🇸🇾 🇷🇺 New Syrian leaders may see Russia as defense against US & Israeli predations

The new Syrian government’s decision to pursue cordial relations and cooperation with Russia is a pragmatic move, says Amb. Marco Carnelos, former Middle East adviser to Italy’s Prime Ministers Romano Prodi and Silvio Berlusconi.

Rather than “tie itself too much with the Western powers,” the Syrian leadership would likely prefer instead to “have its hands as free as possible.”

💬 “The US and Israel might think twice before acting recklessly in the area because of Russian bases,” Carnelos explains to Sputnik. “

🔶 In other words, a Russian military presence could be a factor of deterrence and by default promote more stability.

🔶 As the US global hegemony ends and the world becomes multipolar, Syria might prefer to adapt to these changes rather than blindly throw in its lot with the crumbling West.

🔶 While it may be too early to describe the current relations between Russia and Syria as a “renewed alliance,” Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s visit to Moscow “might be the first step in re-launching this cooperation.”

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🚨Hegseth to NATO: 'No free riders' on arming Ukraine

The US is urging NATO allies to boost arms purchases for Ukraine under the PURL program, said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth:

💬“Allies often say that Ukraine's security is synonymous with European security… Now is the time for all NATO countries to turn words into action. All countries around this table. No free riders.”

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🤝 'They told me: We'll erase the memory of your family!'

After two years in Israeli prisons, Palestinian journalist Shadi Abu-Sidu finally reunites with his family in Gaza — an emotional moment now spreading across local social media.

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🤝 Sudan showcases energy ambitions at Russian Energy Week

Minister of Finance & Economic Planning Gibril Ibrahim Mohammed outlined plans to unlock the country's massive potential at the Russian Energy Week in Moscow.

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🌪 Tornado tears through Malaysia’s Sijangkang district

A powerful tornado hit the Malaysian district of Sijangkang, destroying a local coordination office where rescuers found a 51-year-old woman trapped under debris.

Nine students from a nearby KAFA religious school were also injured in the storm.

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🔸 New Syrian leaders may see Russia as defense against US & Israeli predations

🔸 'Excesses of democracy': Europe is nixing free internet and private communications

🔸 NATO politicians 'BEATING THEIR CHESTS' with empty threats - Lavrov

🔸 Hegseth to NATO: 'No free riders' on arming Ukraine

🔸 Bessent: 85 US senators ready to back 500% tariff on China over Russian oil

🔸 India begins paying for Russian oil in yuan

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🚨 Trump secretly authorizes CIA covert operations in Venezuela — Report

The Trump administration's secret authorization includes potential lethal operations against Nicolás Maduro's government, according to a New York Times report citing US officials.

The authorization allows the CIA to operate unilaterally or alongside military forces as the US openly seeks to remove Maduro from power.

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🔊 Trump: “PM Modi assured me that India would stop buying Russian oil”

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🔊 Ukraine wants to go offensive — Trump

The US president said he will make a determination on supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles.

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🚨 Hamas: recovering remaining hostage bodies requires 'special equipment'

Hamas has returned 8 bodies of dead Israeli hostages this week, but disputes over identification and recovery threaten the fragile ceasefire.

Hamas states that locating the remaining 21 remains is hindered by wartime destruction — and requires "major efforts and special equipment."

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the IDF to prepare a "comprehensive plan to defeat Hamas" if it refuses to implement Trump's deal — including disarming and returning all bodies.

"If Hamas refuses… Israel, in coordination with the US, will return to fighting to achieve the complete defeat of Hamas," Katz warned.

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🇸🇩 🇷🇺 Sudan eyes Russian partnership in energy projects

Sudan plans to launch joint projects with Russian companies, Energy Minister Moatasem Ibrahim tells Sputnik, noting that 60% of Sudan’s territory faces electricity shortages and could benefit from Russia’s nuclear energy expertise.

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📈 Global debt to hit highest level in 80 years, IMF warns

📑 “Global public debt is projected to rise above 100 percent of GDP by 2029. In such a scenario, public debt would be at its highest level since 1948,” the IMF said in its new Fiscal Monitor report.

And it could climb to 123% within four years in a worst-case scenario.

Rising defense budgets, aging populations, and soaring interest rates are piling pressure on public finances, as the Fund warns that “the size and cost of debt” have drastically changed since the pandemic.

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✍️ Pentagon purges press in media crackdown

The US DoD effectively expelled dozens of journalists who refused to sign a controversial new press policy.

▫️ Over 30 outlets declined to sign, forfeiting Pentagon access

▫️ New rules brand journalists security risks for asking about even unclassified information

▫️ Pentagon Press Association calls it "a dark day for press freedom"

Chief spokesperson Sean Parnell dismissed criticism as a "full blown meltdown," asserting the policy protects troops and national security.

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✈️ Boeing 737 Max clips two jets in Toronto

An Air Canada 737 Max hit two parked planes while maneuvering at Toronto Pearson Airport, after ground crew misjudged the space.

The incident — caught on video — comes days after two Delta jets collided in New York, fueling fresh safety concerns in aviation.

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🎤 Trump team rejects Israel's 'Hamas violation' narrative

Senior US advisers to President Trump are pushing back against Israeli claims that Hamas is violating the ceasefire by not returning all hostage bodies, Axios reports.

Senior US advisers to Trump told reporters that Kushner and Witkoff demanded Israel share intelligence on body locations so the US can "challenge Hamas to do more".

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🇯🇵 US demands Japan cut off Russian oil imports

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Japan's Finance Minister, linking strategic investment in the US with a demand to stop importing Russian energy.

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🔍 US drug supply dangerously dependent on China — Report

A New York Times analysis reveals the US relies exclusively on China for raw materials in nearly 700 approved drugs, exposing critical vulnerabilities in America's pharmaceutical supply chain.

This dependency — affecting essential medications — highlights strategic risks as Washington debates supply chain security and reducing single-source reliance.

China’s monopoly on drug ingredients gives it significant leverage in any future trade or geopolitical tensions, the report says.

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