🇸🇪 Swedish police authorize Quran burning outside Stockholm mosque amid the ongoing Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha

Earlier, when Sweden's entry into NATO was discussed, a Swedish activist had arranged a public burning of the holy book, which caused difficulties with its accession to the block due to Turkiye's protest.

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🗣 Kremlin aide Peskov reiterates Kiev's accusations against Moscow regarding Kramatorsk strikes false: Russia does not hit civilian infrastructure

🇮🇳🇷🇺 Indo-Russian missile manufacturer #BrahMos Aerospace confirmed recently that it has completed the preliminary design of the new generation of 🚀Brahmos-NG missiles.

What makes Brahmos the 'Brahmastra' of India's missile arsenal? Learn in our explainer!

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🇷🇺 The Russian government announced on Wednesday that it had approved a strategy for the development of unmanned aircraft in Russia until 2030

The strategy covers five areas, among which is the stimulation of demand for domestic products and their development and mass production, the statement read.

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NATO countries agreed that Stoltenberg will remain NATO secretary general for one more year, report says

📹 Russian artillerymen, with the support of the UAV corps of the BARS volunteer detachment, destroy enemy positions in the Zaporozhye region

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Elon Musk allegedly takes ketamine, while Google co-founder Brin does 'magic' mushrooms, the WSJ says

Additionally, Founders Fund, a venture capital company that invests in SpaceX and Facebook, has thrown psychedelic parties, the journal reports, citing sources.

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Why is the US at war with Russia, Tucker Calson wonders

🗣 There's gotta be a better reason for waging this pointless war, than helping the Bidens "repay debts", ex-Fox News anchor says.

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Mysterious Drones Swarm Cambodia

🇰🇭 Cambodia has deployed 500 soldiers with 200 anti-aircraft guns to combat unidentified UAVs trespassing the country's border in Ratanakiri province.

The owner of these puzzling drones remains a mystery, with neighboring 🇱🇦 🇻🇳 Laos and Vietnam denying any involvement.

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❗️Russia's MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️ Russian aviation attacked oil refining and fuel storage facilities for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbass, all facilities were hit;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces successfully repelled five attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the DPR, over 240 Ukrainian servicemen were killed;

▪️ The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the south of the DPR and in the Zaporozhye region amounted to 235 military personnel;

▪️ Russian troops repelled two UAF attacks near Krasny Liman;

▪️ The Ukrainian DRG was destroyed in the Kharkov region, the total losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Kupyansk per day amounted to 30 soldiers;

▪️ Russian air defense systems intercepted three Storm Shadow missiles, six HIMARS MLRS shells, shot down 8 UAF drones;

▪️ During the day, Russian troops destroyed up to 115 soldiers, MLRS Grad and self-propelled gun Akatsyia of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Krasny Liman;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces repulsed two attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with forces up to a motorized infantry company each in the area of the Vremevsky salient;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces attacked the reserves of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces hit the command and observation posts of the battalions of the 63rd Mechanized and 10th Mountain Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the DPR.

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❗️ Latest statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov:

▪️ The longer Ukraine and the West delay a peaceful settlement, the harder it will be to negotiate;

▪️ From the West, there were no serious proposals for a settlement in Ukraine from anyone at all;

▪️ There were attempts to use unscrupulous approaches towards the invited countries to support the Zelensky plan at the meeting on Ukraine in Copenhagen;

▪️ We are in contact with the United States on the work of embassies, while we are not very successful in clearing the rubble created by Obama;

▪️ Nobody wants a nuclear war, but talking about it in the absence of a system of strategic stability means "relying on chance."

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Kamala Harris worst VP in polling history, US broadcaster reveals

Nearly half of Americans have a negative view of Kamala Harris and only 32% of them have a positive opinion of the US vice president, a new poll by the US' NBC News broadcaster has revealed.

The survey showed that 49% of respondents are critical of Harris, of which 39% have a "very negative view" with respect to the 58-year-old politician. Only 11% said they have a “very positive” opinion of Harris.

She received a net negative rating of -17, which NBC News said is "the lowest for any vice president in the poll’s history."

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🫠 Joe Biden: "[Putin] is clearly losing the war in Iraq"

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Why more US Bradley armored vehicles won’t boost Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Former US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, a Pentagon analyst, criticized the military assistance provided by Washington to Ukraine, stating that the Bradley armored vehicles received are outdated and have limited combat capabilities. She mentioned that the Bradleys are from the 1980s and are currently being upgraded.

However, the replacement program won't start until 2027. Kwiatkowski expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the additional batch of Bradleys for the Ukrainian military.

Kwiatkowski also highlighted that the delivery of the Bradleys benefits American Rheinmetall and General Dynamics, as they refine and propose their best designs. She argued that the development of a new vehicle could lead to an increase in the US military budget.

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Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has started final inspections at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to check the plant's system for releasing treated and diluted water, which was completed earlier this week, media reported on Wednesday.

The evaluation of the system's operation will last until the end of June, after which the discharge of wastewater into the Pacific Ocean will begin, the report said.

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❗️ Exclusive: Has South Africa's Position on Ukraine Changed? Pandor Said It All, Pretoria Insists

South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor expressed Pretoria's position on the Ukrainian crisis during a meeting with her German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, the South African Embassy in Moscow told Sputnik Africa.

🗣 "We need to be even-handed. All we said, we would like to be supportive of a process of diplomacy that leads to a peaceful outcome," Foreign Minister Pandor noted during the meeting with Baerbock.

The SA embassy's statement comes as German FM Baerbock alleged during a visit to Pretoria that "the long efforts in diplomacy are paying off, since the voice of South Africa [on Ukraine conflict], in my opinion, has already changed."

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United States' 'provocative behavior' in Taiwan issue creates more tensions in Sino-US relations

A large US congressional delegation led by Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, visited Taiwan, signaling the US's intent to strengthen military ties and contain China, according to commentator on the China-Taiwan relations Dianlong Bi.

Bi criticized the visit as a reflection of President Joe Biden's lack of leadership and stated that it undermines efforts to improve cross-strait relations and adhere to the One China principle. He believes this provocative behavior will escalate tensions between the US and China rather than foster better relations.

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📈 Russia's GDP grew by 5.4% year-on-year compared to 3.4% in April, the Ministry of Economy estimated

🗣 Vladimir Putin: Disrespect for the Quran is a crime in Russia, unlike some other countries

The 73-year-long war: how Cold War rivalries set off the Korean conflict

On Sunday, thousands in Korea marked the 73rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War, the most destructive event in the peninsula’s history, and a month from Wednesday, the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting in that war will also be commemorated.

Sputnik takes a look back at the conflict

🗣️”Not only does it make them look like fools, it makes them look like dishonest, hypocritical fools, which is certainly not the message that you want to be giving in the international arena”: KJ Noh, peace activist, teacher, and writer, told Sputnik