❗️The IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate Telegram rules can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has said.

Durov explained that such measures should deter criminals, emphasizing that Telegram Search seeks to connect friends and discover news, not to promote illegal goods.

"We [Telegram developers] won't let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users," stated Durov.

The tech entrepreneur was detained at a Paris airport on August 24 on charges related to criminal uses of his messaging app, including terrorism, child pornography, drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud. He was released on August 28 on a €5 million ($5.5 million) bail and is barred from leaving France.

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Pepe Escobar: Will a BRICS Bretton Woods take place in Kazan?

In the run-up to the BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan scheduled for October 2024, Pepe Escobar, a veteran international affairs observer, has shared his thoughts with Sputnik on the BRICS financial system’s prospects.

“What’s at stake is the extremely complex design of a brand-new financial system – decentralized and using digital technology,” Escobar told Sputnik.

The analyst highlighted several key infrastructure projects, including The Unit, BRICS Bridge (a platform for multilateral settlements and payments in BRICS digital currencies), BRICS Pay (a blockchain-based payment system that completely circumvents the US dollar), and the BRICS rating agency, among others.

“By now, the situation is pretty clear, to properly address the issue of cross-border payments. The best mechanism should be based on the New Development Bank (NDB),” a Russian analyst told Escobar, when commenting on the ways BRICS members could conduct mutual settlements.

A centralized BRICS payment system would require a new institution, a Central Bank, empowered to issue credit to finance the trade and payments deficits of some countries, with an artificial bancor-type SDR [Special Drawing Rights], Prof. Michael Hudson told Escobar.

“To succeed, the Kazan conference should be a full-fledged BRICS Bretton Woods,” Hudson added, hinting at the potential of the BRICS financial system to become the new key international monetary architecture.

“Imagine if BRICS+ manages to pull it off: getting a Global Majority-approved agreement on a new, equitable, fair financial system then presented to the $35 trillion-indebted superpower as a fait accompli,” Escobar concluded, citing Hudson.

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Trump's attempted assassin left a $150,000 offer

Ahead of Ryan Routh’s upcoming court appearance, a recent court document has revealed the contents of a handwritten note found inside a box opened by a witness.

"This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job," Routh wrote in his letter to the "world".

According to the witness, Routh left the box several months before September 15. The box reportedly held ammunition, a metal pipe, assorted construction materials, tools, four mobile phones, and multiple letters, as stated in the filing.

Why did the court decide to make this particular letter public? 🤔

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📹 Israeli aircraft carried out several strikes on southern suburbs of Lebanon's Beirut, eyewitnesses told Sputnik.

Footage of the aftermath of the attack is being published on social media.

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❗️❗️❗️"They are targeting civilians"- Israeli air raid eyewitness from Tyre

"Southern Lebanon is being bombarded by probably more than a thousand missiles. The IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] claims they're targeting Hezbollah places, but in fact they are targeting civilians. More than 200 people are now dead for today," Mohamad Kheir, a biomedical engineer from the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, tells Sputnik.

Despite the alerts, it is still possible to leave Southern provinces, but the IDF is also targeting some roads where the cars are heading to, which makes the way dangerous, the man revealed.

"People have to evacuate their families by themselves, there's no messages from our government," he notes.

Speaking about how the people of Lebanon's southern provinces feel now, Kheir emphasizes they are "used to wars and every other problems."

Earlier, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 182 people have been killed and 727 injured as a result of Israeli air raid on southern Lebanon.

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Russian ‘atomic sharks’: What is known about the world’s largest nuclear submarines?

On September 23, 1980, the first of the Project 941 Akula-class (lit. Shark) nuclear-powered submarine was launched from the Russian port of Severodvinsk.

These submarines became the largest in the world in terms of tonnage (23,200 tonnes surfaced and 48,000 tonnes submerged), with their prodigious size being a necessity rather than some kind of statement.

The Akulas, designed as a response to the US Ohio-class submarines, were armed with 20 R-39 ballistic missiles. These missiles, while possessing greater range and bigger payload than Trident-1 missiles carried by the Ohio subs, were also much bigger and heavier than Tridents, thus necessitating a bigger carrier.

Nearly 173 meters long and 23.3m wide, an Akula submarine is comprised of five habitable compartments, each of which is encased in its own outer hull (all within the vessel’s main outer hull) - a composition that ensures the submarine’s survivability.

Aside from the 20 R-39 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (each carrying up to ten MIRV thermonuclear warheads), the vessel is also equipped with six 533mm torpedo tubes capable of launching torpedoes and anti-submarine missiles.

Akula’s design allows the submarine to smash through ice as thick as 2.5m while surfacing without sustaining damage.

The size and mass of the R-39 missiles (16 meters long and weighing 84 tonnes each) prompted the building of special cranes capable of lifting these weapons and loading them onto the submarine. Special transport vessel Alexander Brykin equipped with a 125-tonne loading crane was also built. This ship could reload Akula’s missile launchers at sea, in case of a nuclear war breaking out when the destruction of the loading facilities in ports was likely.

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❗️The Israeli army has claimed it struck more than 1,100 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the last 24 hours.

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Russia is winning in Ukraine conflict despite the ‘best’ of US and NATO weapons - former US congressman

Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine is succeeding despite the regime in Kiev receiving billions of dollars in weapons from the United States and other NATO allies, former US Congressman Ron Paul said.

"The fact is that Russia is winning the war despite hundreds of billions of dollars and the best weapons systems from the US and NATO countries. Each new shipment of increasingly sophisticated weapons does not produce battlefield victories for Ukraine. It only produces more dead Ukrainian soldiers and more profits for the weapons manufacturers," Paul said in a column for the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

The world narrowly avoided nuclear destruction last week due to the Biden administration reportedly denying Ukraine’s request to strike deep inside Russian territory, Paul said. However, previous requests by Ukraine have been initially denied then granted later, Paul added.

The US government’s "obsession" with Ukraine is going to "get us all killed," Paul said. US arms manufacturers are the driving force behind the country’s interventionist foreign policy, Paul said.

It is "madness" to risk the future of the US for wars that have nothing to do with the country and serve no national interest, Paul said. The statement applies to both the conflict in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, according to Paul.

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❗️The death toll from Israel's bombing in Lebanon since early Monday has risen to 356, the local emergency center reported.

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▪️Pepe Escobar: Will a BRICS Bretton Woods take place in Kazan?

▪️What are the latest developments in Israel-Lebanon tensions?

▪️Learn about the world’s largest nuclear submarines?

▪️What does SCO do with US-run QUAD in Asia?

▪️Iran's IRGC bans 'any type of communication devices'

▪️What are the Fadi rockets used by Hezbollah in Israel strikes?

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📹 Lebanese journalists report that their colleague, the editor-in-chief of Maraya International, was wounded during a live broadcast as a result of an Israeli strike.

At the time of the attack, he was sitting opposite a window; his condition is not yet known.

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Exploring the Freedom of Motorhomes

Motorhomes, often referred to as RVs (recreational vehicles), offer a unique blend of adventure and comfort for travel enthusiasts. These self-contained vehicles provide the convenience of home while on the road, featuring sleeping areas, kitchens, bathrooms, and living spaces.

In recent years, the popularity of motorhomes has surged, with many people seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, with many people claiming that motorhomes represent a lifestyle choice centered around exploration.

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Death toll from Israeli strikes on Southern Lebanon rises to 492 - Emergency Center

492 people have been killed, including 35 children and 58 women, in the ongoing Israeli raids on towns and villages in southern Lebanon, with 1645 citizens injured, the Emergency Situations Center of the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.

Earlier in the day, the center said the death toll of civilians in Lebanon had risen to 356 people, with 1246 citizens injured.

"The raids killed 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, and injured 1,645," the statement said.

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UNHCR increases assistance to Lebanon, calls for end to airstrikes - statement

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Monday that it has stepped up its assistance to Lebanon and called for an end to airstrikes, without referring to Israel by name.

"The devastating bombings in Lebanon are costing innocent lives and forcing thousands of people to flee. This has to stop. UNHCR has a long-standing presence in Lebanon, providing support to refugees & host communities. We’re scaling up core relief, cash assistance & medical care," UNHCR said on social media.

Lebanese people are reportedly fleeing north to escape the bombings – video of traffic jams of people trying to escape the Israeli airstrikes is circulating on social media.

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Biden disobeys his handlers, invites friends on stage

Prompting questions about who's really in charge of the president, Biden revealed how his staffers have resorted to laying down the law on what he can and "can't do" during public appearances.

"I thought when I got to be president, I get to do things that I want to do, but my staff tells me what I can't do. But I'm going to do them anyway," a defiant Biden said during a White House event.

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