📹 US Vice President JD Vance departs for Israel

Vance is traveling to Israel with second lady Usha Vance, the White House press pool said.

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🇭🇺 Hungarian FM SLAMS EU’s slow response after Druzhba pipeline bombing by Ukraine

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Brussels took 49 days to respond when Hungary and Slovakia asked for help after Ukraine struck Druzhba oil pipeline.

💬 “On the 22nd of August… I turned to the Commission together with the Slovak colleague… you know when we got response? 10th of October – 49 days,” Szijjarto blasted the EU Commission.

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🇭🇺 ‘Many will do everything to block any chance of peace’ — Szijjarto reacts to Zelensky’s comments

💬 “Many will do everything they can to prevent a Peace Summit in Budapest and to block any chance of peace,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto warned on X while sharing a Bloomberg report.

According to the article, Zelensky criticized Budapest as a venue for talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, though said “he’d still come if invited."

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🇵🇸 Hamas to work with all Palestinian factions on a unified national vision — Political Bureau

Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau and head of its International Relations Office, in an interview with Sputnik, outlined the movement’s view for Gaza’s next phase, including political and security management of the Strip. He said the plan presented by US President Donald Trump has two main parts: ending the war and stopping the aggression, and post-war arrangements.

💬 “We at Hamas have consulted with various factions, Palestinian figures and components, as well as friendly countries, and we reached a consensus on the first part related to stopping the war, providing aid, withdrawing from the sector, and exchange — which was indeed achieved in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt,” Abu Marzouk told Sputnik.

He added that the second part “is a comprehensive national issue that no single movement can decide on alone,” requiring broad national consensus and the participation of all Palestinian forces.

💬 “We are open to any upcoming negotiations and have not taken prior positions, but the decisive element in any upcoming round is the existence of a genuine Israeli will to commit to what is agreed upon, to end the war definitively, and to achieve the legitimate rights of the Palestinian citizen to live with dignity on his land, and to establish the Palestinian state.”

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⚔️ NATO unprepared for war with Russia, Ukraine ignores US calls for talks – Naryshkin

Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergey Naryshkin delivered a speech at a meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the CIS Member States in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Key points:

🔹 European allies are “preparing for war with Russia,” rapidly boosting defense output and putting mobilization drills and propaganda about “inevitable aggression” on a regular footing, Naryshkin said.

🔹 A “fundamental issue remains unresolved — where to find a sufficient mobilization contingent with the necessary physical and moral-psychological qualities.”

🔹 He cited “social apathy and discontent with the ruling elite,” and said Brussels, Paris and Berlin lack confidence that Washington would honor Article 5; without that, EU calculations for strategic superiority are “illusory.”

🔹 “Kiev openly spits on the mood of the Trump administration for constructive discussion of ways to end the Ukrainian conflict and does everything to provoke its escalation.”

🔹 He said the bloc aims to quickly resource the Allied Response Forces and has launched a multiple increase in European defense-industrial output.

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🚨🇯🇵 Japanese government resigns — reports

The government led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned on Tuesday, Kyodo reported.

This comes ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for this afternoon. Barring unexpected developments, Sanae Takaichi is expected to become the new prime minister and Japan’s first woman to hold the post, according to the media.

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 Israel should bear the cost of rebuilding the Gaza Strip — Hamas Political Bureau

💬 “We believe that the occupation is primarily responsible for the destruction of the Gaza Strip, so it should bear the cost of reconstruction,” said Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau and head of its International Relations Office, in an interview with Sputnik.

He also pointed to a UN Security Council resolution on rebuilding Gaza and called for urgent, comprehensive reconstruction that addresses all sectors, including infrastructure, health, roads, power stations, and water networks.

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🕊 White House seeks to preserve fragile Gaza deal — reports

The White House is working to hold together the Gaza peace deal amid concerns that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could abandon the US-brokered agreement, The New York Times reported.

Vice President JD Vance is traveling to Israel to join envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner, who were instrumental in negotiating the cease-fire.

💬 President Trump warned that if violence continues, the United States would allow Israel to “eradicate” Hamas. “We made a deal with Hamas that… they’re going to behave. And if they’re not, we’re going to eradicate them if we have to,” Trump said on Monday.

The 10-day-old cease-fire remains fragile after fresh clashes, though both Israel and Hamas say they are committed to it. Trump has argued that recent attacks were the work of “a fringe element” and not Hamas’ leadership.

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🇨🇳🚆 Chinese high-tech train sets new speed record

The CR450 prototype high-speed train has been able to achieve a speed of 453 km/h during a test run, thus setting a new speed record for the trains of its kind, CCTV reports.

Made by CRRC Qingdao Sifang and unveiled in December 2024, the CR450 is capable of accelerating to a speed of 350 km/h in less than five minutes.

The train is expected to enter regular service upon completing about 600,000 kilometers of test runs to ensure that it meets the most stringent safety and quality standards.

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🇬🇧💵 UK war hawks ready to spend ‘well over’ $130M to deploy forces to Ukraine

UK Defense Secretary John Healey claims European troops are “ready to deploy” to Ukraine within weeks—if a ceasefire is reached.

"If President Trump can broker a peace, then we will be ready to help secure that peace," he said at the London Lord Mayor's Annual Defense Lecture.

👉 Behind the scenes, over 200 military planners from 38 nations have been laying the groundwork for months, he said, claiming that the so-called “coalition of the willing”—a 26-nation European alliance formed by PM Keir Starmer—already has blueprints for securing Ukraine’s borders post-ceasefire.

Under these plans, British troops could join a multinational peacekeeping force, expecting to spend “well over” $130M on the mission, added the minister.

🔊 Russian FM Lavrov said previously that the presence of NATO allies' troops on Ukrainian soil—under any flag and in any capacity, including as peacekeepers—would be a threat to Russia, and that Moscow would not accept it under any circumstances.

🔊Putin has warned that foreign forces on Ukrainian soil would become legitimate targets for the Russian military.

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