🇨🇳🇷🇺China and Russia need to deepen military ties - Chinese general

China and Russia need to deepen military cooperation, said Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the China's Central Military Commission, at a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov on Tuesday.

Belousov arrived in China on Monday on an official visit, his first since being appointed defense minister. On the first day of his visit, he held talks with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun.

The Russian and Chinese defense ministries are united in their assessments of global processes and have a common understanding of what needs to be done in the current situation, Andrei Belousov said during a meeting with Gen. Zhang Youxia.

"Yesterday, we held very meaningful talks with China’s minister of defense, and we see that we have common views, a common assessment of the situation, and a common understanding of what we need to do together," Belousov said.

He noted that thanks to the efforts of the two countries’ leaders, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia and China have built a strategic partnership.

"And our task is to strengthen and develop it," Belousov emphasized.

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⚡️ Israel says it’s ready to strike Iran's military, not oil or nuclear facilities – reports

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⚡️ Gaza genocide is trial run for suppressing global dissent – Colombian president

⚡️ US officials meet counterparts at infamous Israeli torture camp

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⚡️ BlackRock’s blood and tears-fueled rise: how does infamous vulture fund make its money?

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What is known about Samer Abu Daqa, key Hamas commander reportedly killed by the IDF?

Samer Abu Daqa, a key figure responsible for Hamas' aerial operations, was eliminated in Israeli airstrikes in September 2024, the Israel Defense Forces stated.

It turns out the IDF has been hunting him since 2021, when he was the head of Hamas' unmanned aerial vehicle array during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021. That time, the IDF struck his apartment in the Gaza Strip, but Abu Daqa survived.

According to Israeli information, he was entrusted with munition manufacturing processes at the Hamas production headquarters, and played a central role in the development of projects and infrastructure as part of the strengthening of Hamas aerial unit in the Gaza Strip.

However, Hamas is yet to confirm Abu Daqa death.

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Israeli army uses detained Palestinians as human shields for life-threatening Gaza missions - report

Israeli soldiers and intelligence agents have been using Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a human shield during their war on Hamas that broke out last October, an investigation by The New York Times has revealed.

Captured Gazans have been forced to carry out life-threatening reconnaissance missions to avoid putting Israeli soldiers at risk, the publication cited IDF soldiers and former Palestinian detainees as saying. At least 11 squads in five cities in Gaza have reportedly resorted to this illegal practice.

Palestinian detainees have been forced to:

⚡️ Walk handcuffed across the rubble in Gaza searching for explosives and booby traps set by Hamas;
⚡️ Scout and film inside Hamas’ underground tunnel networks in search of remaining fighters;
⚡️ Enter buildings rigged with mines to find hidden explosives;
⚡️ Pick up or move objects such as generators and water tanks that might conceal tunnel entrances or rigged devices;

Interviewed Israeli soldiers described the practice of using Palestinians as human shields as routine, carried out with “logistical support and the knowledge of superiors on the battlefield.”

However, in response to the report, the Israeli military claimed in a statement that its “directives and guidelines strictly prohibit the use of detained Gaza civilians for military operations.”

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THROWBACK to 2018: David Lammy (current British Foreign Secretary) proclaiming himself Carribean in order to demand reparations from the UK.

✔️Fun fact: Lammy was born in London in Guyana-immigrant (South America) family.

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'Everyone sees Ukraine is losing': Slovak MEP

European society is fed up with Brussels' policy of pumping weapons into Ukraine, and Europeans don’t see the point of it amid Kiev's failures on the front, Slovak MEP Lubos Blaha told Sputnik.

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UK freezes bilateral security dialogue with Georgia

UK Ambassador in Georgia Gareth Ward has announced Britain frozen its annual security dialogue with Georgia and cancelled other talks on defense due to the "anti-Western rhetoric of the Georgian authorities."

“For the first time in 10 years, we on the British side have decided to freeze the annual high-level 'Wardrop Dialogue' between ministers. This is the first time since the dialogue format was established. We also canceled the planned high-level talks between the defense staff and suspended the new cyber security program," politician said.

Britain accused Georgia of adopting a law "On Family Values ​​and Protection of Minors" aimed at prohibiting the LGBT* propaganda in the country.

In May, Georgian Parliament has adopted a law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" obliging NGOs with foreign financing to register. The initiative was also largely slammed by the West with the US and the EU announcing a review of relations with Georgia.

*the LGBT movement is banned in Russia as extremist

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

◻️ Ukrainian losses reached a total of 500 militants in Battlegroup Tsentr's area of responsibility.

◻️ Enemy losses in Russia’s Battlegroup Zapad combat zone came to 300 troops and two ammunition arsenals.

◻️ Ukrainian losses reached a total of 590 troops in Battlegroup Yug's area of responsibility.

◻️ Russian Air defenses shot down a Hammer guided bomb and 43 Ukrainian drones.

◻️ Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 95 militants in Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok combat zone.

◻️ Ukrainian losses reached a total of 60 troops in Battlegroup Dnepr's area of responsibility.

◻️ Enemy losses in Russia’s Battlegroup Sever combat zone came to 30 servicemen.

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Global public debt hurtling towards $100 trillion by end of 2024 - IMF

Skyrocketing global public debt is set to reach $100 trillion by the end of this year, driven foremost by the US borrowing binge, a new analysis by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed.

This staggering sum represents around 93% of global gross domestic product (GDP). Modeling an “extreme adverse scenario,” the IMF found that the level of future debt could reach 115% of GDP in three years.

Further debt growth is anticipated in the US, Brazil, France, Italy, South Africa, and the UK.

US government debt currently stands at $35.68 trillion, with an analysis by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget indicating that it is only expected to grow amid “large structural deficits, surging interest payments, and the looming insolvency of critical trust fund programs.”

The US budget deficit during the Biden presidency has hit an all-time high at $6.6 trillion, Sputnik’s calculations based on data from the US Treasury Department showed in August. The US government's expenses during the 3.5 years under Biden exceeded revenues by $6.6 trillion — the highest in the entire history of these statistics.

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Initial THAAD components, associated US military personnel arrive in Israel – Pentagon

"[On] October 14, an advance team of US military personnel and initial components necessary to operate the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery arrived in Israel. Additional US military personnel and THAAD battery components will continue to arrive in Israel in the coming days," the statement said.

On October 1, Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles toward Israel in response to the killings of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and senior IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his government was not seeking a war with Israel but would confront any threat in a resolute manner.

Israel vowed to respond to the attack at a time and in a manner of its choosing. The United States and other allies have urged Israel to respond proportionately amid concerns that Iran's oil and nuclear facilities may be prime targets, which could potentially spark an all-out regional war.

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Gazan boy appeals to Biden, White House to stop the war

Children are suffering across the Gaza Strip as there is no food or medicine, Ibrahim Abu Shabeikah, a boy trying himself as a young journalist, told Sputnik.

He addressed the US authorities, specifically President Joe Biden and the White House, demanding peace in his country.

"I am appealing to the whole world and to US President Joe Biden, to the White House. I have seen children with their heads torn off, without arms or legs. I have seen enough. I have been speaking about the suffering of children and their torment," he said.

"The Israeli army bombed my house, many were killed and wounded, including children. Before the war, I slept in my quiet room, calmly reading books, but today I sleep in a tent with many insects and diseases," he explained.

The young journo also noted that he had to travel great distances and stand in long queues to get even a little food or water – and sometimes he got nothing at all.

"I call for support for the creation of an independent Palestine, help for Palestinian children, and more food and medicine. I want my message to reach everyone, so that the Israeli war in Gaza ends and all children can safely return to their homes and live in safety," he said.

"I’m a child. I’m from the younger generation, I have risen from the ruins, and I'm demanding peace, I'm stretching out my hands for peace," the boy concluded.

Earlier, Ibrahim recorded a video for Sputnik telling the story of what is really happening in the Palestinian enclave ravaged by Israeli forces.

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WATCH: How did child being treated for cancer survive in today's Lebanon?

Four-year-old Elio el-Baalbaki has been battling cancer for the past two years. His family had to flee from their home village of Haddathah in southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil region because of the Israeli air raids.

Samah al Baalbaki, Elio's mother, has told Sputnik the story of their survival.

"Now, Elio is already receiving treatment. I found a place along the way where we were able to go. As we were driving in the car, [missile] strikes were coming in all over the place. We were in the car and missiles were falling right in front of us, behind us, and on the roadside. We were moving on. We slowly made it in one piece. Although we didn't know whether we would make it back alive. Eventually we got there, and Elio started taking his medication. Elio is now finished with his [oncology] treatment and we have left town."

Samah emphasized that her son has “started to recover from the fear and horror he experienced,” as “he used to cry and scream a lot” when he heard the attacks.

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📄To the case: Partnership Agreement between Russia and North Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma, the lower house of the parliament, a bill to ratify the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Russia and North Korea the day before.

The details of the document were shared with Sputnik by the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko:

💬 Russia-N.Korea strategic partnership treaty envisages provision of mutual military assistance in event of aggression.

"There is a fourth article there, which deals specifically with issues of mutual assistance in the event of aggression, that the parties, in the event of aggression against one of the parties, will provide each other with any necessary assistance, including military. If an act of aggression is committed against North Korea, then all necessary measures will be taken in accordance with the legislation of North Korea," Rudenko told reporters.

💬 The Russia-North Korea agreement is a warning for those countries planning to solve regional problems using military means, the treaty is not directed against South Korea or third countries.

💬 South Korea's actions undermine stability on peninsula, lead to escalation, it is time to stop.

"We believe that what South Korea has recently undertaken is provocative actions that seriously undermine stability on the peninsula and lead to an escalation of tension. What will happen later, among other things, is, of course, already a very dangerous development. We think it is time to stop with this," Rudenko told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky said that Russia's State Duma may consider the draft bill in the first half of November.

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The US is demanding that Ukraine begin mobilizing people from the age of 18, arguing that 19-year-olds were drafted for the Vietnam War, according to Volodymyr Zelensky's advisor Serhiy Leshchenko.

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Druzhba: Oil mega-pipeline that fed Eastern Europe’s economic boom despite US sanctions and sabotage

October 15 marks the 60th anniversary of the Druzhba (‘Friendship’) oil pipeline built to replace costly rail-based oil deliveries and to forge economic links between the USSR and the Eastern Europe.

Druzhba (including extensions to deliver oil to southern Germany and Austria) holds the record as the longest oil pipeline network in the world, consisting of a whopping 8,900 km of pipe, 84 pumping stations, and reservoirs up to 1.5 million cubic meters of oil.

One of the most technically-sophisticated engineering projects, Druzhba has an estimated capacity to pump up to 2 million barrels per day, or nearly a fifth of Russia’s total oil output. Until recently, it accounted for up to half of all Russian oil exports.

How did Druzhba help Europe?

🔸 Druzhba became a key source of fuel for Europe’s economic prosperity, helping Germany in its effort to build on its status as an industrial powerhouse.

🔸 Hungary’s material national income rose by 62%, East Germany’s by 59%, Poland’s by 73%, Czechoslovakia’s by 57%, and capital construction in these countries grew 1.9, 1.7, 2.2, and 1.8 times, respectively.

Hurdle to friendship

🔸 Members of the Soviet-led economic alliance including Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia helped build the project. From the very beginning, the US imposed sanctions after the Cuban Missile Crisis, restricting Western sales of large-diameter pipes to the Eastern Bloc.

🔸 In 2024, the EU banned Russian oil through the pipeline’s northern route, and Ukraine raised transit fees by over 75%, blocking supplies to Hungary and Slovakia.

🔸 While Russia shifted to new energy partners like India and China, Europe is stuck with costlier, less reliable US energy, threatening its economic growth and industrial competitiveness.

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