💬 "The United States of America is just a big lie," famous Egyptian actress says

It is very important to cover the Palestinian issue impartially, Dalia Al Beheri🇪🇬 told Sputnik Africa at the 24th Arab Radio and Television Festival in Tunis.

🗣 "Children are being burned alive, being burned while they are sleeping at night. What is this? Beheaded children. We have seen things we wouldn't have believed to see in a horror movie. [...] It's all about talking about human rights and talking about all these big words and they are doing nothing. It's just a fake world," she lamented.

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📹 Watch a Russian Mi-28NM helicopter strike Ukrainian units

Vostok group of forces pilots struck with unguided aircraft missiles at the enemy's camouflaged equipment and manpower, after which they performed an anti-missile maneuver, released heat traps and returned to their location.

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Heavy rains in China prompt highest alert level

The prolonged downpours are not going to stop in a number of regions in the southern part of China, forecasts say.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered that citizens be provided with all possible assistance in the fight against the elements.

Video from social media

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Hundreds of gallons of fire-fighting foam have been released at the Vermont US National Guard base in South Burlington after the fire suppression system malfunctioned

Seems like the guys wanted to throw up a party!

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West dangles NATO membership in front of Ukraine like carrot before donkey

Volodymyr Zelensky’s desperate efforts to drive Ukraine into NATO’s embrace may be all for naught, argues Daniel R. DePetris, a fellow at US-based think tank Defense Priorities.

Even as NATO leaders like US President Joe Biden and the bloc’s outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg keep claiming that the decision about Ukraine’s NATO membership has de facto been made, the bloc does not really want Kiev to actually join, DePetris writes in his op-ed in Newsweek.

NATO may be quite happy to supply Ukraine with weapons to inflict damage upon Russia, but becoming involved in a direct conflict “with a nuclear-armed Russia on behalf of Ukraine is not in the cards,” he notes.

“Ukraine has been waiting on NATO membership for a long time. It will continue to wait, likely in perpetuity, regardless of the sweet-nothings Western leaders whisper in Zelensky's ear,” DePetris believes.

Ukraine’s relinquishing plans to join NATO remains one of the key elements of all peace proposals presented by Russia since the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict in February 2022. Despite this, the powers that be in Kiev keep hoping to worm their way into the bloc despite the fact that it may severely destabilize the security situation in the region.

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❗️Russian Iskander-M missile struck the unloading site of a railroad train with armament and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Zaporozhye region - Russian Defense Ministry

An echelon of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel were destroyed, as well as M-113 armoured personnel carriers and Buk M1 complexes, the ministry reported.

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Can homegrown ‘Iron Dome’ really protect Europe’s skies?

The results of Europe’s efforts to build its own multi-layered air defense system, the so-called European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) which is sometimes referred to as Iron Dome (a reference to the Israeli air defense system), may not turn out to be as good as advertised, says Swedish Armed Forces veteran and former politician Mikael Valtersson.

The problem, according to him, is that not all of the European countries signed on to this enterprise, which means ESSI “doesn't cover the entirety of Europe,” and it will be no easy task to provide protection to all members.

“For example, Finland is part of it, and Turkiye is part of it. But Turkiye is very separate from the rest of Europe. So who will decide what to defend?” Valtersson inquires.

According to him, ESSI will mostly amount to each of its members purchasing surface-to-air missiles together, with the whole scheme being much less effective than the Israeli Iron Dome, “especially when it comes to hypersonic missiles.”

“Europe is such a large continent, and there will be so many holes in the defense system. So it will be nearly impossible to stop hypersonic missiles,” Valtersson warns.

The fact that the European Union, which is not a military alliance, wants to pay "part of the project” also perplexed Valtersson.

“That's been a discussion within the EU to strengthen, not defense cooperation so much, but the defense acquirement when you buy the new weapon systems,” he remarks. “So, I believe that's the reasons why the European Union are interested in this. They want as many countries as possible to have the same kind of missile systems because it's cheaper and easier to integrate.”

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Time magazine: Democrats struggle to find a replacement for Biden in November election

The Democratic Party has no viable replacement for Biden in the upcoming November election, writes Time magazine.

The publication believes that even if Biden voluntarily withdraws from the race, the party might find itself "in an even more difficult position" due to the rush to nominate an alternative candidate.

Moreover, there simply is no worthy replacement: Vice President Kamala Harris is rejected by poll participants, and "rising stars" like House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries or Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer appear to be attractive options but are unlikely to conduct a full campaign and win over voters in the remaining time before November, the magazine argues.

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🇮🇱 Thousands of people gathered in several cities across Israel, demanding early elections and the immediate negotiation of a deal to release Israeli hostages.

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US MQ-9 Reaper has close encounter with Russian aircraft in Syria - Russian military

A MQ-9 Reaper drone of the US-led international coalition flew dangerously close to a Russian Su-35 aircraft in Syria, Yurii Popov, the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said on Saturday.

"On June 29, from 11:00-11:05 [08:00-08:05 GMT], coalition's MQ-9 Reaper drone once again flew dangerously close to a Su-35 aircraft of the Russian aerospace forces, which was making a scheduled flight in Syrian airspace, over the Al-Sukhnah town in the Homs province, at altitudes from 7,500-8,500 meters [24,606-27,887 feet]. The Russian pilot demonstrated high professionalism and took the necessary measures in a timely manner to prevent a collision," Popov told a briefing.

The US-led coalition fighters breached deconfliction protocols and violated the Syrian airspace 10 times over the past 24 hours in the Al-Tanf area by a pair of F-15 fighter jets, a pair of Rafale and Typhoon fighter jets, as well as two pairs of А-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft, the Russian official added.

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Biden faces protests during New York fundraising tour

Biden continues to tour New York State for fundraising events for his campaign. He did not respond to journalists' questions about calls for him to withdraw from the race.

According to White House pool reporters, the presidential motorcade was met at the event location by a group of people holding signs that read: "Please step down for the USA," "Thank you, next," "Step down for democracy," and "We love you, but it's time."

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Despite the calls for him to step down, Biden assured supporters in New York that he will win the election.

The U.S. President referenced the New York Times editorial board article urging him to withdraw from the race, but he declared that the competition would not be difficult.

According to Biden, he should be compared not to the Almighty, but to the alternative. The American President also called Trump a genuine threat and promised to win the election.

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🇮🇱 Hundreds of activists held an unauthorized rally outside the General Federation of Labor building in Tel Aviv. The protesters are demanding early elections and the release of hostages from the Gaza Strip. Traffic is blocked, and bonfires are burning on the roadway, reports a Sputnik correspondent.

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Stanford quietly removed Azov Battalion from extremist group list

Earlier this month, the State Department lifted its ban on providing weapons to the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion*. A month before, the Stanford Mapping Militants Project (MPP) quietly removed the group’s profile from its list of “violent militant or extremist organizations.”

The Azov Battalion was renamed the 12th Special Purpose Brigade Azov, which the State Department claims is a separate unit from the Azov Battalion. Azov began as an all-volunteer group created to fight separatists in the Donetsk People’s Republic and was officially integrated into the Ukrainian National Guard in 2014.

However, despite the rebrand, the leaders of the “new” Azov Brigade have extensive connections with neo-Nazi groups, including Commander Denys Prokopenko and Deputy Commander Sviatoslav Palamar. It also continues to use Nazi iconography on its uniforms and social media posts, including its official logo, which features the Wolfsangel symbol, a Nazi symbol created by SS leader Heinrich Himmler and still used by neo-Nazi groups across the world.

Azov’s removal from the MPP was first reported by the Noir newsletter and later republished by independent media outlet The Gray Zone.

The Stanford MMP has received funding from the US Department of Defense and Homeland Security but is often used as an authoritative voice in academic research, reports and testimonies to Congress. The change means the MMP list no longer contradicts State Department policy.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, published a post on Facebook*, celebrating the group’s removal from the list. She also thanked the embassy for “constantly drawing attention and joint fights against Russian propaganda and disinformation” suggesting that she or her colleagues at the embassy may have pressured the MPP to remove the group.

Last week, it was reported that the State Department had been funding the Azov Battalion for months, despite the ban officially still being in place.

👉 Follow the link for more

*Azov Battalion is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
** Facebook and its parent company Meta have been banned in Russia for extremist activities.

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📹 Lightning splits ancient sequoia in France

A century-old sequoia in Deux-Sèvres, France, was destroyed by lightning. Local media report that debris damaged a nearby hotel. The 30-meter tree was nearly split in half.

Video from social media

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🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia has called on its citizens to immediately leave Lebanon amid security risks associated with possible war between Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah and Israel, the Saudi embassy in Lebanon said.

"The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Lebanese Republic is following with concern the current events in southern Lebanon, once again calls on all Saudi citizens to comply with the decision to ban travel to Lebanon and calls on citizens there to immediately leave Lebanese territory," the embassy said

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🇮🇱 ICC decision on arrest warrants for Israeli officials delayed by UK

The International Criminal Court’s decision on whether arrest warrants will be issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallany will be delayed for weeks after the UK requested a review.

The UK wants the court to look at whether it has jurisdiction over Israeli citizens. Israel has been arguing that the request by the Palestinian Authority to the ICC to investigate potential crimes against humanity by Israel violated the Oslo Accords, which stipulates that the Palestinian Authority has no criminal jurisdiction over Israeli citizens.

The UK was able to file the request for a review because it has “friend of the court” status. Israel could not issue the order itself because it is not a member of the court. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said, “it is believed that the UK’s move was made at Israel’s request.” The paper speculates that other countries are being recruited.

The UK submitted the request on July 10, the court gave the country until July 12 to file any comments. Any potential warrants will not be issued until after that date, if at all.

The court could still issue arrest warrants for the three Hamas leaders also named in ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for warrants because they are Palestinian.

👉Follow the link to read more

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Crunch time: Understanding France’s snap parliamentary elections

Voters will cast their ballots on June 30 in the first of two possible rounds of the early French polls to elect 577 members of the country’s parliament - the National Assembly.

Who is taking part and what to expect?

🔸 Three major political blocs are competing, including Marine Le Pen’s hard right National Rally (NR), President Emmanuel Macron’s center-right alliance Ensemble, and the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP).

🔸 NR calls for a "more balanced" and "independent" French foreign policy, supporting France leaving NATO's integrated command and reform of the EU, with zero tolerance for breaches of law and order.

🔸 The NFP was formed with an intent to "build an alternative to Emmanuel Macron and fight the racist project of the extreme right" in the upcoming elections.

🔸 Ensemble includes Macron’s Renaissance party, in particular, upholding stances in favor of the EU.

🔸 NR leads the polls ahead of the elections with 36% of the vote, followed by the NFP with 28.5%, which is trailed by Ensemble with 21%, according to the latest surveys. The polls suggest the upcoming elections will almost certainly confirm this trend.

🔸 To win an absolute majority in the National Assembly, a party or bloc needs to obtain at least 289 seats out of the 577.

🔸 In the first round, the voter turnout needs to be at least 25%, and a candidate ought to win an absolute majority of votes cast. In a multiparty system like France’s, these two conditions mean a second round of voting will most likely occur in many constituencies on July 7.

🔸 Le Pen recently made it clear that she will not seek Macron’s resignation if her party triumphs in the snap elections. “I’m respectful of institutions. I do not call for institutional chaos. There will simply be cohabitation,” she pointed out. Macron, for his part, confirmed he would not step down if his party suffers in the elections, adding that he “does not intend to campaign more than [he did] in 2017 and 2022.”

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