Lavrov called on Western countries to lift sanctions against Afghanistan and return frozen assets to it. 

It is necessary to hold a pragmatic dialogue between Moscow and Kabul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We are convinced that it is necessary to maintain a pragmatic dialogue with the current Afghan government. Constructive engagement with Afghan partners meets the interests of security and economic development, as well as the goals of inter-Afghan national harmony," Lavrov said at the opening of the sixth meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan.

He also added that Russia is against the deployment of military infrastructure of third countries in Afghanistan.

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❗️The US authorities have not condemned Israel's land invasion of Lebanon in any way, Washington is actually encouraging its ally to expand the war zone, Lavrov said.

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❗️Ukraine is coordinating with the US to train terrorists using new technologies to fight the Russian military in Syria, Lavrov said.

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BoJo claims Netanyahu left a bug in Foreign Office's closet
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have possibly planted a bugging device in the British Foreign Office during a meeting in 2017, says former PM Boris Johnson in his upcoming memoir "Unleashed." At the time of the incident, BoJo was in charge of UK foreign policy. He reveals that his security team discovered an eavesdropping device soon after Netanyahu’s visit.  

“Thither Bibi repaired for a while, and it may or may not be a coincidence, but I am told later that when they were doing a regular sweep for bugs, they found a listening device in the thunderbox,” writes Boris Johnson.  

In 2022, when Boris Johnson served as prime minister, the media reported that Downing Street smartphones were massively infected by Pegasus virus – a malware of Israeli origin that allows for eavesdropping on conversations of the gadget owner.

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Israel dropped 73 tons of explosives on the Hezbollah intelligence headquarters in the suburbs of Beirut, where Hassan Nasrallah's successor could be located, Ynet reports.

"Air Force planes dropped bombs with a total weight of 73 tons on a bunker in Al-Maria in the Dahiyeh area, which was identified as the 'main intelligence headquarters' of Hezbollah," the report read.

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📹 Crowds cheer as Ayatollah Khamenei takes to the podium to lead Friday prayer in Tehran for the first time since 2020.

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Argentina intends to return full sovereignty over the Falkland Islands — Argentinian Foreign Minister

"Following the path that we started, through concrete actions, not empty rhetoric, we are going to restore full sovereignty over our Malvinas (Falkland Islands)," Diana Mondino said against the background of London's decision to transfer the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius.

Britain and Argentina fought over the Falkland Islands in 1982, and London won. In 2013, residents voted in a referendum to preserve the status of a British overseas territory.

The issue of ownership of the islands began to be discussed again after President Milei came to power in Argentina, who said that he would consider the option of returning them diplomatically.

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Key statements of Iranian Supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at Friday prayers in Tehran: 

💬Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt have one enemy.

💬He [the enemy] acts everywhere with a special method, but he has only one headquarters from where orders are given.

💬Every country has the right to defend its territory from aggression.

💬The Al-Aqsa Flood operation was absolutely legitimate, and the truth was for the Palestinians. 

💬The Israelis will never defeat Hamas and Hezbollah.

💬Speaking on the True Promise 2 operation, Ayatollah said "the work of our armed forces two days ago was done brilliantly and was also legitimate." Iran will strike Israel again if necessary, he added.

💬Assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and other top Hezbollah leaders will only harden the group’s anger and determination.

💬The main problem in the region is foreign interference, but if countries in the region work together, then they will be able to overcome it.

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US lags behind Russia on European gas supplies – analysis 

Russia has once again overtaken the US in terms of gas supplies to the EU in the third quarter, while taking the highest market share in nine quarters, according to Sputnik’s analysis of data from the Bruegel think tank that specializes in economics.

🔸 Over the past three months, Russia has delivered 13.3 billion cubic meters of gas to the European market, compared to 13 billion the country supplied there in the second quarter and 11.5 billion, delivered in 2023 within the same period. 

🔸 As a result, the share of Russian companies in the EU’s energy imports increased to 19.4% from 17.2% in April-June, reaching a maximum since the second quarter of 2022, the analysis showed. 

🔸 Russia’s quarterly and annual pipeline gas deliveries to Europe grew by 8% and almost 13%, respectively, while the volume of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports in the last quarter stood at 4.7 billion cubic meters, a 21% increase as compared to the third quarter of 2023. 

🔸 The US has reduced its LNG deliveries to Europe to 9.5 billion cubic meters, becoming the third-largest LNG supplier after Russia. 
Sputnik’s previous review of Eurostat data discovered that EU countries had to pay some €185 billion ($204 billion) extra on natural gas over the past 20 months after cutting themselves off from cheap, Russian pipeline gas amid Western sanctions that were introduced shortly after Moscow began a special military operation in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the EU's "suicidal" and "absolutely political" decision to halt the purchase of Russian energy supplies would come back to bite the bloc.

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❗️ Ukraine continues to play with fire, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the attempted attack by Ukrainian forces on the Kursk nuclear power plant.

More statements from Dmitry Peskov's recent briefing:

◻️ Putin has no plans for contacts with IAEA chief Grossi.

◻️ The Russian defense minister reported to the president on the liberation of Ugledar.

◻️ There has been no talk, and there are no preconditions for a possible meeting between Putin and Biden.

◻️ No decision has been made on Putin's trip to the G20.

◻️ Putin will meet with CIS leaders on his birthday (7 October), with a working meeting planned.

◻️ Putin will hold a working meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council on Friday.

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US Senator Lindsey Graham calls for more support for Israel even as a hurricane devastates his home state of South Carolina

"I've been going all over South Carolina, like most people, I haven't slept much. But look what's going on in Israel... We have to help our friends to keep the war over there from coming here," Graham said.

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❗️Russian troops have liberated six settlements over the past week, the Russian defense ministry reported.

The losses of Ukrainian militants over the past seven days amounted to 16,650 people, according to the weekly report.

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❗️The Russian Tsentr Battlegroup repelled 48 Ukrainian attacks over the week. Ukrainian formations lost up to 4,210 militants

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's weekly briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 3,000 militants over the week in the area of responsibility of the Russian Sever Battlegroup;

▪️The Russian Armed Forces carried out 29 group strikes, including Kinzhal missiles, on Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises, energy facilities and military airfields;

▪️The Russian Air Defense Forces shot down seven ATACMS missiles, six Hammer aerial bombs, 22 HIMARS shells, and 540 Ukrainian drones over the week;

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 2,900 militants over the week in the area of responsibility of the Russian Zapad Battlegroup;

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 5,100 militants over the week in the area of responsibility of the Russian Yug Battlegroup.

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About 32 missiles (icons) struck Israel's Nevatim Air Base during the October 2 Iranian attack, according to the head of the CNS research centre at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

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"Universe, give me a sign"

Sign:

A video showing road signs with Trump all over New York City has gone viral.

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Slovakia’s PM Fico pledges to restore relations with Russia after Ukrainian conflict ends

“If the war ends during the [2023-2027] mandate of this government, I'll do everything possible for the renewal of economic and standard relations with Russia,” Fico said during a press conference on Thursday.

Fico also believes that Ukraine should remain a transit country for the fuel Europe needs. The prime minister pointed out he has been under “extreme pressure” from the European Commission to stop buying gas and oil from Moscow, adding that he sees no reason in buying energy resources from alternative suppliers because "it is still the same Russian oil, just with higher transit charges."

Fico, who survived an assassination attempt earlier this year, has repeatedly advocated for enhancing ties between Russia, the European Union and Slovakia, and in particular opposed sending troops to Ukraine.

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❗️Iran will strike Israeli oil refineries and gas fields if Israel attacks Iran, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

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