❗️Joe Biden appeared in public for the first time since announcing his withdrawal from the election race.

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How Pentagon's 2024 Arctic Strategy invites confrontation in High North

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has released its new Arctic Strategy, claiming that the situation in the region is rapidly changing, while calling China a "pacing challenge" and Russia "an acute threat."

"The Pentagon will expand intelligence and information-sharing capabilities, work with allies and partners to contain Russia in the Arctic, and regularly conduct exercises and planned operations that have implications for defense and deterrence," Alexander Vorotnikov, a coordinator of the Expert Council of the Expert Center PORA (Arctic Development Project Office), tells Sputnik, stressing that the doctrine's approach is fraught with the risk of confrontation with Russia and China.

Although China is not an Arctic country, it plays a huge role in Arctic policy, according to the pundit.

The Pentagon's strategy also refers to the fact that Russia continues to invest in a new military infrastructure and modernize Soviet-era facilities in the region amid the special military operation in Ukraine. Meanwhile, NATO's expansion in the Arctic due to the accession of two Nordic nations – Finland and Sweden – provides new incentives for Russia's defense of its Arctic territories.

The expert continues that on July 11, the leaders of the US, Canada, and Finland announced their intent to create the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, to enhance their presence in the High North.

"This will seriously affect Russia's actions in its Arctic zone," Vorotnikov says.

In addition, the doctrine also refers to global warming as a crucial regional factor in terms of economy, security and geopolitics.

"As the ice melts, the overall strategic importance of the region changes," the expert stresses, warning about increasing regional tensions between the great powers.

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▪️About 50 foreign instructors were killed as a result of a Russian Iskander strike

▪️Hamas and Fatah's reconciliation: China solidifies its role as Mideast peace broker

▪️Not only Fatah and Hamas: A guide to Palestinian political parties

▪️How Pentagon's 2024 Arctic Strategy invites confrontation in High North

▪️What benefits could the new Russian-Iranian gas project bring?

▪️Сyprus as a hub for military bases

▪️This is how Ukrainian netizens express “gratitude” to US President Joe Biden

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Ex-colonel explains why he believes 18 British SAS servicemen were killed in Odessa

Retired Spanish colonel and clandestine operations specialist Pedro Baños has speculated that at least 18 British SAS servicemen could have been killed by a Russian missile strike in Odessa.

Supposedly, 25 other SAS operatives were injured by the strike. The information was part of the conversation aired on The Colonel’s Channel (El Canal de Coronel), a YouTube Spanish-language media outlet operated by Baños. In his conversation with his colleague - a special forces veteran - Baños said the following:

▪️“I can tell with 90% certainty that there was a Russian bombing attack against Odessa, in which 18 operatives of the Special Air Service (SAS) group, a UK elite force, were killed... 25 other SAS members were injured. There were also French soldiers killed. And here we are not talking about mercenaries from France. No, these were soldiers of the regular French Army, and many of them are dead, my sources told me… And they are my tested sources, we worked side-by-side for years…”

▪️“This information is terrifying, because we are talking about soldiers from NATO countries… And you know, when these countries want to get involved, they send special forces first… Special forces were thus sent to Syria, to Iraq…”

▪️"You know that sometimes Special Forces help guide the missiles or drones – this is also a part of their mission. Very often, they are used for operations aimed at destabilization (creation of chaos) on the [enemy’s] territory. Sometimes the units like the SAS can be used for training of local allied special forces."

For obvious reasons, Western media did not comment on Col. Baños' revelations. However, the presence of NATO’s troops in Ukraine was confirmed by the Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and several NATO generals.

The Russian Defense Ministry periodically reports on the liquidation of Western ‘hired guns’ fighting on the side of Ukraine, but so far did not comment on the recent reports from Odessa.

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Bipolar much? Ukraine’s Zelensky rambles about ending the conflict and launching more attacks into Russia

As thousands of Ukrainians perish on the battlefield for the sake of their leaders’ and NATO’s ambitions, the powers that be in Kiev have sent mixed signals about their future plans.

During a meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, Zelensky appeared to consent that the Ukrainian conflict should be ended the sooner the better.

“I think that we all understand that we must end the war as soon as possible, of course,” Zelensky said while conversing with the cardinal in Kiev.

At the same time, Zelensky announced on social media that he consulted his generals about conducting attacks “behind the front line,” apparently referring to strikes into Russian territory that are often directed against civilian targets.

Kiev stubbornly continues to avoid engaging in direct peace negotiations with Russia, opting instead to continue sending thousands of press-ganged poorly trained soldiers into attacks against Russian positions and launching drone and long-range missile strikes against population centers and civilian infrastructure in Russia.

Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly declared its readiness to resolve the conflict peacefully through negotiations.

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🇧🇷 Football in Brazil cannot be stopped even by a strong whirlwind

An amateur football match in Ribeirão das Neves, a city close to Belo Horizonte in Brazil, has been interrupted by a giant whirlpool, leaving everyone impressed.

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📹 US President Joe Biden declined to respond to a question about whether his decision to drop out of the presidential race was a difficult one, offering a slight smile before walking away.

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📹 A demonstration took place near the hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is staying in New York. Demonstrators protested his visit and condemned the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and US support for it.

Video from social media

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📹 The Israel Defense Forces released footage of an air attack on Hezbollah in the Galilee area.

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🇮🇹🌋 New powerful eruption at Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy

The ash cloud rose to a height of 5 km.

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🇧🇫 Burkina Faso’s President Captain Ibrahim Traore spoke about the war of decolonization.

"We must prepare for the war of decolonization… either the colonizers will come themselves, or come through their local valets," he said.

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📹 Russian tank units from the Yug Battlegroup wipe out a Ukrainian stronghold near Donetsk.

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Kamala Harris is ahead of Donald Trump by two percentage points after Biden dropped out of the race, according to a Reuters and Ipsos poll.

According to their data, Harris was supported by 44% of respondents, Trump 42%.

At the same time, as Reuters explains, although national polls give important signals about American support for candidates, several key states ultimately influence the balance of power in the US Electoral College.

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EU to discuss indefinite immobilization of Russian assets to fund $50bn loan to Ukraine

The ambassadors of the 27 EU member states will meet today to discuss the European Commission's proposal for the indefinite immobilization of the assets of the Central Bank of Russia, the Financial Times reports, with reference to the document. 

Such a move "would soothe US concerns" over plans to use the proceeds of Russian central bank funds to fund a $50bn loan to Ukraine. 

Earlier, G7 countries agreed during their summit in Italy to provide at least $50 billion to Ukraine, by utilizing revenues generated from the interest on Russia’s $325 billion in assets frozen in the countries of the collective West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the asset seizure an "unseemly business" and warned that "stealing others' assets has never brought any good to anyone." 

Economists and political experts have also observed that the seizure of Russian assets has spurred the de-dollarization process.

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"Biden was forced at gunpoint to resign" — Elon Musk on Biden's withdrawal from presidential race 

The US billionaire and entrepreneur pointed out that at first, the media insisted Biden was "sharp as a tack", but after a few weeks, he was forced to pull out as a candidate by Democrats. 

"Now they say Kamala is the best thing ever," Musk sarcastically concluded.

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📹🇵🇸Pro-Palestinian activists burst into the US Capitol ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech. 

The protesters' banners read "Jews say: Stop the genocide", "Let Gaza live", and "Stop arming Israel."

The police arrested about 200 activists.

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