Russian Embassy in Benin monitors information on US troop movement from Niger – ambassador

The Russian diplomatic mission in Cotonou is monitoring reports on the redeployment of US troops from Niger to Benin, Russian Ambassador to Benin and Togo Igor Evdokimov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“The embassy is monitoring reports of the redeployment of American troops from Niger to Benin. So far, Cotonou has not commented on this issue. Unlike our Western colleagues, we recognize Cotonou's right to freely choose its partners in the sphere of defense and security,” Evdokimov said.

Earlier, the head of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), Gen. Michael Langley, stated that the US was negotiating with West African countries, particularly Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, and Ghana, about the possible deployment of US troops withdrawn from Niger.

The United States faced the problem of ending military cooperation with Chad and Niger at the initiative of these countries. Former Pentagon analyst and retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, commenting on these events, told RIA Novosti that such steps marked the end and failure of the US neocolonial policy toward Africa. The authorities of Niger and the United States agreed to complete the withdrawal of US troops from this African country no later than September 15. Later, the Pentagon announced that part of the American contingent (approximately 75 people) would be withdrawn from Chad.

In total, according to available data, the number of US troops in Niger was about 1,100, and about 100 in Chad.

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Elon Musk comments on Biden's jibe about "smacking" Republicans "in the ass"
 
"He called me ‘gay’* and now he wants to touch my ass 🤣🤣🥲🥲," he writes on X.
 
*LGBT movement is banned in Russia as extremist.

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🔸Key takeaways from Sergey Lavrov’s interview on the BRICS summit outcomes

🔸UK journalist praises US citizen's aid to Russian forces as heroic feat

🔸US bombers arrive in Middle East – CENTCOM

🔸Harris' contradictory ads tailored for votes

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Commander of Hezbollah rockets array eliminated - IDF

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had eliminated the commander of the Hezbollah Nasser unit's missiles and rockets array, Jaafar Khader Faour, by a precision strike on southern Lebanon.

"An IAF [Israeli Air Force] fighter jet conducted a targeted strike in the area of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanon and eliminated the commander of Hezbollah's Nasser Unit missiles and rockets array, the terrorist Jaafar Khader Faour, as well as the commander of the drones array in the unit," the IDF wrote on X.

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😡Farmers slam UK Environmental Secretary for his £420 wellies
 
Against the background of increasing inheritance tax for farmers, the British people are chastizing the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed, for his choice of boots: he wore not ordinary wellies but leather-lined Le Chameau “Chasseur” boots, priced at a whopping £420, the Telegraph reports.
 
At the same time, among the directors of Le Chameau is a donor who has pledged tens of thousands of pounds to Labour ministers, including the prime minister himself.
 

"Reed’s boots have become a symbol of a government completely detached from rural reality," the newspaper writes.

 
Agricultural workers did not appreciate the minister's attempts to be close to the people amid the cuts in benefits for farmers under the new budget of the British government.
 

“You’ll never see a farmer who wears £400 wellies, because we’re getting them covered in muck every day,” says Aled Thomas, a farmer and Conservative councillor in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

 

“They’re absolutely not the kind of wellies a farmer would wear,” says Andrew Court, a farmer from Staffordshire. “Anything above £100 is not really appropriate for farming. If you want to make the right impression with people, you probably want a more practical, down-to-earth welly.”

 
Earlier, the chancellor announced plans to scale back the agricultural relief on land valued at more than £1mln.

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🇻🇪US elections: What should Venezuela expect?
 
The US approach to Venezuela could follow a line of continuity regardless of who wins the election, Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein, expert in international and global relations, told Sputnik.
 
🔴 Trump's possible policy:
 
However, Donald Trump could open a “little window of opportunity” for Venezuela, Gelfenstein believes.
 
This possible opening does not arise from a change in perception towards Venezuela but rather from Trump's pragmatic nature, who, as a businessman, makes decisions based on immediate economic interests.
 
As per Gelfenstein, Venezuela could be seen by Trump as an attractive option due to its geographical proximity and the possibility it provides for the US to obtain oil without incurring high military security costs.
 
🔵 Kamala Harris' approach:
 
As for Kamala Harris, Gelfenstein foresees continuity without major changes in the policy towards Venezuela.
 
In his opinion, Harris would probably follow Biden's approach in preserving sanctions and maintaining a rigid stance in relation to the government of Nicolas Maduro.
 

“If Kamala Harris wins, everything will continue the same,” he says.

🌏 The US and the influence of other global powers in Latin America:
 
Gelfenstein perceives the US claims about the expanding influence of Russia, China, and Iran in Latin America as America's unwillingness to reduce its military presence in the region.
 
The expert considers it unlikely for Venezuela to yield to US pressure and reduce its ties with these strategic allies.
 

"Venezuela is not going to limit its relations with China, with Russia, and with Iran, (simply) because the United States wants it. Venezuela has an independent foreign policy; it decides who its strategic allies are,” Rodríguez Gelfestein concluded.

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❗️Russian troops liberated the village of Vishnevoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry announced

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