Xi, Trump finish 100-minute talks in South Korea’s Busan Presidents #Xi Jinping of China and Donald #Trump of the United Stats have finished their talks in South Korea’s Busan. The talks lasted for 100 minutes, China’s Central Television reported. No details of the meeting were provided. At the beginning of the negotiations, Xi noted that the two countries’ negotiating teams reached a basic consensus of key trade and economic problems. Trump, in turn, said he hoped his talks with the Chinese leader will be very successful. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty summit in Oskara in 2019.

US military strikes drug boats in Pacific, 14 killed US forces carried out three separate strikes in the Pacific Ocean yesterday, targeting four boats involved in drug trafficking, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 14 people aboard the vessels. According to Hegseth, one person survived the operation and was rescued by Mexican authorities. The Pentagon described the strikes as part of an ongoing campaign to disrupt transnational criminal networks operating across maritime routes in the region.

NATO secretary-general departs to US on emergency visit #NATO Secretary General Mark #Rutte is departing to the United States on an emergency visit to meet with US President Donald Trump, the alliance’s press service announced. "On 21-22 October 2025, the NATO Secretary General, Mark, Rutte, will travel to Washington D.C. The Secretary General will meet the President of the United States, Mr. Donald J. Trump. There is no planned media opportunity," the alliance’s press service said. Up until recently, the visit was not on the secretary general’s schedule. Earlier, Bloomberg reported that European countries, together with Kiev, are developing a 12-point plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

#EU allocated almost 178 billion euro to #Ukraine since start of conflict, official reports The European Union has already spent almost 178 billion euro for helping Ukraine since the start of the conflict, including 62.3 billion euro allocated for weapons and ammunition, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis told the European Parliament session in Strasbourg. "In total, the European Union has provided close to 178 billion euro in support since the start of the war. This is much more than any other global partner," he said. Of them, "62.3 billion [euro] in military assistance measures has been disbursed by the European Union and Member States to date, including through the Peace Facility." Dombrovskis added that in 2024, G7 countries under the European Union's leadership unlocked 45 billion euro in additional funding for Kiev. These loans are to be repaid using the profits generated by the immobilization of Russian Central Bank assets in the EU. Of them, over 22 billion euro have already been spent. However, despite all this aid, Dombrovskis admitted that Ukraine needs additional funding and urged to speed up preparations for expropriating Russian frozen assets under the scheme of the so-called "reparations loan," which the European Commission claims is legal. Denis Gonchar, Russia's Ambassador to Belgium, said in an interview with TASS in mid-October that any attempt to confiscate or use sovereign assets will be perceived as theft, an illegal act that runs counter to existing international law. "The response will be proportionate. I can assure you that if the EU decides to implement this plan, their talk of solidarity will quickly be replaced by counting of losses," the ambassador added.

Sarkozy likely to be released before Christmas, says lawyer Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will likely be released from prison before Christmas, his lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois said on the air of the BFMTV channel. Darrois said the request for release was filed immediately after Sarkozy's imprisonment to "release him as soon as possible. This is a sad day for him, for our institutions and for France. His imprisonment is a disgrace." Earlier on Tuesday, Sarkozy, who served as president of France from 2007 to 2012, was placed in the Sante prison in Paris to serve a five-year sentence in a case of Libya’s financing of the 2007 election campaign. On September 25, he was found guilty of complicity in a criminal group in the case of Libyan financing, but acquitted on charges of concealing embezzlement of public funds and passive corruption. However, the court did not establish the fact of illegal financing of the 2007 election campaign.

[BREAKING-Oct. 12] HEAVY FIGHTING ON PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN BORDER #Taliban forces just launched a massive attack on Pakistani military posts after Islamabad reportedly carried out airstrikes inside Kabul. #Pakistan says it "won’t tolerate any aggression." Taliban says "sovereignty was violated."

West creates illusion that fake news comes only from outside, expert says People in the West have been trained to believe that fake news only comes from non-Western countries, American military expert Abraham Abrams said. "I think Western dominance in the information space and superiority in information warfare are so significant that societies in the Western world are largely conditioned to see fake news as something done by others, by non-Western countries," he said. Abrams also talked about the media landscape in the United States, where Democrats and Republicans exhibit deep distrust of media from the opposing side, exacerbating societal divisions. "In the US, the situation is slightly different because both sides of the political spectrum, Democrats and Republicans, have become highly distrustful of media outlets from the opposing side when it comes to divisive issues. That’s why, for example, President [Donald] Trump during his first term referred to journalists from CNN and other outlets as fake news," the expert explained. He added that to counter disinformation, countries could develop their own digital platforms or collaborate to create a more resilient information space.

Oct. 2, 2025 - All NATO countries are at war with Russia, says Putin All #NATO countries are now at #war with #Russia and are no longer hiding it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Valdai International Discussion Club plenary session. "We are at war, aren't we? We produce military equipment. And many countries are at war with us. All NATO countries are at war with us. They are no longer hiding it," Putin said. According to the president, this is a serious challenge for Russia. However, the Russian army, state, and defense industry have quickly adapted.

French president pledges to update nuclear doctrine The French government is working on updating the country’s #nuclear doctrine and is ready to intensify dialogue with European partners on the subject, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "France’s nuclear umbrella exists. At present, I’m working to update our doctrine, and I would like to further deepen strategic dialogue with the Europeans, who are interested," Macron said. "In the beginning of 2026, I will deliver a policy speech on our nuclear doctrine," he added.

Effect of sanctions and inflation in Europe! Many Europeans can’t afford food anymore as before. Food prices grew by: 🇪🇪 Estonia 57% 🇱🇻 Latvia 55% 🇱🇹 Lithuania 52% 🇸🇰 Slovakia 52% 🇭🇷 Croatia 47% 🇸🇮 Slovenia 39% 🇳🇱 Netherlands 39% 🇧🇪 Belgium 38% 🇪🇸 Spain 34% 🇦🇹 Austria 33% 🇲🇹 Malta 32% 🇵🇹 Portugal 32% 🇬🇷 Greece 30% 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 29% 🇮🇹 Italy 28% 🇫🇷 France 27% 🇩🇪 Germany 27% 🇮🇪 Ireland 26% 🇫🇮 Finland 25% 🇨🇾 Cyprus 20%