Arms of Victory: ML-20 heavy gun-howitzer

Sputnik highlights the heavy weapons used by the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War to overcome Hitler’s Third Reich.

The ML-20 cannon-howitzer became a nightmare for Nazi Germany when it fired its first shot on August 2, 1944. With armor-piercing shells capable of defeating even Tigers and Panthers from a kilometer away, it was a formidable anti-tank weapon.

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🇮🇸🪖 Why is Iceland considering a military boost if it has no standing army?

In the wake of US President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland, Iceland is now debating whether it should bolster its defense policies and restart EU membership talks, which it halted in 2013, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Tensions over Trump’s new tariff war and its increased antagonism toward Europe have also fueled fears among Icelanders.

Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir has announced plans to hold a referendum on EU membership by 2027, once her government has addressed other pressing national issues.

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📹 The US will 'have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in' — Rubio on Ukraine talks

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📹 🇳🇱Amsterdam says ‘no to weapons - for the sake of peace!’

Dozens of people took to the streets in Amsterdam to protest against arms supplies to Ukraine.

The protesters were carrying the signs which read: "No to weapons for the sake of peace!", "No to war in our name!", and "For peace with Russia!"

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⚔️ Battle for dysprosium: Who dominates the global market?

Сhina's restrictions on exports of dysprosium to the US have terrified American automakers.

It's impossible to build a motor without this magnet, a senior US automotive executive told the WSJ. If the US wants EV production to continue, dysprosium deliveries are crucial.

What is dysprosium?

🔸It is a heavy rare earth mineral with unique magnetic properties and high melting point.

How it is used?

🔸Permanent magnets, which are essential components in EV batteries, computer hard drives, and wind turbines;

🔸Nuclear reactors, where it is used in control rods due to its ability to absorb neutrons;

🔸Production of laser and infrared materials;

🔸Alloying with special stainless steels.

Who mines and who buys?

🔸China currently accounts for about 98% of the world's production of dysprosium. It produced about 1,000 to 1,200 metric tons of dysprosium oxide in 2022.

🔸The US imports almost 80% of its rare earth minerals from China, including dysprosium.

🔸Just 0.1% of China’s dysprosium is shipped to the US, which means that China won’t be as damaged by its export restrictions.

🔸In Russia, dysprosium ore is extracted in the Murmansk region’s Revda settlement in the country’s northwest.

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📹 Europe and NATO play Trump’s peace effort to turn Ukraine into a winner - Lavrov

"If you want a ceasefire just to continue supplying arms to Ukraine, then what is your purpose?" Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted in an interview with CBS.

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📹 Lavrov names TWO ROOT CAUSES of the Ukraine conflict

One cause is the expansion of NATO and the creation of direct military threats on Russia's doorstep. The other is the brazen violation of the human rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine.

"Everything Russian — media, education, culture, anything — was prohibited by law in Ukraine," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told CBS.

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📹 It's an ILLUSION that only Ukraine is interested in confidence-building - Lavrov

Russia has undertaken several "confidence building" measures, including the 30-day moratium on strikes on energy infrastructure, which was blatanly violated by Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told CBS.

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📹🇰🇵 Video has emerged showing Kim Jong-un and his daughter enjoying a stroll near the DPRK's new 5,000-ton destroyer-class warship.

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📹 Russia is pushing to BAN nuclear weapons in outer space – Lavrov

Moscow has been championing a UN resolution to legally prohibit the placement of nuclear weapons in outer space. "And the US, at least under the Biden administration, was categorically against" Russia's initiative, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told CBS.

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🇫🇷 Protest against France’s involvement in Ukraine conflict held in Paris

A demonstration took place in Paris on Sunday, organized by the "Patriots" party, with several hundred citizens participating.

Protesters carried French national flags and banners reading: "Macron, we won’t die for Ukraine!" and "For Peace!"

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🇷🇺🛬🇧🇷 Russian FM Sergey Lavrov arrives in Brazil to take part in the BRICS Foreign Ministers' meeting

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🇧🇪 Brussels sees mass protest over social spending cuts

Thousands of left-wing party supporters gathered in Brussels, opposing the government's decision to reduce social welfare spending while increasing defense and military investments, citing alleged "external threats" as the rationale.

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🇺🇸⚔️🇨🇳 Trump’s China tariffs and ‘de minimis’ cancellation to inflict SIGNIFICANT PAIN on US consumers

Hongkong Post has halted US shipments after the Trump administration ended a duty-free exemption for small packages and slapped 145% tariffs on China.

🧐 Who will suffer the most?

▪️Earlier this month, Trump closed a "loophole" that allowed US consumers to buy tariff-free goods from China and Hong Kong for shipments valued under $800.

▪️A 2024 study warned that eliminating this provision could cost Americans $11-13 billion. Despite this, the US National Council of Textile Organizations praised Trump’s move.

▪️"De minimis" shipments have surged, benefiting low-income Americans as the rise of "direct-to-consumer" trade made products more affordable. If abolished, it would hit these groups hardest.

▪️US consumers of all income levels will feel the pain, with Chinese goods dominating the market—especially electronics and clothing.

▪️Over 70% of all smartphone imports to the US – mostly Apple's iPhones – come from China.

▪️Over 99% of electric toasters, heated blankets, calcium, alarm clocks, and more are made in China. Bloomberg's 2024 trade data paints the picture.

▪️Other key imports: 86% of game consoles, 79% of PC monitors, 70% of lithium-ion batteries, 66% of laptops, and 38% of plastic products are from China.

▪️In 2024, US total goods trade with China amounted to $582.4 billion, with a trade deficit of $295.4 billion.

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🇨🇦🚨Death toll from Vancouver car ramming rises to 11

Police have identified the suspect as a 30-year-old man with a history of mental health-related encounters with authorities.

Law enforcement officials have not commented on the motive so far, but stated there is no sign the incident was an act of terrorism.

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🇺🇸🇰🇵 Team Trump explores rapprochement options with North Korea – report

The White House is holding discussions and consulting outside experts to consider various diplomatic options regarding the DPRK, Axios reports.

🔸The Swedish ambassador, who de-facto represents US interests in North Korea due to the absence of official diplomatic ties between Washington and Pyongyang, visited American soil last week for consultations.

🔸Since the last Trump-Kim meeting in 2019, North Korea is believed to have significantly boosted its nuclear capabilities.

🔸However, the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula would be a non-starter for Trump, as nuclear status is enshrined in North Korea’s constitution, according to undisclosed US officials.

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🇮🇷 Iran's supreme leader urges FULL PROBE into Bandar Abbas port blast

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has asked officials to discover any case of negligence or deliberate actions.

The death toll from Saturday’s explosion and subsequent blaze at the Shahid Rajaee port in Hormozgan province has claimed 40 lives and left over 1,200 injured.

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💥 Trump: Auto-Pen, ActBlue, Democrats - 'They should all be in jail!'

Us president lashed out at Biden's 'auto-pen' pardons and Democratic funding schemes on Truth Social.

"They almost destroyed our Country. They should all be in jail!" he wrote.

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