Could Biden start trouble for the US and the world in the time he has left in the Oval Office?

Though Joe Biden’s presidential term is nearing its end, he can still “make major decisions that can never be overturned," says Professor Joe Siracusa, a political scientist and dean of Global Futures at Curtin University.

“In the next four months - and here we're talking about January 20th, 2025 - he could in this short period of time encourage President Zelensky to negotiate with the Russian Federation about a diplomatic solution of the war in Ukraine,” he suggests. “He could encourage the Israelis to attack Iran and drag the US into a conflict that might ultimately involve the Russian Federation.”

Aside from affecting global affairs, Biden’s decisions may also affect the outcome of the upcoming presidential election in the US, seeing how Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is Biden’s vice-president and thus “will pretty much have to wear what he does,” Prof. Siracusa points out.

For instance, Biden could “give the Ukrainians the green light to use American offensive weapons on their border to hit inside Russia itself” or “encourage the Israelis to attack the oil and gas installations in Iran, threatening world prices.”

“In terms of the US leverage with its allies, and here we're looking at Israel and Ukraine, allies such as they are, could get the US in a lot of trouble down the road that would affect the system for a long time,” the scholar remarks.

That said, while Biden still has “plenty of time to get in trouble,” there is “probably not enough time for a major diplomatic breakthrough,” Prof. Siracusa observes.

“I think in the next four months, Joe Biden has to decide whether he's really going to help Kamala Harris become the next president,” Prof. Siracusa adds. “He's very angry that he was pushed aside, particularly since he seems to have reclaimed his cognitive abilities. We're not sure whether he is cooperating or not or whether he's going to watch the Democratic Party go into the wilderness.”

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Which world leaders will attend BRICS summit in Russia?

Russia's vibrant city of Kazan will host this year's BRICS Summit on October 22-24.

Russia assumed the annual presidency of the association on January 1. Key priorities within the Russian chairmanship cover cooperation in security efforts, economy and finance, as well as humanitarian and cultural spheres.

The anticipated event will focus on strengthening multilateralism in order to achieve equitable global development and security.

Check out Sputnik's infographic to find out more!

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UN or war? How Israel was actually founded

French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently found themselves trading barbs over a historic event – the creation of the state of Israel in the late 1940s.

Macron this week declared that Netanyahu should not forget how Israel was “created by a UN decision.”

Netanyahu, in response, issued a statement claiming that Israel was not created by the UN but rather was forged in a war of 1948 against the neighboring Arab states, often referred to as the First Arab-Israeli War.

Israel was indeed established in 1948 through the force of arms when Jewish settlers managed to prevail in a conflict with the Palestinian Arabs and Arab states that aided the latter, seizing the land that would become Israel and displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, thus also laying the foundation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The United Nations also played a prominent role in the creation of Israel. In 1947, the General Assembly voted to end the British Mandate of Palestine and partition the territory in question into two states – one Jewish, the other Arab – with the city of Jerusalem to be put under international governance.

The partition plan, however, was never implemented as the founding fathers of Israel opted to establish and expand their state.

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Lebanon’s Hezbollah has announced the transition to a new stage of escalation of its confrontation with Israel. According to the movement's estimates, Israeli military losses since the beginning of the ground operation in Lebanon amount to 55 people killed and more than 500 wounded.

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🇨🇳👋Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently inspecting China’s regions.

He drove through the city of Tongcheng in Anhui province, warmly waving to passersby.

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🔸Zelensky 'feels the noose tightening around his neck’ and tries to 'foment a NATO war’ with his plan

🔸Fickle West – false promises and changing rhetoric on Ukraine conflict

🔸Which world leaders will attend BRICS summit in Russia? Sputnik infographics

🔸Could Biden start trouble for the US and the world in the time he has left in the Oval Office?

🔸UN or war? How Israel was actually founded

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France ramps up arms race by increasing military budget

The French Defense Ministry’s 2025 budget will increase by more than three billion euros ($3.3 billion), despite the significant overall reduction in budgetary expenditure, and will amount to 50.5 billion euros ($55 billion).

In an interview with the TV channel LCI, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot cited the alleged "Russia threat" to justify the trend, saying that "the law on the military budget has allowed [French] army to recreate its deployment, intervention and defense capabilities."

European leaders with a hardline anti-Russia position have taken flak for cheerleading an arms race, even as social spending is cut and regional economies sink into recession. Western statements about Russia's intentions to attack Europe serve as a justification for the arms race, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

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🛰🛰🛰🛰 LIVESTREAM UPCOMING

In the run-up to the BRICS Summit in Kazan on October 22-24, Russian President Vladimir Putin is about to meet with the heads of leading media outlets from BRICS countries today.

Dmitry Kiselev, the director general of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya, will represent Russia at the gathering.

Stay tuned so you won't miss it!

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💬Saudi delegation member at the BRICS Business Forum on her expectations of the plenary session

"I am looking today forward to the plenary session and listening to what Mr. Putin is going to say, but I'm assuming that he's going to call for stronger coalition, stronger collaboration with the BRICS countries, as they are a very strong bloc," she said.

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❗️The forum will start any minute now

Delegates take their seats in the BRICS Business Forum plenary session.

Stay tuned

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The Israel Defense Forces have released alleged footage of Hamas’ leader filmed by a drone before his assassination. Yahya Sinwar tried to fight the drone off with a stick.

Earlier, the IDF said it had eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during another massive missile attack on the Gaza Strip.

Sinwar served as head of Hamas for a little over two months, being elected to the post on August 6. He replaced Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed by Mossad in Tehran a few days earlier at the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

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🇷🇺📹Russian frigate Admiral Kasatonov successfully launched a Kalibr cruise missile from the Barents Sea at a target 1,300 km away in the Russia’s Arkhangelsk region as part of exercises, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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❗️LIVE: Putin addresses BRICS Business Forum

👉Watch the livestream here or on Sputnik's website

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❗️BRICS companies successfully cooperate with each other and implement joint projects – Putin

Russia's president said the BRICS Business Forum brings together leading business representatives from all of the association’s countries.

Russia seeks to facilitate the integration of new members into BRICS’ mechanisms, he added.

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💬BRICS countries’ total GDP confidently exceeds the indicators of the G7 nations and continues to grow steadily – Putin

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