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KOMMERSANT (RUSSIA): В среду вечером президент РФ Владимир Путин провел заседание постоянного совещания Совета безопасности РФ по ядерному сдерживанию, объявив о внесении в ядерную доктрину страны важных изменений. Речь, судя по анонсированным новшествам, идет о расширении сценариев, при которых власти РФ оставляют за собой право применить ядерное оружие. Во-первых, в проекте «Основ» будет расширена категория государств и военных союзов, в отношении которых проводится ядерное сдерживание, и дополнен перечень военных угроз, для нейтрализации которых выполняются мероприятия ядерного сдерживания. Во-вторых, в обновленной редакции документа агрессию против России со стороны любого неядерного государства, но с участием или при поддержке ядерного государства предлагается рассматривать как их совместное нападение на РФ. В-третьих, по словам Владимира Путина, уточнены условия перехода России к применению ядерного оружия. Впредь власти РФ будут рассматривать такую возможность уже при получении достоверной информации не только о старте баллистических ракет, но и «о массированном старте средств воздушно-космического нападения и пересечении ими государственной границы». Речь, как следует из пояснений главы государства, идет о самолетах стратегической и тактической авиации, крылатых ракетах, беспилотниках, гиперзвуковых и других летательных аппаратах. В-четвертых, власти РФ оставляют за собой право применить ядерное оружие в случае агрессии против России и Белоруссии как участницы Союзного государства. В-пятых, уточняется, что ядерное оружие может быть применено «в том числе, если противник, используя обычное оружие, создает критическую угрозу суверенитету России и Белоруссии.

THE GUARDIAN (GB): Vladimir Putin warns west he will consider using nuclear weapons. Comments are strongest yet against allowing Ukraine to launch long-range missiles into Russian territory. Vladimir Putin has escalated his nuclear rhetoric, telling a group of senior officials that Russia would consider using nuclear weapons if it was attacked by any state with conventional weapons. His remarks on Wednesday came during a meeting with Russia’s powerful security council where he also announced changes to the country’s nuclear doctrine. The comments marked Russia’s strongest warning yet to the west against allowing Ukraine to launch deep strikes into Russian territory using long-range western missiles.

O GLOBO (BRASIL): O presidente da Rússia, Vladimir Putin, alertou o Ocidente nesta quarta-feira que seu país poderia usar armas nucleares se fosse atacado com mísseis convencionais, e que Moscou consideraria qualquer agressão apoiada por uma potência nuclear como um ataque conjunto. A decisão do mandatário russo de alterar a doutrina nuclear oficial do país foi feita enquanto os Estados Unidos e o Reino Unido avaliam permitir que a Ucrânia utilize armas ocidentais para atacar a Rússia, um pedido que vem sendo feito há meses pelo líder ucraniano, Volodymyr Zelensky. Ao abrir uma reunião do Conselho de Segurança da Rússia, Putin disse que as mudanças são uma resposta à rápida mudança do cenário global, que gerou novas ameaças e riscos para o país. O presidente afirmou que Moscou também se reserva o direito de usar armas nucleares se o seu aliado, a Bielorrússia, for alvo de agressão, inclusive por meio de armas convencionais. As declarações desta quarta-feira se seguem ao aviso de Putin aos EUA e outros aliados da Otan de que permitir que a Ucrânia use armas ocidentais de longo alcance para” ataques ao território russo significaria que a Rússia e a aliança militar estão em guerra.

ASHARQ AL-AWSAT (GB): President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it was attacked by any state and that any conventional attack on Russia that was supported by a nuclear power would be considered to be a joint attack. Putin, opening a meeting of Russia's Security Council attended by top officials, said that proposals had been made to change Russia's nuclear doctrine and said he would like to underscore one of the proposed key changes. “It is proposed that aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear state, be considered as their joint attack on the Russian Federation”, Putin said. Putin said the clarifications were carefully calibrated and commensurate with the modern military threats facing Russia.

LE FIGARO (FRANCE): Vladimir Poutine agite à nouveau l’épouvantail nucléaire. Le président russe propose une révision des règles d’utilisation de l’arme nucléaire et étudie la possibilité de l’utiliser en cas de “lancement massif” d’avions, missiles ou drones contre son territoire. La coïncidence n’est vraisemblablement pas fortuite. Alors même que se tient l’Assemblée générale des Nations-Unies à New York où le soutien à l’Ukraine reste en tête de l’agenda des Occidentaux, Vladimir Poutine donne de la voix pour “clarifier” la doctrine nucléaire russe. En l’occurrence, pour avertir que Moscou pourrait utiliser l'arme nucléaire en cas de “lancement massif” d’attaques aériennes contre son territoire. Si l’on prend au mot le chef du Kremlin, qui s’exprimait mercredi lors d’une réunion par vidéo avec le Conseil de sécurité russe, un assaut de l’armée ukrainienne soutenu par une puissance nucléaire serait considéré comme une agression “conjointe” contre la Russie, laquelle pourrait déclencher le feu nucléaire. Si le président russe n’a pas évoqué directement l'Ukraine et ses alliés occidentaux, la référence est évidente. Les “précisions” apportées mercredi par Vladimir Poutine viennent appuyer le message d’avertissement en suggérant l’utilisation de l’arme nucléaire dans le cas d’une attaque aérienne de grande ampleur, si l’Ukraine était soutenue par des puissances dites “dotées” (États-Unis, Grande-Bretagne, France…).

ARAB NEWS (SAUDI ARABIA): The US, France and other allies jointly called Wednesday for an “immediate” 21-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days. The joint statement, negotiated on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, says the recent fighting is “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation”.

HINDUSTAN TIMES (INDIA): US and France informed the United Nations Security Council of their plans to negotiate for a 21-day temporary ceasefire to create room for more talks. The Israeli Army asked its soldiers to prepare for a “possible” ground invasion of Lebanon, after the militant group Hezbollah claimed to have launched its biggest strike yet on Israel in response to airstrikes on Tuesday that killed more than 550 people in Lebanon. The war in Gaza looks set to take a deadly escalation with Israel and Hezbollah engaged in a constant battle since past week. On Wednesday, Hezbollah launched dozens of projectiles, including a missile aimed at Israel's capital Tel Aviv, which marked the group's deepest strike since the Gaza war began on October 7 last year.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST (HONG KONG, CHINA): Israel lands heavy blows on Hezbollah, but victory could prove elusive. Israel is using air strikes to try to force Hezbollah back without a ground war. But Israeli air power has its limits. Israel says its objective is to secure the border so that tens of thousands of people who fled under Hezbollah fire nearly a year ago can return to their homes. But it’s far from clear that its recent operations – as tactically successful as they were – will bring that about. “No one either in or out of the defence establishment has any clue as to how to translate these brilliant operational achievements into political benefit, into a real victory that will stop the war in the north”, columnist Nadav Eyal wrote in Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper. “As long as Hezbollah retains any firepower, the northern border will not be able to return to normal”.

THE NEW YORK TIMES (USA): Israel’s war against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon is another embarrassment for Iran and its new president, raising the pressure on him to strike back at Israel to defend an important ally. Iran has so far refused to be goaded by Israel into a larger regional war that its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, clearly does not want, analysts say. Instead, President Masoud Pezeshkian is at the United Nations hoping to present a more moderate face to the world and meeting European diplomats in the hopes of restarting talks on Iran’s nuclear program that could lead to vital sanctions relief for its hobbled economy. After a series of humiliations, heightened by Israel’s intensified attacks on Hezbollah, Iran faces clear dilemmas. It wants to restore deterrence against Israel while avoiding a full-scale war between the two countries that could draw in the United States and, in combination, destroy the Islamic Republic at home. It wants to preserve the proxies that provide what it calls forward defense against Israel — Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis in Yemen — without going into battle on their behalf. And it wants to try to get some of the punishing economic sanctions against it lifted by renewing nuclear negotiations with the West while preserving its close military and trade relationships with Washington’s prime adversaries, Russia and China.

THE WASHINGTON POST (USA): Biden administration divided over Israel’s escalation against Hezbollah. As fears of a wider Middle East war grow, some U.S. officials see Israel’s bombardment as reckless, while others are cautiously supportive. The Biden administration is divided over Israel’s military escalation against Hezbollah with some senior officials viewing it as a reckless bombardment likely to produce more deadly cycles of violence and others seeing it as a potentially effective means of degrading the Lebanese militant group and forcing it to back down. Senior officials are publicly calling for de-escalation as the administration tries to find a diplomatic off-ramp to the metastasizing Middle East conflict. In the past two weeks, Israel’s brazen sabotage of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies and a series of airstrikes have killed hundreds, including a top Hezbollah commander on Friday.

TEHRAN TIMES (IRAN): During a meeting with the veterans of the Iran-Iraq war, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei commented on the events transpiring in Palestine and Lebanon, stating Resistance fighters will emerge victorious in the fight against the Zionist regime. “The definitive religious ruling is that it is obligatory upon everyone to strive and help to return Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque to the Muslims and its rightful owners”, he asserted. Pointing to the similarities between the current battle and the eight-year imposed war, the Leader stated, “In this battle, the infidel and evil enemy is equipped with the best resources. The U.S. is behind them. The Americans claim that they are not involved and are unaware of things, which is false. Not only are they aware and involved, they also require the victory of the Zionist regime”.

NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA (RUSSIA): Иран не хочет быть гарантом безопасности “Хезболлы”. У Израиля остается мало препятствий для ввода войск в Ливан. Россиянам, которые находятся в Ливане, рекомендовано срочно покинуть территорию страны. Поводом стало обострение ситуации на фоне усиления израильских ударов по позициям “Хезболлы”. По данным региональной разведки, на днях шиитская группировка обратилась к своему ключевому внешнему покровителю – Ирану с просьбой проявить солидарность и атаковать еврейское государство напрямую. Однако тот самоустранился от непосредственного вмешательства. Осторожную позицию в ливанском конфликте заняли и США, которые отчаялись убедить Израиль в необходимости предотвратить войну.

THE JERUSALEM POST (ISRAEL): The world must not fall for Iran’s diplomatic overtures again. Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian launches a “charm offensive” at the UN, but his rhetoric masks Iran’s oppressive regime and destabilizing actions. The West must not fall for this ploy again. Iran takes the West in general, and the United States in particular, for fools. How else to explain the current “charm offensive” by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif in the US, where they are attending the opening of the UN General Assembly? In his maiden speech to the UN, Pezeshkian, who won the presidential election in July – a vote held after Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter accident – sought to distance himself from his predecessor.

NIKKEI (JAPAN): China ICBM launch shows Beijing can “fight on multiple fronts”. Demonstration of range sends warning to Washington about Taiwan intervention. China’s rare public launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile this week sends a message that the country’s military is combat ready on a number of fronts, while the show of force could spur closer cooperation among the U.S. and its Asian allies, analysts said. Chinese defense authorities on Wednesday said the missile carried a dummy warhead and landed in the intended area of the sea. Beijing said the launch was part of routine training and was not aimed at any particular country or target.

DAILY SABAH (TURKEY): “The Great Game” played in Central Asia, this time with different actors. At first glance, the U.S. strategy to counter Chinese expansion seems concentrated on maritime disputes, particularly in the South China Sea, where tensions have been a recurring theme for over 15 years. While focusing on maritime routes is understandable, it’s essential to recognize that China’s historical foreign policy is rooted in land-based territorial influence rather than maritime power. Incompatible with this Chinese way of conducting external relations, China first attempted to exert its economic and political power in Central Asia in the Deng Xiaoping era despite Mao’s restrained understanding of economics based on the Soviet legacy. In this context, Central Asia emerges as a critical focal point for China. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. aimed to influence Central Asia to shape the world according to its vision. However, this strategy faced setbacks. The 9/11 attacks led to heightened security concerns, labeling Central Asia as a key region for counterterrorism, particularly in the Ferghana Valley. Initially, the U.S. extended support to these relatively fragile states, establishing military bases in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to fill the vacuum left by the Soviet collapse and to counterbalance Russia and China. The strategy saw mixed results, and the U.S. presence in the region was scaled back under the Trump and Biden administrations. Central Asia stands at a crossroads. The U.S. encourages the region to leverage its strategic position and support countering China’s assertive policies. This period of shifting alliances and emerging opportunities could potentially lead to a more prosperous and independent Central Asia. If managed adeptly, Central Asian nations could emerge stronger, fostering greater regional integration and stability.

THE WASHINGTON TIMES (USA): Harris and Trump wrangle over who’s the real capitalist, pro-business, tax-cutting candidate. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump offered dueling visions of the economy Wednesday, stepping up their messages to voters in battleground states still anxious about the economy. Ms. Harris did not reveal any details about her economic policies but framed herself as pro-business and anti-government bureaucracy, countering Mr. Trump’s assertion that she is a socialist who will drown businesses in government red tape. “I am a capitalist,” she said, adding that her policies will be rooted in pragmatism, not ideology. Donald Trump vows to cut taxes for U.S. production, floats Elon Musk-led panel to cut federal waste. “It’s a national problem, and I will tell you this: China is not moving slowly. They are not, and we can’t afford to either,” she said. “As president, if things are not moving quickly, I will demand to know, and I will act”. Both candidates cast themselves as tax cutters and accused the other of supporting massive tax increases on the middle class.

THE TIMES (GB): Why this election has the potential to reshape US foreign policy. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump offer voters two starkly contrasting visions of foreign policy that could have a profound impact on the global order. In the 31 months since an invading Russian army threatened Kyiv in February 2022 the United States has kept Ukraine on life-support with a global diplomatic effort and more than $55 billion in military aid, including air and coastal defence systems, over 2,000 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, thousands of armoured vehicles and millions of artillery and mortar rounds. But when President Zelensky visits the White House on Thursday he will be uncomfortably aware that the extraordinary backing shown to his country by the Biden administration is now entering its final weeks. What will come next is veiled in uncertainty because the two candidates for president, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, offer voters two starkly contrasting visions of foreign policy. The election has the potential to reshape US foreign policy.

VEDOMOSTI (RUSSIA): В США обеспокоены качеством предвыборных опросов. И республиканцы, и демократы считают их недостоверными. Накануне президентских выборов 5 ноября и демократы, и республиканцы в конгрессе США обеспокоены качеством показателей опросов общественного мнения. Демократы не уверены, что устоявшееся за несколько недель преимущество вице-президента и партийного кандидата Камалы Харрис гарантирует ей победу. А республиканцы утверждают, что опросы целенаправленно не учитывают так называемое молчаливое большинство, которое поддерживает экс-президента и республиканского кандидата Дональда Трампа.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (USA): New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal criminal charges, according to people familiar with the matter, marking a stunning blow to the leader of the nation’s largest city. It couldn’t immediately be learned what charges Adams is facing. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are expected to announce details of the case on Thursday, the people said.

RENMIN RIBAO (CHINA): The constantly growing economic cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is set to further stabilize and inject vitality into the volatile global economy challenged by protectionism and deglobalization. Bilateral trade between China and ASEAN reflects this robust cooperation. Official data showed that in the first seven months of this year, their trade reached 552 billion U.S. dollars, up 7.7% year on year, accounting for about one-sixth of China’s total foreign trade volume in the same period. China has remained ASEAN’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China’s top trading partner for four consecutive years. These figures demonstrate a shared vision of creating a massive integrated market, optimizing resource allocation, and leveraging each other's strengths for mutual benefit.

THE MAINICHI SHIMBUN (JAPAN): Asian Development Bank raises growth forecast for region, but warns of risks from trade sanctions. Developing economies in Asia are forecast to grow at a 5.0% annual pace this year, helped by a strong U.S. economy and surging demand for computer chips that power artificial intelligence, the Asian Development Bank said in a report Wednesday. The forecast was revised upward slightly from the ADB’s April estimate of 4.9% growth. However, the regional lender warned of the potential threat of more protectionist measures, such as higher tariffs on exports from China, depending on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

LE TEMPS (SWITZERLAND): La chute de l’Empire aztèque en 1519 provoque une crise diplomatique entre Madrid et Mexico. Claudia Sheinbaum n’est pas encore entrée en fonction au Mexique que des tensions éclatent avec l'Espagne. La présidente élue a refusé d’inviter à son investiture le roi Felipe VI, qui a fait la sourde oreille face aux demandes mexicaines d’excuses pour la colonisation du pays. C’est l’histoire d’une invitation. Celle que le président mexicain Andrés Manuel López Obrador avait tout d’abord lancée au roi d’Espagne Felipe VI en mars 2019, à savoir de bien vouloir présenter ses excuses à son peuple.

GLOBAL TIMES (CHINA): The first batch of lunar samples from the far side of the moon, collected by China’s Chang’e-6 mission, is expected to be distributed to domestic scientists by the end of 2024, with availability for international researchers to follow. These samples are anticipated to further deepen mankind’s understanding of the moon. The Chang'e-6 lunar scientific research samples will be distributed by means through an open application system. Researchers can access information and apply for the samples through the Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Scientific Data and Sample Release System on China’s Lunar and Deep Space Exploration website. Scientists around the world are keenly interested in this only batch of lunar samples, which are expected to update mankind’s understanding of the Moon, TOLD Li Chunlai, deputy chief designer of the mission.

INDEPENDENT (GB): A court in Japan has acquitted an 88-year-old former boxer after he spent nearly 46 years on death row for a quadruple murder. Iwao Hakamada, a professional boxer, was accused in 1966 of killing four people, including two children, and burning down their house. He is the longest-serving death row prisoner in the world, after being sentenced to death in 1969. His execution was repeatedly delayed due to lengthy appeals and multiple retrials that eventually led to his acquittal on Thursday.
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