🇮🇷 Canada ‘violated Iranians' rights’ by not allowing voting in Iranian presidential election

Canada’s authorities have violated the rights of Iranians by refusing permission for Iranian presidential election polling on its soil, Ali Bagheri Kani, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, told Sputnik.

“Last Friday we held elections in all countries of the world, and the necessary preparations have already been made to facilitate voting in the second round of elections abroad next Friday,” he stated.

While multiple polling stations were opened for expatriates in countries such as Germany, Iraq, the US and UK, “only one country has acted in violation of the rights of Iranians,” Bagheri emphasized, adding that this is the same country that several days ago “announced its alliance with terrorists.”

The Iranian caretaker foreign minister was referring to the Canadian government's "provocative and irresponsible" decision on June 20 to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist entity."

The following day Bagheri Kani accused Canada, which severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in 2012, of “condoning the genocide of the Israeli regime and the actions of terrorists,” since the IRGC is a part of Iran’s armed forces.

A snap election was called in Iran following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials in a helicopter crash on May 19. After none of the four candidates managed to secure more than 50% in the first round of voting on June 28, a run-off was slated between the top two candidates for July 5.

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Hamas-free ‘bubbles’: Israel preparing operational model for postwar Gaza 
 
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to replace the militant group Hamas (which has been running the Gaza enclave since 2007) with local self-governing bodies, the Financial Times, quoting six people familiar with the matter, reported.
 
According to Netanyahu’s plan, these “humanitarian enclaves” are expected to receive international aid under the condition of being “Hamas-free”, meaning no Hamas presence or influence are allowed inside these “humanitarian bubbles.”
 
Under the scheme, the Israeli military would provide food and other humanitarian assistance, through the northern passage, to “vetted” local Palestinians inside Gaza. These Palestinians would then distribute this aid and “gradually expand their responsibilities to take over civilian governance in the area.” 
 
The aid is expected to be sponsored by “a cluster of moderate Arab countries, along with the US, the EU and the UN,” according to Netanyahu’s adviser quoted by FT. The plan will soon be tested in the Gaza neighborhoods of Atatra, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia.

❗️ Several experts interviewed by the paper called the plan a “fantasy” for the following reasons:

🔸 Netanyahu’s rejection of any role for the legitimate Palestinian Authority (PA) in the plan.

🔸 Some Arab states also reject the plans for disregarding the PA as an actor in Gaza. 

🔸 Similar attempts (to replace Hamas) made by Israel in the past have failed, sometimes with tragic consequences for Palestinians accused of double-dealing by the locals.

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📹 The most entertaining demining tool? Witness the Russian UR-77 Meteorit in action.

◼️ The UR-77 is armed with two line charges, each stretching a staggering 96 meters and packed with over a ton of explosives.

◼️ Its capabilities go beyond just clearing minefields – the Meteorit can also strike enemy strongholds with precision.

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LIVE NOW: The President of the UN Security Council for the month of July and Permanent Representative of Russia, Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia on the Council's programme for the month of July 2024

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Russian motorcycle ‘cavalry’ accelerate the speed of offensive

"[Motorcycles are used], for example, to penetrate behind enemy lines, to storm certain positions, if these positions were previously suppressed by artillery or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)," Viktor Litovkin, retired Russian Army colonel and military analyst, told Sputnik.

The Russian military has employed a new tactic of motorcycle assaults to cross exposed fields, minimize the risk of attack by Ukrainian drones, and break through enemy defenses from the flanks, the Russian Defense Ministry's press service revealed on June 30.

"[The Russian forces] stun the enemy with artillery or missile strike, and then quickly approach the area. While the enemy is in panic, at a loss, [motorcycle brigades] crush them," Litovkin said, comparing the motorcycle assault with cavalry attacks of past centuries.

The New York Times claimed the tactic could be useful for crossing heavily mined fields: "On the fields, motorcycle riders have good visibility and can swerve to avoid mines," the newspaper speculated.

According to Litovkin, the newspaper's assumption is nonsensical, as it would amount to nothing short of a suicidal mission.

"Let the Americans tell you tales about the advantage of this type of transport in mined areas. This is great stupidity. Mined fields must be cleared first," Litovkin said.

Russian military personnel of the Vostok battlegroup actively used motorcycles and quad bikes during the liberation of the village of Staromayorskoye and other settlements on approach to Ugledar in the Donbass region, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

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Not on my watch: Russian policeman jumped into a moving car to stop a drunk driver

On a beach near Krasnoyarsk, a car drove onto the beach and almost ran over over holidaymakers.

To stop the driver, a policeman had to perform a heroic maneuver: he caught up with the car, opened the back door, jumped into the passenger compartment and forced the offender to stop.

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🇱🇧 How do Lebanese live on the border with Israel?

The Lebanese border town of Ayta ash Shab in the south of the country has been shelled by Israel for the past 9 months. Despite this, the majority of residents have not left their homes and are ready to repair all the damage as soon as possible.

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The World Bank has classified Russia as a high-income country, estimating the gross income per capita at $14,250 per year.

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🔸 How will examination of ATACMS missile help Russia on the battlefield?

🔸 Downhill since Bretton Woods: ‘Unipolar US dollar' degenerated into ‘politically weaponized’ tool

🔸 How Le Pen's party scoring a runoff victory might sting Macron;

🔸 How is Russia using its motorcycle ‘cavalry’ in the Ukraine conflict?

🔸 Hamas-free ‘bubbles’: Israel preparing operational model for postwar Gaza;

🔸 Canada ‘violated Iranians' rights’ by not allowing voting in Iranian presidential election.

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📹 The "Al-Qassam Brigades" have released a video showcasing the production of shaped charge grenades.

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❗️The Dutch authorities have granted permission for the export of 24 F-16 fighter jets, with the first batch soon to be delivered to Ukraine.

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Why Ukraine may default in August and what it means for the country’s future

On August 1, 2024, Kiev will have to restart payments on the bonds held by private Western lenders. Unlike the loans from Western states, whose repayment deadline was moved to 2027, these obligations are pressing. “Ukraine has a month to avoid default,” The Economist writes.

In August 2022 Ukraine managed to convince its private creditors to declare a two-year moratorium on the debt which had been piling up before the hostilities escalated in February 2022, but that just skyrocketed later.

“The debt of $20 billion will have to be paid to three major lenders,” explains Berliner Zeitung (BZ). They are the American fund Blackrock, the French asset management group Amundi and a global investment giant Amia Capital.

In 2022, it seemed like a safe choice. According to the WSJ, "When the bondholders agreed to a two-year debt holiday in 2022, many thought the war would be over by 2024."

Kiev’s offer to write off the debt partially “did not meet the expectations” of Blackrock. They formed a committee and hired lawyers at Weil Gotschal & Manges to squeeze the money from Ukraine.

The debt of $20 billion may not look impressive against the background of the “release” in April of the “aid package” worth $60 billion by the US Congress. But it is not that simple. The Economist explains that Kiev will get most of the $60 billion as US military aid and other “assistance.” “The problem is that Ukraine faces a cash crunch – and soon,” the magazine reports.

Only a fraction of the $60 billion will be at Kiev’s disposal in liquid form. And even with that fraction there is a problem: “The US and allies are concerned that taxpayers’ money will wind up in bondholders’ hands,” the WSJ writes.

Kiev faces the risk of default, which would breach IMF rules and make getting further private credits difficult. This raises the question of how Kiev will fund its "war effort."

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📹 The IDF announced the destruction of the largest long-range missile manufacturing facility in Gaza.

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📹 Violent Storm Caught on Camera in Russia's St. Petersburg

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM), one person died, and two were injured. It was reported that a woman died after a tree fell on her due to stormy winds. Fallen trees also damaged at least ten cars.

Video: social media

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will visit Kiev on Tuesday to meet with President Zelensky, according to sources familiar with the situation, reports the Financial Times.

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💥Russian artillery wipes out Ukrainian targets

Russia fighter used Akatsiya self-propelled artillery systems to destroy Ukrainian strongholds, military hardware, and mortar crews in the DPR.

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⚖️ Biden about the US Supreme Court statement that Trump is immune from prosecution for official acts:

No one is above the law, not even the President of the United States. But today's Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, that fundamentally changed for all practical purposes. It's a dangerous precedent.

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