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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Havana counts on the support of most UN General Assembly countries that will vote on a resolution, introduced by Cuba, calling on the United States to end its blockade against the island nation, the republic's ambassador to Moscow, Julio Garmendia Pena, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Venezuela has brotherly ties with Russia and is willing to continue developing this strategic partnership, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Tuesday during a meeting with top Russian diplomat Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

Myanmar’s junta chief on Tuesday thanked Russia, a major weapons supplier to the troubled Southeast Asian country, for strengthening the army which seized power in a coup earlier this year.Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) government in February.Russia has backed its ally and warned the West against sanctioning the junta.“Thanks to Russia, our army has become one of the strongest in the region,”…

Russia can refuse to host the last two remaining EURO 2020 soccer games due to take place in Saint Petersburg if the country's authorities believe the situation with Covid-19 is getting out of control, amid a rising caseload. Read Full Article at RT.com

The US itself repeatedly condemned alleged attempts by foreign states to affect the process and outcome of its elections, routinely accusing Russia and occasionally Iran of "meddling".

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday informed German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a phone conversation about the results of the Russia-US summit, the Kremlin said.

Nine countries including Russia mark the 80th anniversary of the 22 June 1941 Nazi attack on the Soviet Union.

The expo, slated for October 2021, is a combined effort by the Russian Export Centre, a Russian state-owned export support company, and Chinese multinational e-commerce giant Alibaba. The two firms signed a memo on cooperation during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum 2021.

Amidst unabating public anger in Canada over the discovery last month of a mass grave of indigenous children, a coalition of countries, including China and Russia, has called for a “thorough and impartial” probe into the tragedy. Read Full Article at RT.com

Scientists at Britain’s University of Sussex have discovered that an ancient part of Siberia’s permafrost is far more resilient to heat than once thought, having survived temperatures as much as 4–5°C (39–41°F) warmer than today. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Ukrainian embassy in Denmark published a photo of the monument to Taras Shevchenko, which had been painted in the colours of Russia.

Authorities in Moscow have labelled an American liberal arts university working in the country as ‘undesirable’ and banned it following claims it’s working to undermine the government and threatening the security of the state. Read Full Article at RT.com

Moscow’s bars and restaurants buzzed as much of the rest of Europe languished under lockdowns. Now though, new restrictions are being imposed in the city for those who have yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine or have had the virus. Read Full Article at RT.com

Following the decision to freeze $100-million-worth of military aid due to be sent to Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US of acting immorally in its policy towards Kiev, and playing games for its own benefit. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Venezuelan counterpart Jorge Arreaza met in Moscow on 22 June to discuss bilateral relations and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moscow has played down media reports that an elite group of Russian boffins is working on cutting-edge technology that could plug straight in to the human brain, allowing them to control computers with the power of their minds. Read Full Article at RT.com

Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu is all gung-ho about her upcoming movies, including an official remake of the 1998 German film "Run Lola Run" titled "Looop Lapeta", thriller "Dobaaraa", sports drama "Rashmi Rocket", and murder mystery "Haseen Dillruba".

Exports of Russian caviar saw a year-on-year increase of 12% in 2020, and have nearly doubled over the past five years, according to the latest data published by the Russian Agricultural Bank. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russia's human rights commissioner has said she is receiving a large number of appeals from citizens over new rules requiring many workers in public-facing jobs to sign up for coronavirus vaccines, amid a new spike in infections. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russia’s divesting from the US dollar gives the country a lot of maneuverability to make its own deals without interference from Washington, says Max Keiser of RT’s Keiser Report. Read Full Article at RT.com

The ceremony takes place on the 80th anniversary of the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany. The Great Patriotic War claimed the lives of nearly 27 million Soviet soldiers and civilians and ended in May 1945, when Nazi Germany capitulated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that a new arms race is underway in Europe, driven by instability and tension, while insisting his country stands ready to rebuild friendly relations with nations across the continent. Read Full Article at RT.com

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia holds sacred the memory of the heroes who fought against Nazism and remembers with gratitude its allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, President Vladimir Putin said on the 80th anniversary of the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union.

On this episode of Fault Lines, host Jamarl Thomas talks with guests on an analysis of the meeting between Putin and Biden, the results of the Iranian election, and the atomization and monetization of the current technological sphere.

Iran's new president, Ebrahim Raisi, is known as a conservative hardliner with close ties to the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader.

The president stressed that security in Europe is possible only if all nations contribute to it, including Russia.

On June 22, 1941, exactly 80 years ago, having conquered practically the whole of Europe, the Nazis attacked the USSR. For the Soviet people, the Great Patriotic War – the bloodiest one in the history of our country – began. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov returned to Washington, DC, on June 20 following last week's first meeting between the US and Russia's presidents, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, in which the leaders agreed to send the respective ambassadors back to their missions.

On Headers and Footers, host Brendan Dunlop recaps a wild four-match Monday with Toronto Star contributor Joe Callaghan. Denmark thump Russia in dramatic fashion, and thanks to a Belgian win, the Danes have a date with Wales in the Last 16. The Dutch show their strength as Goran Pandev and North Macedonia bid farewell at EURO 2020. Listen to this episode and more at “Headers and Footers” or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can subscribe atthestar.com/subscribingmatters.

Britain’s newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is helping to take on the “lion’s share” of operations against Islamic State in Iraq, UK naval commanders said. It has also piqued the interest of Russian warplanes, who try to keep tabs on its cutting-edge F-35 jet in a “cat-and-mouse” game with British and US pilots.Speaking aboard the 65,000-tonne carrier on its first-ever deployment, Commodore Steve Moorhouse said the UK was carrying out most of the missions to wipe out the remnants of…

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russian diplomats in the United States led by Ambassador Anatoly Antonov lit candles to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, the greatest tragedy in the country’s history.

On Headers and Footers, host Brendan Dunlop recaps a wild four-match Monday with Toronto Star contributor Joe Callaghan. Denmark thump Russia in dramatic fashion, and thanks to a Belgian win, the Danes have a date with Wales in the Last 16. The Dutch show their strength as Goran Pandev and North Macedonia bid farewell at EURO 2020.

Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov has looked to the future after his side slumped out of EURO 2020 with a hammering by Denmark, while captain Artem Dzyuba has criticized the performance and backed Roman Zobnin over his gaffe. Read Full Article at RT.com

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the U.S. will impose more sanctions on Russia in response to recent cyber attacks and the poisoning and imprisonment of Russian President Vladimir Putin political rival Alexei Navalny.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov met with his Chinese counterpart Cui Tiankai on the first day in office after a lengthy and politically charged absence for consultations in his home country, the Embassy said in a statement.

The Great Patriotic War claimed the lives of nearly 27 million Soviet soldiers and civilians. The war was fought along the Eastern Front of World War II between the Soviet Union, on one side, and Nazi Germany and its allies, on the other.

Russia crashed out of EURO 2020 after being mauled 4-1 by Denmark in Copenhagen, with three sensational goals and Yussuf Poulsen's tap-in after a comical back-pass from Daler Kuzyayev condemning them to the foot of Group B. Read Full Article at RT.com

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US government has charged five individuals for conspiring to unlawfully export thermal imaging rifle scopes and night-vision goggles without a license to Russia, the Justice Department said on Monday.

US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan will return to Moscow this week, following through on plans for the two nations to send back their top envoys after the progress made at last week's presidential summit meeting in Geneva. Read Full Article at RT.com

Denmark will play Wales in the last 16 of Euro 2020 after an emphatic victory over Russia in Copenhagen.

Andreas Christensen and Joakim Maehle scored late goals to give Denmark a 4-1 victory over Russia at the European Championship

Russia's government has blamed a surge in COVID-19 cases on reluctance among Russians to have vaccinations amid concerns about side effects. Critics also point out that it usually takes years to develop vaccines, while Russia was the first country to announce a coronavirus jab.

After a long year of waiting due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Euro 2020 tournament is finally here, taking place in 11 cities across Europe. It kicked off on 11 June and is expected to wrap up on 11 July.

Russian and American diplomats have begun discussions to restart issuing visas to each other’s citizens, as both nations look to normalize the work of their embassies after the return of their ambassadors to Moscow and Washington. Read Full Article at RT.com

According to the parents of the three-month-old baby, their son is a sort of celebrity now thanks to his uncanny resemblance to the UK Prime Minister.

Even though the White House earlier admitted that it does not believe Nord Stream 2 can be stopped in its tracks, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced yesterday that Washington will soon introduce new sanctions against the joint Russian-European project.

ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - Collaborative projects on saving Syria’s cultural heritage conducted by the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Defense Ministry will be presented at an exhibition in the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces in the Moscow Region.

A Russian man who worked as a scientific research assistant at a university in Germany has been arrested on suspicion of spying, and is accused of passing information to Moscow in return for cash, Berlin announced on Monday. Read Full Article at RT.com

The world’s space powers should find ways to overcome “political inertia” and work with China to explore worlds beyond Earth, according to Canadian astronaut who worked on both the Russian and American-led space programmes.Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space, said he was optimistic about the opportunities for the international scientific community to work with China, which had showed “tremendous space capability and cutting edge technology” with the launch of its Tiangong space…

Myanmar’s junta leader and a senior Russia security official on Monday committed to improving ties between their two countries, Russia’s Security Council said in a statement.Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy government in February.Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing travelled to Moscow for a three-day international security conference kicking off on Tuesday which brings together defence officials from across…

Record-breaking heat is expected to hit much of Russia this week, with temperatures in Moscow set to rise to over 36 degrees Celsius (97 Fahrenheit) and officials issuing health warnings about the dangers of extremely hot weather. Read Full Article at RT.com

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US astronauts on board the International Space Station have been complaining of headache, with Russian and US scientists divided on whether an increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the station's atmosphere is the reason, according to a fresh report by Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre released on Monday.

The Russian Ministry of Health has begun preparing a Covid-19 revaccination program for those whose antibody levels have dropped to insufficient levels, as the country looks to take control over the recent rapid rise in cases. Read Full Article at RT.com

It was a typical media operation to smear Russia that was seeded by Bellingcat, the self-styled online “independent investigation” group that in reality is a front for Western intelligence agencies.

Soon-to-be-married couples in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia's fifth-largest city, will have to provide a negative Covid-19 test or proof of vaccination for themselves and all of their guests if they wish to have a wedding ceremony. Read Full Article at RT.com

Fearsome unmanned aircraft capable of carrying laser-guided rockets, mortar rounds, and anti-tank missiles could soon be patrolling close to Russia’s borders under the terms of a deal between Ukraine and Turkey, Kiev has revealed. Read Full Article at RT.com

Ukraine, Austria, Denmark, Finland and Russia could all go through tonight. Belgium and the Netherlands will. North Macedonia definitely won't.

Online-only assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum have become a lucrative opportunity for millions of savvy amateur investors, but now Russia's central bank is warning people to steer clear of what could end up being a very risky buy. Read Full Article at RT.com

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Kremlin is aware of possible new US sanctions on Russia and is currently considering various options, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, also noting that the introduction of restrictions does not depend on the will of US President Joe Biden.

Exports of Russian grain in the first half of June have exceeded the amount sold during all of May, according to shipping data cited by Russian agricultural consultancy SovEcon. Read Full Article at RT.com

Federal German prosecutors said the suspect worked at a university in Germany and accuse him of meeting three times with Russian intelligence.

The country’s only nuclear power plant and its 1,000-megawatt reactor was built by Russia and handed over in 2013. Moscow is now helping the Islamic Republic build a second and third reactor, which are expected to be launched in 2024 and 2026, respectively.

Atomic warfare was top of the agenda as Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, met for crunch talks last week in Geneva, amid escalating hostilities and talk of a return to a ‘Cold War’ mentality. Read Full Article at RT.com

When people like the German Chancellor Angela Merkel or the King of Belgium want to learn more about cybersecurity, they go to Estonia.

The exhibition is scheduled to take place in Minsk on 23-26 June as part of the company's strategy to develop military-technical cooperation with Belarus.

The dropping of the case is further confirmation that the “Russian meddling” investigation was a fraud from the beginning, initiated with definite political objectives.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The return of Iranian oil to the world market needs to be taken into account, but first, there has to be an understanding of the exact schedule and volume limits, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Combat ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet, along with naval aviation, are conducting exercises in the central region of the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, has resumed his work in Washington DC after returning to the United States from Moscow, the Russian diplomatic mission has announced.

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) - A total of 43 people were injured in Yalta during severe flooding in Russia’s Crimea, and the city has already received its first aid distribution.

Any doubt Italy faced heading into Euro 2020 has surely been erased after the nation cruised to the top of Group A on Sunday, securing its third victory in as many games. Wales, even with a rotated squad, was as tough an opponent as the Italians have faced in a while, though a red card for Ethan Ampadu meant the Welsh played a man down for much of the second half. Still, the Italians were already in the lead before the sending off, thanks to Matteo Pessina’s redirection of a cross in the 39th minute. And they continued to manage a 10-man Wales attack that didn’t back down, the Welsh’s best chance of the match falling to Gareth Bale after the red card. A 1-0 final extends Italy’s unbeaten run to 30 games. The team has not conceded a goal in 11 matches, dating back to October, and has scored 32 goals in that time. It’s not just way Italy is playing that is impressive. Manager Roberto Mancini’s young squad has bought into the notion

The national security adviser raised the issue of more penalties in the poisoning of Aleksei A. Navalny days after President Biden met with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

The United States is preparing fresh sanctions against Russia over the near-fatal poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, a top White House adviser warned on Sunday.Jailed opposition leader Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent opponent, was arrested in January upon returning to Russia after recovering from a poisoning he says was orchestrated by Moscow.Diplomatic relations between Moscow and Washington have soured since President Joe Biden took office in January.Biden’s…

Alexander Popov was arrested on Saturday after the body of Catherine Serou, 34, was found in a wooded area near the city of Nizhny Novgorod.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) - Russian diplomats in the United States are ready to mend the ties between the two countries, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Sunday.

Russia’s ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov has returned there after a three-month break caused by a spike in tensions between the two countries. Antonov landed in New York on Sunday and headed straight to Washington. Read Full Article at RT.com

Myanmar’s junta leader has flown out of the country to attend a conference in Moscow, state media reported on Sunday, his second trip abroad since seizing power in February.Senior General Min Aung Hlaing will attend the Moscow Conference on International Security, expected to be held from June 22-24, Myanmar military-controlled television network MRTV reported on Sunday. Since taking power he has travelled abroad only to attend a regional summit hosted by Indonesia in April.The army overthrew a…

“There is no happiness in life,” Russian president and chief poisoner Vladimir Putin said recently. “There is only a mirage on the horizon. So cherish that.” Doesn’t that sound just like something Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos might say? Bezos, personally worth $195 billion (U.S) and his company with a market capitalization nearing $1.8 trillion, finds his successes, his happinesses, turn into mirages. They fade in his mind as he hunts further innovation. For Bezos has a terror of Amazon becoming what he calls a “Day 2” company. “Day two is stasis, followed by irrelevance, followed by excruciating, painful decline, followed by death,” he says. It is not entirely clear to me he’s talking about Amazon here, more a medical experiment on lab monkeys or a teenage diary. Here are some of Bezos’s efforts in recent years. Prime. One-Day Prime. Amazon’s Choice (possibly illegal). Amazon Web Services (data storage).

The Biden administration is preparing to impose additional sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of imprisoned opposition leader Alexey Navalny, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) - Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told Sputnik on Sunday that a priority task upon his return to Washington will be a prompt and productive implementation of the agreement on strategic stability reached during the Geneva summit.

Russian ace Daria Kasatkina allowed her temper to get the better of her during a straight sets defeat in the final of the Birmingham Classic in England on Sunday, scratching herself so badly that she needed medical treatment. Read Full Article at RT.com

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ex-Armenian President Robert Kocharyan's Armenia Alliance and acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract Party are the projected leaders of the snap parliamentary elections, according to a survey conducted by Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

Investments by American businessmen in Russia have increased during the sanctions period, according to Valery Garbuzov, director of the Institute for the United States and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Read Full Article at RT.com

Anatoly Antonov had been recalled to Moscow for consultations in March after Joe Biden labelled Vladimir Putin as "a killer" in an explosive interview.

Catherine Serou, a law student in Nizhny Novgorod, went missing earlier this week.

Russia has among the most effective domestic vaccines in use around the world, but now, faced with uncertainty over whether other countries will accept them for travel, many of its citizens are still hesitant to sign up for doses. Read Full Article at RT.com

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov has left Moscow to return to Washington following an agreement between presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated medical workers and veterans of the Russian healthcare system on Medical Worker Day, thanking them for their efforts in the fight against COVID-19 and calling for a more active vaccination programme.

Brazil said on Saturday that more than 500,000 people in the country are confirmed to have died from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.The nation of 210 million people has been reporting an average of more than 2,000 daily deaths in recent days. Brazil’s reported death toll is second only to that of the US, where the number of lives lost has topped 600,000.Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga confirmed that the official death toll had passed 500,000.“I am working tirelessly to vaccinate all…

Broadway has changed its tune on AstraZeneca. Fans of the Boss who got that vaccine will now be allowed to attend “Springsteen on Broadway,” the first production on the famous New York City stages since the start of the pandemic. Jujamcyn Theaters had barred roughly 1.7 million Canadians, as well as many Britons and Australians who received the jab from attending the production, as the vaccine is not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But on Friday the theatre’s official account tweeted that it will now welcome all guests who’ve gotten vaccines authorized by the World Health Organization. Springsteen fan and Azer Cindy Galbraith, was “thrilled” to hear about the change in policy. She had considered buying tickets to the show for this summer, hoping the border might be open soon. But when she discovered she wasn’t welcome, it made her worry about what else she and others like her might be excluded

The Kremlin has long debunked the wild claim that Putin, who worked for the KGB in East Germany at the time, was ghosting US President Ronald Reagan during the latter's visit to the Red Square in 1988.

Firefighters were battling a huge blaze at the Moscow warehouse on Saturday, which is said to have covered at least 150 square metres.

A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the 34-year-old former marine, who moved to the country in 2019.

A large fire has broken out in central Moscow, with multiple videos from the scene showing what looks like fireworks exploding amid billowing smoke. The building on fire is reportedly used to store pyrotechnics. Read Full Article at RT.com

The key stories of the week, captured by photographers around the world.

Russian investigators said on Saturday they have detained a man on suspicion of murder after finding the body of a foreign woman the media identified as a missing American student.Russian news agencies identified the woman as 34-year-old US citizen Catherine Serou.Earlier this week, investigators said that a 34-year-old foreign woman who lived just outside Nizhny Novgorod, a city some 420 kilometres east of Moscow, had gone missing after getting into an unidentified car.They said she had moved…