Hamas seeing no point in prisoner exchange with Israel until complete ceasefire in Gaza

Hamas sees no point in prisoner exchange talks until a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, Ayman Shanaa, a spokesperson for Hamas political leadership in Lebanon, told Sputnik.

"Any agreement must begin with a complete and immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Before that, there is no point in talking about a prisoner exchange deal. Let them continue to think that the resistance is weak, but there are still many fronts that can teach the enemy a lesson," Shanaa said.

He noted that the movement was ready for a ceasefire, but due to the position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the talks were unsuccessful.

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US in dangerous hiatus amid Biden's lame duck period, exploited by allies - Sachs

The United States is in a dangerous hiatus during outgoing President Joe Biden's lame duck period, which several US allies are trying to exploit, Jeffrey Sachs, an economist and president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, told Sputnik.

"President Biden is not really in full control anymore, both because of his waning mental status and his lame duck status," Sachs said. "We are in a dangerous hiatus. [Israel's PM Benjamin] Netanyahu is exploiting that hiatus, and [Volodymyr] Zelensky is trying to as well."

The United States backs Israel’s reckless behavior, talks openly about war with China, and continues a delusional policy in Ukraine that is bleeding that country while threatening to provoke more escalation, Sachs explained.

Sachs added that there is little chance Biden will steer the United States toward a "good direction" throughout the remainder of his term, but there's also no guarantee that things will improve after Donald Trump or Kamala Harris comes into power on January 20.

Many other countries are trying to exploit US military power, including the United Kingdom, Poland, and the Baltic states, which are all urging reckless policies by the United States that could land it quickly in World War 3, Sachs concluded.

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US authorities should restore order, not fight journalists — Zakharova on P. Diddy scandal

The crimes of rapper and producer Sean Combs, known under the pseudonym P. Diddy, speaks to the systemic nature of the criminal life of American celebrities, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said.

According to her, scandalous American artists are involved in a decades-old criminal system, at the center of which is child abuse, including pedophilia.

The diplomat added that this system has a mafia-clan structure, in which the political and state community also takes part.

"The American authorities should be busy with restoring order at home... and not with fighting journalists," Zakharova noted.

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🔸High-stakes showdown: What aftermath could Israel face if it gambles on hitting Iran’s nuclear sites?

🔸Hamas seeing no point in prisoner exchange with Israel until complete ceasefire in Gaza

🔸France’s Mirage-2000s bound to be destroyed on the ground or in Ukraine’s skies, military expert affirms

🔸US authorities should restore order, not fight journalists — Zakharova on P. Diddy scandal

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Kremlin denies calls between Trump and Putin 

The Russian Presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has denied information alleging that former US President Donald Trump had spoken on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin seven times after the former left office.

"No, it's not like that," Peskov told Russian media when asked if Putin had called Trump.

Earlier, the campaign headquarters of US presidential candidate, Donald Trump, criticized the upcoming book "War" by famous journalist, Bob Woodward, saying that none of the episodes described in it is true. 

Excerpts from the interview published earlier by CNN included allegations of telephone contacts between Trump and Putin after 2021.

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An evacuation warning resulting from Hurricane Milton in Florida, US, resembles a horror movie scene.

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The meeting of the contact group on Ukraine at the Ramstein base in Germany, originally slated for October 12, will be postponed to accommodate Biden’s attendance, German media reports.

Earlier, Biden decided to postpone one of his last trips as head of state to Germany and Angola due to Hurricane Milton.

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Bidenomics strikes again: US global economic share dips below 15% for first time

The US share of the global economy has tanked below 15% during Joe Biden’s presidency. By the end of his term, it is projected to hit a record low of 14.76%, according to Sputnik calculations based on data from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

🔸In 1990, the US accounted for 20.16% of the global economy, measured by purchasing power parity. That share peaked at 21.01% in 1999, with an economic output of $9.6 trillion, compared to a global output of $45.85 trillion. 

🔸However, the US portion has steadily declined since, with the sharpest drop occurring between 2006 and 2008, when it fell by 0.6% annually.

🔸The US share temporarily increased during Barack Obama’s second term, reaching 16.26% in 2014 and 2015, but failed in sustaining the momentum. By the end of Obama's presidency, it fell to 16.04%. Subsequently, the US share declined by another 0.7% under Donald Trump.

🔸In Biden's second year, the US share slipped below 15%, reaching 14.82% by the end of 2023. IMF estimates predict the trend will continue, with the US share falling by another 0.06% by the end of 2024, resulting in a cumulative decline of 0.58% under Biden to 14.76%.

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❗️A group of 39 Iranian deputies appealed to the country's Security Council with a request to allow the creation of nuclear weapons due to the threat of an Israeli attack, the Iranian ISNA news agency reports.

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US budget deficit soars to $1.8 trillion amid country’s military expenditure

The Biden administration has spent much more than it collected in revenue, with a budget deficit for fiscal year 2024 standing at $1.8 trillion, the highest level since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said.

CBO estimates indicate a deficit uptick of 11% from the $1.7 trillion recorded during fiscal year 2023. The government spent $6.8 trillion in fiscal year 2024, about 10% more than in 2023.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has meanwhile referred to the CBO survey as he blamed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for “ignoring resounding messages from Americans nationwide, as well as alarms from global credit ratings companies.”

“By consistently choosing a spendthrift agenda over fiscal sanity, this administration has hamstrung our economy for generations to come," Grassley said in a statement.

This comes after a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project showed that the US had spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since October 2023.

The US has also allotted over $174 billion for support to Ukraine, with more such spending expected to be announced at a meeting of the Ramstein group which was reportedly rescheduled after Joe Biden canceled his trip to Germany.

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❗️Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 90 militants in the area of responsibility of the Russian Vostok Battlegroup.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:    

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 50 militants in the Liptsy and Volchansk areas in one day;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down an S-200 air defense missile and 68 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones in one day;

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 525 militants, two tanks, including a French AMX-10, in the area of responsibility of the Tsentr group of forces in one day;

▪️The Russian Zapad Battlegroup occupied more advantageous lines and positions. Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 370 servicemen;

▪️The Russian Armed Forces hit Ukrainian energy facilities that supplied Ukrainian troops with fuel;

▪️ Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 65 militants as a result of the actions of the Dnepr Battlegroup.

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China slams military supplies to Taiwan as instigation of war

The US is escalating regional tensions and pushing Taiwan step by step to the brink of war through arms sales to Taiwan and repeated violations of its commitments, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman, Wu Qian, stated in response to US President Joe Biden’s recent approval of a $567 mln military package to the island.

"The US side, ignoring China's strong objection, continues to provide military support to Taiwan, which is a flagrant violation of the ‘one China’ principle and the three joint Sino-US communiqués. This seriously jeopardizes China's sovereignty and security interests, and undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We express strong condemnation of it and lodge representations with the US," Wu Qian said in a statement on WeChat social network.

He added that “attempts to use Taiwan to contain China will only turn out to have bitter consequences for those who undertake them.”

The situation around Taiwan significantly escalated after Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited the island in early August 2022. China condemned Pelosi's visit, viewing her trip as America's support for Taiwanese separatism.

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❗️Russian troops liberated the settlements of Novaya Sorochina and Pokrovsky in the Kursk region, the Defense Ministry said

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Defense spending on NATO’s Eastern European flank skyrockets to $70 billion

Military expenditure in NATO’s Eastern European member states surged to $70 billion this year, according to Bloomberg.

Poland and Estonia are among the top seven NATO members, in terms of defense spending as a percentage of GDP, this year. Poland is allocating 4.12% of its GDP to defense, while Estonia is dedicating 3.4%, both far exceeding NATO’s target of 2%.

The report comes amid heightened militarization in Eastern Europe, with NATO establishing "multinational battlegroups" in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, in response to a perceived “Russian threat.” Member states have also increased their deployment of ships, planes, and troops to NATO’s eastern flank.

Russia has repeatedly warned NATO against expanding eastwards, with Moscow arguing that it could further escalate tensions in Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously accused NATO of making empty promises regarding its 1991 commitment not to expand eastwards.

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🇷🇺🪖 Key statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense's daily briefing on the situation in the Kursk region:

◻️ Ukrainian forces lost more than 100 military personnel over the day and more than 21,250 soldiers since start of offensive in Russia's Kursk region.

◻️ Russian forces hammered Ukrainian formations in the areas of Daryino, Lyubimovka, Novy Put and Plekhovo settlements.

◻️ Russian forces has repelled two enemy counterattacks in the direction of the settlements of Lyubimovka and Plekhovo.

◻️ Russian aviation struck Ukrainian reserves concentrated in the Sumy region..

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A previously scheduled meeting of the leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States and France on October 12 has been canceled, along with the Ramstein summit, German government spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, said.

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📹 Hurricane Milton to slam into Florida coastline

Watch the simulation graphic, created to show how devastating Hurricane Milton could be for Florida.

In some areas, flooding could reach more than 2.7 meters, and in some places more than 4.5 meters, according to the Weather Channel.

Now the hurricane is assigned the fifth category, with wind speeds of about 270 kilometers per hour. Mandatory evacuations have been issued in 11 Florida counties.

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