❗️The first delivery of F-16 fighter jets from NATO allies has reached Ukraine, as reported by Bloomberg.

The number of jets is small, and it's uncertain if the Ukrainian pilots, who have been training with their Western trainers over the past months will be able to operate the jets immediately or if they will require more time, according to Bloomberg.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the F-16s being delivered to Ukraine "will not change the battlefield situation" and that Russia will destroy them, just as they do with other equipment. Military historian Nikolai Bodrikhin concurred, calling the F-16 an "old" plane with characteristics and limitations well known to the Russian military.

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😄 Olympic open water swimming champion Sharon van Rouwendaal has posted a meme about the water quality in Paris' Seine River

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Who is who in Hamas' political and military structure?

In the wake of the assassination of Hamas Politburo head Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian movement signaled it won't water down its negotiation demands. According to the Western press, Hamas has a history of replacing fallen leaders smoothly through the group’s Shura council, its main consultative body.

Who are the major leaders of Hamas?

▪️Khaled Mashal is the head of Hamas' Political Bureau abroad. He was the head of Hamas' Politburo between 1996 and 2017.

▪️Khalil al-Hayya is deputy head of Hamas’s regional Politburo in Gaza since 2017. Prior to that, he served as head of Hamas's parliamentary bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006.

▪️Nizar Awadallah is a senior member of Hamas’s Politburo since 2009.

▪️Yahya Sinwar is a member of the Politburo since 2017. He is the leader of Hamas in the Gaza strip and the founder of the Hamas security service known as Majd.

▪️Zaher Jabareen is Hamas‘ deputy leader in the West Bank, who was elected to the group’s Politburo in 2021. He is also a member of Hamas’ military branch, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB).

▪️Husam Badran is a Qatar-based senior member of Hamas’s Politburo and head of Hamas' national relations.

▪️Mohammed Deif is the leader of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades since 2002.

▪️Mohammed Sinwar is the commander of Hamas’ Southern Brigade and a younger brother of Yahya Sinwar.

▪️Khaled Mashal, Khalil al-Hayya and Nizar Awadallah are named by some Western and Arabic media pundits as possible replacements of Haniyeh.

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Body of Hezbollah Commander Fuad Shukr found under rubble in Beirut following Israel's airstrike, a local source to Sputnik.

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📹 Rico Krieger's first reaction to his pardon

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned a German citizen sentenced to death for terrorism yesterday.

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Zelensky admitted that he and the entire world want Russia to participate in the second summit on Ukraine.

"The majority of the world today says that Russia must be represented at the second summit, otherwise we will not achieve meaningful results," Zelensky said.

"Since the whole world wants them to be at the table, we cannot be against it," he told AFP.

In early July, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Sputnik, commenting on the topic of a new summit on Ukraine, that Moscow does not accept ultimatums and does not intend to participate in such events. Also at the moment the ban in Ukraine on negotiations with Russia remains a problem and can significantly complicate the peace process.

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❗️Moscow is open to all initiatives to resolve the situation in Ukraine through diplomatic means, but there is no reciprocity from Kiev, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

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What did late Hamas leader Haniyeh advocate?

While high-ranking officials in the US labeled Hamas as animals and a terrorist organization, advocating for the total destruction of their infrastructure, what did the late Hamas leader Dr. Ismail Haniyeh call for?

Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike on his residence in Tehran where he arrived to attend the inauguration of Iran's new president. Hamas blamed Israel and the US for Haniyeh's death and said the attack would not go unanswered.

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Russia and China support the results in Venezuela while US and EU ask for recount

Venezuela has been engulfed in protests after the opposition and its Western sponsoring countries refused to recognize the presidential election results.

“There is a maneuver to put an end to the Bolivarian government, but the results are already in sight,” Atilio Boron, political scientist who was invited as an election observer to Venezuela, told Sputnik.

🔻Countries that did not recognize the election results:

- In South America, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica have expressed their unconformity with the process in elections and do not recognized the results.

🔻Countries calling for a transparent recount of votes:

- With more cautious position, United Stated, European Union, Brazil, Colombia, and UK asked for an impartial recount of votes with transparency. The head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, expressed his “serious concern” that the result announced in Venezuela does not reflect the will of the people.

- The European Union failed to adopt a common statement expressing concern over the presidential election in Venezuela after Hungary vetoed it.

🔻Countries that broke relations with Venezuela:

- Argentina, Chile, Panama, Uruguay, Peru, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic. The Foreign Minister of Venezuela Yvan Gil described the positions of these countries as “interfering” and called to defend Venezuela’s right to self-determination.

🔻Countries supporting the recent election in Venezuela:

- Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, Russia, China, Madagascar, Syria and Iran. President Vladimir Putin expressed his support and highlighted that relations between the two countries “constitute a strategic partnership”. China, congratulated Nicolas Maduro on his reelection and expressed that they will maintain close ties with Venezuela.

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▪️The death of Hamas' leader: What will it bring to Israel and the Middle East?

▪️Who is who in Hamas' political and military structure?

▪️EU’s anti-Russian sanctions ‘have boomeranged back on Europe’

▪️EU ‘massively harmed’ its own customers with anti-Russian sanctions

▪️Zelensky admitted that he and the entire world want Russia to participate in the second summit on Ukraine

▪️US deployment of nuclear arms in Japan means greater risk of nuclear war in Asia Pacific

▪️Cryptocurrency mining: Where is it permitted or outlawed?

▪️Puberty blockers offer a boon for corrupt Big Farma

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📹 Footage from a new perspective reveals the shooter on the roof in the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump. He is clearly seen near the stage.

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Oh la la! France paid almost €500,000 for a lavish dinner for King Charles III

The high-profile banquet for the UK monarch joined a list of France’s exorbitant expenses that pushed the country over the record high €8 million deficit mark, the French audit report reveals.

In 2023, the Élysée Palace hosted the luxurious feast with a price tag of €475,000, including over €165,000 spent on catering and over €40,000 on drinks alone.

Guests were reportedly served blue lobster, crabs and rose macaroons. This costly reception was not the only one on the list of extravagant presidential events that year.

The audit report also highlights Macron’s poor travel planning skills, as the budget lost over €800,000 due to canceled non-refundable trips last year.

Despite soaring prices for everyday essentials and the ever-growing aid for the Kiev regime, the French office still manages to find room in the state budget for such expensive diplomatic engagements.

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