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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❗️Key statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning BRICS economic growth:

💬Average GDP growth rate of BRICS countries by the end of 2024 is projected at 4%, higher than the global average of 3.2%

💬BRICS plays a significant role in the global economy, and this role will grow

💬BRICS countries are drivers of economic growth, and it is in BRICS that the main global GDP growth will be generated in the coming years

💬Economic growth of BRICS countries will depend less and less on external influence

💬BRICS New Development Bank is an alternative to Western development mechanisms

💬Russia will expand the capabilities of the New Development Bank, and it should become the main investor in BRICS and the Global South

💬The combined gross domestic product (GDP) of BRICS countries is more than $60 trillion, something that exceeds the GDP of G7 members

Putin noted the importance of close economic partnership between BRICS countries, emphasizing that joint efforts produce tangible results.

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⚡️UAE President Al Nahyan to visit Russia

Putin and Al Nahyan will discuss bilateral relations and the situation in the Middle East and North Africa on Monday.

The UAE head of state will also take part in the BRICS Summit events in Kazan.

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Putin: BRICS outstrips G7 on GDP growth

The combined gross domestic product (GDP) of BRICS countries is more than $60 trillion, something that exceeds the GDP of G7 members, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the BRICS Business Forum.

"The BRICS aggregate GDP amounts to over 60 trillion USD. Its overall share in global GDP strongly exceeds the relevant indicator of the so-called G7 and continues to grow," he said.

“We emphasize the importance of close economic partnership of BRICS countries to advance trade and investment to deepen mutual cooperation,” Putin added.

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