Germany reportedly snubbed Ukraine’s demands for Taurus missiles and expedited NATO membership 

Berlin snubbed two key demands that Zelensky has peddled during his European tour as part of his so-called “victory plan”: to green-light strikes deep into Russian territory (which would require German Taurus missiles, among others), and fast-track NATO membership for Ukraine, reported Bild.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not deliver a categorical "no", but there was no positive answer either, stressed the outlet.

Furthermore, the Chancellor’s tub-thumping about the promised “billions in aid for Ukraine” at a press conference with Zelensky, was nothing but a hoax, said Bild.
That package does not include any new weapons since the amount and projects mentioned were in fact "already approved and financed last year."

Kiev’s hopes of getting more Leopard 2 tanks have been dashed despite the Bundeswehr still having around 300 of its main battle tanks in its inventory, the outlet stated. The same reportedly applies to infantry fighting vehicles and tank howitzers as well.

The decision comes as the German Defense Ministry does not believe that the Kiev regime is capable of pulling off a counteroffensive in the foreseeable future, the sources told the outlet. 

“By the end of the year, with the support of Belgium, Denmark, and Norway, we will deliver another package to Ukraine worth €1.4 billion,” Scholz announced on October 11. According to him, the package includes IRIS-T and Skynex air defense systems, Gepard anti-aircraft guns, self-propelled artillery systems, armored vehicles, combat drones, and radars.

Furthermore, with the US election drawing nearer, President Joe Biden has used Hurricane Milton as an excuse to pull out from the Ramstein meeting on military support for Kiev, added the report. 

Germany, Ukraine's second-largest military donor after the US, has so far provided, or committed for future years, military assistance at a value of approximately 28 billion euros. However, compared to this year, it has halved its military aid to Ukraine for 2025, according to the budgetary draft.

Moscow has repeatedly warned of the danger of the Ukrainian conflict turning into a hot war with NATO if the latter permits the use of its long-range strike systems to attack Russia.

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Canada’s dissenting Liberal MPs seek to topple Trudeau

A faction of disgruntled lawmakers from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s own governing Liberal Party is coordinating efforts to oust him as their leader, reported CBC News.

“At least 20 dissenting MPs have reportedly signed the document urging leadership change, with others voicing their support, in a joint call for Trudeau to resign, according to the outlet.

Trudeau has been teetering on the ropes since the humiliating by-election loss of two strongholds in Toronto (to the Conservatives) and Montreal (to Bloc Québécois).
Pressure to relinquish his hold on the Liberal Party has also grown amid his government’s free fall in the polls. At 41.6%, Pierre Poilievre and his Conservative Party are more than 20 points ahead of the Liberal Party, as reflected in numbers released by Nanos Research earlier in the month.

The top issues of concern for Canadians remain the soaring cost of living, housing affordability, skyrocketing prices and immigration.

Last month, the New Democratic Party (NDP) pulled the plug on its support for Trudeau, exiting a 2022 "supply and confidence" deal. The arrangement had offered confidence votes to the PM’s minority government, in exchange for support on key issues. 
Despite being decimated in the polls, Trudeau has dug in, saying he is "not going anywhere."

The Liberal government has already survived two non-confidence votes. The Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois voted against a Conservative motion that called for MPs to declare they have lost faith in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his nine-year-old government several weeks ago.

The mandate for Trudeau's government expires at the end of October 2025, and media reports have made no bones about the Liberals' defeat at the next general election.

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❗️Russia's Tsentr Battlegroup liberated the village of Mikhailovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.

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❗️Ukraine lost up to 615 militants and a depot in the Russian Yug Battlegroup’s combat zone

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

▪️The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 510 militants in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup’s combat zone.

▪️In the Russian Vostok Battlegroup’s combat zone, Ukraine lost up to 130 militants.

▪️The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 40 militants and four artillery pieces in the combat zone of the Russian Battlegroup Sever in the area of the village of Liptsy and the city of Volchansk.

▪️Russian air defenses shot down five HIMARS rockets, two Neptune missiles and 36 Ukrainian drones.

▪️Russian forces struck the infrastructure of a military airfield and Ukrainian drone storage facilities.

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Israeli PM warns UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to withdraw peacekeepers from the war zone in southern Lebanon for their own safety.

“Mr Secretary General, get the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon) forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted in a video message released by his office.

The UN force in Lebanon has nearly 11,000 soldiers and civilian staff from 48 countries. They are deployed under the UN Security Council resolution of March 1978.

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❗️🇷🇺 Latest updates from the Russian Ministry of Defense on the combat operations in the Kursk region:

◻️ During the past 24 hours, the Russian Battlegroup Sever repelled five Ukrainian counterattacks in the direction of the settlements of Zeleny Shlyakh, Nizhny Klin and Pokrovsky, as well as one attempt to break through the Russian border towards the settlement of Novy Put.

◻️ As a result, Ukraine lost up to 80 militants, either killed or wounded. Three tanks, a US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, an armored combat vehicle and four other vehicles were destroyed.

◻️ Tactical aviation and missile forces struck areas of Ukrainian militant and reserve concentrations in the Sumy region.

◻️ Ukraine’s losses for the day totaled more than 300 militants. 10 armored vehicles were destroyed, including seven tanks—two of them, German-made Leopard tanks—an infantry fighting vehicle, two armored fighting vehicles, a British-made AS-90 self-propelled howitzer, two mortars and 11 vehicles. Eight Ukrainian militants surrendered.

◻️ Since the beginning of combat operations in the Kursk region, Ukraine has lost more than 22,600 militants.

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🇮🇷 Iran hasn't supplied Russia ballistic weapons—Iranian FM

💬 ''I clearly said and reiterate once again: We've not provided ballistic missiles to Russia. If Europe needs a case to appease Israel's blackmail, better find another story.'' — Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on his X account, referring to his meeting with EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrel and his Chief of Staff Enrique Mora.

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Now everyone knows what 'second-hand embarrassment' feels like

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova couldn’t help commenting on a video from the Spanish Foreign Ministry meant to celebrate their national heritage – which begins with footage of Moscow’s Gorky Park.

The video was posted to mark Spain’s national day, which is celebrated on October 12.

But the slip-up didn’t escape the sharp eyes of social media users, who were quick to point out the “geographical” error.

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📹 A Russian Su-34 jet struck a stronghold and a concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in the border area of the Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The targets were destroyed.

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Serbia is considering joining the BRICS group of emerging economies as an alternative to European Union membership, Vice Premier Aleksandar Vulin revealed in an interview with Berliner Zeitung.

Serbia will definitely attend the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan this month, Vulin said, adding that it would be irresponsible not to explore all possibilities, including BRICS membership.

If BRICS is attractive to other countries like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Turkey, why should Serbia's situation be any different, he asked, stressing that there was no doubt that BRICS had become a real alternative to the EU.

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