Nancy Pelosi dodges question on whether Biden should run for reelection

"Am I speaking English to you? I'm not gonna be making any statements about any of that right now."

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Hunter Biden has become Joe Biden’s “Acting Chief of Staff” — Report

The embattled US President’s son has become such a constant presence at the White House recently that one prominent Democratic Party lobbyist dubbed him Biden’s “gatekeeper” and “acting chief of staff,” the Daily Beast reported.

Similar reports have emerged in recent weeks. Hunter Biden has begun joining his father in White House meetings with top aides, much to the consternation of senior US officials, according to an NBC News report last week.

Hunter Biden has long faced accusations of using his father’s political influence to bolster his business career. A jury in the US State of Delaware last month found him guilty of three gun charges, and he will face another trial for alleged tax violations.

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Why Russia’s plans to deploy over 2,500 satellites by 2036 are no pie in the sky

“This is quite achievable,” Dr. Natan Eismont, a leading researcher with the Russian Academy of Scientists’ Space Research Institute Eismont told Sputnik, commenting on Roscosmos’s ambitious plans to deploy 2,600 communications and remote sensing satellites by the mid-2030s after ramping up existing production capabilities more than tenfold.

“Let’s compare the figure of 2,600 satellites to the capabilities [Elon] Musk has demonstrated…He managed to increase production [of SpaceX’s Starlink] from a modest scale to what we are seeing now, promising 10,000-12,000 satellites. The Russian satellites are approximately the same size as Musk’s, and Musk’s manufacturing capabilities are smaller than ours. He has a large company that’s well-organized and well-financed, but we’re talking about the rocket and space industry of an entire country,” Eismont noted.

Russia’s NPO Lavochkina and Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems will be tasked with creating conveyor belt production capabilities by 2026, with about $675 mln in funding required to get up and running. Roscosmos plans to create the conveyors in two places – ISS Reshetnev’s facilities in Krasnoyarsk, specializing in telecoms, and Lavochkin in Moscow, focused on remote sensing.

“We’re talking primarily about small satellites weighing 150, 200, 250 kg,” Dr. Eismont said, pointing out that for remote sensing, signal retransmission and other tasks, Russian enterprises have already shown an ability to build world-class equipment.

“Do we have enough carrier rockets to launch these devices? Certainly. That is, there’s no need to create any new carriers for them,” Eismont added.

“Whatever parameter one looks at, it’s clear that these are not empty dreams or pie in the sky plans, but a very real state of affairs. This can be done,” the observer stressed.

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Failed UK migration policy highlighted by abandoned Rwanda scheme

The new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed he is scrapping plans by his Conservative predecessors to send illegal immigrants to Rwanda.

The policy, which aimed to deter people-trafficking and manage illegal arrivals by relocating migrants to the African country, was condemned by the Labour Party leader.

"The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started,” the new PM declared. “It’s never been a deterrent to the flow of illegals crossing the Channel."

The initiative cost the UK approximately £300 million ($371 million), including logistical arrangements, legal fees and the construction of housing in Rwanda, which will now be sold to Rwandan people.

Despite Tory promises to reduce immigration, net migration reached a record high of 672,000 in the year ending June 2023, significantly higher than 2019 levels. The new points-based immigration system introduced post-Brexit aimed to balance the influx from EU and non-EU countries but led to complaints by employers of labor shortages in sectors like hospitality and transport.

The UK has experienced a surge in undocumented migrants crossing the English Channel, leading to political and social challenges. The Rwanda deportation strategy faced legal hurdles and criticism from human rights organizations and political opponents, who argued that the plan was both inhumane and ineffective.

Since 2018, over 120,000 illegal migrants have crossed the English Channel into Britain in dangerously-overloaded inflatable boats. The government spends several million pounds daily to house refugees in hotels.

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NATO's latest joint declaration serves as a stark neoconservative recommitment to US hegemony, Jeffrey Sachs, a world-renowned economist and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, told Sputnik.

"Instead, it doubles-down on Ukraine’s irreversible course to NATO membership, which will never happen because of Russia’s opposition, but which will needlessly and recklessly prolong the current war," he said.

The NATO Declaration is a stark neoconservative recommitment to US hegemony, according to Sachs.

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Key points of joint NATO Declaration:

◾️NATO members intend to modernize their nuclear potential and improve planning in this area;

◾️NATO states will support Ukraine on its path to “irreversible membership” in the alliance and Euro-Atlantic institutions;

◾️NATO will continue to support reforms in Ukraine in the field of "security and democracy". Progress will be annually assessed to ensure that these reforms are on track.

◾️NATO will send Ukraine an invitation to join the bloc when the allies agree that Kiev has fulfilled all the necessary conditions;

◾️NATO plans to deepen cooperation with Indo-Pacific countries;

◾️NATO countries have maintained a defense spending commitment of at least 2% of GDP;

◾️NATO aims to strengthen its presence in the Middle East and Africa under the pretext of “supporting peace” in these regions;

◾️NATO is beefing up its air defense and missile defense capabilities, including the use of the new Aegis Ashore base in Poland.

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🌪 A tornado rips through the town of Arkwright, New York.

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❗️Air defense forces repelled a drone attack flying towards Moscow in Stupino urban district, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Preliminarily, there was no destruction or casualties.

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🎥 Brace yourself for the impact!

Rostec corporation has reported the successful completion of the first tests of armored panels designed to protect oil depots and gas storage facilities in Russia, including defense against attacks by FPV drones.

During testing, the domestic armor plates proved their effectiveness by withstanding bullets from a 9x19 mm cartridge and even fragments from an F-1 grenade detonated just half a meter away.

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❗️ Russia would respond militarily to the deployment of US long-range missiles in Germany, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned.

This announcement comes after the Pentagon stated that starting in 2026, the US would begin deploying long-range strike systems in Germany that would surpass the weapons already present in Europe.

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◾️NATO to continue Black Sea expansion: What else was included in the bloc’s joint declaration?

◾️‘Stark neoconservative recommitment to US hegemony’: Renowned economist slams NATO’s latest declaration 
 
◾️BRICS Parliamentary Forum to kick off in St. Petersburg 

◾️Russia's plans to deploy more than 2,500 satellites by 2036 are no pipe dream

◾️Russia crash-tests first armored panels set to protect oil and gas facilities from drones and other threats

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