BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan: who’s coming?

The leaders of 24 countries have confirmed their participation in the BRICS summit, due in the Russian city of Kazan on October 22-24, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said. They include:

🇧🇾 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
🇨🇳 President of China Xi Jinping
🇹🇷 President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan
🇿🇦 President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa
🇧🇷 President of Brazil Lula da Silva
🇮🇷 President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian
🇦🇪 President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
✅ President of the Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik
🇪🇬 President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
🇧🇴 President of Bolivia Luis Arce
🇲🇳 President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh
🇵🇸 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
🇱🇦 President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith
🇸🇦 Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia
🇷🇸 Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin
🇪🇹 Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed
🇦🇲 Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan
🇮🇳 Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
🇲🇾 Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim

🌐 The summit will also be attended by the special spokesperson for Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Secretary-General Zhang Ming, State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev as well as President of the New Development Bank Dilma Rousseff.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold about 20 bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts on the sidelines of the summit, starting before the official opening of the gathering on October 21.

The summit will have two parts: the first under the slogan of "Strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security," and the second on "BRICS and the Global South – jointly building a better world."

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Mediocrity or failure? A short review of Keir Starmer’s first 100 days in Downing Street

After 100 days as British prime minister, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer’s track record is anything but stellar.

▪️Starmer’s government is yet to deal with the problems it inherited from its predecessors, like a stagnant economy and mounting government debt. Austerity measures are expected in the autumn mini-budget statement.

▪️Starmer immediately made himself unpopular by depriving 10 million pensioners of their fuel subsidies in winter by restricting the Winter Fuel Payment to those poor enough to get pension credits.

▪️The PM’s personal reputation took a hit last month over his failure to disclose expensive gifts he and his wife received from entertainment mogul and Labour mega-donor Lord Waheed Alli. Starmer was dubbed a hypocrite since he had attacked former PM Boris Johnson over similar allegations when he was opposition leader.

▪️Near-daily arrivals of illegal immigrants who are trafficked to Britain on small boats – then housed in hotels while their political asylum claims are processed – has fueled protests and riots. Starmer’s government has cracked down on anti-immigration protests but is unwilling or unable to deal with the immigrant crisis.

▪️A mass stabbing in Southport on July 29 by the son of Rwandan immigrants left three young girls dead and wounded several other children. Police quickly suppressed the ensuing anti-immigrant protests, with people arrested not just for demonstrating but even for making allegedly hateful social media posts.

▪️A YouGov poll released on October 8 found that 63% of Britons had a negative opinion of Starmer as compared to 27% who see him in a positive light.

▪️Britain’s overseas territories, already a far cry from the zenith of the British Empire, are about to shrink even further under Starmer’s watch as his government announced a deal to turn over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

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🚀 Voskhod 1: A pioneering Soviet space mission that changed history

Exactly 60 years ago today the Soviet Union launched Voskhod 1, the first spacecraft to carry a three-person crew into orbit. The cosmonauts did not wear space suits inside the modified Vostok design due to limited cabin space. The design introduced new technologies, such as allowing the crew to stay inside during re-entry. The mission completed 16 orbits in over 24 hours, testing life-support systems with crew health checks carried out by the first onboard doctor, marking a major milestone in space exploration.

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The Israeli army has expanded the closed military zone along the northern border with Lebanon to include the areas of Zar'it, Shomera, Shtula, Netu'a and Even Menachem. Entry there is strictly prohibited.

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The US is set to deploy its THAAD missile defense system in Israel, according to reports by Channel 12 and Army Radio. The move, part of preparations for Israel's expected retaliation to Iran’s recent missile strike, will see US troops operating the system on Israeli territory.

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▪️Israeli aircraft carried out an air strike on a residential building in the Lebanese town of Barja

▪️Beirut’s nightmare: A story of Brazilian woman who fights to survive as bombs fall

▪️Mediocrity or failure? A short review of Keir Starmer’s first 100 days in Downing Street

▪️Voskhod 1: A pioneering Soviet space mission that changed history

▪️German MP warns of ‘extremely dangerous’ scenario of NATO being party to Ukraine conflict

▪️Why has Ukraine sold its largest titanium mining company?

▪️'This is a betrayal of Moldova' — protest breaks out in Chisinau, the country's capital 

▪️BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan: who’s coming?

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Israel will not reverse decision to declare UN Chief persona non grata – Foreign Ministry

Israel has no intention of reconsidering its earlier decision to declare UN Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata, a status that bars him from entering Israel on diplomatic grounds, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said.

“I have declared UN Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata and banned him from entering the country due to his failure to condemn the Iranian missile attack on Israel and his anti-Semitic and anti-Israel behavior. A poll found that 87% of the Israeli population supported the decision. Guterres can continue to try to gather support from UN members, but the decision will not be changed,” Katz wrote on his account on the social media platform X.

Earlier in October, Katz declared the UN Secretary-General persona non grata and banned him from entering the country for failing to condemn Iran’s retaliatory missile attack on October 1.

The Israeli foreign minister also accused the UN Secretary General of supporting the Palestinian group Hamas's armed resistance, saying Guterres “will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN.”

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No decision made on possible deployment of THAAD system to Israel – US defense official

The United States has not made a decision yet to deploy its THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system in Israel amid rising tensions with Iran, a US defense official told Sputnik.

"A decision has not yet been made," the official said.

Earlier in the day, Israeli media reported that the US would deploy its THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system to Israel to protect it from Iranian attacks should Israel conduct retaliatory strikes on Iranian territory. The THAAD system would reportedly be operated by US soldiers.

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Putin: Russia will rebuild everything destroyed in new, border regions

Russia will gradually restore and rebuild everything that has been damaged in the new and border regions while continuing to prioritize support for local agricultural producers and creating conditions to unlock the agricultural potential of the country’s historical territories, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday.

“We will continue to provide you with the necessary assistance as a priority. Step by step we will certainly restore and rebuild everything that has been destroyed or damaged. And, of course, we will create the conditions to fulfill the rich agricultural potential of our historical territories that have reunited with Russia,” Putin said in his address to farmers on the occasion of their professional holiday.

Putin expressed a special thanks to farmers in the new and border regions for their work, noting that their courage and dedication to their tasks deserve the highest respect.

Agricultural and Processing Industry Workers' Day is celebrated in Russia annually on the second Sunday of October.

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Israel launches heavy strikes on villages in southern, eastern Lebanon – reports

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have carried out air and artillery strikes on several municipalities in southern and eastern Lebanon, according to the Dubai-based broadcaster Al Arabiya.

Two villages in the south – Aita al-Shaab and Ramyeh – came under intense shelling after midnight Lebanese time (9 pm GMT Saturday) following an attempt by the Israeli military to enter the country, Al Arabiya's correspondent in southern Lebanon reported. According to the broadcaster, an Israeli bulldozer tried to enter Lebanese territory but was met with fire from Hezbollah fighters.

Additionally the municipalities of Hanine and Shaqra, as well as Younine in the eastern Beqaa Valley, were also targeted by Israeli fire.

Footage from social media

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Hungary's Szijjarto unaware of alleged assassination attempt on Orban

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with RIA Novosti that he was not aware of the assassination attempt on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Earlier, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin revealed that Belgrade had received information that an assassination attempt was being prepared on Orban because of his position on Ukraine.

"Well, I don't know about such an attempt. But what I know about is that there are countinious attacks on us — and on the prime minister as well — in the legal, in financial and in political terms. On the prime minister, on the government, on the country," Szijjarto clarified.

According to Szijjarto, Brussels is withholding tens of billions of euros owed to Hungary because of Budapest's position on Ukraine, migration issues and gender propaganda.

"So legal, financial and political attacks are continuous on us for sure. About assassination attempt I have no information," he added.

Earlier, Orban said that Brussels was "not the boss of Hungary" and that the country would continue to defend its own point of view when discussing pan-European decisions. According to Orban, Hungary is not one of those countries that agrees to all of Brussels' demands, so Budapest will not supply weapons and allocate money to Ukraine, let migrants into the country or allow propaganda of sexual minorities in Hungarian schools.

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