🇺🇸🇨🇳Washington and Beijing have confirmed their readiness to work out a meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in November in San Francisco, a senior US official said.

Biden and Xi plan to discuss “strategic intentions” on relations between the United States and China, the White House added.

🇺🇸🇷🇺 John Kirby’s projection of new Russian tactical gains in Ukraine marks a shift in the thinking of the US establishment, which has grown weary of the unwinnable proxy war in Eastern Europe as a new conflict escalates in the Middle East, CIA veteran Philip Giraldi told Sputnik.

💬 "John Kirby's comments reflect the fact that even though the White House continues to promise support of Ukraine 'until we win' there is a growing appreciation that the war is not winnable by Kiev in any conventional sense and also that support for the Ukrainians is waning both in Europe and the US," the former CIA field officer said.

Per Giraldi, the Middle East theater is more important for Washington in many respects: US bases have increasingly been targeted by militias in Syria and Iraq since the beginning of the Gaza war; what's more, Israel is an old American ally and the US establishment has long relied on Jewish campaign donations and media support, the CIA veteran underscored.

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🇺🇸🇨🇳 The US national security adviser and the Chinese foreign minister discussed relations between the two countries, the conflict in the Middle East, Russia and Taiwan - White House

🎙 Check out the new #AfroVerdict podcast episode that delves into the issue of western media painting Africa as a destitute place of corruption and conflict, and how to find objective information.

❗️ The Maine mass shooting suspect was found dead following a dayslong manhunt, state officials confirmed late Friday.

Maine Governor Janet Mills detailed during a Friday news conference that the suspected shooter is "no longer a threat," adding that she informed US President Joe Biden and the state's congressional delegation of the development.

🇮🇷🇮🇱 Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Friday that Israel's security and political systems had been "totally collapsed" and that the only thing still functioning in the country was its "war machine."

Meanwhile, the heads of Middle Eastern countries and groups supporting Palestine have much more serious plans than what was previously observed, Amir Abdollahian said. The top Iranian diplomat told American media he had met with a number of regional leaders as well as with "the leaders of the resistance in Lebanon and also the Palestinian groups."

"What I gathered from the plans that they have – they have their finger on the trigger. You know, much more powerful and deeper than what you've witnessed," the minister said.

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US forces have been attacked 20 times throughout Iraq and Syria since October 17, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement.

"Between Oct. 17-27, US and Coalition Forces have been attacked at least 14 separate times in Iraq and six separate times in Syria by a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets, for a total of 20 attacks to date," Ryder said.

Ryder said that most of the attacks were disrupted by defensive actions and failed to reach their targets.

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🇨🇳 A report in US media indicated it was probable that China may not send representatives to a Ukraine-organized international summit in Malta this weekend.

The meeting is intended to bring together security officials from various corners of the globe, with a specific focus on countries that have so far remained non-aligned, according to the report.

Ukrainian spokesperson Andrey Yermak outlined the agenda of the so-called ‘peace formula’ meeting scheduled to take place Saturday and Sunday, including food, humanitarian issues, energy and nuclear security, and “the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity.”

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US President Joe Biden in a letter to Congress said the recent airstrikes against targets in Syria were necessary and consistent with international law.

"The United States took this necessary and proportionate action consistent with international law and in the exercise of the United States' inherent right of self-defense as reflected in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter," Biden said in the letter on Friday. "The United States stands ready to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats or attacks."

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❗️ China attaches great importance to relations with the United States and hopes for stabilization and improvement of relations between the countries, the Chinese Foreign Minister said in a conversation with Biden.

The head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry told Biden that the purpose of his visit to the United States is to promote the speedy return of relations between China and the United States to the path of “healthy development”.

Elon Musk shared his vision for X, formerly know as Twitter, to become a dating app and a digital bank during a company-wide meeting on the anniversary of his Twitter takeover, US media reported on Friday.

A year into his ownership of X, Musk is continuing to generate unforeseen concepts for the platform's future, as he reportedly conveyed his enthusiastic vision for X in the coming year, aiming for it to become a fully developed dating site and digital bank by next year.

Furthermore, Musk refrained from providing detailed insights into the specific steps required to transition X into a dating app, address potential user demand for these features, or outline additional product modifications, the report said.

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🇺🇸🇮🇱 US covertly expands military base in Israel amidst IDF violence in Gaza

While the US has repeatedly denied any intention of sending American troops to assist their Middle Eastern ally, information recently released by the Pentagon shows the country is nevertheless investing significantly in an unacknowledged military base in Israel’s Negev desert.

💬 “Sometimes something is treated as an official secret not in the hope that an adversary would never find out about it but rather because the US government, for diplomatic or political reasons, does not want to officially acknowledge it,” former CIA analyst Paul Pillar said.

💬 “My speculation is that the secrecy is a holdover from when US presidential administrations tried to offer a pretense of not siding with Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab conflicts,” said David Vine, a professor of anthropology. “The announcement of US military bases in Israel in recent years likely reflects the dropping of that pretense and a desire to more publicly proclaim support for Israel.”

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 IDF kills head of Hamas’ aerial array Aden Abu Rakaba in overnight strike

Abu Rakaba was responsible for Hamas' UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection and aerial defense, the IDF said.

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🇨🇳🇺🇸 One-China principle, three China-US joint communiques must be upheld without interference, Chinese FM says during meeting with Biden in Washington

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🇱🇧🇮🇱 IDF strikes Hezbollah's military infrastructure in Lebanon in response to alleged attack on Friday

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🇬🇧👀 Body of British mercenary missing in Ukraine found in drain

Police have found the remains of missing British mercenary Daniel Burke on a firing range in the Zaporozhye region 24 km behind the front lines, a British outlet reported, citing the father of the mercenary.

Abdelfetah Nourine, an Australian-Algerian mercenary, allegedly told police he had shot Daniel by mistake and led the police to the body.

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 Israelis’ three-pronged ground offensive against Gaza Strip failed, suffering heavy casualties, Hamas says

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 Israel is ready for a “long, difficult war” with Hamas, and understands that it will have to “pay a price to achieve its strategic goals”, Prof. Col. (ret.) Gabi Siboni told Sputnik

💬 “We are prepared and ready to go at any moment that our government will decide that we need to go for this phase,” emphasized the senior consultant to the IDF and other Israeli security organizations.

Siboni was referring to the fact that Israel appears to be readying for the next phase of its military operation, a ground campaign to “crush and destroy” Hamas, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu termed it.

💬 “The IDF is well prepared, and we have enough forces to deal both with the northern front, and the Gaza front, and also the internal front … But we will achieve our goals in the end,” said Prof. Siboni.

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🇭🇺🇪🇺 Hungary will veto the European Union's 12th sanctions package if it targets the delivery of Russian gas, oil or nuclear energy to the country, FM Peter Szijjarto tells Sputnik

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 IDF strikes commander of Hamas' naval forces Ratib Abu Tzahiban

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 Latest updates on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

▪️Israel rejects UNGA call for ceasefire, intends to eliminate Hamas, Foreign Minister says

▪️US recommends Americans leave Lebanon now due to 'unpredictable' security situation

▪️Erdogan calls on Israel to immediately get out of 'state of insanity', stop attacks on Gaza Strip

▪️Hamas leadership abroad says Israeli ground offensive attempt from three directions on Gaza Strip failed

▪️Israeli army struck Hezbollah military infrastructure in Lebanon on Friday in response to missile attacks

▪️IDF kills head of Hamas' air force in overnight strike

▪️Red Cross warns fighting in densely populated areas like Gaza exposes civilians to risks

▪️IDF said no Israeli casualties during night raids in Gaza Strip

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