Sunak fears losing constituency in UK general election, press reveals

Rishi Sunak has confided to members of his inner circle that he is fearful of losing his Yorkshire constituency at the general election, the UK media claims.

According to its sources, the British PM is “genuinely fearful of a defeat in Richmond”. Then Sunak would be the first sitting leader of the country to lose his seat.

Conservative activists working in Sunak’s constituency had been particularly alarmed by a drop-off in support among the farming community.

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"Malka" self-propelled howitzer: the workhorse of Russian artillery

The 203-mm howitzer is used by Russian troops to destroy Ukrainian artillery batteries, defensive positions, weapons and military equipment and suppress enemy command posts.

Reconnaissance of targets and artillery spotting is carried out by day or night using unmanned aerial vehicles.

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Russia supports the idea of resuming the work of the SCO-Afghanistan contact group, which will help normalize the situation in this country, President Vladimir Putin says.

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🇮🇳🇷🇺 Russian tech giant Rostec to launch gunpowder production for 'Mango' shells in India

Rostec has already established production of 125-mm Mango shells in India, designed to be fired from the mains guns of T-72 and T-90 tanks, CEO Sergei Chemezov said.

The 'Mango' shells feature the 3BM42 fin-stabilized armour-piercing sub-caliber projectile, which can penentrate modern tanks equipped with composite armour.

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❗️ Indian Prime Minister Modi will pay an official visit to Russia on July 8-9, the Kremlin says.

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❗️Investment cooperation between Russia and Qatar continues, Central Banks of two countries are working on this, and the dialogue on connecting Qatar to the North-South corridor, President Putin said during negotiations with Emir of Qatar Al Thani.

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NATO fears France could withdraw from the alliance's military command after Marine Le Pen's party election victory, Euractiv reports

The alliance's diplomats told the news site they were seriously concerned about the risk of the National Rally party forming the next French government if it wins a majority in the second round of legislative elections.

NATO’s eastern members are also "increasingly critical of the Alliance’s presence on Europe’s eastern flank", which could call continued military aid to Ukraine aid into question, Euractiv reported.

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❗️Russia is making efforts to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which can be resolved only if relevant UN decisions are implemented, Russian President Vladimir Putin said

Putin made the remarks during negotiations with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of SCO summit in Astana.

"You know that Russia, for its part, is also making efforts to resolve this crisis, which, in our deep conviction, can be fundamentally resolved only if relevant UN decisions are implemented. And, first of all, it is connected with the need to create two states - Israel and Palestine," Putin said.

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Ukrainian forces lost up to 2,225 troops in the past 24 hours, the Russian Ministry of Defense says.

A MiG-29 was destroyed at a Ukrainian airfield. Two military-industrial complex enterprises, an oil refinery, a production workshop and a drone storage warehouse were also hit by Russian strikes.

Foreign-made equipment destroyed, hit or intercepted by the Russian armed forces over the past 24 hours:

▪️ Two M198 155 mm howitzers (US-made)
▪️ Seven M777 155 mm howitzers (US-made)
▪️ Two L119 105 mm guns (British-made)
▪️ One M119 105 mm gun (US-made)
▪️ Two FH70 155 mm howitzers (British-made)
▪️ One Hammer guided bomb (French-made )
▪️ One HARM anti-radar missile (US-made)
▪️ 14 HIMARS missiles (US-made)

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🎥 Soldiers of the Zapad battlegroup share their field rations

Today, the field canteen of Russian troops offers borscht, rice porridge with meat, tea and — of course — freshly baked crusty bread.

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Poland and Slovakia agree they should not send their troops to Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda said following a meeting with his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini.

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❗️SCO is confirmed as one of the centers of power in the multilateral world, Russian President Putin said

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🎥 Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Astana

Here are key points they discussed:

◾️Relations between Russia and Qatar are built on a friendly basis

◾️In absolute terms, trade turnover is small, but it has good growth trends

◾️A dialogue is underway on the possible connection of Qatar to the North-South transport corridor

◾️The Putin thanked Sheikh Tamim for resolving humanitarian issues in connection with the Ukrainian crisis

◾️Qatar is one of the most effective mediators in the crisis between Hamas and Israel

At the end of the meeting, Putin invited Sheikh Tamim to pay an official visit to Russia

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Vladimir Putin's key statements at the SCO summit in Astana:

🔸The Istanbul agreements on Ukraine remain “on the table” and may form the basis of peace negotiations

🔸The basic values and ideals of the SCO are shared by many countries in the world

🔸The SCO always proceeds from the importance of taking into account the opinions of the maximum range of partners

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