BIDEN URGES GLOBAL STAND AGAINST RUSSIA'S AGGRESSION AT UNGA

U.S. President Joe Biden made a resounding plea at the United Nations, rallying the international community to confront what he termed "Russia's blatant aggression." Biden warned against appeasing Russia and emphasized that Moscow anticipates the world growing weary and allowing Ukraine to suffer without consequences.

Biden stressed the urgent need to stand up against this aggression to deter potential aggressors in the future. He received applause when he called for Ukraine's territorial integrity, but notable world leaders, including China, Britain, and France, were absent from the UN session.

Biden's message at the UNGA underscored the importance of international unity in the face of Russia's actions.

ZELENSKY ADDRESSES UNGA: RUSSIA'S MANIPULATION OF ESSENTIAL RESOURCES

During his speech at the UN General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised concerns about Russia's tactics, highlighting how Moscow is weaponizing vital resources such as food and energy, not only against Ukraine but also against the international community.

Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine possesses evidence of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children who have been abducted and transported by Russia, referring to this as a clear act of genocide. He painted Russia as a recurrent aggressor, citing its military interventions in Moldova, Georgia, and Syria, its increasing influence over Belarus, and threats posed to the Baltic states.

Rejecting any peace plan that falls short of a military victory for Ukraine over Russia, Zelensky asserted that there is an opportunity to end the aggression on Ukraine's terms. His stance garnered sustained applause, and he concluded his speech with the phrase "Glory to Ukraine."

Ukraine has been seeking support for a 10-point settlement program that calls for a complete Russian withdrawal and reparations. Zelensky proposed the idea of a summit focused on this program, acknowledging that it would be a symbolic achievement, even if enforcement on Russia remains challenging.

RUSSIA HAILS CHINA’S POSITION ON U.S., UKRAINE

Moscow and Beijing are closely aligned in their positions on the U.S. and resolving the Ukraine conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said following talks between their top diplomats on Monday.

The statement came after China’s Wang Yi kicked off a four-day visit to Moscow with a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“The similarity of the parties’ positions regarding U.S. actions in the international arena, including those of an anti-Russian and anti-Chinese nature, was stated,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Germany at the opening of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group that Ukraine will soon receive M1 Abrams tanks from Washington.

POLAND SIGNALS IT WILL STOP AID FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEES IN 2024

Poland is expected to reduce financial support for the one million Ukrainian refugees it is hosting, a move that may strain relations between the two nations. Despite being a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, providing financial and military assistance and facilitating western supplies, Poland is seeing deteriorating ties with Ukraine in the lead-up to its elections. The support for refugees, including residency waivers, work permits, education, healthcare, and family benefits, will not be extended next year, according to a government spokesperson. This decision is likely to increase tensions, as Poland's ruling party has also extended a ban on grain imports from Ukraine, defying EU decisions and leading Ukraine to challenge the ban at the WTO.

PAK REJECTS REPORT IT SOLD ARMS TO UKRAINE TO SECURE KEY IMF FUNDING

Islamabad : Pakistan has rejected a report claiming that it sold arms and ammunition to Ukraine in order to secure a crucial bailout package from the IMF. Foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Monday rejected as “baseless and fabricated” the Intercept report saying that cash-strapped country provided the arms to get US support to clinch the $3 billion IMF deal towards the end of June to avoid default. “The IMF standby arrangement for Pakistan was successfully negotiated between Pakistan and the IMF to implement difficult but essential economic reforms. Giving any other colour to these negotiations is disingenuous,” Dawn News quoted Baloch as saying. Baloch said Pakistan maintained a policy of “strict neutrality” in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and did not provide them any arms or ammunition in that context.

During a visit to Pakistan in July, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba had rejected similar reports that the cash-strapped country was supplying arms to Ukraine to support its military during the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to Dawn. He had said that the two nations had no deal for the supply of arms and ammunition.

US AND SAUDI EXPLORE DEF TREATY MODELLED AFTER PACTS WITH JAPAN, S KOREA

American and Saudi officials are in talks about a mutual defense treaty, resembling those between the US, Japan, and South Korea, as part of President Biden's diplomatic efforts to encourage Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel. This treaty would involve mutual military support in the event of an attack in the region or on Saudi territory. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman views this as a crucial aspect of discussions with the Biden administration regarding Israel. Additionally, Prince Mohammed is seeking US assistance for Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear program, which raises concerns about potential nuclear weapon development. Such a treaty could face opposition in Congress due to doubts about Saudi reliability and human rights concerns, and it may conflict with the administration's focus on deterring China in the Asia-Pacific region.

PETROL WOULD’VE COST RS 1,000/L HAD MY GOVT NOT SAVED PAK FROM DEFAULT: NAWAZ

Lahore/London : Pakistan’s former PM Nawaz Sharif has said that he is “excited” to return to his country on October 21, ending a four-year “self-imposed exile” and to lead his party in the upcoming elections.

Addressing an online meeting of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ticket holders from London on Monday, the PML-N supreme leader also said the price of petrol, which is hovering around Rs 330 per litre, would have been Rs 1,000 per litre had the coalition government led by PML-N not “saved” the country from default, Dawn News reported.

Amid double-digit inflation, Pakistan’s caretaker government last week effected yet another hike in the prices of petrol and diesel taking them to a historic high — over Rs 330 per litre.

Lashing out at the military and judicial establishment of 2017, the PML-N supremo said the people should know who the real culprits for their agony were. “The man (Nawaz) who rid the country of power load shedding was sent home by four judges,” Sharif, 73, said in his emotional speech, adding that the former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-In ter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief General (retd) Faiz Hamid were behind his ouster.

“(Former) chief justices Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa were tools of (the former army chief and his spy chief). Their crime is bigger than amurder offence. Giving them pardons will be an injustice to the nation,” Sharif said. “These ‘characters’ who unleashed economic misery on the people of Pakistan will have to face accountability,” he said.

NOT SUNK IN LAKE OR FLYING ON AUTOPILOT: MYSTERY ENDS AS F-35 DEBRIS FOUND

On Monday evening, the US military located the wreckage of an F-35 jet in South Carolina, a day after it had lost track of the aircraft when the pilot ejected with a parachute. The debris was discovered in Williamsburg County, and residents were advised to avoid the area during the recovery efforts. Prior to finding the wreckage, a massive search operation had raised questions about how an F-35 could go missing, including speculations about it still being airborne or having crashed undetected. The cause of the pilot's ejection is under investigation, and this incident marks the third "Class-A mishap" in the past six weeks, involving property damage exceeding $2.5 million, according to Marine Corps criteria.

‘CHINA’S EX-FOREIGN MIN HAD AFFAIR IN US, FATHERED CHILD’

China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang, who was ousted from his position in July, had an extramarital affair while he was ambassador to the United States, Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with a briefing.

The report said Qin was cooperating with the investigation, which was now focused on whether the affair or Qin’s conduct had compromised China’s national security.

Senior Chinese officials were told that an internal Communist Party investigation found Qin engaged in the affair throughout his tenure as China’s ambassador to the United States, the report said. Two sources told the newspaper the affair had resulted in the birth of a child in the US.

During a regular press briefing on Tuesday, China foreign ministry spokeperson Mao Ning was asked about the article and said: “On the appointment and removal of the Chinese foreign minister, the Chinese side has released information before and I am not aware of the other information you mentioned”.

Qin was replaced by veteran diplomat Wang Yi in July as the foreign minister after a mysterious one-month absence from duties barely half a year into the job. He was China’s top envoy in Washington from July 2021 until January this year.

CHINA ASKS FOREIGN CONSULATES IN HONG KONG FOR DETAILS OF LOCAL STAFF

HONG KONG: China has given foreign consulates in Hong Kong a month to submit their local staffers’ names, home addresses and job descriptions. Two diplomatic sources confirmed their consulates had received the documents and said that it was the first time local staff members' personal details had been requested.

AZERBAIJAN LAUNCHES OPERATION AGAINST NAGORNO-KARABAKH AND DEMANDS SURRENDER

Azerbaijan has initiated "anti-terror" operations in Nagorno-Karabakh and insists on the surrender of ethnic-Armenian separatists. This comes after months of heightened tensions in the South Caucasus over the breakaway enclave, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's ultimatum calls for the disarmament and dissolution of "illegal Armenian military formations." Azerbaijan and Armenia previously engaged in a war in the early 1990s, with a more recent conflict in 2020 when Azerbaijan recaptured areas around Nagorno-Karabakh. While ethnic Armenians in Karabakh appeal for a ceasefire and talks, Azerbaijan's goal seems to be the complete conquest of the region. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accuses Azerbaijan of starting an operation aimed at "ethnic cleansing," leading to protests in Armenia with calls for his resignation. Talks could potentially take place in Yevlakh, north of Karabakh's regional capital.