UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband:

The idea that we’re going to have a two-state solution next month, next year is unlikely.

But we are so heading in the wrong direction. We need a change in direction.

Zelensky:

The Russians will lose this year, we think, 300,000 people killed.

It means that they will have one million killed people over five years of the war. One million killed.

Zelensky:

You feel this terrible, absolute terrorism, terrible terrorism on 11th September, 25 years ago, on 11th September.

Can you imagine after such things that America representatives speak with these terrorists? I can’t imagine. That’s why Americans answered, responded strongly.

This is where we are now — in these towers, but not in one place, not in one tower. In a very big country, all our towers are destroyed, houses and schools, everything.

Residents of Piddington, an Oxfordshire village, voted in a symbolic referendum to leave the UK in protest against plans to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at a nearby former military base.

Out of 312 votes cast, 285 supported leaving, 26 voted against, and one ballot was spoiled.

Source: BBC

Zelensky on Putin:

If Putin stops now, it is not a victory. It’s really not a victory. It’s absolutely the opposite thing for them.

He is afraid that the soldiers will come back, will be angry, and will turn against him.

He has such a precedent. If you remember Wagner.

Zelensky:

How do you want to make elections? What elections? How can you make elections with the 9 million people who are abroad? Nine million. Usually, 500,000 people abroad voted.

And what do you do with the people who are living in occupied territories? Will they vote? How will they vote? Who will control their voting? I mean, there are Russian soldiers there. How do you do all these things?

The UK government is considering joining the Canada-led Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), which aims to provide cheaper loans for defence spending.

Chancellor John Healey is reviewing the move after his predecessor rejected it.

Source: BBC

Taliban spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi:

Currently, the government of Afghanistan has suspended from grade seven onwards a very specific and particular type of education for women and girls.

But there’s other sectors opened.

Taliban spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi:

We were not involved in an incident that happened in the United States on September 11.

There were no Afghan nationals involved in it. There was no association with that attack in Afghanistan.

At that moment in history, geopolitics demanded something. The United States acted on it.

Delhi Police suspended constable Deepak Bangar after he posted Instagram reels showing firearms and sensitive security details while assigned to BRICS Summit protection duty.

Bangar, part of a rooftop sniper team guarding foreign delegates in New Delhi, uploaded videos showing his service pistol, sniper rifle position and security equipment.

EU's von der Leyen:

If I look at Europe today, I would say the state of our union is the strongest it has ever been.

The state of our union can also feel as precarious as it has ever been.

These two statements may seem incompatible, but they are both true.

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun:

The root causes of many security issues lie in unbalanced development, unequal rights and limited opportunities for growth.

To improve security governance, it is necessary to narrow the development gap between the Global South and the Global North.

For the Global South, development itself is the strongest guarantee of security.

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun:

China’s modernization offers the world wider prospects of development and greater certainty and stability.

We welcome all parties to share the opportunity and further consolidate the foundation for common security.

The Chinese military stands ready to work together with all parties to safeguard regional stability, create a sound security environment, and keep peaceful development on course.

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun:

Provocative acts that hijack the overall interest of the region for self-interest or small grouping interest must not be allowed, and concerted efforts should be taken to curb such acts.

Zelensky: How Can Ukraine Hold Elections With 9 Million People Abroad?

Zelensky questioned how Ukraine could organize elections while 9 million citizens are abroad and parts of the country remain occupied.

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Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun:

In response to risks of abusive military use of emerging technologies and their spillover, all parties should act proactively and participate in security governance together.

We will actively engage in security dialogues on AI, outer space, the deep ocean and other areas, step up risk assessment, experience sharing and rules making so as to make new technologies better benefit human society.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says “the world is right to be afraid” of AI dangers.

Iran War Cost Hits $38B, Set to Climb by $3B Every Month

The CBO estimates the six-month U.S. war against Iran has cost $38 billion through August 1, with spending projected to increase by $3 billion a month.

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The U.S. Department of Justice charged five people over alleged Russian intelligence-linked plots involving surveillance, recruitment and planned killings, including attacks targeting Russian dissidents in the U.S. and Lithuania.

The suspects — a Russian father and son, two Cuban nationals and a Venezuelan national — were allegedly involved in recruiting people for surveillance and murder-for-hire operations.

One recruit was offered $40,000 to “eliminate” a U.S.-based target, while another was allegedly offered $25,000 to kill someone in Lithuania.

EU's von der Leyen:

We know that the coming winter will be hard for Ukraine.

But we also know that North Korean missiles and Russian drones cannot break Ukraine’s spirit of resistance.

Because Ukrainians are fighting for something. They are fighting for the survival of their state, their identity and their freedom.

And they are also fighting for our freedom and our self-determination. Our task remains to support Ukraine to the best of our ability.

EU's von der Leyen:

The deep suffering in Gaza and unchecked settler violence in the West Bank have deeply affected Europeans.

The Israeli government's decision to advance the illegal E1 settlement project is unacceptable.