⚛️🇯🇵 A group of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts will visit Japan to examine the Fukushima nuclear power plant for the first time since water discharge was launched, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced on Friday.

💬"The IAEA Task Force includes 11 international experts, serving in a personal capacity, from Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Republic of Korea, the Marshall Islands, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam," the ministry said in a statement.

On Thursday, Japan began the second phase of the release of the Fukushima nuclear power plant’s treated water into the ocean. The second phase of the wastewater discharge will last for 17 days, with the expected dumping of about 7,800 tonnes of water.

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🇪🇺Backing Ukraine's bid for EU membership 'simply suicidal' Polish journalist

Ukrainian membership in the EU would fundamentally undermine Poland’s economic interests and constitute a form of political suicide, independent Polish journalist and commentator Lukasz Warzecha has warned.

Pointing to media revelations this week that the EU would have to dole out €186 billion to Kiev to fill the massive holes in Ukraine's budget if it became an EU member, which would turn Eastern European net recipients of EU aid into donors, Warzecha expressed amazement over Polish politicians’ apparent willingness to be led a long like sheep, "without a trace of reflection about the consequences for Poland, to immediately begin to support Ukraine’s admission, which would bring the greatest benefit for Germany."

👉Follow the link for more details

🇷🇺Russian Spetsnaz operator explains how drones are changing modern warfare

The Ukraine conflict has shown that small, inexpensive drones have revolutionized modern warfare along with sophisticated uncrewed systems, Altai, a drone operator serving in a Russian Spetsnaz battalion in Donbass, told Sputnik's correspondent Russell Bentley @TXDPR.

💬"You know, in 2018 I understood that the future [of war] is with drones," drone operator with call sign Altai told Sputnik. "Now everybody understands that it's a war of drones. It's not some cyberpunk future fantasy. It's really a reality. One Chinese drone can kill more people than a sniper who really is like a specialist."

👉Follow the link to watch the full interview

🇪🇺EU never discussed strategic consequences of Ukraine's accession, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban stated

💬 "First, we have to consider whether it [Ukraine's accession to the EU] is in our interest or not, and what kind of answers we have to the strategic consequences of that enlargement. We have never done it. So, we don't see any strategic calculations and no major estimation of the consequences. First - strategic approach, second - discussion, third - decision," Orban told reporters on day 2 of the European Political Community summit in Spain's Granada.

Ukraine's potential EU membership raises many questions and doubts, as the EU has never before integrated a country in conflict, the Hungarian prime minister added. The EU does not know where Ukraine's current borders lie and how many people live there; therefore, a strategic discussion is needed that would result in a conclusion put on paper, including from the financial standpoint, the prime minister stressed.

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🇺🇸👨‍⚕️ Kaiser strike symptom of healthcare firms' 'unholy alliance' with the US government

Some 75,000 employees of private medical firm Kaiser Permanente walked out on Wednesday in the biggest single healthcare strike in US history. Staff, represented by a coalition of unions, are angry at the company's below-inflation pay offer, its attempt to force them into a new contract which slashes their bonuses and with chronic understaffing, among other disputes.

Economist Mark Frost told Sputnik that the healthcare sector, which benefits from the federal Medicaid and Medicare programs, was not a free market.

👉Follow the link to learn more

🇪🇺📉 Eurozone economy on course for recession 'in late 2023' as output mired in 'downturn'

Economic challenges lie ahead for the Eurozone, as it is likely to slide into recession by late 2023, economists have predicted.

While the standard indicator of economic wellbeing for the EU – the HCOB final Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) put together by S&P Global – inched up to 47.2 in September, as compared to 46.7 in August, it is still hovering below the 50-mark. What this indicates is that the Eurozone has witnessed its fourth consecutive month of economic contraction.

In the third quarter, the Eurozone’s economy shrank, with several factors contributing to this, such as decline in demand in the region, higher borrowing costs, soaring prices, and consumer spending stifled as households grapple with the cost-of-living crisis. Specifically, demand plummeted at the fastest pace in almost three years, as per S&P Global data.

👉Follow the link to find out more about the future of the Eurozone’s economy

🎙 With the Valdai Club having closed on October 5th, enjoy the latest AfroVerdict podcast episode from Sputnik Africa to get an analysis of the discussions held at the event.

🇷🇺🏭 Some enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex are already ahead of schedule for the 2024 program, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a visit to the Novosibirsk aircraft plant.

Alexander Panasenko, director of the plant, told the minister that the enterprise has learned to carry out repair work of any complexity.
💬"We have learned to do everything. We have experience in replacing the head part, we have practical experience in repairing the tail part," Panasenko said.

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🇷🇺 West Needs to Reconsider its Place in Changing World, Experts Say on Putin's Valdai Speech

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to attendees of the Valdai International Club, a Russian think tank meeting. He discussed different aspects of geopolitics, the current global structure, the crisis in Ukraine, and related topics.

🇿🇦 Following the Russian leader's remarks, Philani Mthembu, the executive director of the South African Institute for Global Dialogue, told Sputnik Africa that he agreed with Putin's statement that "the West needs to get rid of arrogance, colonial thinking," adding that more regions of the world want to speak up for themselves and "to set their own rules."

🇪🇹 This view was echoed by Jafar Geletu, deputy director of the Ethiopian Institute of Foreign Affairs, who believes that the world has changed and can no longer be governed by a single center of power.

👉 Read the pundits' reactions to the issues Putin addressed!

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🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇸How Russian Stormbringer nuclear cruise missile can help bankrupt the US war machine

President Putin has confirmed the successful testing of the Burevestnik ("Stormbringer"), a Russian nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable cruise missile unlike anything that exists in any other nation’s arsenal.

What do we know about the weapon? What impact will it have on the global strategic balance?

👉Sputnik reached out to a top expert to find out

🇷🇺 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu tasked the management of the Russian Aerospace Force to increase the pace of production and repair of equipment for Su-34.

🛩 What makes this aircraft so special?

▪️ Optimised for low level penetration to avoid radar detection.

▪️ Capable of flying in the autopilot mode at extremely low altitudes.

🚀 Brand-new Missile

Recently, a source told Sputnik that the tactical bomber has been upgraded to launch a long range cruise missile capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warhead.

🪖 It is likely to be the Kh-101, a stealth missile that can carry a conventional or nuclear warhead. The nuclear armed variant of the missile is named Kh-102.

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🇺🇸🇪🇺 No arms, no cash: How US and Europe getting bored and tired of Ukraine conflict

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the unfolding congressional chaos may disrupt the flow of Washington's aid to Ukraine. The GOP-controlled House of Representatives refused to include multibillion Ukraine packages in stopgap measures to avoid a US government shutdown. Now that the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has been ousted for the first time in American history, the Ukraine funding issue may be on the back burner.

For their part, EU leaders signaled on Thursday that the bloc would not be able to replace US aid for Ukraine: "Certainly Europe cannot replace the US," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters. Meanwhile, the Western press warns that the European and American public have grown weary of the conflict.

👉Follow the link to learn more

Russian paratroopers continue to eliminate enemy in Artyomovsk direciton

2S31 Vena self-propelled artillery mortar systems eliminate enemy manpower and hardware in forest belts in the zone of the special military op

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The Armed Forces of Ukraine have mined the Kremenchug hydroelectric power station, raising concerns of a possible provocation, similar to the "Kakhovka scenario," where the station could be detonated to implicate the Russian army, a representative of the Russian security forces told Sputnik, citing sources within the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the vicinity of the power plant

The Kremenchug hydroelectric power station is situated in Svetlovodsk, Kirovograd region. It plays a pivotal role as the third stage of the Dnepr cascade of Ukrainian hydroelectric power stations, forming the Kremenchug reservoir and serving as a vital transportation route with roads and railways crossing its dam.

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Russia's air defense forces successfully repelled an attack by a drone flying toward Moscow

According to preliminary data, there was no damage or casualties at the location where the debris fell. Emergency service specialists are actively working at the scene.

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🇷🇺 Russian Defense Minister Shoigu inspected serial production of fifth-generation strategic missile system Sarmat at plant in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Region, the Russian MoD says

First missiles of Sarmat strategic missile system will be put on combat duty in very near future, the ministry says.

Shoigu says equipping first missile regiment with Sarmat complex at head facility of Russian Strategic Missile Forces is currently in progress.

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🇮🇳 🇵🇰 When comparing the Shaheen-III and India's Agni V missiles, it becomes clear that the Agni V outperforms its Pakistani counterpart in several key areas:

▪️ Range
Agni V can reach targets up to 8,000km away, while Shaheen-III only has 2,750km.

▪️ Propulsion and Navigation
The Agni V's propulsion system and navigation capabilities are on par with those of the Shaheen 3 missile.

▪️ Versatility and Mobility
While the Shaheen-III missile is road-mobile, the Agni V has both road and rail mobility.

🚀 Despite the Shaheen-III missile's impressive range, it's clear that India's development of the Agni V, with its extended range and superior accuracy, poses a significant challenge for Pakistan's strategic deterrence.

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The Israeli army announced the infiltration of an "unspecified number" of militants from the Gaza Strip into the border areas; eyewitnesses reported street fights on social networks

In connection with the incidents, the IDF declared a "state of combat readiness" and announced a mass call-up of reservists.