard-issue weapons, ammunition, handcuffs and bolt cutters.

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Biden's approval rating falls to the lowest point in 2 years

President Joe Biden's approval rating fell 2% in the period between March and April, marking the lowest level in two years, a new Reuters poll revealed.

The poll showed that only 36% of Americans approve of Biden's performance in office, down 2% from April, a release on the poll said. The poll saw Biden lagging behind his presumptive political challenger in the November election, Donald Trump, particularly in US states believed to be crucial in determining the election winner, the release said.

The issue most contributing to the decline of Biden’s approval rating is the struggling US economy (for 23% of respondents), the release said. Forty percent of respondents said Trump had better policies for the economy.

Another important issue influencing Biden’s approval rating decline is the record level of illegal immigration (for 13% of respondents), the release said.

On the whole, Trump was viewed by respondents as having a better approach to foreign conflicts and terrorism, with 36% to Biden's 29%, the release added.

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Egypt may resort to all options to ensure rights of the Palestinians

Egypt can use all available options to ensure its national security and preserve the historical rights of the Palestinian people, Egyptian broadcaster Al Qahera News reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed high-ranking official.

Egypt's respect for its obligations and treaties does not prevent it from doing so, the official said.

Moreover, Egypt had warned Israel of the consequences of a further escalation in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli forces took control of the Rafah border checkpoint and refused to hold any coordination activities with them, the broadcaster reported.

In the early hours of May 7, the Israel Defense Forces launched what it called a counterterrorist operation in the east of Rafah and took control of the Gaza side of the border crossing with Egypt. Later that week, Israeli media reported that Israel's military cabinet had approved expanding the ground operation. Israeli authorities say the operation was aimed at eliminating the remaining battalions of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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US lawmakers ask Biden Admin. to allow Ukraine to use US weapons inside Russia

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding that he allow Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range weapons to carry out strikes inside Russian territory.

"We write in our capacity as members of the US House of Representatives to convey our strong support of several urgent requests on behalf of our Ukrainian colleagues: Authorizing the Use of US-Provided Weapons to Strike Strategic Targets within Russian Territory Under Certain Circumstances," US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael Turner and other lawmakers said in the letter.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said since the start of Russia's special military operation that it discourages Ukraine from carrying out strikes on Russian territory and restricts Kiev from using US-supplied weapons for such strikes.

The West has recently been increasingly discussing direct intervention in the Ukrainian conflict. For example, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the French military might be sent to Ukraine, while British Foreign Minister David Cameron said that it was acceptable for the Ukrainian army to strike Russian territory with British missiles.

The Kremlin called what is happening an unprecedented round of escalation of tension that requires special attention and measures. According to presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov, the Europeans see that the situation is changing rapidly and is fraught with a complete collapse for Ukraine, so they deliberately escalate the situation.

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Netanyahu isn't concerned about traveling abroad despite possible ICC arrest warrant

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had no concerns about traveling abroad despite the recent move by International Criminal Court (ICC) to request a warrant for his arrest.

On Monday, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said he had filed requests for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar, Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh and the leader of Hamas's military wing, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Masri, over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since October 2023 based on evidence collected and examined by his office.

"No, I am not concerned about traveling. I am not concerned at all about our status. I think that the prosecutor should be concerned about his status, because he is really turning the ICC into a pariah institution," Netanyahu told ABC News.

People will stop taking the ICC seriously and start seeing it as "a politicized thing," the Israeli prime minister added. He also described the prosecutor's move as "a distortion and a travesty of justice."

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China will continue strengthening strategic partnership with Iran

China will continue strengthening the strategic partnership with Iran "regardless of how the situation changes," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mahdi Safari.

On Tuesday, Wang took part in a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's foreign ministers, on the sidelines of which he had a meeting with Safari.

"Regardless of how the situation changes, China will continue strengthening the China-Iran strategic partnership, protect common interests of both sides and continue working for peace in the region and the world," the Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Wang as saying.

During the meeting, the Chinese foreign minister expressed condolences over the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.

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Will ICC step out of US shadow with warrant for Netanyahu, Hamas leaders?

ICC Attorney General Karim Khan requested the issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu, alongside Hamas leaders, on charges related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, thus marking a significant departure from its historical alignment with US policies.

Christopher C. Black, a seasoned international criminal lawyer, argued that Khan's decision was foreseeable given the mounting global pressure and the International Court of Justice's suggestion of possible genocide. However, he criticized the timing and scope of the charges.

He also condemned the parallel charges against Hamas leaders, viewing them as politically motivated and potentially detrimental to ongoing peace negotiations. The inclusion of high-profile experts like Amal Clooney and Baroness Kennedy, both with connections to Western political agendas, adds another layer of complexity to the decision.

"Why Khan buckled finally vis a vis Israel is a question. The answer may be found in the "experts" so-called he called on to support him. The most important, Amal Clooney and Baroness Kennedy are assets of the British...But we may never know all the political shadow play that has gone on to produce this drama," said Black.

The US reaction, characterized by strong condemnation and threats of sanctions, was deemed predictable by both Black and Professor Alfred de Zayas, a former UN Independent Expert International Order. Black criticized the US for its hypocritical stance—denouncing charges against Israel while leveraging the ICC against Putin.

De Zayas, on the other hand, welcomed the ICC's move as a step towards restoring its credibility. He emphasized the need for accountability for all involved in the conflict.

"The credibility of the International Criminal Court improves by virtue of Karim Khan's request for the issuance of arrest warrants against both Israeli and Hamas leaders," he stated.

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💥 The Russian Armed Forces launched three strikes on energy facilities in the city of Shostka, Sumy region, including in the area of military warehouses, coordinator of the Nikolayev underground Sergey Lebedev told Sputnik. According to him, a strike was also carried out on energy facilities in Konotop, one of the largest railroad hubs in Ukraine.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who died in a helicopter crash with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, will be buried on Thursday morning in the city of Rey in Tehran Province, Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

The burial ceremony for Amirabdollahian will take place at the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine at 11:00 a.m. local time (07:30 GMT), the report said.

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❗️EXCLUSIVE❗️

Tucker Carlson refutes reports that he has become a host on Russian television

Newsweek and several other outlets reported yesterday that Tucker Carlson launched his own show on Russian television, a claim that was then widely picked up by users on social media.

Tucker Carlson told Sputnik that this claim was unequivocally false.

“By claiming I work for a foreign government, Newsweek is trying to justify a FISA warrant that would allow the Biden administration to continue to spy on me. It’s disgusting,” he said.

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Blinken сlaims Iranians are better off with death of Raisi

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has claimed that the Iranian people and the world at large have benefited from the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

"Bearing in mind the horrific acts in which he was involved as a judge and president, and the fact that he cannot be involved in them in the slightest, yes, the Iranian people are probably better off… We are definitely not grieving over his death." he said when asked by Senator Ted Cruz if "the world is a better place now that Raisi is dead."

Blinken said the US does not mourn Raisi's passing and would not declare a moment of silence at the UN in his memory.

At the same time, the State Department issued condolences on the death of the Iranian president the previous day.

The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdollahian and other officials crashed on 19 May in the north-west of the country in the Verzegan region. The delegation was returning from a visit to Azerbaijan, where Raisi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev participated in the opening ceremony of the Giz Galasi and Khudaferin hydroelectric complexes on the Araks border river.

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If France sends troops to Ukraine, then the retaliatory measures will go far beyond the political sphere, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s First European Department Artyom Studennikov told Sputnik.

"We note that the increasingly belligerent rhetoric of the French president, who does not rule out the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine, does not encounter, mildly speaking, widespread support among EU and NATO allies and is rejected by a significant majority of the French people. Nevertheless, we cannot but take such statements, which in essence are veiled threats, with all seriousness," Studennikov said.

He noted that France's participation in Ukraine would make it a party to the conflict and increase the risk of a clash between two nuclear powers.

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