🥴 Only ‘pre-determined questions’ allowed at Harris campaign event

On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris held a campaign event in Malvern, a Philadelphia suburb, where the audience was prohibited from asking any questions, as the host explicitly stated.

“You're not, unfortunately. We have some pre-determined questions and hopefully I'll be able to ask some of the questions that might be in your head. I hope so,” the host proudly remarked.

It is “called discipline,” Harris asserted last week.

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🇷🇺🇧🇾 Belarus to contribute to BRICS efforts to rebuild security architecture - Russian ambassador

Minsk will make a important contribution to the common efforts of the BRICS countries to build a new global security architecture, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said in an interview with Sputnik.

"I am confident that Minsk will make a significant contribution to the common efforts of the BRICS countries to build a new global security architecture based on the principles of indivisibility, equality, mutual respect and consideration of interests, as well as the unconditional supremacy of international law," Gryzlov said.

Belarus has much to offer the BRICS countries in economic and financial cooperation, as well as in the field of humanitarian ties, he said.

"At the same time, the final decision on the parameters of further expansion of BRICS will be made on the basis of a consensus of opinions of all participating countries. We intend to work closely with our Belarusian allies to ensure that the republic is among the first to be included in the list of potential partners of the club," he stressed.

The ambassador emphasized that Russia strongly supported the initiative of Belarusian friends to involve them in BRICS activities. In addition, he highlighted Moscow's consistent support for Minsk at various multilateral venues.

#BRICS2024

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BRICS economic dominance taking shape, West can do nothing about it - French politician

The economic dominance of the BRICS countries is already taking shape, and Western countries will not be able to do anything about it, Florian Philippot, the leader of the French Patriots party, told RIA Novosti.

"The West will not be able to do anything about the expansion of BRICS. BRICS economic dominance is already taking shape. For two years now, the BRICS GDP has exceeded the G7 GDP. The economic growth of the BRICS countries is twice as high as the G7 growth rate," the politician noted.

According to Philippot, the strengthening role of the BRICS countries is noted both in economic and geopolitical terms.

"We see that the sanctions against Russia have not worked. The dollar, despite the fact that it still dominates, continues to fall. In major global crises, the BRICS countries come out ahead, trying to find a solution, as in the case of the crisis in the Middle East, while Western countries reflexively submit to NATO," he added.

#BRICS2024

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UK to give Ukraine $2.93 bln as part of G7 loan secured by Russian frozen assets - government

The United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with £2.26 billion ($2.93 billion) as part of a G7 loan, to be repaid using income from frozen Russian assets, according to a statement issued by the British government.

"UK announces £2.26 billion loan to Ukraine backed by profits from sanctioned Russian sovereign assets," the statement said. The money is London's contribution to the G7 loan, the government added.

After the start of the Russian special military operation, the EU and G7 countries froze almost half of Russia's foreign exchange reserves, approximately 300 billion euros. More than 200 billion euros are in the EU, mainly in the accounts of the Belgium's Euroclear, one of the world's largest clearing and settlement systems. Earlier, the G7 agreed to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan, which will be reimbursed by interest on frozen Russian assets in the West.

Russia has maintained that any attempts to confiscate its assets amount to theft, constitute a violation of international law, and would not go unpunished.

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🇷🇺🪖Overnight strikes by Russian Armed Forces against enemy objects in the special military operation zone

The strikes were carried out in the suburbs of Sumy on a warehouse with ammunition for drones near the Mikhailovka airfield, in the area of an artillery range and a recreation centre where military personnel transferred from near Vinnitsa are staying, the coordinator of the pro-Russian underground, Sergey Lebedev, told Sputnik.

According to him, the strike in Akhtyrka hit a former chemical warehouse used as an ammunition depot.

He also noted that in the Dnepropetrovsk region, the strike hit the area of a mechanical plant in Pavlograd, where 26 units of military equipment were located, and in Novomoskovsk, the area of a former anti-tank regiment, where military cars and trucks were partly driven in, was probably hit.

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BRICS Scope and Monetary Might

As the BRICS Summit kicks off, bringing together more than 20 world leaders and 30 delegations, take a look at Sputnik's infographic showing the history of the association’s creation and development.

The BRICS countries now account for more than 40 percent of global oil production and about 40 percent of global consumption of oil products.

Explore Sputnik's infographic for more details!

#BRICS2024

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Inside the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan: Putin’s busy itinerary and key diplomatic discussions to look out for

The 2024 BRICS Summit, one of the year’s most anticipated geopolitical events, kicks off in Kazan today, with representatives from 36 countries, including 22 top officials in attendance. Here’s a look at the summit’s busy schedule:

◻️ The itinerary of summit host Vladimir Putin will be overflowing with meetings, with the Russian president set to hold talks with China’s Xi, Egypt’s el-Sisi, India’s Modi, South Africa’s Ramaphosa and the head of the BRICS’ New Development Bank on Tuesday.

◻️ More meetings are set for the next day, including talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the Russia-Iran strategic partnership, and Turkish President Erdogan on a gas hub deal and mediation in the Ukraine crisis. Putin will also meet Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose country joined BRICS in January.

◻️ On October 24, Putin will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with the BRICS Summit featuring a special session related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the crisis in the Middle East.

◻️ Also Thursday, Putin is expected to hold meetings with the leaders of Laos, Mauritania, Bolivia, Republika Srpska and Vietnam.

◻️ The summit will cover an array of economic negotiations, including a BRICS digital payment platform and trade in national currencies, along with administrative issues like formalizing the new "partner country" status, allowing participation in BRICS meetings without voting rights.

◻️ Cuba officially requested BRICS 'partner country' status earlier this month. President Miguel Diaz-Canel, set to attend and meet with Putin, had to skip the summit due to the island's blackout crisis.

◻️ The Kazan Declaration is expected to be adopted Thursday, with representatives from 36 countries and six international organizations participating. Putin will hold a press conference to discuss the summit’s outcome.

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🛰🛰🛰🛰 LIVESTREAM UPCOMING: BRICS SUMMIT - DAY 1

16th BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan is about to kick off to run through October 24.

🤝 On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to hold talks with:

🇨🇳Xi Jinping - President of China

🇮🇳Narendra Modi - Prime Minister of India

🇿🇦Cyril Ramaphosa - President of South Africa

🇪🇬Abdel Fattah el-Sisi - President of Egypt

🌐Dilma Rousseff - President of the New Development Bank

Stay tuned so you won't miss it!

#BRICS2024

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❗️One person was killed as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack on infrastructure facilities in the town of Energodar and the adjacent area, the head of the Zaporozhye region, Yevgeny Balitsky, said.

"Kiev terrorists attack infrastructure facilities in the city of Energodar and the area close to the ZNPP (the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant) using drones. There is no power supply in the city. Gas station attendant died," Balitsky wrote on Telegram.

The facility is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the ninth largest in the world.

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❗️Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is operating stably, its territory is not under attack at the moment - Press service of the plant

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🔸 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan: Putin’s busy itinerary and key diplomatic discussions to look out for

🔸 BRICS economic dominance is taking shape, and the West can do nothing about it – French politician

🔸 How much of the world’s gold reserves are held by BRICS nations?

🔸 Four people killed, 24 injured in Israeli strikes near Rafik Hariri University Hospital

🔸 UK to give Ukraine $2.93 bln as part of G7 loan secured by frozen Russian assets – government

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📹 Footage from the scene of Israel’s overnight bombardment of the Jnah neighborhood on the southern outskirts of Beirut, near Rafik Hariri University Hospital.

Four people, including a child, were killed and more than 30 injured, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Debris removal is still ongoing.

Video from social media

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US makes frantic last-ditch effort at Mideast diplomatic headway before looming election

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has embarked upon a Middle East tour as Washington makes a last-ditch attempt at pushing Israel towards some semblance of a negotiation process before the US presidential election.

The itinerary of the week-long visit takes Blinken first to Israel on Tuesday, then on to Jordan and Qatar.

Blinken has been tasked with discussing how to bring an end to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, humanitarian assistance for the devastated enclave, and "day after" plans, such as security, governance, and reconstruction for the region after the fighting ends, a senior State Department official told reporters.

Regarding Israel’s aggression against Lebanon, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been targeting the Shia Hezbollah movement, Blinken will reportedly focus on how to secure a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. He will reportedly also take up with Israel its expected response to Iran's missile attack following Tehran’s October 1 ballistic missile strike. The Iranian attack on Israeli military and intelligence facilities came in response to a months-long series of Israeli provocations.

This will be the top US diplomat's 11th trip to the region since the events of October 7, 2023 triggered the full-blown Gaza war, which has left 42,600 people, including nearly 16,765 children, dead, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The administration of President Joe Biden has demonstrated its complete inability to resolve the spiraling crisis, while juggling military aid to its ally with warnings of cutting off any further deliveries unless the humanitarian situation in Gaza is improved.

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🇮🇳Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives for BRICS summit

Don't miss the upcoming livestream as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with President Putin for a pivotal bilateral discussion.

#BRICS2024

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🇿🇦President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived to the BRICS Summit in Russia's Kazan

Stay tuned not to miss the upcoming livestream of Putin - Ramaphosa bilateral meeting.

#BRICS2024

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❗️Overnight Israeli attack on southern Beirut leaves 13 dead, 57 injured

The death toll from last night's strike by Israel on the Jnah neighborhood in southern Beirut, near Rafik Hariri University Hospital, has risen to 13, with 57 others reported injured, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

A child was found among the dead, and seven of the injured are in critical condition.

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‘It’s a reality where people are afraid of expressing their opinions’ - Australian legal scholar

💬 “It was bad enough 10 years ago when I was trying to advise the government that Section 18C of the Discrimination Act was being used by highly intolerant individuals in order to make sure that their opinions could not be freely expressed without the person taking the risk of suffering severe persecution," Dr. Augusto Zimmermann, an internationally known legal scholar, broadly recognized as one of Australia’s strongest proponents of free speech, told Sputnik.

"But at this point things only got worse and some of my friends are being targets for the crime of opinion, especially if you hold conservative values,” Zimmerman said.

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‘Free speech is basically dying in the West’ - Australian legal scholar

The West’ sanctions campaign against Sputnik is part of a broader campaign against free speech, said Dr. Augusto Zimmermann, an internationally known legal scholar.

“It seems there is really an attempt to suppress any alternative information, and they are now construing this as a form of misinformation, which is basically anything that's not endorsed by the ruling classes,” said Zimmermann.

He added that journalism is “in dire straits in the West” due to a “fascistic reality, where the government imposes its view and persecutes very severely those who dare to express different opinions.”

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🤝 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa gets acquainted with Russia's custom of welcoming special guests

To taste a karavai (big loaf of bread) on arrival in Russia means to enter into friendly relations and share all worries with the receiving side.

And chak-chak is the national sweet of the Tatarstan region (where the 16-th BRICS summit is being held).

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🇨🇳President of China Xi Jinping has arrived to the BRICS Summit in Russia's Kazan

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping to hold talks today - stay tuned not to miss the upcoming livestream.

#BRICS2024

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