Raytheon to pay nearly $1 bln over defective pricing, foreign bribery - DoJ

One of the Pentagon's largest contractors, Raytheon and its subsidiary RTX, will pay more than $950 million in fines due to defective pricing, foreign bribery, and export control schemes, the US Justice Department said on Wednesday.

The DoJ added that the company had defrauded the US government and engaged in criminal schemes.

Raytheon also provided the Pentagon with false and misleading information when negotiating two contracts with the United States in the interests of a foreign partner, including the supply of the Patriot air defense system.

The investigation is related to a major government fraud scheme involving defective pricing on a range of contracts, as well as violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Arms Export Control Act (AECA), and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

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United States attacks Houthi targets in Yemen with B-2 Spirit bombers

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that American B-2 Spirit bombers struck five Houthi weapons depots in Yemen. The warehouses, according to the defense secretary’s statement, housed "various weapons components of types" that the Houthis used to attack ships throughout the region.

"This was a unique demonstration of the United States' ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened, or fortified," Austin said.

Yemeni TV channel Almasirah reported that the US attacked the Kahlan and Al-Abla districts in the eastern suburbs of Saada. The channel did not provide information on destruction or casualties.

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🔸US attacks Houthi targets in Yemen with B-2 Spirit bombers

🔸Raytheon to pay nearly $1 bln over defective pricing, foreign bribery

🔸Polish-Ukrainian relations keep deteriorating amid Ukraine’s losses

🔸Check out Sputnik’s infographic on BRICS scope and monetary might

🔸Did you know: Russia is a stone's throw from the USA

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About 100 masked men broke into the church of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Cherkassy city, Ukraine, during the liturgy at night, seized the cathedral, and stole its treasury, the Union of Orthodox Journalists reported.

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🤡So, what’s the plan?

When asked about the differences between Donald Trump's economic policies and her own, Kamala Harris said that she, as presidential candidate, has a '"sound" plan for the future, without specifying exactly what her plan is.

How many times did she say "plan"?🤔

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Ukraine forces has already lost almost 40 German Leopard tanks

Despite the power and efficiency of the heavily armored Leopard tanks, they have proven vulnerable in combat conditions, according to Western media. Ukraine has lost nearly 40 tanks since the special operation began.

Earlier, the German Ministry of Defense has decided not to send any more Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, despite the availability of about 300 units.

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Border queen Kamala dodges journalist's question on illegal immigration

Bret Baier, Fox News journalist who interviewed US presidential candidate Kamala Harris, asked how many illegal immigrants the Biden administration has released into the United States over the last 3.5 years.

“Bret, let's just get to the point. Okay? The point is that we have a broken immigration system that needs to be repaired,” Harris answered.

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Radicals have launched a repeated attack on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Cherkassy, Ukraine

Masked people tried to seize the church overnight, opened fire and pepper-sprayed worshippers, forcing them out out of the building. The invaders also stole the treasury, documents, computers and icons from the church. Fortunately, the attackers were thrown out.

However, the invaders called on their supporters to join them and launched their second attack, while the police are inactive, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists.

The attack on the church was called a terrorist act by the Moscow Patriarchate.

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Iran says it has weapons far superior to nuclear

Iran possesses covert weapons far superior to nuclear, Ebrahim Rostami, the former head of the International Relations and former secretary of the Development and Equipment Commission of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), declared.

“We have equipment far superior to nuclear weapons,” he said, while supporting a recent demand by Iranian members of parliament to change the country’s ‘no nuclear weapons’ doctrine.

Rostami clarified that details of such weapons is highly classified and top-secret information.

“I won’t say who carried them out, but five tankers exploded in the highly secure Port of Fujairah. They don’t even know where the hit came from,” he stated, referring to the incidents where oil tankers were targeted in the Port of Fujairah, the UAE.

Earlier Iran officials claimed, Iran has ‘no red lines’ for defending its interests, seeks peace but is ready for war.

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Why do Americans think the US is on the wrong track?

🗣Kamala Harris: "Come on. You and I both know what I'm talking about."

🫤Bret Baier: "I actually don't. What are you talking about?"

Sorry, Kamala, not everybody has psychic powers like yours

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❗️Russian forces have liberated the settlement of Maksimilyanovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD’s daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:

🔸Ukrainian losses in Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr’s area of responsibility amounted to 530 militants and four howitzers;

🔸Ukrainian forces lost up to 105 soldiers in Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok’s area of responsibility;

🔸Russia’s Battlegroup Zapad eliminated six Ukrainian warehouses, with the enemy losing more than 460 servicemen;

🔸Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr destroyed a Ukrainian field ammunition depot and two warehouses with military equipment. Ukrainian losses amounted to 55 militants;

🔸Russian air defenses shot down five HIMARS missiles and 43 Ukrainian drones in the special operation zone during the day.

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🇭🇺 Hungarian PM Viktor Orban said that during the EU summit he would call on the French president and German chancellor to start negotiations with Russia on behalf of the EU to resolve the Ukrainian conflict

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Biden heads to Germany after unveiling new $425 mln Ukraine package

Joe Biden is to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for talks in Berlin that are expected of focus on Ukraine and the Middle East.

The sit-down comes after Biden announced a new $425 million military package to the Kiev regime, which includes air defense capability as well as air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles and critical munitions, according to the White House.

The list includes additional munitions for systems such as NASAMS and HIMARS, RIM-7 missiles and support for air defense; Stinger anti-aircraft missiles; TOW anti-tank missiles; Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems; spare parts, services, training, and transportation, the Pentagon said.

Biden is to meet Scholz as Germany continues to be one of Ukraine's most rampant allies, setting a European record in financial and military assistance. These expenses have already ridden roughshod over Germany’s auto and manufacturing sectors, also spoiling Scholz’s approval ratings, which hit a new low of just 18%, per last month’s survey published by the Berlin-based Infratest Dimap think tank.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier emphasized that as a tit-for-tat measure, Russia does not rule out sending arms to other countries. "Let the West think about where these weapons will finally be deployed,” he said.

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🇷🇺🪖 Key statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense's daily briefing on the situation in the Kursk region:

🔸 Units of Russia’s Battlegroup Sever hammered 10 Ukrainian formations in the direction of the settlements of Lyubimovka, Novy Put, Plekhovo and Novoivanovka.

🔸 Russia’s Battlegroup Sever repelled six counterattacks. The enemy lost as many as 40 soldiers, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

🔸 Russian aviation and artillery strikes hit concentrations of personnel and equipment from nine Ukrainian brigades in the Sumy region.

🔸 In total, Ukrainian losses over the day amounted to more than 250 militants, with 15 armored vehicles destroyed, including five tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, eight armored vehicles, four mortars, and four cars. Six Ukrainian militants also surrendered.

🔸 Since the beginning of combat operations in the Kursk region, Ukraine has lost more than 23,850 troops.

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